The problem isn’t the Night Mayor | Letters to the Editor

Re: Mathieu Grondin hasn’t done much to improve Ottawa’s nightlife | Opinion, Aug 10, 2026

I applaud Brigitte Pellerin’s article , she’s right on target. I live within walking distance of downtown. I’d say most taxpayers are against the Night Commissioner position and possibly all taxpayers know that nothing has come to fruition! I’d vote for the candidate who says they would abolish this position!

Brigitte Pellerin’s excellent column points out the lacklustre results of the first two years of the Night Mayor’s tenure. While I tend to agree with their assessment, it’s worth noting that even the best, most effective Night Mayor would be hindered by the fact that the incumbent 24-Hour Mayor has shown little to no interest in the kinds of bigger policy changes that would actually facilitate Ottawa’s nightlife.

More frequent and reliable transit options after 9 p.m.? Too expensive to square with “low property taxes at all costs”. Greater pedestrianization of downtown spaces — especially the ByWard Market? Only if zero business owners complain about a loss of parking. Public restrooms so your night out isn’t limited by paying for bathroom availability? Behind schedule, over budget, and only on a pilot project basis.

The problem isn’t the Night Mayor; the problem is the total lack of ambition from the people who hired him.

It’s time we elevate the discussion around our ‘night mayor’. Even in an opinion piece , I’m less interested in the writer’s perception of whether things have improved, and how long change should take, than I am in learning context. Have Grondin’s actions looked different to other night mayors’ in Amsterdam and Barcelona? Did they visibly achieve more in the same time, or is this timeline typical? Rotterdam’s night mayor expressed surprise at the way Ottawa residents have talked about Grondin, so it’d be helpful to establish that.

Growing a network like Ottawa’s night scene (which necessarily requires co-ordinating scores of people) is the kind of thing that usually takes more time than we’d like. It can be healthy to critique Grondin’s work, but I’d also like evidence that we’re holding him to a reasonable standard, and support for the idea that other staff could do this in the same way. After all, the notion that we should only invest in things that provide fast returns at low cost is the kind of short-term mindset that’s plagued North American cities for decades. Mathieu Grondin may or may not succeed at growing Ottawa’s nightlife, but adopting that attitude often guarantees failure.

If you disagree, just read Pugliese’s final paragraph where he refers to a July 4th message from Hoekstra: “This anniversary is also a launch pad to look toward a future where, under President Trump’s leadership, we are forging new partnerships, championing innovation, and defining a new era of diplomacy that will carry us forward for the next two and a half centuries.” What leadership? What innovation? What diplomacy? Certainly, none of that will come from Trump.