The Ottawa Citizen's letters to the editor for Saturday, August 15, 2026<\/p>\n
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Re: Mathieu Grondin hasn\u2019t done much to improve Ottawa\u2019s nightlife | Opinion, Aug 10, 2026<\/p>\n
I applaud Brigitte\u00a0Pellerin\u2019s article, she\u2019s right on target. I live within walking distance of downtown. I\u2019d say most taxpayers are against the Night Commissioner position and possibly all taxpayers know that nothing has come to fruition! I\u2019d vote for the candidate who says they would abolish this position!<\/p>\n
Brigitte Pellerin\u2019s excellent column points out the lacklustre results of the first two years of the Night Mayor\u2019s tenure. While I tend to agree with their assessment, it\u2019s 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\u2019s nightlife.<\/p>\n
More frequent and reliable transit options after 9 p.m.? Too expensive to square with \u201clow property taxes at all costs\u201d. Greater pedestrianization of downtown spaces \u2014 especially the ByWard Market? Only if zero business owners complain about a loss of parking. Public restrooms so your night out isn\u2019t limited by paying for bathroom availability? Behind schedule, over budget, and only on a pilot project basis.<\/p>\n
The problem isn\u2019t the Night Mayor; the problem is the total lack of ambition from the people who hired him.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s time we elevate the discussion around our \u2018night mayor\u2019. Even in an opinion piece, I\u2019m less interested in the writer\u2019s perception of whether things have improved, and how long change should take, than I am in learning context. Have Grondin\u2019s actions looked different to other night mayors\u2019 in Amsterdam and Barcelona? Did they visibly achieve more in the same time, or is this timeline typical? Rotterdam\u2019s night mayor expressed surprise at the way Ottawa residents have talked about Grondin, so it\u2019d be helpful to establish that.<\/p>\n
Growing a network like Ottawa\u2019s night scene (which necessarily requires co-ordinating scores of people) is the kind of thing that usually takes more time than we\u2019d like. It can be healthy to critique Grondin\u2019s work, but I\u2019d also like evidence that we\u2019re 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\u2019s plagued North American cities for decades. Mathieu Grondin may or may not succeed at growing Ottawa\u2019s nightlife, but adopting that attitude often guarantees failure.<\/p>\n
If you disagree, just read Pugliese\u2019s final paragraph where he refers to a July 4th message from Hoekstra: \u201cThis anniversary is also a launch pad to look toward a future where, under President Trump\u2019s 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.\u201d What leadership? What innovation? What diplomacy? Certainly, none of that will come from Trump.<\/p>\n
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