Montreal bars to stay open till 5:30am

[Sol Tee Nutz]

In the news today, this summer bars on Crescent St & St.Denis will be open till 5:30am as a test. Nice.
The Montreal mayor also stated that Montreal has a nightlife and Toronto also has one due to 1/2 million Quebeckers moved to Toronto.
That's the facts, just report them as I read them :nod:

 

[gan]

I think it's a terrible idea. Downtown bars are usually full of young people. Instead of advocating responsible drinking, we are encouraging them to drink even more. What good can come out of this?

 

[HornyForEver]

This decision has been made more than 1 month ago. Coderre said it will be an experimental idea. Bars will stop serving alcohol at 3:00am as usual. Less rush on cabs.

EDIT: after reading the article cited below, it looks like bars will be serving alcohol until 5:30am. Why is this restricted to some bars and not others? How about bars in Old Montreal? How about strip clubs? The city just decided to drive business to some bars and not others? This decision seems to try to cancel the effect of the smoking ban that bars are suffering from, sort of trading cigs for beer bottles.

 

[RobinX]

Some of the benefits of this initiative are discussed in the following article:
Montreal Gazette: Pilot project will see 5:30 a.m. last call at 19 Montreal bars

Here are some of the benefits that are mentioned in the article:

• a way to boost tourism while playing on Montreal’s reputation as a party city.
• police said this could actually result in fewer incidents ... it’s sometimes difficult for police to keep the peace when late night drinkers all spill out onto the streets at the same time. If bars were open later, perhaps people would stagger out over a longer period of time.
• Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said he supports the project because it could help boost business.

P.S. Some of the info in the previous posts is incorrect. The 19 bars taking part in the pilot project will stay open until 6 AM on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays on four consecutive weekends from June 12 until July 5, and last call will be at 5:30 AM.

 

[themonk83]

the only problem i see is the thursday crowd meeting commuters going to work on friday. that could spell trouble. we all know how drunks behave, especially the young ones. friday and saturday, i have no problem with

 

[Siocnarf]

If Coderre wants to boost business and tourisms he should favor healthy activities like massage places, strip clubs and escorts instead of inciting people to drink more.

Consensual sex for money=crime.
Students puking on the sidewalk at 5am=good business and improved reputation.

It might be less intense for the police at closing time, but they are going to spread their patrols on many more hours, so it would be less cost effective. If drunks make trouble we give them extra hours to accommodate them; meanwhile sex workers have to be careful not to attract attention.

Why don't people just start drinking earlier so they can be done at 2am? What about waitresses having to work until 6am when they have to take their kids to school in the morning? Even streetwalkers don't work that late!

Actually, I don't mind if bars are open 24/7 but I resent the bad rap sex work is getting compared to alcohol.

 

[EagerBeaver]

It's all about boosting revenue for businesses. This past week I was in Montreal and I saw new terraces everywhere on Friday, and it's still April. Restaurants like McLean's Pub and Carlos & Pepe on Peel now have large outdoor terraces where none previously existed. I was amazed as I do not really think these restaurants which are on Peel are really worthy of terraces. But now you can sip your Margarita at C&P and watch people run for the Metro. And at McLean's you can now drink Guinness and watch Americans go into Calforex and change their money. Fun times are ahead......................

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

Actually, I don't mind if bars are open 24/7 but I resent the bad rap sex work is getting compared to alcohol.

I agree but would also like to see pot legalized and be able to smoke it on a terrace with a cool drink. Pipe dream

 

[EagerBeaver]

Going up, up and up-

-liquor sales
-bar fights and assaults due to intoxication
- DUI arrests
- noise complaints at hotels near Crescent and St. Denis
-sales of noiseproof ear plugs
- amount of homeless persons panhandling on St. Catherine and Crescent intersection

 

[Halloween Mike]

I always tough 3 am was a bit early, but 6 am is way too late. Should had been in the middle... 4 am as last call for a 4:30 closing time would be perfect to me. Seriously drinking after 4 is just ridiculous to me, and im a big drinker. The problem with bars is people showing too late. Fun don't start before 10:30 or 11 ... wtf? It could start at 9 and no need to go that far.

 

[smuler]

I agree but would also like to see pot legalized and be able to smoke it on a terrace with a cool drink. Pipe dream

I would as well

Best Regards

Smuler

 

[master_bates]

Last call is at 5:30 but the bar will close at 6 am, bad idea I hope it does not last.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Does this only apply to bars on Crescent and St. Denis or all bars in Montreal? Because if I am the owner of the St. Elizabeth pub I am saying "fuck that!" Let me stay open to 6 am too, otherwise I am suing for a share of those 2 am - 6 am profits. How is this going to be applied? I can't imagine that some bars are given a legal preference over others. It would be legalizing unfair competition.

 

[smuler]

Only 19 bars are in the pilot program

RobinX posted the link above...


Best Regards

Smuler

 

[EagerBeaver]

So why wasn't Newtown selected? They are on the same block as the others that were picked. There is an indication in that article that the process by which those 19 bars were picked was not fair.

 

[HornyForEver]

It looks like it was an opt-in process, all bars in the list sent a request to City Hall, and this is not the final list according to this Lapresse article. The project will only cover 3 weekends, so this unfairness it will imply is very limited in time.

 

[EagerBeaver]

HFE,

This from the Gazette article linked to by Robin X above:

"Peter Sergakis, president of the Union des tenanciers de bars du Québec, said it's unfair for only 19 bars to benefit from longer hours during peak tourism season. He asked why an association representing more than 700 bars was not consulted for the project."

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

http://www.mtlblog.com/2014/04/10-important-things-to-know-about-montreals-bars-open-until-6am/
No terraces will remain open after 3am

http://www.mtlblog.com/2014/04/its-official-montreal-bars-open-till-6am-to-start-in-june/

List of all the bars

Le Bistro à Jojo, 1637 Saint-Denis
Point Bar, 2017 Saint-Denis
Café Hookah Lounge, 1699, Saint-Denis
Bar Passeport, 2037 Saint-Denis
Pub L’Île noire, 1649 Saint-Denis
Pub L’Abreuvoir, 403 Ontario Est
Loup-Garou, 1738 Saint-Denis
Bar Diablos, 1693-A Saint-Denis
En cachette, 1765, Saint-Denis
Le Saint-Bock, 1749 Saint-Denis
L’Amère à boire, 2049 Saint-Denis
Pub Quartier latin, 318, Ontario Est
Ziggy’s Folies, 1470 Crescent
Burger Bar Crescent, 1465 Crescent
Bar Électric Avenue, 1476-A Crescent
Bar Seven, 1432 Crescent
Bar Winnie, Pub Winston Churchill, Cellier Karina, 1455-59-61-65A Crescent
Xotica, 1466-A Crescent
Club Extreme, 2020 Crescent

 

[Siocnarf]

From what I've read, the problem is that all of these bars are just drinking places. No dancing. I love L'Ile Noire, it's a great scotch pub, but I don't imagine people staying there until 6am just talking and drinking expensive spirits. Usually nightlife people go drink somewhere, then they go for dancing, then when it closes at 2 and they still have some energy left they go home with someone for a more intimate nightlife activity. If people stay in the bar longer drinking until sunup, what happens to their sex life? Is this just a ploy to turn people away from sex? Drink longer, fuck less! It should be the opposite. (Now that I'm older and know about escorts I just skip the drinking altogether.)

 

[EagerBeaver]

From what I've read, the problem is that all of these bars are just drinking places.

Sio,

That is not really totally true. Winnie's sells food and has a fairly extensive, very solid pub-style menu, and I believe they have a dance floor as well. IMHO they make really good burgers and their entree salads are decent. In my opinion Winnies is deserving of being one of the chosen Crescent Street Bars, but why not Weinstein and Gavino's and why not Newtown????????????? I would like to see justice done for those bars.

Even at a place like Winnies, the kitchen probably closes before Midnight..................