Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre says he wants to implement a pilot project starting this spring, which would allow some bars to stay open until 6 a.m.
Coderre believes the current 3 a.m. closing time often causes security issues and noise problems when too many people head home at the same time.
“When everybody’s getting out, you have more noise and frankly, you have some fights, you have some security issues,” Coderre told CTV News.
But at a meeting of Montreal’s executive committee on Wednesday, Coderre said he was impressed by how Montrealers behaved when certain bars stayed opened all night for Nuit Blanche during last Saturday’s festival.
If closing hours are extended, people “will now have a new way of getting out gradually,” he said
Coderre said he’d like to see Montreal follow in the footsteps of other cities such as Berlin and Sydney, which have been experimenting with early-morning closing times.
“They have a great nightlife,” Coderre said. “And frankly, we have that joie de vivre in Montreal, this is the place to be, this is an amazing metropolis.”
The Montreal mayor said the pilot projects could be implemented along the city’s main party streets, including Saint-Laurent, Saint-Denis and Crescent Street.
And he said he’s already spoken with Montreal police and bar owners, who all support the idea.
“We will make sure people can have fun, (but) it doesn’t mean they have to abuse,” Coderre said. “But in my books, it will have a very positive impact on noise and on security during the night.”
With files from CTV Montreal’s Rob Lurie
