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City of Montreal to change noise bylaw to exempt music venues, bars, restaurants following La Tulipe closure

by Lorraine Carpenter

Mayor Valérie Plante also said “Yes to good neighbourliness, but no to the dictatorship of a neighbour” in reference to the complainant who singlehandedly had the venue shut down.

Following the announcement yesterday that Plateau music venue La Tulipe is closing after years of legal challenges from a neighbouring building owner, the City of Montreal has announced plans to exempt music venues, performance halls, bars and restaurants from the noise bylaw that facilitated those challenges — and those faced over the past 15 years by Divan Orange and Main Hall, two venues on St-Laurent Boulevard that closed under almost identical circumstances.

After hinting at a regulatory change yesterday, Plateau-Mont-Royal borough mayor Luc Rabouin told reporters today that this amendment will be ratified tomorrow — and encouraged all other boroughs to do the same. The bylaw currently states that any “noise produced by means of sound devices” should not be audible outside a venue; the change will specify that noise is permitted, below a certain decibel level (TBA).

Mayor Valérie Plante reacted to the news of La Tulipe’s closure in an executive committee meeting this morning, and echoed her thoughts on the matter in a video posted on Instagram this afternoon (see the embed below).

“We want to find solutions for La Tulipe, but also for the entire cultural ecosystem. We believe in good neighbourliness, that’s why we have programs to improve soundproofing, upgrade facilities, our bars, our neighbourhood cultural institutions.”

Plante expressed shock and sadness over the venue’s closure, and over the way it happened — one person singlehandedly shutting a venue down. “Yes to good neighbourliness, but no to the dictatorship of a neighbour,” she said. Planted added that the city will also increase their budget for venue sound-proofing.

When questioned about La Tulipe’s future, Rabouin said that he did not know if these measures will lead to the venue’s reopening, but that lawyers are looking into the situation.

No mention was made of city’s erroneous rezoning of the building next to La Tulipe that allowed its owner to convert it into residences in 2016 and launch the legal challenges against the venue.

City of Montreal to change noise bylaw to exempt music venues, bars, restaurants following La Tulipe closure

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by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.