Montreal Announces Music Venues Now Exempt From Noise Bylaw

Changes are coming to Montreal's nightlife.

Following public outcry over the closure of the popular venue La Tulipe, Mayor Valérie Plante announced today (September 25) that venues will now be exempt from the bylaw that led to its closure.

The Plateau-Mont-Royal venue announced this week it would cease operations due to a decision by the Quebec Court of Appeal, which mandated the venue to not emit sound that could be heard in an adjacent building.

Specifically, in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, music venues will no longer be subject to Section 9 of the bylaw governing noise regulation, which specifies that amplified sound cannot be audible in a neighbouring building. Projet Montreal, Plante's party, has also committed to improving the city's soundproofing program and presenting a new nightlife policy in October.

Plante posted a video on Instagram, sharing her own dismay at the news that La Tulipe would be closing its doors for the foreseeable future. She expresses concern that one person could derail an entire music venue.

"Yes to neighbourliness, but no to the dictatorship of neighbours," Plante says in the video.

Plateau-Mont-Royal Mayor Luc Rabouin said today that the change to the bylaw will be ratified tomorrow, Cult MTL reports.

No word yet on what this bylaw change might mean for the future of La Tulipe.

La Tulipe isn't the only venue in the city to be affected by noise bylaws. Popular spots like Divan Orange and Diving Bell Social Club have previously closed down due to noise complaints. The outcry to the news about La Tulipe indicated a growing frustration amongst cultural labourers in the city, which has a reputation as a haven for arts production in Canada.