'Night mayor' to help grow and develop Ottawa's nightlife economy

The OTTAWA sign on York Street in the ByWard Market. (Josh Pringle / CTV News Ottawa)

The city of Ottawa will create the position of a 'night mayor' as part of a new strategy to grow and develop the capital's 'nightlife' economy and shake off the image as the 'town that fun forgot.'

The proposed new Ottawa Nightlife Economy Action Plan is also proposing the city explore building a 1,500 to 2,000-seat music and event venue to make the city a "destination of choice" for music artists, live entertainment and events requiring a mid-size venue.

 A report for the finance and corporate services committee outlines the first three recommendations for the new Ottawa Nightlife Economy Action Plan, which will look to support the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. economy and nightlife in Ottawa.   The 'nightlife economy' focuses on leisure, live entertainment and cultural activities during that 12-hour period, and not just on bar and restaurant activity.

"The Nightlife Economy Action Plan will support the growth of Ottawa's nightlife sector and the broader economy, and establish the city as a nightlife destination," staff say.

"To be successful, implementation of the Nightlife Economy Action Plan will require a collaborative effort involving the city of Ottawa, nightlife businesses and partner organizations across the region such as Ottawa Tourism, The Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas, the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, Ottawa Festival Network, and others."

Staff add the Nightlife Economy Action Plan will include recommendations to grow a "more inclusive, safe, and vibrant nightlife economy."

The first recommendation calls for the city to establish the framework for a 'Nightlife Commissioner Office', with the new 'night mayor' leading the implementation of the second phase of the action plan.

Staff say the new 'night mayor' requires a "known, credible leader who can engage with the nightlife audience and businesses, liaise with city officials and regulators, and deliver the city's nightlife vision in collaboration with partners."

New York City launched an Office of Nightlife in 2017, while Washington, D.C. first appointed a 'night mayor' in 2018. Amsterdam, London, England, and Prague, Czech Republic are among the cities around the world with a 'night mayor.' 

Another recommendation for the first phase of the Ottawa Nightlife Economy Action Plan includes promoting city-wide and neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood participation of residents, visitors and businesses in the nightlife economy, The city will spend $40,000 to develop marketing tools to promote nightlife businesses and experiences.

Phase 2 of the Ottawa Nightlife Economy Action Plan, to be implemented between 2024 and 2026, will be led by the new 'Nightlife Commissioner.' The recommendations include:

• Establish a Nightlife Ambassador Council with industry and community leaders
• Collaborate with Ottawa Tourism to promote nightlife experiences to visitors
• Develop a city-wide Nightlife Safety and Security Plan for nightlife workers and participants
• Develop a virtual nightlife resource centre of tools and resources
• Identify opportunities to support the establishment of new mid-size venues, with capacity for 1,500 to 2,000 people for events and live music.

In October 2021, the city looked for a company to help develop Ottawa's new 'Nightlife Economy Strategy', focusing on short-term and long-term strategies for the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. economy.

A 2022 Deloitte LLP report commissioned by the city found an estimated $1.99 billion was spent in 2019 between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., while daytime spending totalled $5.5 billion. The survey estimates that $1.5 billion of nighttime spending was directed to nightlife activities, with residents responsible for 84 per cent of all nightlife spending and visitors accounting for 16 per cent of nightlife spending.

Households in Ottawa spent an average of $2,172 on restaurants, compared to $3,915 on recreation and $913 on entertainment.

In 2021, approximately 4,600 nightlife-related businesses employed over 38,000 workers. The COVID-19 pandemic caused employment in Ottawa's nightlife economy to drop by 8,820 jobs.

"As the economy continues to rebound, and notwithstanding macro-economic trends like inflation, nightlife employment is projected to grow," staff say, adding there will be a net increase of approximately 1,400 new jobs in the nightlife economy by 2028.

"The Nightlife Economy Action Plan will bolster sector recovery and growth," the report says.

The city of Ottawa's Nightlife Economy Action Plan will follow large cities around the world, including New York, Montreal and Toronto, for developing and supporting nightlife activities.

"Cities with vibrant nightlife economies, defined as the wide range of consumption experiences achieved through leisure, live entertainment and cultural activities between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., are differentiating themselves from other places," staff say.

"Specifically, these cities are experiencing improved job creation, talent attraction, investment attraction, economic growth, tourism and city brand building."

Funding for a new 'Nightlife Commissioner Office' position will be included in the 2024 budget.

The finance and corporate services committee will consider the new Ottawa Nightlife Economy Action Plan on May 2.