MTL 24/24, a non profit organization whose mandate is to protect, represent and foster Montreal’s nighttime cultural life, revealed today the composition of its Conseil de nuit (Night council), the democratic governance body representing, at the political level, various members directly implicated in the night culture scene. “It’s the outcome of two years of work and discussions on the best way to politically organize the night culture scene. We’re excited to jump into this new adventure with twelve competent and passionate members who understand the issues and needs of the night!” declared Mathieu Grondin, General Manager of the organization. This new Night council includes, among others, Vincent Lemieux, programmer at the MUTEK festival. According to him “MTL 24/24’s Conseil de nuit is a tool to counter the stigmatization of nighttime activities by public authorities and to watch over the development of nocturnal culture. With the halt of activities because of Covid-19, its contribution is even more essential.” For Monique Savoie, founder of the Société des arts technologiques, a long-time observer of Montreal’s nocturnal cultural scene and a member of MTL 24/24’s board of directors, “This type of initiative of nocturnal governance has been seen everywhere around the world for the past 20 years. Montreal is finally syncing itself with other major cities by adopting an infrastructure allowing the management and development of nightlife. ”The twelve people forming the Conseil de nuit are attached to organizations as diverse as the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en études montréalaises (CRIEM), the Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec (AIDQ), the organization seeking to reduce harassment PLURI and the performance venue Ausgang Plaza. Each person will sit on the council for a mandate of two years that may be renewed once, and will contribute to one of the four committees that compose the council. Sami Ghzala, Project Manager at Institut du Nouveau Monde, is delighted to participate in this unique experience. “I’m very proud to have been selected to work on the council. I hope my experience in civic participation will be of use to Montreal’s nightlife.”The first meetings of MTL 24/24’s Conseil de nuit committees will take place this June. |