Toronto is hiring a night mayor.
Can one person fix the city's night economy?
Good afternoon everyone. The City of Toronto is looking to hire someone to look after the night economy, according to a LinkedIn post by Ottawa’s nightlife commissioner.
The city first floated the role as part of a 2019 nightlife action plan, following the lead of several European cities that had done the same and seen positive results. We call them ‘night mayors,’ but in reality these are bureaucratic jobs that advocate for the interests of the nightlife sector while addressing concerns related to noise and safety.
I think at the most basic level, you can asses the health of a city’s nightlife by asking one question: what are people doing when they’re not working? A Square study found that 43% of Canadians say they’re spending more time at home than in past years.
So why are people going out less? So many reasons. We’ve gotten used to staying at home. We have fewer friends. A Netflix subscription is cheaper than a glass of wine. Dance floors have been replaced by dating apps. What people consider a ‘fun’ night out is also changing, from boozy nights to experiences, but those are harder to find.
Can one person fix all of this? Of course not. But they can work behind the scenes to remove some of the barriers that hold nightlife back. I personally think we should start with more aggressively-priced happy hours and a city-backed subsidy for live music.
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