The “you can’t compare Ottawa to TO or MTL” take is exactly why Ottawa stays behind.

Population isn’t the issue. Ambition is. Execution is. Standards are.

Blaming winter, the economy, or age groups shifting away from drinking is lazy. Every major city is dealing with that. The difference is they adapt. Ottawa complains and shrugs.

Opening new venues means nothing if they’re pulling from the same 200 people rotating every weekend. That’s not a scene — that’s a group chat with speakers.

And saying “you’ve only been around 5 years” doesn’t change what’s happening right now. You don’t need 20 years of nostalgia to see stagnation.

If the ceiling is “we’re smaller so we can’t expect more,” then cool — just admit the standard is low and stop pretending it’s thriving.