Draft:Co-op Bar Milton-Parc (BMP)

Co-op Bar Milton-Parc (BMP)

Co-op Bar Milton-Parc (BMP) (Bar Milton-Parc Coopérative de Solidarité) is a cooperative, student-oriented co-working space, café, and pub that hosts numerous events and is home to a thriving queer community.

Overview

BMP is located at 3714 Avenue du Parc, at the corner of Parc and Pins. The space is a café by day and pub by night, serving coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages. In the future, the bar will begin serving small food items. One of the goals of the project is to serve affordable meals to the surrounding community (with the support of the Milton-Parc Food Bank). Members can join for a one time fee of $20 CAD, which includes access to the co-working space, 10% off food items, and say in the future of the co-op. BMP is the first establishment of its kind in the Milton-Parc area in 25 years.

The space features a bar, accessible gender neutral bathrooms, a projector screen, speakers, large and small tables, couches, an abundance of pride flags, potted plants and board games, and a brochure table where community members can advertise organizations, events, and mutual aid.

The co-op is temporarily named, but submissions are being considered for a new name that better reflects the goal of the community project.

Opening Hours

BMP is open as a co-working space every Wednesday from 5:00pm to 10:00pm. Free snacks and tea are available, and members can place their phones in the hands of bar staff, who will keep them safe while they get work done. The co-op also hosts events throughout the week that are organized by individuals or organizations who are members.

Events

The co-op holds a variety of events, many of which are created by and for queer members. Examples include weekly queer karaoke nights, queer open-mics, drag workshops, a queer halloween party, “slut bingo,” and sign making for the “Defend Trans Youth” counter protests.

Origin

BMP was renovated from the bar formerly known as “Bar des Pins,” a student bar with a pool table and cheap drinks. The Milton-Parc community acquired the space and has turned it into the new queer, feminist, community organizing space. In 2019, Bar des Pins was put up for sale, and in 2021, it was purchased by the Société Développement Communautaire Milton Parc (SDC). In June 2022 the lease negotiation was completed, and in Winter 2023 the bar opened with continuing renovations. In fall 2023 the bar opened fully, with future plans to expand use of the kitchen and offer a wider range of food. Students at McGill University have voted by Students Society of McGill University (SSMU) to invest funds in BMP, bolstering its community support.

Queer Bars

BMP is similar to other queer Montréal bars such as Bar Champs and Bar Notre-Dame-Des-Quilles (NDQ) which is half bar, half bowling alley. These spaces also host events such as queer movie nights and karaoke.

Co-op Bars

There are other co-op bars in Montréal, such as Le-Sans-Taverne and Co-op Brassicole, which are both breweries. Thus far, there are no other co-op bars in Montréal that created an affordable, casual, queer safe space similar to BMP.

History of Queer Spaces in Montréal

Montréal has an extensive history of queer spaces, with entire neighborhoods being designated queer places (the Gay Village) and queer bar culture that has persisted even after Jean Talon’s 1976 police raids before the Olympic Games. In the Plateau, lesbian spaces were common, including Projet Gilford, Café Lincoln, and La Sala Rossa. Queer spaces have declined in recent decades due to the introduction of dating apps like Grindr, which have seemed to replace bars as places to meet other queer people. Similar to BMP, which primarily serves McGill students and others who live near the university, groups like Gay McGill, founded in 1972, have existed in the student community for decades. However, BMP is one of the first of its kind to serve the local queer student population with a physical co-op space, continuing a long legacy of queer bar culture and mutual solidarity within physical spaces.

References

Archives gaies du Québec. “Walls Have Ears: The Stories of Montreal’s LGBTQ2S+ Spaces - Archives Gaies Du Québec.” Archives Gaies Du Québec, 2 Dec. 2022, agq.qc.ca/en/wallshaveears.

“Bar Milton-Parc Presentation 2022.” Google Docs, docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ccQxLZLwZ0sI9YBQLcK1YkYVFSFJckcurhXuiunA1JE/edit#slide=id.g1b0a49aa21d_2_0.

“Bar Milton Parc - CCMP/MPCC.” CCMP/MPCC, 20 Feb. 2023, ccmp-mpcc.com/en/bar-milton-parc.

Coop [BMP]. bmp.coop/en.html.

Gagnon, Florence. “Montréal for LGBTQ+ Women.” Tourisme Montréal, 22 Aug. 2023, www.mtl.org/en/experience/lgbtq-women.

Holt, Willa. “This Former McGill Dive Bar Has a New Purpose (Along With Great Drink Deals).” MTL Blog, 6 Sept. 2023, www.mtlblog.com/former-mcgill-dive-bar-new-purpose-great-drink-deals.

“Home | MABRASSERIE.” MABRASSERIE, mabrasserie.com.

es sans-taverne. “Accueil - Les Sans-taverne.” Les Sans-taverne, 17 Apr. 2023, sans-taverne.coop.

Instagram. www.instagram.com/coopbmp.

Maquet, Oscar. “Café-pub-working Space Bar Milton-Parc Gradually Opening to Public - the Tribune.” The Tribune, 12 Apr. 2023, www.thetribune.ca/news/cafe-pub-working-space-bar-milton-parc-gradually-opening-to-public-20230412.