Editing Hull, Quebec (section)

===1917 to 2000===
[[File:Rue Principale, Hull, Quebec (1920).jpg|thumb|right|Rue Principale in Hull, 1920]]
[[File:Hull, Quebec, from Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ont..jpg|thumb|right|Hull from Parliament Hill, c. 1923-1924]]
[[Image:View of Hull from Parliament Hill 1938.JPG|thumb|Hull as seen from Ottawa in 1938]]
Hull was noted for its nightlife during the years 1917 to 2000.

Prohibition on the sale of alcohol in Ontario began in 1916, and continued until the repeal of the ''[[Ontario Temperance Act]]'' in 1927.  Hull's proximity to Ontario made it a convenient place for people from Ottawa to consume alcohol, and a sharp increase in arrests for drunk and disorderly conduct was noted in Hull in 1917.  As a result, in May 1918, Hull enacted local laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol.  This led to a dramatic increase in [[Rum-running|bootlegging]] in Hull, and the town gained the nickname ''le Petit Chicago'', because its per capita crime rates were similar to those in Chicago.<ref name="Rennie">{{cite web | last = Rennie | first = Eric | title = Crossing the Line: Canada's Capital Region in the Prohibition Era | publisher = Capstone Seminar Series | date = March 2011 | url = http://capstoneseminarseries.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/eric1.pdf}}</ref>  In 1919, a local plebiscite repealed Hull's prohibition laws, causing Hull's drinking establishments to once again thrive as a result of the continued prohibition in neighbouring Ontario.<ref name="Rennie"/>  Most of Hull's bars were conveniently located near the [[Alexandra Bridge]] to Ottawa,<ref name="Hier">{{cite book | last = Hier | first = Sean P. | title = Panoptic Dreams: Streetscape Video Surveillance in Canada | publisher = University of British Columbia Press | year = 2011 | isbn = 9780774818742 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_fpdAAAAQBAJ&pg=PP1}}</ref> which a local newspaper called, "the bridge of the thousand thirsts".<ref name="Aubry">{{cite web | last = Aubry | first = Jack | title = History Shows Corking Hull's Nightlife Not Always Easy | publisher = Ottawa Citizen | date = October 7, 1985 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1tYyAAAAIBAJ&pg=5488%2C4220321}}</ref>

Hull's Chief of Police stated in 1924 that the cause of Hull's lawlessness was its proximity to Ottawa, and a report published in 1925 found that visitors to Hull accounted for up to 90 percent of its bar patrons, as well as the vast majority of those arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct.<ref name="Rennie"/>  A newspaper in the 1920s stated, "these taverns, which are Hull's sole attraction, are not bar rooms, but barn-like, dim rooms in old buildings".<ref name="Aubry"/>

During the early 1940s&mdash;when bars in Ontario closed at 1 am and bars in Quebec closed at 3 am&mdash;residents of Ontario continued to take advantage of Quebec's more liberal policies on alcohol control.<ref name="Hier"/>  An official inquiry in the 1940s found that gambling houses and illegal bars in Hull were receiving protection from corrupt local politicians, who also encouraged police not to arrest prostitutes.<ref name="Aubry"/>

During World War II, Hull, along with various other regions within Canada, such as the [[Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean|Saguenay]], [[Lac Saint-Jean]], and [[Île Sainte-Hélène]], had [[Prisoner-of-war camp]]s.<ref name="Tremblay">Tremblay, Robert, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, et al. "Histoires oubliées – Interprogrammes : Des prisonniers spéciaux" Interlude. Aired: 20 July 2008, 14h47 to 15h00.</ref>  Hull's prison was simply labelled with a number and remained unnamed just like Canada's other war prisons.<ref name="Tremblay"/><ref>'''Note:''' See also [[List of POW camps in Canada]].</ref> The ''prisoners of war'' ([[POW]]s) were sorted and classified into categories by nationality and [[civilian]] or military status.<ref name="Tremblay"/> In this camp, POWs were mostly Italian and German nationals. During the [[Conscription Crisis of 1944]] the prison eventually included Canadians who had [[Draft dodger|refused conscription]].<ref name="Tremblay"/> Also, prisoners were forced into hard labour which included [[Agriculture|farming]] the land and [[Logging|lumbering]].<ref name="Tremblay"/>

The [[Macdonald-Cartier Bridge]] was constructed in 1965, pushing many of Hull's bars to streets north.  A large office complex known as [[Place du Portage]] began construction in the 1970s, uprooting many businesses along what was once the town's main commercial area, and displacing some 4,000 residents.<ref name="Hier"/><ref name="Kalman">{{cite book | last1 = Kalman | first1 = Harold | last2 = Roaf | first2 = John | title = Exploring Ottawa: An Architectural Guide to the Nation's Capital | url = https://archive.org/details/exploringottawa00haro | url-access = registration | publisher = University of Toronto Press | year = 1983 | page = [https://archive.org/details/exploringottawa00haro/page/88 88]| isbn = 9780802063953 }}</ref>

The [[disco]] era of the 1970s ushered in new prosperity for Hull's nightlife, and "Viva Disco" was named in ''[[Playboy]]'' magazine's top ten in North America.<ref name="Aubry"/>

In the early 1980s, Hull City Council began encouraging the expansion of bars in the downtown area.  Bars in Hull continued to remain open two additional hours compared to bars in Ontario, and some bars offered a shuttle service from Ottawa.<ref name="Hier"/>

By 1985, Hull had the highest crime rate in Quebec,<ref name="Aubry"/> with offences in the bar district including murder, drug dealing, rowdiness, violence, noise, vandalism and drunkenness.<ref name="Hier"/>

The [[Canadian Museum of History]] relocated nearby in 1989, and politicians in Hull expressed concern about the city's image.  Official committees in Hull weighed the job creation and profitability of Hull's nightlife, against the costs of policing and cleanup.  A "zero tolerance" campaign began in 1990, which involved undercover policing, the revocation of liquor licences, and a public awareness campaign to inform young drinkers in Ontario that disorderly behaviour would not be tolerated in Hull.  Soon, police in Hull were aggressively towing illegally parked cars, and individuals caught urinating in public were fined as much as $400.<ref name="Hier"/>

By 2000, Hull had spent considerable resources making the downtown more attractive, and the decaying old core of Hull was transformed by demolition and replacement with a series of large office complexes.<ref name="Kalman"/><ref name="CBC">{{cite web | title = Hull Fights the Doughnut Syndrome | publisher = [[CBC News]] | date = Jun 23, 2000 | url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hull-fights-the-doughnut-syndrome-1.232962}}</ref>  Most of the bars on the Hull strip were gone, and were replaced by restaurants, cafés and stores. The city also provided funds to businesses that wanted to renovate.  This resulted in a 75 percent drop in crime in the former bar district from 1994 to 2000, and the main street "was no longer attracting large crowds looking for a fight".<ref name="CBC"/>  Prostitution was not affected.  Mayor Yves Ducharme expressed a desire to attract residents back to downtown Hull, and encouraged the construction of studio and bachelor apartments on Promenade du Portage, across from the federal government buildings.<ref name="CBC"/>

Former Canadian Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]] wrote of Hull:
<blockquote>The town <nowiki>[Ottawa]</nowiki> visibly sagged by ten at night, just in time for residents seeking relief from the stifling boredom to cross the bridge to Hull, Quebec, where nightclubs, dancehalls, bars, and a few great restaurants provided sanctuary and stimulation.<ref>{{cite book | last = Mulroney | first =  Brian | title = Memoirs | publisher = Random House | year = 2011 | isbn = 9781551991887 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=n4ICLOwiKREC&pg=PP1}}</ref></blockquote>