Civic Tech Montreal Hacknight #5
- Date
- 2026-03-19
- Location
- We will be in the Co-Travail (Noviciate) on the second floor. Please register at the security gate with VC-CTM. Follow the signs to Noviciate. If you have issues finding the location please send us a message on Slack., Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Host
- Civic Tech Montreal
About this event
Civic Tech Montreal Hacknight #5 is a practical, in-person evening for people who want to build, contribute, and connect around civic technology in Montréal. If you care about better public services, stronger local communities, or simply want to meet thoughtful people working on meaningful tech projects, this is a solid place to show up, roll up your sleeves, and get involved. About the Event This hacknight is part meetup, part working session, and part community gathering. The focus is civic tech: projects, tools, and ideas that help improve how people interact with their city, community organizations, and public life. Expect a room that brings together technical and non-technical people who are interested in collaboration. Some attendees may come ready to code, prototype, or troubleshoot. Others may be there to share ideas, offer research, help shape a project, or simply learn how civic tech communities work in practice. Because this is a hacknight, the format is likely more active than a standard talk-based meetup. Rather than sitting through a long program, you should expect opportunities to talk with other attendees, discover what people are working on, and find a way to contribute based on your interests and skills. This is also the fifth edition, which matters. It suggests an ongoing community rather than a one-off event, making it a good moment to plug into something with continuity and momentum. What to Expect The evening starts at 6:30 PM EDT on Thursday, March 19 and takes place in person in Montréal. Since this is a community-centered tech night, you can expect a casual but purposeful atmosphere where people arrive, get oriented, and quickly move into conversations or hands-on work. A typical experience at a hacknight like this often includes: Meeting organizers and other attendees as people arrive Hearing a brief introduction to the evening and current projects or themes Joining a project table, discussion, or working group Contributing through coding, design, product thinking, documentation, outreach, or research Sharing progress, blockers, or next steps with others in the room You do not need to assume that participation only means writing code. Civic tech work often benefits from many kinds of input, including community perspective, systems thinking, accessibility awareness, public-interest design, and communication skills. The networking aspect is real, but it is grounded in shared work rather than forced small talk. Conversations are likely to be easier and more useful because they start from a common problem, project, or public-interest goal. Why Attend If you have been looking for a way to make your skills more useful outside of your day job, this event offers a concrete starting point. It is a chance to put technical ability, curiosity, or civic motivation into a room with other people who are trying to do the same. You might attend because you want to: Find meaningful local projects to contribute to Meet people in Montréal working at the intersection of tech and community Learn how civic tech collaboration happens in real life Explore ideas that matter beyond product launches and internal roadmaps Spend an evening building relationships around shared public-interest work There is also value here if you are still figuring out your role. Hacknights are useful precisely because they let you test your interest in a low-pressure, social environment. You can listen first, ask questions, and get a feel for the community before committing more deeply. For returning attendees, this kind of recurring gathering can become a reliable touchpoint: a place to maintain momentum, reconnect with collaborators, and keep projects moving forward between bigger milestones. Practical Details This event is in person at Co-Travail (Noviciate) on the second floor in Montréal, Canada. When you arrive, register at the security gate with VC-CTM and then follow the signs to Noviciate. The location instructions are important, so it is worth giving yourself a few extra minutes to get settled. If you have trouble finding the space, the organizers have provided a clear fallback: send a message on Slack. Key details at a glance: Event: Civic Tech Montreal Hacknight #5 Date: Thursday, March 19 Time: 6:30 PM EDT Format: In-person meetup / hacknight City: Montréal, Canada Venue note: Second floor, Co-Travail (Noviciate) Entry note: Register at security with VC-CTM If you are deciding whether to come, the simplest reason is this: you will likely leave with a better sense of the local civic tech community, a few strong new connections, and a clearer idea of where your time or skills could make a difference. That is a strong return for one evening.
Who should attend
This is for you if you want your time, skills, or curiosity to connect with real civic and community-minded work in Montréal. - You are a developer, designer, data person, product thinker, or technologist who wants to contribute to projects with public-interest value. - You care about cities, communities, accessibility, public services, or local problem-solving and want to meet others who care about the same things. - You are civic-tech curious but have not yet found the right entry point; a hacknight is a practical way to show up, listen, ask questions, and get oriented. - You enjoy collaborative, low-ceremony meetups where conversation leads naturally into working sessions, idea-sharing, or next steps. - You are a student, early-career professional, or experienced practitioner looking to build relationships in Montréal’s tech and community ecosystem. - You are not necessarily a coder, but you can contribute through research, writing, facilitation, community knowledge, project coordination, or thoughtful feedback. If you want an evening that is more active than a standard meetup and more grounded than generic networking, you will likely feel at home here.