(Montreal) The mayor of Montreal, Valéry Plante, announced this Thursday that the terraces, which were suddenly closed by agents of the City of Montreal’s fire prevention service (SIM), can finally reinstall their marquees.
Parking spaces near the terraces will be removed to allow the terraces to encroach more on the road, thus respecting three meters from the building. Possible financial compensation is being considered, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
“Suddenly the terraces were closed “Last Friday was unjustifiable and completely unrepresentative of the way we should be supporting our traders, especially over the Grand Prix weekend,” the mayor declared. From Saturday, our priority is to allow the terraces to reopen with marquees in compliance with fire safety standards. »
Additional measures will be introduced in the sector to ensure fluidity of traffic and better signage.
Last Friday, when the Grand Prix was in full swing, four restaurants on Beale Street were forced to close their terraces due to security concerns by SIM. The terraces were able to reopen the next day, but without marquees to protect them from bad weather.
The incident sparked strong reactions among the public and among elected officials in the borough after a business on Peel Street posted a video on social media describing its ordeal. Following the issue, two senior SIM employees, including a division head, were suspended last Monday.
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