(Montreal) The mayor of the City of Montreal, Valérie Plante announced this Thursday that the terraces, which had been abruptly closed by agents of the Fire Prevention Service of the City of Montreal (SIM), will finally be able to reinstall their marquees.
Parking spaces near the terraces will be removed in order to allow the terraces to encroach further on the roadway and thus respect the three meters distance from the building. Possible financial compensation is being considered, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
“The abrupt way in which the terraces were closed last Friday is unjustifiable and absolutely does not reflect the way we must support our merchants, particularly during the Grand Prix weekend,” said the mayor. Since Saturday, our priority has been to allow the reopening of the terraces with marquees, in compliance with fire safety standards. »
Last Friday, four restaurants on Peel Street were forced by the SIM to close their terraces for security reasons while the Grand Prix was in full swing. The terraces were able to reopen the next day, but without the marquees which protected them from bad weather.
This event sparked strong reactions among the population and among elected officials in the metropolis after one of the businesses on Peel Street published a video on social networks recounting her ordeal. Two senior SIM employees, including a section head, were suspended last Monday following this affair.