Absence of Canadian Grand Prix hurting Montreal bars and restaurants
Posted June 13, 2020 6:39 pm.
MONTREAL (CITYNEWS) – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and downtown Montreal are unusually quiet for the second weekend of June – no revving engines, vintage cars or block parties this summer.
With COVID-19 postponing and possibly cancelling the Canadian Grand Prix altogether, Montreal businesses are hurting on what is ordinarily their biggest weekend of the year.
“Grand Prix, it’s a quarter of our yearly take,” said Ziggy Eichenbaum, owner of Ziggy’s Pub downtown. “Plus we lost St. Patrick’s Day and we’re losing the (NHL) draft, which is huge too. This year, it really, really hurts.”
The Canadian Grand Prix brings thousands of tourists annually to Montreal and generates an estimated $40 million in revenue. Entire streets – like Crescent and Peel – are closed to traffic as pedestrians flood the downtown core.
“Today, the street should have started getting full,” said Steve Siozos, president of the Crescent Street Merchants Association. “I should have been on stage introducing the festival, the VIPs, our sponsors – and none of that.
“In my case, we’re looking at about five per cent of annual sales done on that weekend, so that’s a pretty good amount of money. But more than that, it’s the visibility that Crescent Street gets.”
The Canadian Grand Prix makes Montreal the centre of the racing word for an entire week. The race is officially postponed until the fall, though there’s no guarantee it won’t be cancelled entirely.
The opening eight Formula One races have been confirmed in a revised, condensed season that begins July 5 in Austria. There is no Canadian date yet.
In the meantime, bars in Montreal are asking the provincial government for a timeline on reopening. While restaurants can open June 22, no date has been set for bars.
“We’re going to make it, but to a certain point, we do need the government to give some clarity to the bars in the province,” said Siozos.
Added Eichenbaum: “I don’t mind losing a little bit for the year, which I know I will. But just staying alive would be nice.”
