Street closures in Montreal ahead of Canadian Grand Prix 

The Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix returns to Montreal this week.

Thousands are coming to the city, and authorities are asking people to be ready for traffic delays.

“To help citizens, the best piece of advice coming from the city would be to take the public transit, plan your moves, and enjoy the festivities during the weekend,” said Philippe Sabourin, a spokesperson for the City of Montreal.

It’s a big weekend for Montreal, with nearly 100,000 people expected to be attending the event per day.

Martin Girard, spokesperson for the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable, says with an event as big as the Grand Prix, more traffic than usual is expected.

“It’s sure that an event like the Grand Prix Formula 1 de Canada has an impact on traffic. So that’s why we recommend people to use public transit, but people that can, that don’t go to the event or don’t use public transit, plan your trip. You can expect there will be more cars than ever around the island during the weekend,” he said.

Festivities kick off in the downtown core on Thursday, including the Crescent Street festival, with expected street closures.

“Crescent will be closed starting today (Tuesday) at 4 p.m. between Saint-Catherine and Sherbrooke,” Sabourin said.

Saint-Laurent Street, between Beaubien and Jean-Talon streets, are also expected to be closed for events.

One Montrealer says he’s excited for the festivities.

“There’s a lot of activities here, especially for the kids,” he said.

Sabourin is urging everyone coming to the festivities to take public transport, saying there’s many alternatives.

“The way to enjoy all those festivities is coming in Montreal and commuting with public transit. So the metro, the buses will be good, but there’s also the REM from the South Shore. or if you’re from Laval, why don’t you try the SRB (service rapide par bus),” he said.

Many say they will be taking public transit to get around.

“I like to use public transport because there is a lot of traffic,” said one Montrealer.

F1 weekend is also a big win for Montreal businesses.

“For downtown Montreal, Grand Prix weekend is literally Christmas in June. It really what makes the difference for a lot of our businesses, whether or not they can survive the rest of the year,” said Glenn Castanheira, executive director for Montreal Centre-Ville.

“Depending on the cold winters, the construction, the unexpected protest. Successful Grand Prix really means that they can have a profitable year at the end of it.”

The economic impacts of the Grand Prix are massive for Montreal’s economy.

“The estimates are somewhere around $100 million of economic impact on the city of Montreal, but what we see on the ground, it’s really the difference between a business being able to pay his rent and taxes for the rest of the year. So it’s quite significant. We’re talking about a lot of expenses in restaurants, hotels, retailers, and really people spending in various businesses downtown,” said Castanheira.

Ziggy Eichenbaum, the owner of Ziggy’s pub, is one of the business owners excited for the upcoming weekend.

“It’s the beginning of the year where we start our summer, and what’s nice about it is that they come in from all over the world. I get customers from Germany, Brazil, Australia, and every year they come down,” he said.

“It’s one of the best times of the year. It starts the year for everybody so everybody can pay the rent again.”

With the thousands expected at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Friday to Sunday, the city says parking will be impossible.

“There is no parking spot available on l’Îlle Saint-Hélène, neither on l’Îlle Notre-Dame. If you’re a client from the casino, then you will get the access to the parking lot of the casino,” said Sabourin.

The race is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. Fans will see if Max Verstappen can make it a three-peat – he won the Montreal race in 2022 and 2023 – or if someone else will take the win.

“As Montrealers, we’re used to having Grand Prix in Montreal. We often take it for granted. So, we’d like to remind Montrealers to come and be in tourist in your own city. Come see what the fuss is all about,” said Castanheira.