Continued pedestrianization of Plaza St-Hubert leaves store owners unhappy

Many business owners are unhappy after the City of Montreal announced the pedestrianization of Plaza Saint-Hubert for three more summers, along with 10 other commercial streets.

“So the first thing in a democracy, is that municipalities should do is to listen to their business owner that will be impacted on their decision and listen to the population. And in both cases, population business owner are saying a big no. So the city of Montreal should not go forward with that,” said Francois Vincent, the vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business in Quebec.

Earlier this year From July 4 to August 25, Plaza Saint-Hubert in La Petite-Patrie was closed to traffic for the first time. While the City says they consider the project a success, many business owners disagree.

A recent Léger poll shows 87 per cent of Montreal residents believe the city should consult the business owners before making major changes to downtown streets.

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• City of Montreal investing $12M in pedestrianization projects over 3 years
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• Montrealers don’t want permanent pedestrianization of downtown streets: Léger poll

Several organizations representing Montreal small business owners have expressed their strong opposition to the permanent pedestrianization of popular downtown Montreal roads like Sainte-Catherine Street West.

“Another striking result of the poll is that two-thirds of the respondents of Montrealers are saying that the city of Montreal should not push forward other big changes related to commercial streets before the next election that is in one year. It is not the time to push forward an agenda that does not pass anymore for business owners and for the population,” said Vincent.

At Plaza St-Hubert, some business owners said last summer’s experience moved traffic to nearby streets without helping local shops, while some nearby residents appreciated the lively atmosphere on the street.

“Personally, I really enjoyed the Plaza. I found myself coming more often. It made me want to come more because it was decorated. It was easier to access for me since I get around on foot. I thought it was a positive experience,” said a Montrealer CityNews spoke to.

Another Montrealer said, “Having a car is a privilege. And honestly, if it means that the whole neighborhood can live better together, and that businesses get more customers, I’m fine with parking two streets away.”

The Quebec Vice President wants to overturn the Plante administration’s decision to close Montreal’s downtown streets to traffic during summer until 2027.

“If you want to have a nice and vibrant commercial street, you do have to have commerce and business there. And maybe some businesses will be impacted positively by a pedestrian street, for example, maybe restaurant. But other might not. And if the project was so good, the business owner would have root for it and ask for it and it’s not the case,” said Vincent.