Some bar owners aren’t tickled with an initiative that would see certain Montreal drinking establishments permitted to remain open until 6 a.m. for a few weekends this summer.
Peter Sergakis, who leads a group of bar owners, says that he has received dozens of calls from members objecting to the fact that 19 bars on Crescent and around St. Denis will be participating in the pilot project.
The bars will be permitted to serve alcohol until 5:30 a.m. and close at 6 a.m. for four weekends between June 12 and July 5.
Mayor Denis Coderre has said the project aims to boost tourism and Montreal’s image as a party city.
He's also said that during those four weekends in the summer there will be an increased police presence in those areas running the pilot project.
Sergakis said that all bars in the downtown Ville Marie borough should have been involved and that the current project gives a major advantage to a select group of bars over competitors which will still have to shut at the normal 3 a.m.
Sergakis says that his group represents 700 members, including 20 bars which he himself owns downtown. None of his bars has been included in the project.
Sergakis said that his group will meet next week to decide what, if any, action to take to protest the situation.
The bars that will be permitted to remain open later are: Ziggy's, Burger Bar Crescent, Electric Avenue Bar, Bar Seven, Winnie's, Sir Winston Churchill Pub, Karina Club Lounge, Xotika, Club Extreme and further east, L'Abreuvoir, l'Amere a boire, Bistro a Jojo, Cafe Hookah Lounge, Diablos, En Cachette Speakeasy, Le. St. Bock, l'Ile Noire, Loup Garou, Passeport, Point Bar and the Quartier Latin Pub.
