Downtown Montreal restaurant stressed at massive construction project
Another restaurant in Montreal says it's suffering because of construction and that getting inside is like going through a maze.
Dominion Bar opened in October and within a few months is worried about what the future will bring.
"So this here is the area where we can leave our garbage cans. The delivery drivers can't even park over here," said general manager Paul Nakis. "They have to park on the north side of St Catherine Street and then carry their buggies all the way to the back of the bar, which is behind the fences."
The city warned the establishment on Metcalfe Street in Montreal that work would be done, but staff were shocked to see how extensive the work became.
"Now we're barricaded in," said Nakis. "You have to park on neighbouring streets, and then you have to walk around the maze of fences that the city has built."
The City of Montreal's website says the work is to repair centuries-old pipes and told CTV News that the facade on Metcalfe was at risk of crumbling so more barriers were erected.
Bar owner Pablo Rojas said he never heard that explanation and was left to wonder why, all of a sudden, there were more gates and a closed alleyway.
"They did answer my call every time I was calling. They just had no answer or no solution for me," he said. "So it's pretty much the same thing as not taking the call at this point."
Rojas doesn't want a repeat of what happened in the Plateau where businesses had to deal with months of construction and some of them closed.
"Obviously, there's a lot of frustration," he said. "We're trying to be as reasonable as we can, but we are our main goal is to operate and to run our business."
As it stands, deliveries need to come down the alley and customers need to navigate orange cones.
"Obviously, most reservations come in late," said Nakis. "People are apologetic. People understand that. It's a tricky situation for us."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Evacuation orders lifted in Fort McMurray Saturday as rain dampens wildfire activity
Residents of Fort of McMurray who were displaced over wildfire concerns were told to return home Saturday.
Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit June 8 unless there's new war plan
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened on Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn't adopt a new plan in three weeks' time for the war in Gaza.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Scottie Scheffler, from the course to jail and back: What to know about his PGA Championship arrest
Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested after police say he dragged an officer while trying to get around the scene of a fatal accident Friday ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship.