The city of Montreal has announced details of its $25-million compensation program for businesses affected by construction work.
“Today Montreal becomes the first city in Canada to offer financial help to small businesses affected by construction,” said Robert Beaudry, in charge of economic and commercial development for the City of Montreal, on Wednesday.
The $25 million will be handed out over four years and will be retroactive. It affects construction sites across the city.
“Saint-Denis, Jarry west, Notre Dame west, Gouin west, Laurier west and Peel,” said Beaudry.
Merchants can claim up to $30,000 for every year their business is affected by of construction -- but they have to absorb the first 15 per cent of those losses.
The city said $8 million would cover merchant losses retroactively, to Jan. 1, 2016.
About 1,100 merchants are expected to seek compensation.
Not everyone is pleased with the package, though.
Because of a bylaw, Bishop St. merchants are only eligible for retroactive compensation to Sept. 21, 2017 – long after work began there. For businesses that closed, the program doesn't include them.
“These merchants could be happy for their neighbours or other merchants in Montreal, I know it's sad that the program didn't exist earlier but I think the City of Montreal did its best,” said Caroline Tessier of the Montreal Merchants’ Association.
The announcement is very welcome, though, for those about to enter a tough time.
“A good majority of our members planned for this roadwork, so as much as we’d like it to go faster, we have to look at in reality. The Quebec government passed a law that authorized the city to put it in place, and then the city had to do their due diligence,” said Mike Parente of the Saint-Hubert Merchant’s Association.
The program was adopted by Montreal's Executive Committee and is expected to be ratified by city council in early 2019. The first payments are planned for a few months after that.
