Montreal mayoral candidates promise cash for local business communities
The day after a debate before the Chamber of Commerce, Montreal’s top mayoral candidates continued on an economic theme, making promises to local business communities.
If re-elected, incumbent mayor Valerie Plante said Tuesday, Projet Montreal plans on improving the experience in the Village by providing funding for pop-up shops and creating meeting spaces for citizens.
“We can definitely think outside of the box -- that’s what we want,” said Plante.
The local merchants’ association, SDC du Village Montreal, said the Village is back to thriving like it was before COVID-19 hit.
“We have the same amount of empty premises [as] before the pandemic. A lot of new shops opened during the pandemic,” said Gabrielle Rondy, interim director general of the merchants’ group.
The neighbourhood attracts hundreds of thousands of pedestrians in the summer and could use some sprucing up, said Rondy.
“The Village needs, definitely, love – lots of love, and money, of course,” she said.
Plante said her team is pledging $16.7 million extra for that sector.
“For me, this is very serious,” she said.
In the meantime, the city will be digging up that part of on Ste. Catherine St. East in two years.
“We’re thinking about six months of work. So we’re going to start in winter 2023 and it’s probably going to go over the summer,” she said.
Plante’s main competitor, Denis Coderre, is also promising investments for the business sector.
He plans on setting aside $50 million for merchants’ associations and community groups.
“Local business is key for us,” said the Ensemble Montreal leader.
“Not only will we determine the way that we manage the quality of life in our district, but at the same time we need to make sure that we enhance the attractiveness to make sure that people are coming here.”
Mayoral candidate Balarama Holness said not enough is being done to help business communities in outlying boroughs.
“What’s happening is in St-Michel, LaSalle, Montreal North, St-Laurent, we do not see the same economic activity in these boroughs on the periphery. We want to decentralize it,” said the Mouvement Montreal candidate.
“More importantly we provide tax incentives for small businesses to establish themselves in these boroughs on the periphery.”
All three will square off at the English debate on Oct. 28. The municipal election is on Nov. 7.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Iran's judiciary confirms rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.