Montreal will review commercial window sign regulations after hair salon fights back

The City of Montreal will undergo a "major revision" of its regulations on commercial window signs after a Little Italy hair salon fought against an unexpected fee.

Last month, the Two Horses hair salon was fined nearly $1,000 because its window signs were painted on the outside instead of the inside.

According to manager Julie Greco, the fee was salt in the wound for a small business that had struggled through two years of construction at Plaza St-Hubert and subsequent COVID-19 restrictions.

"We decided that enough is enough," Greco recalled.

The salon refused to pay the fee, taking to social media to express its frustrations and speaking about the ordeal to CTV News in December.

Then, on Thursday, a surprise popped into Greco's inbox. In an email, the city said it had "temporarily exempt[ed]" the requirement for signs installed in commercial windows to obtain a permit.

"The analysis of certain recent files and the discussions that took place [...] have brought to light that a major revision of the regulation was necessary so that it would better correspond to the needs of merchants," the email, obtained by CTV News, reads.

 

 

 

 

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The message notes that the regulations were first implemented in 1994 and have gone largely unmodified ever since. 

"Fully making a difference for any Montreal business obviously feels pretty good," said Greco.

She said multiple businesses had reached out to Two Horses after the news coverage, stating they had been through similar experiences with the city.

For Greco, it's a lesson in holding your ground.

"Always fight for what you believe in and always stick together and support what's right."

with files from CTV Montreal's Matt Gilmour.