Popular bistro in Montreal's Village relocating due to rise in homelessness, drug use

A popular brunch spot in Montreal's Village says it's relocating due to safety concerns and the "decline" of the neighbourhood.

Le Passé Composé is among a growing number of businesses speaking out about the increase in crime, drug use, and homelessness in the area.

The announcement was made in a post to the restaurant's Facebook page on Thursday.

"Following numerous events (fire, theft, vandalism, the presence of syringes and human excrement on our terrace every new day, use of our facilities as a makeshift camp and physical harassment of employees and customers) we have had to temporarily suspend our operations and move them to another area," the post reads.

While there are plans to move Le Passé Composé somewhere else, the doors to its location on De Maisonneuve Boulevard will close right away.

The restaurant said inflation has made profit margins "non-existent," adding that the investments required to stay open at the current location "could compromise the investment required for our new facilities."

The new location will be announced "in a few weeks," and the owners told CTV News they expect to open before April. 

Asked about the restaurant's closure at a press briefing on Friday, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante acknowledged that the housing and opioid crises in the Ville-Marie borough have taken a toll on businesses.

"There's always been people without a roof in the borough with COVID, and now we're seeing it with the drug use, the opioid crisis and more mental health issues being dealt with downtown," she said. "It does have an impact. So we're really well aware and I'm so sad that Passé Composé has to leave."

There have been multiple campaigns to try and turn the situation around, but the opposition at City Hall says the administation has fallen short. 

"We presented a plan to help the village a year ago, and all the feedback we have from the [business owners] in the village is that they have a lack of leadership from the Plante administration," said Ensemble Montreal's Julie Henault-Ratelle. 

With files from CTV News' Matt Gilmour.