Quebec bars and restaurants demand to go to full capacity; minister asks for patience
Quebec's restaurant and bar industry wants the government to ease health measures, now that it has done so for the province's cultural sector.
The new association of bars in Quebec (NABQ) is asking the government for a little reprieve to help restaurants and bars hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In particular, the association is asking that restaurants and bars be allowed to open at maximum capacity -- and until 3 a.m.
"We are asking the Quebec government, and in particular, Quebec Public Health, to be consistent," said NABQ President Pierre Thibault.
"If 22,000 people can be side by side in a venue like the Bell Centre with 10 centimetres of distance between them, we should also allow restaurants and bars to have the permitted capacity of their establishments under the same conditions."
On Monday, when the question was put to Health Minister Christian Dubé, he asked for patience.
"I understand very clearly that restaurant owners and bar owners, they want to lift those limitations," he said at a press conference on another matter.
"But I think we need to go through this month of October... [step] by step."
For example, expanding capacity at theatres, as the government recently announced, is "a big step," he said.
"Let's see, a couple of weeks out, how things go."
He added that Public Health "is committed" that each week, if the current stabilization continues, it will ease another rule.
The bar association said that establishments in the province have been following guidelines, making sure anyone who walks into their establishments shows proof of COVID-19 vaccination and other rules.
"It should also be remembered, as an example, that countries such as France, Belgium and Spain have allowed their businesses, from day one of the vaccine passport, to operate without any constraint on their capacity or hours of operation, unlike in Quebec," the association added.
According to Thibault, the industry will be most likely suffer a "knockout" that will prevent it from recovering if the requested relief is not granted.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 4, 2021, with files from CTV News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
New scam targets Canada Carbon Rebate recipients
Fake text message and email campaigns trying to get money and information out of unsuspecting Canadian taxpayers have started circulating, just months after the federal government rebranded the carbon tax rebate the Canada Carbon Rebate.
Universities grapple with the complicated politics of campus encampments
Montreal police are facing pressure to move in and dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment on McGill University campus on Thursday, as a growing number of universities across this country grapple with the tough decision of how to handle the protests.
Conservative MP says Chinese hacking attack targeted his personal email
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Heavy police presence at McGill University as counter-protesters assemble opposite pro-Palestinian encampment
A heavy police presence was at McGill University on Thursday morning, as counter-protesters assembled opposite the pro-Palestinian encampment at the school.