Downtown Montreal | Free parking for reopening of shops

Philip Teissira-Lessard
Tap

The city of Montreal announced on Thursday morning that it was expanding its partially free parking activities until at least February 28th. The resumption of these measures is planned for the third time, initially in December.

“It simply came to our notice then. It’s a sign of openness to them, “said Luke Rabouin, who is in charge of economic development. “In the present case, we want to show them that we are there.”

This measure applies to on-street parking in Ville-Marie Borough, from 6pm on Fridays and on weekends.

Mr Rabouin was skeptical after the announcement of the “small deconstruction” of Quebec on Tuesday: the elected representative was happy with the unnecessary business, but worried about the restaurant owners. “We know they are in a really difficult situation in survival mode,” he said.

The city is sending hundreds of thousands of extra dollars into the Festival Montreal En lumier (MEL), which aims to encourage city dwellers and visitors to taste local gastronomy.

“In March, we really want to have a strong event to promote Montreal restaurants,” Mr. Rabouin explained. An event promotes package sales, including the delivery of a night out at a hotel and a delicious meal.