Montreal implements new rules for SIM inspections

Photo: Graham Hughes The Canadian Press Last June, four terraces on Peel Street were closed in the middle of the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.

Jeanne Corriveau

Published yesterday at 5:07 p.m. Updated yesterday at 6:56 p.m.

• Montreal

Montreal promises that interventions like the one that led to the unexpected closure, last June, of four terraces on Peel Street in the middle of the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend will not happen again. On Tuesday, the City of Montreal and the Montreal Fire Department (SIM) presented a plan to restaurant owners and event promoters to supervise inspection operations.

“The [SIM] prevention officers do important and essential work, but they will no longer be able to decide to dismantle a terrace without approval from a member of management, unless there is truly imminent danger, which was not the case with the terraces on Peel Street,” the president of the city’s executive committee, Luc Rabouin, explained to Devoir. During a meeting at city hall on Tuesday morning, Mr. Rabouin and the deputy director of the City of Montreal, Martin Prud’Homme, revealed to representatives of about twenty organizations, including cultural event organizers and merchant groups, the broad outlines of the new strategy put in place by the city to avoid other unfortunate interventions.

The operation carried out on June 8 by SIM prevention officers, who ordered the closure of four crowded terraces on Peel Street, tarnished the City’s reputation, but it was not an isolated event, admits Mr. Rabouin. “For us, it was an electroshock.” Restaurant owners, merchant associations — particularly during pedestrianizations — and festival promoters have been complaining for years about not having a real channel of communication with the SIM and about having measures that are not always clear imposed on them by prevention officers without any possibility of discussion, he explains.

The City now wants to favor an approach focused on support and dialogue. In addition to the new rules, the City's plan provides for the establishment of an advisory committee chaired by Martin Prud'Homme, which will meet twice a year, and two working groups whose mandate will be to “resolve issues as they arise and in advance.”

The plan was welcomed by Glenn Castanheira, general manager of downtown Montreal, who deplored the “enormous” discretionary power of prevention officers and a lack of professionalism in interventions. “It seems to be very concrete in terms of the plan. There is recognition of an issue that has been going on for several years and a change in culture. We felt a real understanding of the problem,” he said.

Sandra Ferreira, director of operations at Ferreira Café, one of the four establishments targeted by the June 8 operation, did not attend Tuesday morning’s meeting, but she was optimistic about the commitments made by the city. “I’m happy to see that things are moving forward, but it’s a little early for me to comment,” she said.

Ferreira Café was finally able to open its terrace all summer without being bothered. However, the restaurant had received a notice of violation during the June intervention and the dispute procedures are still ongoing, Ms. Ferreira said.

Two SIM executive employees had been suspended in the wake of the “terrassegate,” but they were later reinstated in their positions.