Some Montreal Village businesses close terrasses, raise safety concerns

Luc Généreux remembers when customers would grab a drink on his bar's front terrasse in Montreal's Village before heading inside to watch a cabaret show.

Now, he says customers are arriving to Le Cocktail Bar just in time for the show's start because they feel unsafe out there. It has forced him to close the terrasse altogether. 

"We see a lot more and more trouble on the street," he said. "There are homeless people but there are also people that are intoxicated and they get quite violent."

Généreux, who's owned the bar for 13 years, says this is "the worst year ever" when it comes to rowdiness in the Village.

In the neighbourhood known for its nightlife, he's one of several business owners asking the city to do more — not just for the businesses, and their customers and staff — but also for the vulnerable population on the streets of the Village. 

Serge McMahon works just next door to Le Cocktail, at Bar Rocky which has also closed its terrasse. McMahon says he rarely sees authorities doing anything about what he says has been an increase in violence in the area.  

"People don't want to come here anymore," he said.

According to the CEO of the Welcome Hall Mission, Sam Watts, the current situation in the Village is the result of inaction, both on housing and preventative measures against homelessness. 

"I think it's important to realize that we're facing an unprecedented wave of homelessness," he said. 

For him, the solution lies with well-coordinated services that target the needs of those experiencing homelessness as well as better housing options for them. 

City intensifying resources in the Village

Josephina Blanco is a city councillor on the municipal executive committee dealing with homelessness in the city. She says it's aware of the current social climate in the Village and that the city is working with the SPVM, public health, and intervention workers at Équipe mobile de médiation et d'intervention sociale (EMMIS) to make the area safer. 

"We're open to every solution outside of the box," she said, adding that Montreal is the first city in Quebec to create a program like EMMIS. 

"But, health and social services, that's managed by Quebec. It's not up to the city of Montreal to find doctors, nurses, and social workers," she said. 

Part of the city's plan involves adding 40 more police officers in the Village, says Blanco. 

Watts says he agrees that there should be more resources on the streets, but not so much in the form of "heavy-handed enforcement," as he puts it. 

"Most people are simply not equipped to address some of the complex challenges that we're going to see on the streets these days," he said. 

Généreux says he would like to see the Village's vulnerable population better supported, adding that businesses need help too. 

According to Blanco, business owners have a direct line of communication with EMMIS workers who can quickly intervene in conflicts involving a vulnerable person. She also says that over the next few days, the city will meet with business owners to better understand their needs. 

Blanco says it will take time before people can see the results of the city's concerted efforts to build a peaceful cohabitation of businesses and vulnerable people. 

"We don't have a magic solution."

On Thursday, the city of Montreal is expected to announce its complete plan for the economic revitalization of the sector.

Généreux says he's hopeful he'll be able to open up his terrasse again in the future.