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<\/p>\nThe system for the Ville-Marie borough now calculates terrace fees using a fixed rate per square metre of outdoor seating space, replacing a model previously based on property values. In the central business district \u2014 roughly the core downtown area \u2014 businesses pay $12 per square metre for terrace space each season. In the rest of the borough, the rate is $6 per square metre.<\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n
In a news release, the City of Montreal said about 85 per cent of businesses in the downtown borough will see lower terrace fees under the new system through 2030, a change announced about a month ago.<\/p>\n
Jules H\u00e9bert, director general of the SDC Montr\u00e9al centre-ville \u2014 a non-profit organization representing downtown businesses \u2014 said the new fee structure was being well received and allowed businesses to focus on operations and customer experience. <\/p>\n
He pointed to spikes in foot traffic during major events such as NHL hockey playoff games, noting that attendance can exceed 50,000 people on game nights \u2014 an increase of 379 per cent in foot traffic \u2014 driving customers into restaurants and other establishments. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo (the change in terrace fees) is very, very positive,\u201d he said, adding that conditions were in place for a strong summer season.<\/p>\n
Vecchio noted that even small reductions in costs can affect profitability, but said terrace upkeep and maintenance costs remain significant. He also said the downtown core has faced ongoing challenges since the pandemic, such as construction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe centre-ville had lost some of its appeal, so this is a great initiative to bring restaurants back and make terraces more attractive,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Fede Sanchez, director of communications and hospitality at Le Pois Pench\u00e9 downtown, also welcomed the changes but said they are largely symbolic during the busy Grand Prix weekend. <\/p>\n
Le Pois Pench\u00e9\u2019s terrace fees total $400, a reduction of about $1,000 from last year, he said.<\/p>\n
Sanchez said he\u2019d like to see Ville-Marie treated as a strategic economic zone, pointing to long-term challenges including vacancies and reduced commercial activity.<\/p>\n
For restaurateurs outside the downtown core, the new pricing structure has highlighted uneven treatment between boroughs.<\/p>\n
Patricia L\u00e9vesque, owner of Chez L\u00e9vesque in Outremont, argued that restaurants across Montr\u00e9al face similar pressures and should not be treated differently depending on location.<\/p>\n
She said she paid $6,500 last year and is paying $8,000 this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would one borough pay more than another?\u201d she asked, noting terraces are essential to Montr\u00e9al\u2019s summer economy and identity. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s joy on the street,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The mayor\u2019s office in Montr\u00e9al had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The system for the Ville-Marie borough now calculates terrace fees using a fixed rate per square metre of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":678464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-678463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=678463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/678464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=678463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=678463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=678463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}