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Businesses need a simplified and more lucrative program to compensate them when they are affected by roadwork, Montreal’s opposition said Wednesday.
Ensemble Montréal made public a motion it will introduce at the upcoming council meeting requesting the city increase the funding available to businesses, and allow them to access those funds without being overburdened by paperwork.
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Currently, merchants can access up to $40,000 if there is a roadwork project in front of their store that has been underway for at least six months.
That should be changed to three months, and the subsidy amount should be changed to $45,000, and indexed on an annual basis so it keeps up with inflation, said Julien Hénault-Ratelle, the opposition spokesperson for economic development. It would roughly double the number of businesses eligible for the subsidy. He also wants the city to expand the number and type of businesses eligible for such subsidies, to include dentist offices, for example.
“After eight years that this program has been in place, only half the money budgeted has ever been used,” Hénault-Ratelle said, adding that it requires far too much energy and time to access the funding.
To get access to the subsidy, merchants must prove that they lost out on potential revenue. However, business owners say that requires them to fill out many forms and provide documentation. Often they have to hire an accountant to have access to the funds available.
“The energy, and the time it takes to do all this is grosso modo what they receive as a subsidy,” Hénault-Ratelle said. “We have even seen cases where businesses received less than what it cost to fill out the documentation.”
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Businesses also have access to a $5,000 grant if there is roadwork on their street, without having to prove a loss in revenue. The opposition motion calls on that amount also to be available for new businesses that open on a street already undergoing roadwork.
On X, Projet Montréal councillor Alia Hassan-Cournol responded to a post by the opposition, saying the subsidy program for roadworks is a Montreal innovation that has since been copied by other Canadian cities.
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