Going From Merchant to Merchant on Westminster Street

by John Symon

August 22, 2008 - I spent much of Thursday afternoon going door to door, visiting Westminster Street merchants and distributing the below letter about how the Broughton Street (BS) Barrier affects their business. Many business owners were shocked to hear that their customers in Lachine risk a $154 ticket by driving the shortest way to Westminster Street. They also understood that once we drive out to the corner of Milton and Avon/St. Jacques, we are likely to bypass Westminster and go shopping elsewhere.




All business owners I spoke to expressed sympathy for our situation and some of them said they would communicate with Town Hall about the barrier and/or attend upcoming Town Hall meetings. Mayor Campbell Stuart would probably not win any popularity contest among the Westminster merchants; many of them already have bones to pick with him on other issues. The high taxes that merchants pay and the fact that crosswalks have not yet been repainted this year on Westminster were two hot buttons. Some of the merchants were sceptical that Town Hall would listen to them, however.

Surprisingly, only one of the merchants said that he was in any kind of communication with Mayor Stuart. That was Eddy at the Bistro and he claims to have frequently told Stuart to seek a compromise solution regarding the barrier. Stuart has so far declined to pursue this option. I maintain that it is indicative of a good political leader to actively solicit the opinions of his constituents and to listen to these opinions. That Stuart is not doing so speaks volumes.

While there is widespread agreement that the barrier is bad for business, some of the business owners said that they wish to remain neutral on the BS barrier conflict. Some others suggested various compromise measures that could be tried instead of the full street closing barrier that has been in place since June 5. The merchants most strongly supportive of the Hillcrest/Rosewood/Mount Vernon residents mentioned that there are really only about a dozen people in Montreal West who are supportive of the BS barrier, but that this minority is vocal and well-connected to Mayor Stuart.

I often parted on the comments, “you probably pay a lot of property taxes for your business. Perhaps you want to make sure Town Hall is spending your money wisely.”

-30-