A restaurant owner says she feels embarrassed for her city after she, along with others, were forced to close their terrasses on Peel Street on the very first night of the Montreal Grand Prix. Ferreira Cafe owner Sandra Ferreira posted a video to Instagram Friday evening just after fire prevention officers with the city's fire safety service (SIM) fined her for failing to take down the tent covering her patio after it was determined it posed a fire hazard. "There's no vision for our city," said an emotional Ferreira in the video.
"I find it cruel to have waited two to three weeks, I don't know, to tell me this when the restaurant is full," she said. She was in disbelief at the number of fire prevention officers who showed up to her restaurant, she told CBC News, adding that she didn't have the heart to ask her clients to leave. According to her, she had the proper permits for the terrasse.
An emotional evening and a $1,326 ticket later, Ferreira says she's still confused over what happened. According to Guy Lapointe, a division chief with the Montreal fire department, the restaurant owners were told over a week ago their tent tops were not compliant with bylaw regulations because they weren't at least three metres away from the building. He says he understands the work restaurant and bar owners put into their businesses and that shutting them down is a last resort.
"We don't want to go there, that's not what we're looking for. We work to find solutions with the owners and pro.