Old Montreal Restaurateurs Are Agitating For Permission to Reopen Dining Rooms | Eater Montreal

"As one of several Old Montreal restaurants whose owners marched from Place Jacques-Cartier to Montreal’s city hall banging pots and pans, John Michael’s Pub was represented among proprietors demanding clear information from the Quebec government about when dining rooms can reopen. The owners are clearly eager to operate during the warmer months when business is strongest, but they face the same anxieties voiced in a provincial survey — many want to reopen even at reduced capacity yet fear they wouldn’t survive long-term at 50 percent seating and depend heavily on tourist dollars. The broader municipal response — encouraging outdoor dining and slashing terrasse permit fees in Ville-Marie for the season — offers some relief, but ultimate reopening authority rests with the province." - Tim Forster