As Montreal mayor looks to revive downtown, shoppers still wary and workers stay home

April Ford is among those who have been avoiding downtown Montreal since the city became the epicentre of Canada's COVID-19 pandemic.

"I snuck downtown sort of at the start of summer to do some much-needed clothing shopping," she said. "It was a stressful experience."

Otherwise, Ford said, she only leaves her neighbourhood for essential errands.

And she's not alone.

Working from home is now commonplace across Quebec and around the world. In Montreal, downtown offices are empty and that is costing restaurants and retailers a whole lot of daily business.

While Quebec has given offices the greenlight to allow up to 25 per cent of workers to return to the job, the response has been lukewarm.

At Complexe Desjardins for example, only about 150 of the usual 6,000 workers are heading into the office. The rest work from home.

Nearby, the imposing tower of Hydro-Québec's head office is deserted. Its employees aren't expected to return until September.

Workers staying home

Fewer than five per cent of office workers have returned downtown, according to Michel Leblanc, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal.

That's coupled with the loss of billions of dollars as the city's usual influx of 11 million tourists has been reduced to a mere one million.

"Montreal is suffering," Leblanc said. "Downtown is suffering."

Mayor Valérie Plante announced a plan Tuesday to invest $400,000 into "developing and animating" downtown. People can look forward to pop-up art installations and "surprise" music and dance performances throughout the summer.

This is part of her $22-million strategy to revive the economy. But will it be enough?

"The City of Montreal is acting within its powers to bring back customers, but it too will run out of money soon," said Gopinath Jeyabalaratnam, senior policy analyst for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

He said the provincial and federal governments should be doing more to support small and medium-sized enterprises in order to "prevent our downtown from turning into a crater."

The federal government could start by converting a larger amount of the Canadian Business Emergency Account into grants, and the provincial government could set up an emergency subsidy fund, he said.

While that would mean investing public funds, these businesses then contribute back to public coffers, he said.

"And that's without counting the thousands of jobs they create," said Jeyabalaratnam. "We have to look at the long term because we have too much to lose here."

Couple gives Plante's plan mixed reviews

Kahlil Thier and Lauren Michaud are among those who have avoided downtown since mid-March.

Thier said people are now starting to get worried about a possible second wave, but he thinks rearranging public spaces and bringing in some entertainment could help attract more shoppers.

"People are still a little shaken up by the first wave of COVID," said Thier, but he and Michaud may even give the downtown improvements a shot if "the events were interesting."

Michaud isn't as convinced.

"I've been getting less inclined to go out lately," she said. "So maybe outdoor events would change that but, honestly, I don't know. I don't think it would change much."

She questions why anybody would go downtown where there are crowds of people during a pandemic.

"Why would you go downtown if you don't have to?" Michaud said. "Why put yourself and family at risk?"