|
Main merchants ambushed by city
Late last week, 570 merchants located on or near St-Laurent received what was, for most of them, a surprise mail-out from city hall. The city was creating a Societe d'initiative et de developpement commercial (SIDC, essentially a street beautification and improvement organization) for their street, the letter said. Anyone who opposed the idea could register their dissent on November 16. The letter gave no further information. But who could be against "initiative" and "developpement"?
"The letter says nothing about the fact that the SIDC is a taxing organization," says local agent provocateur Dermod Travis, whose offices are located on the Main. "It doesn't say how much it would cost, what you'd get for your money, or whose idea this is anyway. I had no idea this was in the works."
City councillor Marvin Rotrand, whose district does not include the Main, is getting involved: he's writing a letter to all 570 businesses to give them further information. "Street-level businesses benefit most from SIDCs, but on St-Laurent more than two thirds of the businesses are located on upper floors," Rotrand says. "I'm not necessarily against the SIDCs, but I think it's important people know they have the right to say no."
-- Philip Preville |