To vend or not to vend?

>> Local city councillors opine on the potential return of sidewalk hot dog stands

by PATRICK LEJTENYI

Mmmm, street dogs. That squishy, steamy, tasty collage of meat products, made up (schoolyard rumour has it) of offal, pigs’ lips and assholes. Sumptuous, scrumptious and oh so gross. Who can resist?
Apparently Montreal can, and has for nigh on 55 years (see sidebar). When the issue of the potential return of the sidewalk food vendor came up last week, its critics, including restaurateurs and members of the previous city administration, were quick to point out its drawbacks: questionable hygiene, more garbage on the streets, the difficulty in regulating them and lopsided competition with neighbourhood burger and steamie joints (not to mention souvlaki, shish taouk and Chinese take-away). Its proponents, however, dream of cheap, easy lunches and post-piss-up grub jonesing satisfaction. Street dog vendors are also an unmistakable sign of world-classism: Toronto has them. And so does New York.
The city said if sidewalk vendors are allowed to return, it will be up to the individual boroughs to allow them—truly, a shining example of Mayor Tremblay’s promise to strengthen local borough councils. While the new city council met for the first time on Monday night, street vendors were not on the agenda. But many councillors have their own ideas on the issue. Here, in yet another Mirror public service, is a sample of opinions circulating through Megacity Hall.

Robert Libman, Montreal Citizens’ Union Party

President of the borough of Côte-St-Luc—Hampstead—Montreal West and executive committee member responsible for zoning, urban planning and development
We’re creating certain regulations to add measures of safety, food inspection, hygiene and aesthetics. [If we allow this proposition] there are criteria that need to be defined. For instance, other cities won’t allow stands within 100 metres of a restaurant.
But stands do add a lot of character and animation to the city and it’s something I look upon favourably as long as certain aspects are regulated, and if it’s something that looks good and improves the look of the city. It will be up to each individual borough to permit it, and we are designing a series of guidelines to aid them in their selection for control and safety aspects.

It’s still too premature to say whether it will be allowed, but it is being looked upon fairly favourably.

Saulie Zajdel, Vision Montreal

City councillor for Darlington (Côte des Neiges), former councillor responsible for economic development and urban planning, now critic for economic development
We [as the municipal government during the Bourque era] had requests too, and now the city allows some stands, usually ice cream stands, in certain parks with very special parameters, although many of the ones we see are in fact illegal. Drapeau was extremely adverse to them. Westmount had them maybe, but Drapeau didn’t like shit on the streets.
The Bourque administration wasn’t any more sympathetic and although people approached us, we said no. Aside from the aesthetic and health problems, although they can be solved, restaurateurs are very much against it because they pay very high, legitimate taxes. And the restaurants are still struggling.
On balance, we felt the negatives outweighed the positives, so we stuck with the status quo. One can perhaps claim we’re being puritan, but there are certainly worse evils out on the streets that require a higher priority.

Karin Marks, Independent City councillor and president of the borough of Westmount

There are two commercial sectors in Westmount, and people pay rent for their eateries, and we want to encourage people to use these spaces. We only issue two temporary permits per year, usually to ice cream vendors and they are generally confined to Westmount Park. The idea of sidewalk food vendors is not something we promote a great deal because this is a residential community, but we do have a wonderful bylaw that allows terrasses and outdoor eating.

This is a decision that should be decided borough by borough, and each borough has to decide what suits their needs and what’s appropriate.

Helen Fotopoulos, Montreal Citizens’ Union Party—City councillor and borough president for Plateau Mont-Royal

There’s always been a certain sense that this has been a Pandora’s box in Montreal history and lore, but I’ve always had a parti-pris of opening up the process. The question here is how decentralization in Montreal will allow an introduction of bringing this idea in. I don’t know to what degree the Plateau would be a desired location for hot dog stands. I see rather chestnuts.

We encourage outdoor life on the Plateau, and unfair competition would not go down well. There is a certain loyalty to our local way of consuming. In the case of a street like St-Viateur, people like the restaurants and they like to keep it little. [Hot dog stands] are not the sort of thing you’d want to open up in terms of the neighbourhood because people know the restaurants and they know the owners.

The nine boroughs of the old city of Montreal are still under the same bylaw, but we’re still waiting for our borough offices to open up. I only found out [on Monday night] that I was president of the Plateau borough so I didn’t have any line of authority. It’s a heavy heritage we inherited from the transition committee.

I’m always for a cautious approach. But this isn’t a burning issue for me. People haven’t come up to me saying we need hot dogs. We already have Slovenia and the Vieille Europe on St-Laurent where you go and get your choice of sausage and bread.

Nicholas Tétrault, Vision Montreal

City councillor for Plateau Mont-Royal, elected to city council in November
Montreal is one of the only cities in North America that doesn’t have them, but I don’t think it’s a plus to have them for our quality of life. I can’t talk for the party, but I don’t think think it’s vital. If we start with hot dogs, then what? Pizza, shish taouk? I don’t want something chaotic that will cause Montreal to lose its class and beauty. It’s hard to position myself without having seen what extra added value having hot dog kiosks will bring.

Montreal is an international city, a European city, and I don’t like the image hot dog stands would bring. I’m not saying Toronto or New York aren’t doing something right, but I don’t see why we have to bring the city down to that level.

Personally I’m against the project, and I will vote against it if it comes to that. I need to see some extra added value for all Montrealers. And I don’t see it. :

Cité sans steamies

>> The hot dog ban in history

In the 1890s Montrealers bought milk, ice, bread, buns, fries and popcorn from itinerant street vendors. Motorized french fry vans became common in city streets before WWI and hot dogs were added around 1930. Although equipped with city permits that cost ’em $100, hot dog vendors remained in technical violation of restaurant bylaw 926. But the wieners on wheels were tolerated until 1947, when somebody named Dr. Hood submitted an unfavourable report to a hygiene commission subcommittee about the 200 dealers who were thought to impede traffic, leave a mess on the street, compete unfairly with stationary restaurants and deemed unclean. One hot dog rep pointed out that the dog dealers were no worse than horse-drawn bread trucks that featured salesmen who’d routinely tote bread bare-handed or the Bonsecours market, which featured meat replete with flies and customers given to frequent and gobby expectoration.

Nevertheless city hall threatened the dog dealers with jail time and seizure of vehicles. Montreal’s draconian ban on street commerce was maintained with an iron fist throughout the Drapeau era as sidewalk sales of everything from jewellery to newspaper boxes was emphatically policed. Even teen ice cream peddler Eric Langlois, 15, who managed a fleet of 17 ice cream bikes in 1985, was repeatedly hauled to the cop shop and fined $100 (he reported that more forgiving cops would turn a blind eye in return for “a couple of fudgesicles”). The bylaw banning ambulatory tube steaks was reinforced in 1980 and unsuccessfully challenged in 1994 by student Dylan Ritter, 25, whose sidewalk steamies earned him over $1,000 in fines. Mayor Doré, unmoved by Ritter’s petition with 500 favourable signatures, refused to budge on the issue. “I think Montreal has a lot of charm and it doesn’t necessarily need hot dog vendors to add to it,” said the mayor.

In 1995, Ahmed Trabelsi tried to sell hot dogs from in front of city hall in a $12,000 customized vehicle but cops put him out of business about 20 minutes into his effort. In a separate and possibly irrelevant incident that summer, André Tremblay, 42, was killed when his legal mobile canteen truck was blown up, possibly by a rival food vendor. Recent promises by city officials to “study the issue” of lifting the hot dog ban might sound familiar: city officials have promised to do so periodically for over 50 years. :

—Kristian Gravenor