After Global Montreal caught up with students about the penalties levied on Annie’s bar in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, a Global Montreal reporter talked to residents, some of whom are fed up that the quiet of the small West Island town is routinely shattered by disruptions at the bar.
“There’s always kids around doing things that they’re not supposed to be doing,” said Sally Legault, a longtime resident.
There are roughly 10,000 students who occupy the town, and they have to share space with longtime residents. Annie’s bar is a flashpoint of the town – thanks to a grandfather clause written into its municipal by-laws, it’s the only bar remaining that is allowed to serve alcoholic beverages without an accompanying meal.
“When I lived on Maple I went years without sleeping at night, during the school term,” said Jann Lavalley, who lived near John Abbott College.
McGill University has a campus, and John Abbott is one of the island’s few English CÉGEPs. Those institutions represent a significant part of the economy, said its former mayor Bill Tierney.
“It’s a very big part of our budget, it’s a very big part of the merchants’ business,” he said. “You have students, you have teachers. because you have two — you have the McGill campus too.”
Even disgruntled residents admit the options for students aren’t plentiful in such a small town, but Educalcool head Hubert Sacy said, that’s no excuse for poor behaviour.
A bar owner should “make sure they behave properly, and if they do not behave properly, then stop them,” he said.
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