After two years of the pandemic, the city of Longueuil is looking to help its merchants have a commercial come back with a new revitalization project for its downtown core.
The South Shore city launched a new buy local campaign Monday to encourage people to rediscover the Vieux Longueuil storefronts on Saint-Charles Street West this summer.
Mayor Catherine Fournier alongside economy minister, Lucie Lecours, and the MNA for Marie-Victorin, Shirley Dorismond, announced 14 new projects to entice the public to get out in about in the city.
“This investment will really help bring publicity to the area and get people buying locally again,” Fournier said.
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Outdoor shows, urban art installations and pedestrianized streets will be coming to the area near St. Mark park and along the main artery.
Rachel Laflamme, the city’s director of development, said the installations will be slowly appearing throughout the summer with some elements only being completed by the summer of next year.
“You will begin to see it in the coming days,” Laflamme said. “We want to see things as early as possible but let’s not forget this is a strategy that stretches over two years.”
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Colourfully painted streets with statues of giant banana peels and art installations with upside-down cars were just some of the promised art that will be on display.
Along with additional Bixi bike stations, two outdoor workstations will also be introduced.
The city said these gazebo-like structures are meant to get the home office workers out of the house and into these outdoor office spaces.
One of the key actions of the recovery plan is the implementation of a brand new local purchasing campaign.
This campaign aims to encourage citizens to make purchases from local merchants by obtaining a purchasing card that can be exchanged with participating businesses.
A total of 1,000 cards will be made available and will be sold for $50 a pop and be worth $75 at the stores.
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The city will use $2 million from the Quebec government’s assistance plan to finance this project.
A total of $75 million has been granted to several municipalities across the province to help central neighbourhoods regain their economical footing.
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