MONTREAL – Montrealers will now be able to hunt for that perfect outfit on weekends until 8 p.m. in downtown stores, provincial and city government officials announced Thursday.
Weekend store hours will be extended in the city’s downtown Ville Marie borough for the next five years, Economic Development Minister Clément Gignac and Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay said today in a press release.
A city hall spokesperson couldn’t say exactly when the change in store hours will take place. A similar decision a few years ago to extend grocery store hours sparked resistence by unions who objected to supermarket staff being forced to work longer hours.
Retailers are not required to extend their weekend store hours past 5 p.m., the current closing time. But a majority are expected to take advantage of the change that would allow them to take advantage of the strong number of tourists and other shoppers that frequent Ste. Catherine St.
"Downtown Montreal plays a particularly important role in terms of business and tourism, culture and entertainment for the region, along with all of Quebec," Gignac said in a statement.
"We ought to give our merchants the means to develop to their full potential, and I am convinced that this new decision will generate positive spinoffs for the Quebec economy."
The idea of keeping downtown stores open later on weekends was tested in November 2008 during an 18 month pilot project. The experiment was successful and will benefit downtown’s 3,000 merchants, Tremblay said in a statement.
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