Jean-Talon merchants say Blue Line work is pushing them to the brink
Pedestrian traffic on Jean-Talon Est has fallen more than 90 per cent, merchants say, as Blue Line extension work continues until 2031.
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Kamer Bensalem, owner of Boulangerie Castel, has run his bakery on Jean-Talon Street East for 18 years. He says the Blue Line extension work has turned that history into a fight to stay open. "It's a dream that's turning into a nightmare," Bensalem said. "It's very painful for us. It affects our lives, our wallets and our families."
The bakery has more than 20 employees and, by Bensalem's account, reported $2 million or more in revenue. He says business is down 20 to 25 per cent. Passing traffic has disappeared, so he has been making deliveries to keep customers, including people outside the immediate neighbourhood. "If I didn't make the deliveries and deliver to others, maybe I'm closing," he said.
The Société de développement commercial (SDC) Jean-Talon Est gathered merchants and community partners on Wednesday to highlight the impact. Its president, Paul Micheletti, said the group is not opposed to the project. "We are not against the work. We've been waiting for this forever," he said. But the SDC says one of its street counters recorded pedestrian traffic down more than 90 per cent, from more than 1,000 passages a day before 2024 to fewer than 100 now. The SDC links the drop partly to the relocation of the 141 bus.
The Société de transport de Montréal says moving the 141 back is not an option, because that would add more than 20 minutes to travel times and reduce reliability. in a statement, the STM said the most effective solution is the 814 shuttle combined with the 141, which keeps access to the area. The work has also closed sections of Jean-Talon East to through traffic and diverted bus routes around the intersections of Pie-IX, Viau, Lacordaire and Langelier.
Micheletti is asking for regular meetings with decision-makers, changes to transit service, and measures to bring people back during construction, along with better coordination for the remaining years of work. He also said merchants find the financial assistance programs too complicated to navigate. "The businesses that have tried to do it have complained that it's way too complicated... We've asked if it could be simplified. I don't have an answer."
Saint-Léonard borough mayor Dominic Perri said the borough is watching the impacts closely. "Saint-Léonard is closely monitoring the impacts of construction and focusing its efforts on supporting merchants," Perri said. The borough has pointed to funding for the SDC, temporary streetscape projects, summer cultural programming, changes to signage rules and personalized merchant support. Completion of the project is expected in 2031.
