Some TMR business owners say Hydro-Québec construction is hurting their livelihoods

CTV News

3 days ago

A Hydro-Québec construction project in TMR is drawing frustration from some local business owners who say they were given little notice and are now struggling.
A major Hydro-Québec construction project in the Town of Mount Royal (TMR) is drawing frustration from some local business owners who say they were given little notice and are now struggling to stay afloat.
Crews have been digging and blocking streets since late April to install an underground transmission line along Jean-Talon West and Lucerne Road. While the Crown corporation says the work is essential to meet growing energy demands on the island of Montreal, business owners like Amit Bachar of Details Car Wash say it's left them with no clear way out.
'I've lost half my revenue already,' said Bachar, who's been operating the Jean-Talon West car wash for 18 years. 'On a sunny day like today, there would normally be 15 cars lined up. But now there's no one because customers can't even access my business.'
The project, expected to continue through early September, has severely limited traffic on Lucerne Road, which is the main access point for Bachar's car wash. While one lane remains open for southbound traffic, the northbound route is entirely closed. That means drivers must take a detour just to get in.
'Cars can't come in from Jean-Talon like they usually do,' he said.
Bachar says the situation has already forced him to cut employee hours. 'I'm trying to help them as much as I can, but I don't have unlimited money,' he said. 'This business is like my baby. Everything I've built over the past 18 years—Hydro-Québec could undo it in weeks.'
A stone's throw away, Shalom Grunwald runs District Bagel. He said the disruption only began affecting him in recent days, but business has already slowed.
'Usually, when the weather is like this, our patio and inside would be full,' Grunwald said. 'Now, it's barely just a few people walking in.'
He blames what he sees as poor planning and a lack of communication from Hydro-Québec.
'There's a detour, but it adds 15 to 20 minutes if you're driving,' Grunwald said. 'For a sandwich? Most people will just go somewhere else.'
Both Grunwald and Bachar said they were only informed of the multi-month construction about two weeks before it began. Bachar described his calls to Hydro-Québec as frustrating, claiming he was told to hire a lawyer if he wanted help.
'So instead of supporting us, they're telling us to get into legal battles?' he said. 'I can't fight the government. They have all the money and we're just small business owners trying to survive.'
In a statement to CTV News, Hydro-Québec spokesperson Jonathan Côté said excavation and paving near the intersection of Lucerne and Jean-Talon should be completed by June 6, with the full project wrapping up by Sept. 5.
'These are major works that will be completed in full by the end of summer,' Côté wrote, adding that specific efforts were made to limit disruption for local merchants.
Those measures include installing bypass roads, signage, flaggers during work hours, and even a police presence during rush hour. Côté said plans were shared with affected business owners in advance and that the corporation held individual meetings with merchants.
However, Hydro-Québec stated that financial compensation would not be provided in this case. The spokesperson said that's due to the work serving a public utility need, construction happening on public roads and mitigation efforts.
That's cold comfort for Bachar.
'We pay taxes, we work seven days a week and we give everything to make our businesses work,' he said. 'Then they come in and destroy it all for a project—and don't even try to help. How can they look at people here suffering and just ignore it?'
He says he's speaking out not just for himself but for other small business owners across Montreal facing similar situations.
'I'm sure there are hundreds of people in this position,' Bachar said. 'Hydro-Québec does whatever it wants, and it's not fair to the citizens.'