Latest news with #PeelPub
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Peel Pub closes suddenly after 60 Years, leaving staff and performers in the dark
After more than 60 years, Montreal's Peel Pub abruptly closed due to bankruptcy, leaving staff unpaid and performers scrambling for new venues. After more than 60 years, Peel Pub in downtown Montreal has suddenly shut its doors. On June 20, a bankruptcy notice went up on the locked front door. Clients and staff were caught off guard by the news. Erik Intrevado has two sisters who worked at the downtown mainstay for more than a decade and were notified by text of the closure. Intrevado produced the weekly comedy night at the pub and had no idea an insolvency notice would be posted. 'Coming in without the permission of the trustee is guilty of an offense and basically breaking and entering,' says Intrevado, reading the notice on the locked front door of the pub. When he heard about the closure, he came to collect his gear, but he was out of luck. 'Maybe a few hundred dollars a year, a microphone, speakers, some cables, power bar.' Intrevado says comedy night was doing well, but Peel Pub was on the decline. Raby, who didn't want his family name used, has friends who worked at the pub. He came by to take a photo of the notice on the door. Raby also pointed out the terrasse wasn't installed for this summer season — a sign, he says, staff took as a sign the end was near. 'They don't get paid on time. He refused to pay them as well for their hours. And who clocked in for the Grand Prix weekend. So there's a lot of people who still have money, tips stuck in here. Completely dead silence from the owner. Just kind of disappointing,' says Raby. Ongoing construction also affected summer business, according to Dave Laanemets of McLean's Pub next door. 'Having the street closed at the intersection has been really bad for business. It hurts us. If no one's going up and down the street, no one's walking up or down the street. And it's not good. If the street was closed for a festival, that's a different story — then people have a reason to be here.' CTV News contacted Peel Pub owner Sami Jmaiel several times and did not get a response. Meanwhile, Intrevado says he's looking for a new venue to host comedy night — but lots of people, like his sisters, are looking for backpay and a job. 'I think that's where the real problem is, is what is going to be the process for everyone who's affected by this.'
Montreal Gazette
a day ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
It's Taps for Montreal's iconic Peel Pub after more than 60 years
Peel Pub has shut its doors after more than six decades as a downtown Montreal hot spot. A bankruptcy notice was taped to the front entrance citing Article 203 of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, warning anyone who removes property from the premises without the trustee's permission could face fines or jail time. The notice was issued on Friday, The Gazette has learned. According to Quebec's business registry, the bar is owned by Sami Jmaiel. He could not be reached for comment. The trustee overseeing the file has also been contacted. Opened in 1962, the pub's location on Peel St. made it a favourite for students and downtown regulars. News of its closing prompted hundreds of reactions online. 'Good old Peel Pub. Was my go-to spot in the very early 2000s,' one Facebook user wrote. 'The fun I used to have there I can't even put into words.' 'Damn, spent my uni years there,' another added. Peel Pub's sudden shuttering also brought an end to its weekly Wednesday comedy night. In a statement on Facebook, Peel Pub Comedy, which hosts a weekly open mic night, said it was 'with the heaviest of hearts' it will have to stop its events at the pub. 'The Peel Pub was unfortunately shut down completely [Friday] due to insolvency,' the post read. 'Even though the open mic was bringing in some business, the Peel Pub as a whole has suffered numerous setbacks in recent years and was no longer sustainable.' It described the night as a space where many local comedians got their start, adding equipment stored in the venue is now inaccessible because of insolvency proceedings and efforts are underway to relocate the event.
