16-05-2025
Restaurant and bar owners want Quebec and the police to address crime wave
Montreal Crime
By
In his more than 50 years doing business in Montreal, Peter Sergakis says he's never seen anything like the recent wave of crime targeting restaurants, bars and their owners in the Greater Montreal area.
During an interview on Wednesday, Sergakis called on authorities to take action to address the escalating violence before more businesses fall prey.
'Extortion, firebombings, gunshots — it should not be tolerated,' said Sergakis, who argued owners feel abandoned by police and the government. 'Everybody is afraid.'
A well-known restaurant and bar owner, Sergakis is also the president of the Union des tenanciers de bars du Québec, which represents some 800 licensed business owners in the province.
On Monday, the group sent a letter to Premier François Legault, Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel and Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher about the situation.
Sergakis said the problem has been ongoing for the past two years. But he felt compelled to take action after gunshots were fired at a home on Nuns' Island last week while a business owner, his partner and their children were all inside.
'After a brief lull, we are now powerless witnesses to an escalation of violence that is largely affecting licensed establishments in the Greater Montreal area,' the letter states. 'In the last few days alone, four establishments have been targeted by serious criminal acts.'
Sergakis says he's personally heard from up to 20 owners who have been targeted by intimidation tactics or extortion attempts. He believes there are many more, but noted that many of them are afraid to speak out.
The Montreal police have reported several similar incidents in recent weeks, but have not confirmed a larger connection between any of them.
In addition to the Nuns' Island shooting, a bar in the city's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough was targeted by gunfire, as was a home in Ahuntsic-Cartierville and a bakery in Little Italy.
Over the span of 24 hours in late April, three bars in LaSalle caught fire.
In 2023, several police departments launched a joint unit to crack down on an extortion ring targeting businesses owned by members of the Arab community in Laval and Montreal's St-Laurent borough.
Police had described how cafés, bars and restaurants were being targeted by gunfire and arson attempts.
Many of the cases involved protection rackets, with criminals offering business owners 'protection' in exchange for fixed monthly payments. Those who failed to pay would be targeted by the same criminals.
On Wednesday, Sergakis said that in his opinion, the recent wave of crime is '100 times worse' than anything he has seen in the past.
He criticized the Montreal police, saying they are not taking the situation as seriously as it deserves to be, and questioned what it will take for authorities to act.
'I have members that are calling me and have been approached by people to collect (money),' Sergakis said.
'These owners are afraid. They're not used to this kind of intimidation,' he continued. 'They have a hard time surviving in business, of making a go at it. They don't need people threatening them.'
The Montreal police department and Legault's office did not respond to requests for comment by deadline Wednesday.
In an email response, a spokesperson for Bonnardel's office said he has received the letter and will be responding to Sergakis shortly.
'We understand the concerns of bar owners,' the spokesperson said. 'The minister has also made similar observations.'
This story was originally published May 14, 2025 at 4:26 PM.
