Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Mr. Prime Minister, it is my duty today to inform you of a certain and immediate danger to which the business events and convention sector in Montreal is exposed.
Unless a date is announced in the next few days when these events can be held again, Montreal will suffer economic losses of $150 million next summer. Can we collectively afford to lose the equivalent of a head office of 4,200 jobs?
The current situation makes me fear the worst and I hope that you can make your decisions with full knowledge of the facts. Without a signal to reopen soon, convention centers, amphitheaters and hotels will be empty next summer, when they could accommodate more than 134,000 people under safe conditions. Montreal’s reputation for hosting business events will suffer badly for many years to come.
These events require preparation over many months, even several years. Important initiatives have been put in place by Tourisme Montréal and its partners to adapt to the hybrid mode, make activities safe and support event organizers in order to canvass, keep and postpone many conventions.
Despite these efforts, the absence of a reopening target is currently destroying any possibility of economic recovery in tourism.
I am convinced that the data collected over the past two years of the health crisis allow better planning for the recovery of the tourist economy. The current uncertainty has our American and international partners worried about holding their activities in Montreal this summer.
More attractive destinations
We are in competition with destinations that are much more attractive in the current context, since they benefit from clearer intentions from their respective health authorities to provide sufficient guarantees for the holding of events.
As an example, Ontario has already announced that there will no longer be a capacity limit for meetings starting February 21.
For their part, the cities of Boston, Chicago and Washington no longer have capacity restrictions in their meeting and convention centers.
Our city is still, for now, the capital of international events in North America thanks to the exceptional university and scientific concentration as well as the quality of our welcome and our services. Help us keep it at the top of the international charts.
Prime Minister, we have over 500 events planned for next summer, and we’re seeing that number dwindle week after week. The activities of this sector are the basis for the revival of tourism, Montreal and its downtown area. Aid programs cannot compensate for the direct and collateral damage caused by the current uncertainty.
Therefore, I respectfully request that you promptly announce the date when business meetings and conventions can resume.