Illegal tourist guides in the crosshairs of traders

In the middle of the summer season in Montreal, illegal tourist guides continue to travel the city without being bothered and without receiving statements of offence. Businesses have decided to act and prohibit access to these clandestine guides who have neither training nor a licence.

“Notice for tourist guides”, reads a poster prominently displayed in the door of the Guillaume bakery. “We kindly ask you to present your permit issued by the official authorities before proceeding to a tour inside our establishment. »

Guillaume Vaillant, co-owner of the popular bakery, was tired of hearing canards told by guides without a license. As the City of Montreal does not apply its municipal by-law, he decided to do it himself.

“I am in love with Montreal. I cannot allow falsehood to be said about its history, about its cultural life,” he declared in a vibrant plea.

Falsehoods? Over the years, the merchant has heard unlicensed guides mislead the year in which his Mile End bakery was founded. Others threw smoke and mirrors at their customers by talking about the design of the pastries.

Mandatory training and license

In Montreal, tourist guides are required to complete 240 hours of training at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) and to hold a permit from the City, under by-law G-2. In North America, only the cities of New York and Quebec also require tour guides to hold a permit.

Guides who do not comply with the municipal by-law are liable to a fine of $100 to $300 for a first violation and up to $1,000 for a second violation.

Tourism companies in good standing have denounced this unfair competition in a report published in The Press, last April. ” I am discouraged. They do not charge GST and QST. It’s downright unfair,” repeated Frédérik Nissen, founder of Local Food Tours, in a recent interview.

Illegal guides often advertise their services on websites established abroad and in English only. It was not possible to confirm whether they pay their taxes in Quebec and in Canada.

“We have to solve the problem now, this summer! We must not wait another year, ”insists the man who says he is disappointed that the City is not more proactive in this file.

“For the sake of fairness”

The Siboire microbrewery has also stopped serving poutine and offering beer tastings to illegal tour guides and, by the gang, their groups. The owners notified guides of the property’s new policy two months ago, then permanently stopped welcoming them in early July.

“We do it out of concern for fairness and moral concern,” explains Antoine Ducharme, co-owner of the establishment on boulevard Saint-Laurent.

The boroughs of Plateau-Mont-Royal, which includes Mile End, and Ville-Marie, where Old Montreal and downtown are located, confirm that they have not issued any statements of offense to illegal guides since the beginning of the year.

The City of Montreal says it has not received any complaints from dissatisfied tourists regarding guided tours and maintains that it is looking into the application of its by-law.

“The City has begun a reflection on this by-law and it will make known the recommended solution once its steps [terminées]. Discussions with the partners have taken place with the elected official in this file concerning actions to be implemented as soon as possible and for the long term”, indicated Kim Nantais, public relations officer for the City of Montreal.

“A slow moving machine”

Frédéric Mandel, president of the Professional Association of Montreal Tourist Guides (AGPT), is sorry that the City is slow to enforce its own regulations. “It’s a slow moving machine. Yes, we would have liked it to be done faster. There is a rule. It would be quite simple to apply it by giving a mandate to peace officers, ”he underlines.

The AGPT is also preparing to send a letter to various stakeholders in the tourism industry to remind them of the existence of the G-2 regulation. The missive will be co-signed by the Ville de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal and the ITHQ. Companies specializing in guided tours and hotel concierges will be targeted by the awareness campaign. The favorite shops of tourists, too.

However, traders, who would like to ban illegal guides, claim that it is not so simple in reality. This is the case of the ice cream parlor Kem Coba, on Fairmount Avenue.

“The illegal guides, they don’t show up. They buy and leave. If a person takes 12 minicornets, it’s difficult to know if it’s a family, a group of friends or colleagues, ”explains Vincent Beck, co-owner of the place.

It would be much simpler if the City enforced its bylaw itself, Mr. Beck argues, and if it just used logic.