Too much paperwork, regulations and requirements that change from one borough to another, an administrative maze in which small business owners get lost… The links are complicated between merchants and the City of Montreal, and the opposition to City Hall wants to simplify them.
Posted at 4:03 p.m.
“This is an issue often raised by merchants and entrepreneurs, the need to streamline regulations and administrative processes, and to help businesses see where they are in their journey with the City,” reports the municipal councilor Julien Hénault-Ratelle, opposition critic for economic development.
This is why the Ensemble Montréal party will table a motion, during the October 24 city council meeting, to ask the administration to put in place an action plan for the administrative streamlining of small and medium-sized businesses, with clear objectives and timetable.
The opposition is also asking for an electronic one-stop shop to centralize and facilitate requests and exchanges with businesses.
Mr. Hénault-Ratelle points out that in addition to having gone into debt during the pandemic, businesses and businesses are currently suffering the repercussions of inflation and the shortage of labour. A simplification of the paperwork requested by the City would therefore be of great help to them.
“When it comes time to apply for a permit or financial assistance, entrepreneurs don’t know who to turn to, there are a lot of entry points,” notes the municipal councilor.
150 hours of work
Paul Boileau agrees. Owner of the Souvenirs l’ours blanc store on Sainte-Catherine Street West, the merchant applied for financial assistance, through a City program, to compensate for his losses following major work that took place on this artery between 2018 and 2020. Its sales, for example, fell by 29% in 2019, he says.
“At times, we couldn’t even open the store because they were redoing the sidewalk right in front,” he says.
He sent the 1er December 2021 his compensation claim, which had about 400 pages of documents, he explains. He had no news until he relaunched the City in August 2022. “They told me they had emailed me asking for additional information, but I never received this message,” he said.
When he reactivated his request, by sending the requested documents, he was answered by asking him for still other documents, concerning the financial assistance he had received from the government in connection with the pandemic.
“It’s complicated, it’s going to make a grant application of about 600 pages in total. It also takes a letter certified by a commissioner for oaths. I must have easily put in 100 to 150 hours of work to prepare my application,” calculates Mr. Boileau.
And through this whole process, it’s impossible to talk on the phone to anyone responsible for financial aid to ask questions, he says. All communications are by email only.
Projet Montréal, the party of Mayor Valérie Plante, promised in its electoral platform for the 2021 elections to set up a one-stop shop for services for entrepreneurs, to implement a “regulatory streamlining reflex” and to accelerate the provision of business services and licensing.
The opposition regrets that the Plante administration has still not acted on this subject.
Julien Hénault-Ratelle cites the cities of Gatineau, Sherbrooke and Halifax as examples, which have implemented various measures to simplify their relations with entrepreneurs. In Halifax, permit applications are done online. In Sherbrooke, a “time line” lets contractors know how the city is processing their request.
The municipal councilor recalls that the City has in its hands two reports, dating from 2016 and 2018, proposing solutions to simplify administrative measures and reduce regulations.
On the side of the cabinet of the mayoress Valérie Plante, we underline having put in place, in particular since the beginning of the pandemic, measures to support entrepreneurs, such as a business line for merchants and various assistance programs to help them. to get through the crisis.
“We will continue to support this sector to meet its needs because for us, vibrant, diversified and healthy commercial streets are part of the vision of sustainable neighborhoods we have for Montreal. Regarding the opposition’s motion, we will debate it at the next municipal council,” said Mr.me Plant in a written statement.
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- 90%
- Proportion of small business owners who believe reducing government paperwork is important, according to a survey.
source: Canadian Federation of Independent Business