Restaurants told to close their terraces on Peel Street
Firefighters “had nothing to do” with the interventions at various restaurants along Peel Street during the Grand Prix on Friday night, according to Association des pompiers de Montréal, Montreal’s firefighter association.
On Friday, officers from the Montreal fire department (SIM) ordered some bars to close their terraces for code violations, according to a CTV News report.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante required a report following the incident, according to the CTV News report.
In a news conference on Sunday, Plante said that she understands that the fire department (SIM) has a job to do, but she is concerned about the tone that was set on one on that night, according to the report.
"Of course we will never compromise with security and the firefighters did their work in terms of making sure that there is nothing that goes against the security of citizens and visitors," she said, noted CTV News. "That being said, where I'm disappointed and I'm definitely looking for more answers is how it was done on Friday."
In an email to COS, however, Chris Ross, president of the Montreal firefighters association, said: “The confusion stems from the fact that this spectacular operation, called Sentinelle, was carried out by prevention officers, civilian employees, who, unfortunately, wear a uniform similar to that of firefighters.”
People online were “inflamed by imprecise and erroneous information,” according to the group.
“However, firefighters cannot remain insensitive to the presence of significant infractions,” according to the association.
“The Association des Pompiers de Montréal recalled that, in the past, Montreal has experienced tragic events attributable to this type of offence. In the Association's view, society cannot afford to be lax, especially during periods of heavy human activity, at the risk of causing disastrous events, even tragedies.”
Plante wants to know the timeline of what happened in the days and weeks leading up to Friday, according to the CTV News report.
"Also, I want to have a conversation with the business owners, restaurant owners as well this week with the fire department," said Plante. "If there are things they don't agree on, we need to find solutions because we've done it before."
"This will not happen again. It did not happen before and it will not happen again."
Ferreira Café was one establishment that was ordered to close its terraces, and owner Sandra Ferreira posted a tear-filled message about the ordeal on her Instagram.
However, Ferreira Café was aware of its non-compliance more than a week prior to their arrival. The issue, the SIM said, was the width of the tent surrounding the terrace, the fire department told CTV News.
