The remarks of the leader of the opposition at Quebec City Hall on the situation in Saint-Roch did not pass muster to Mayor Bruno Marchand. “I think that to scare the world as was done by the leader of the opposition is a serious mistake. By perhaps wanting to help Saint-Roch, he is harming him, and that hurts,” reacted Bruno Marchand, on the occasion of his first media appearance after the holidays.
The debate was relaunched last week, with the closure of La Cordée, a large outdoor store on Rue Saint-Joseph, the main commercial artery in the area. Bruno Marchand watches Saint-Roch burn while playing the harp
had denounced the leader of the opposition, Claude Villeneuve.
According to the mayor, this type of declaration could discourage certain customers from going to central neighborhoods, and therefore further harm merchants.
While recognizing the problems facing the Saint-Roch district, Bruno Marchand wanted to put the situation into perspective by listing the vacancy rates for commercial premises on the main arteries of Quebec.
Vacancy rate on the main commercial arteries of Quebec
| Business Development Company (SDC) | Vacancy rate for commercial premises |
|---|---|
| SDC Maguire | 1,7 % |
| SDC 3e avenue | 3,4 % |
| SDC Grande Allée | 3,8 % |
| SDC Old Port of Quebec | 6.1 % |
| SDC Faubourg Saint-Jean | 10,7 % |
| SDC Centre-Ville (Saint-Roch) | 13,7 % |
| SDC Montcalm | 14.9 % |
| SDC Saint-Sauveur | 21,4 % |
| SDC Old Quebec | 21,9 % |
Saint-Roch finds itself in sixth position out of nine, with 13.7% of its commercial premises being vacant, compared to more than 20% for those in Old Quebec and the Saint-Sauveur district.
According to Bruno Marchand, established retailers are paying the price for the popularity of online shopping, a global trend that is difficult to reverse. He is nevertheless of the opinion that the City of Quebec must do more for commercial arteries, in particular by creating a strong commercial framework
to create an experience
impossible to reproduce online.
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According to a count carried out by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, in October 2022, there were 927 people experiencing visible homelessness in the Capitale-Nationale region, the majority of whom live in Quebec.
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We will not reduce the problems of Saint-Roch to the question of homelessness, it is much more complex than that.
He promises several economic-flavored announcements over the coming weeks to bring water at the mill in Saint-Roch
.
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To consult on the same file:
Bringing back residents and employees
The Marchand administration also has the mission of bringing employees and residents back to the Saint-Roch district.
A decision will notably be rendered on the Dorchester islet during the next weeks
after consultations carried out to decide on the number of floors permitted in this new development which must replace an open-air parking lot.
It takes housing and it takes a lot of it
the mayor of Quebec immediately decides about the project proposed by Trudel corporation, which includes more than 350 housing units, a 175-room hotel and a grocery store distributed in buildings ranging from 6 to 20 floors.
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A sketch of the Dorchester block project. (Archive image)
Photo: - / Courtesy: Trudel Corporation
Mayor Bruno Marchand also wants to increase initiatives to bring municipal employees to Saint-Roch, while 70% of city employees do not telework.
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With vacancy rates of more than 20% in Old Quebec and Saint-Sauveur, the figures lead the leader of the opposition to say that beyond Saint-Roch, it is the entire commercial sector of the center -city which is going bad
.
Claude Villeneuve criticizes Mayor Marchand for his disconnection
facing the issues that have afflicted Saint-Roch for several years.
The leader of the opposition, who must soon announce that he will be in the next mayoral race, would like the City to set up a compensation program for vandalism in the neighborhood in addition to deploying a rapid plan to beautification of the commercial artery.
With information from Olivier Lemieux and Marie-Ève Trudel
