On the bustling Friday night of the F1 Grand Prix festivities in downtown Montreal, a sudden mandate forced a popular restaurant to clear its terrace and shut it down. Sandra Ferreira, director of operations at Groupe Ferreira, took to Instagram with a heartfelt post, revealing the intervention by Montreal's Service de securite incendie (SIM). The directive, delivered amidst a packed crowd at Ferreira Café on Peel Street, cited terrace code violations, threatening closure of the entire establishment.

Ferreira expressed her dismay, recounting the abruptness of the enforcement, "They wait until Friday at 9 p.m. of the Grand Prix to come, while we have a full restaurant and, in front of everyone, they ask us to make everyone leave the terrace." Despite producing permits and authorization emails for the terrace, officials insisted on immediate compliance, presenting Ferreira with a dire ultimatum: close the terrace or face closure of the entire restaurant.

Months of preparation for the Grand Prix event, including securing permissions for terraces on Peel Street, were overshadowed by the last-minute ordeal. "I find this so cruel to have waited two or three weeks to have come to tell me this while the restaurant is full," Ferreira lamented. However, following discussions with city officials, Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante's office assured that all terraces on Peel Street are now compliant and can reopen on Saturday.

Reacting swiftly, Montreal opposition party Ensemble Montreal's councillor Abdelhaq Sari criticized Mayor Plante's leadership in Ville-Marie borough, questioning the lack of stakeholder consultation. Meanwhile, Ferreira updated on Instagram that the tent surrounding the exterior tables had been removed, signaling compliance with the mandate.

The Montreal firefighters union (Association des Pompiers de Montreal) issued a statement on Saturday expressing frustration and disappointment over being wrongly implicated in the closure of restaurant terraces. The union clarified that their members were not involved in the interventions carried out by the Service de securite incendie de Montreal (SIM). President Chris Ross emphasized that the confusion arose because prevention officers, who resemble firefighters in uniform, executed the operation named Sentinelle.

Despite their non-involvement in terrace closures, the union underscored the importance of addressing significant infractions to prevent potential tragedies, citing past unfortunate events in Montreal linked to similar violations. They stressed the necessity of upholding safety standards, especially during periods of high activity, to avert disasters.

In response, Sandra Ferreira, director of operations at Groupe Ferreira, posted an apology on Instagram directed towards the Montreal firefighters. She clarified that her frustration was aimed at fire prevention officials, not firefighters themselves.

As the situation unfolds, stay tuned for further updates on the matter.

The Montreal firefighters union (Association des Pompiers de Montreal) issued a statement on Saturday expressing frustration and disappointment over being wrongly implicated in the closure of restaurant terraces. The union clarified that their members were not involved in the interventions carried out by the Service de securite incendie de Montreal (SIM). President Chris Ross emphasized that the confusion arose because prevention officers, who resemble firefighters in uniform, executed the operation named Sentinelle.

Despite their non-involvement in terrace closures, the union underscored the importance of addressing significant infractions to prevent potential tragedies, citing past unfortunate events in Montreal linked to similar violations. They stressed the necessity of upholding safety standards, especially during periods of high activity, to avert disasters.

In response, Sandra Ferreira, director of operations at Groupe Ferreira, posted an apology on Instagram directed towards the Montreal firefighters. She clarified that her frustration was aimed at fire prevention officials, not firefighters themselves.

As the situation unfolds, stay tuned for further updates on the matter.