• If when you think of summer in your head, you picture the many terrasses in Montreal, I have some good news for you.
• On February 14, 2020, Mayor Valérie Plante announced the ways in which she and the borough of Ville-Marie will be making it much easier for restaurants and cafés to have terrasses in front of their establishments.
• Read all about it below!
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

Few things in the world compare to having a refreshing drink on one of Montreal's well-decorated terrasses in the midst of summer. With this in mind, I can say for certain that terrasses in Montreal are truly a part of the city's culture. Unfortunately for many restaurants and cafés though, the rules for having a terrasse added to their establishment made for it to be a rather difficult process — until now.

Yesterday, Mayor Valérie Plante announced that the borough of Ville-Marie is adopting a new regulatory framework for restaurant and café terrasses that touch on public property —mainly sidewalks.

She states that these new rules are a measure in helping support local businesses and making Montreal an even more dynamic city than it already is. 

The new Ville-Marie terrasse rules will make getting a permit for one much easier and maintaining one much cheaper, thanks to a decrease in terrasse taxation.

On Facebook, she shared her thoughts that said: "I am proud of these new measures, which are the result of a collaborative effort between merchants, the SDC and the borough of Ville-Marie, and those who will help restore our commercial arteries to their former glory."

Get excited, Montreal!

Below is her Facebook post about the upcoming changes.

TRANSLATION: "Our administration is continuing its efforts to support businesses and the vitality of our commercial arteries. That is why we have unveiled new measures that will facilitate the implementation of terrasses and sidewalk-extensions in the Borough of Ville-Marie, downtown ⛱☕️🥂"

"Our new rules:
👉 simplify the process of obtaining terrasse permits;
👉 will reduce the tax burden for merchants from $500 to $30,000 per year;
👉 and will allow them to reserve, free of charge, a space in front of their premises!"

She also dedicated her Instagram stories of February 14, 2020, to this news.

[rebelmouse-image 26886812 photo_credit="val_plante | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="750x1334"] val_plante | Instagram

In the press release that discusses this subject, we are told that this measure is meant "to ease the financial burden on business owners and to offset the increase in property values in 2020."

The taxation rate for terrasses will now be decreasing from 9.5% to 4%, which allows for some major savings among merchants.

READ ALSO:Mayor Plante Discusses Plans For Pink Line, Corruption & Bill 21 In Exclusive Interview

With this decrease, it's likely that we can expect more restaurant/café owners to consider having a terrasse for their establishment.

These new terrasses will be allowed to have a total of 12 chairs on them and three tables. There will also have to be a space of 1.8 metres from both the road and the sidewalk, to ensure that it doesn't get in the way of car or pedestrian traffic.

The other important note to remember about these new terrasse rules is that no alcohol will be permitted to be served on them. No need to worry, though — you can have your meal outside then go enjoy your sangria inside!

Will your favourite restaurant have a terrasse addition this summer? Wait and see!