Entrepreneurial Contests in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

PME MTL Centre-Ville, in collaboration with the Borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, is launching the very first edition of its Entrepreneurial Contests, Entreprendre Queen-Mary and Entreprendre Rue Sherbrooke Ouest. These Contests are part of the dynamization of Rue Sherbrooke Ouest (from the border of Westmount to boulevard Cavendish) and Chemin Queen Mary (from rue Lemieux to avenue Clanranald) and are intended to encourage the establishment of new retail businesses and the diversification of the commercial offer for existing businesses.

The Entreprendre Queen-Mary and Entreprendre Rue Sherbrooke Ouest Contests are intended for entrepreneurs who stand apart because of their distinctive and innovative product and service offers, which must meet the needs of the targeted neighbourhoods and those of Montréalers.

Objectives of the Contests

• Encourage the emergence of a diversified and superior-quality commercial offer
• Promote the attractiveness and contribute to the dynamization of these commercial arteries by recruiting new retail businesses while filling vacant spaces along these corridors
• Enhance the reputation of the targeted commercial arteries among entrepreneurs as a preferred commercial destination
• Increase the life span and economic outreach of the winning businesses by combining grants with personalized support services

Registration period

October 5, 2022 to March 31, 2023

Important dates

• October 5, 2022: Launch of the Contests and opening of registration
• February 16, 2023: Information session (webinar) in French (watch the recording)
• February 17, 2023: Information session (webinar) in English (watch the recording)
• March 31, 2023: Deadline for submitting applications
• April and May 2023: Application Evaluation Committee
• Coming soon in 2023: Announcement of winners

Grants

The Contests offer a chance to win a number of grants, ranging from $5,000 à $25,000, for a total of $200,000.

PME MTL Centre-Ville reserves the right to not disburse the anticipated total amount of the grants if the submitted business projects do not meet all of the eligibility criteria for the Contests.

Support services

PME MTL Centre-Ville and the Borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce will offer support services to everyone who submits an application.

For the very first time in Montréal, the Borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is adding a bonus prize to the Contests. Each winning business will benefit from a certain number of hours of personalized consultation services delivered by Détail Formation with a view to increasing their life span and improving the positive economic benefits of their respective projects.

This may be short- or long-term support in the form of individual coaching meetings. The objective will be to analyze the main aspects of the company’s performance (organizational structure, personnel management, promotion, evolution of profits, customer service, facilities, etc.) in order to identify actions that are most likely to produce results. A bank of hours for executing the resulting action plans may also be offered, depending on the needs of the businesses as evaluated by the jury.

For a company that has not yet opened its retail business, the goal will be to verify whether the managers have planned the most important actions related to each aspect of its performance, either during start-up or the subsequent months.

The total of all of the anticipated hours of personalized consultation services will have an estimated value of $36,000.

PME MTL Centre-Ville reserves the right to not award all of these hours if the submitted business projects do not require them.

Chemin Queen-Mary

(Rue Lemieux to avenue Clanranald)

The section of Chemin Queen-Mary targeted by the Entreprendre Queen-Mary Contest is divided into two sectors that are connected by the overpass that crosses the Décarie Autoroute.

To the west, a number of high-quality retail businesses have created an attractive commercial artery that is also frequented by residents of surrounding neighbourhoods.

To the east, the presence of public transit, and especially the Snowdon métro station, helps to maintain the vitality of the artery and provides significant and diversified pedestrian traffic. A number of retail businesses and multi-ethnic restaurants benefit from this diversity.

Click here for the list of vacant spaces.

Rue Sherbrooke Ouest

(Border of Westmount to boulevard Cavendish)

The section of Rue Sherbrooke Ouest targeted by the Entreprendre Sherbrooke Ouest Contest offers an attractive lifestyle thanks to its parks and its many local retail businesses and restaurants. The vintage feel of the artery gives it a unique charm that is somewhat reminiscent of a Brooklyn neighbourhood in New York. In fact, the sector is sometimes use as a filming location for television and movies.

The Notre-Dame-de-Grâce BizNDG business association will also help promote the Entreprendre Sherbrooke Ouest Contest and maintain the list of vacant spaces within the Contest territory.

Click here for the list of vacant spaces.

Eligibility criteria

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Be a legally constituted business corporation (company), cooperative or non-profit organization (NPO)
• Produce a minimum investment of $25,000 (the grant cannot exceed 25% of the value of the project)
• Provide a capital outlay equivalent to 20% of the financial structure of the project (the capital outlay must be a minimum of $5,000)
• Demonstrate the financial viability of the project
• Target the creation of at least one full-time job or the equivalent within the first year of operation of the project
• Offer regular business hours for the type of establishment planned
• Submit all required documents by March 31, 2023 at the latest
• Submit an application for a space that is located within the borders of the Contests territory
• Consent to meet with the jury and take part in Contests activities, as applicable, including activities involving announcement of the winners

Eligible projects

• Opening of a new retail business with a street front window
• Diversification of the commercial offer for an existing retail business (addition of products and/or services, etc.)

Non-eligible projects

• Projects belonging to a chain or banner (with 5 or more existing establishments) or operating under a franchise or licence or belonging to a Crown corporation
• Projects located in a premises with no street front window
• Projects involving business activities that significantly increase competition with the same type of establishment within the primary area of the artery
• Projects involving business activities that are primarily erotic, political or religious in nature
• Projects that do not comply with applicable municipal, provincial or federal regulations

Contests territory

• Chemin Queen Mary: From rue Lemieux to avenue Clanranald
• Rue Sherbrooke Ouest: From the border of Westmount to boulevard Cavendish

Required documents

Each business must submit the following documents in order for all applications for financing to be analyzed properly:

• A complete business plan (if necessary, use our Guide to Writing a Business Plan)
• The financial structure of the project (use this template)
• Financial projections for two fiscal years (if necessary, use our Financial Projections Table)
• Curriculum vitae for the shareholders of the business

Evaluation of applications

The selection of winners will be determined by a jury comprising representatives from PME MTL Centre-Ville and one representative from the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce business community.

The jury will evaluate all projects that meet the eligibility criteria. The criteria for evaluating the projects and their respective weighting are presented below:

Conditions for awarding grants

Once the Contests winners are announced, an agreement will be signed between the project developers and PME MTL Centre-Ville. Each entrepreneur must meet the following criteria in order to receive a grant and before any payments will be made:

• In the case of a rental, hold a commercial lease with a minimum remaining term of 2 years for a space or a building located within the borders of the Contests territory, and plan to open the retail business or execute the retail diversification project, as applicable, within 6 months after confirmation of the grant.
• Hold a certificate of occupancy as required by the Borough, along with all other permits required to operate the business.
• Sign an agreement with PME MTL Centre-Ville stipulating that, if the business ceases its activities or moves them outside of the territory of PME MTL Centre-Ville within a period of 24 months after signing the agreement, the grant must be repaid, prorated to the number of months remaining in the 24-month period.
• Be in good standing with tax authorities, notably with respect to payments for DAS, GST and QST
• Provide proof of the capital outlay by the business of at least 25% of the value of the project

Submit an application →

Contact

Sara Da Cruz
Advisor – Commercial Entrepreneurship
514-879-0555, extension 255
sdacruz@pmemtl.com