Tourists are staying away from Old Montreal in droves, the economy is still emerging from the gutter and local entrepreneurs say their lives are all the more miserable because their merchants' association isn't carrying its weight.
Business leaders, many of whom are struggling to stay afloat, voiced their frustrations Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Societe de d�veloppement commercial, or SDC.
The group, which has 2,900 members, has come under fire for not doing enough to promote Old Montreal.
Some members, including Anne de Shalla, pointed the finger directly at the SDC's leadership.
"They take their decisions inside ... no communication," de Shalla told CTV News reporter Maya Johnson.
"We don't know what they do. They don't ask us what to do. They don't ask us if we like this project."
SDC Head is mum
Daniel Soucy, director-general of the SDC, took questions from members at the packed meeting but refused to speak with reporters amid tense relations with the media.
The SDC is suing a monthly local newspaper after it raised questions about how the business group is being run.
The legal action against La Metropole shocked the paper's editor-in-chief, Richard Marcil.
"We're simply doing what we have to do, I mean to inform the public of certain situations," he said.
Housecleaning on the horizon?
Things could soon be changing at the top of the SDC.
There will be another meeting on Sept. 29 where merchants will have the chance to elect new administrators to represent them.
