PME MTL Centre-Ville, in partnership with the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, is launching the very first entrepreneurial contests in Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce! Several grants ranging from 5,000 $ to 25,000 $, for a total of 200,000 $, as well as several hours of personalized coaching, will be awarded to reward innovative and original entrepreneurial projects that contribute to the revitalization of Sherbrooke Street West and Queen Mary Road.
Competition objectives
- Encourage the emergence of a diversified, high-quality commercial offering
- Promote the attractiveness of commercial thoroughfares and contribute to their revitalization by recruiting new businesses while filling vacant premises on these thoroughfares.
- Increase awareness of targeted commercial arteries as business destinations among entrepreneurs
- Increase the lifespan and reach of winning companies by enhancing grants with personalized coaching
Registration period
From October 5, 2022 to March 31, 2023
Dates to remember
- October 5, 2022: Competition launch and registration
- 1er november 2022 : Information session (webinar) in French
- November 3, 2022: Information session (webinar) in English
- March 31, 2023 : End of application period
- April and May 2023: Nomination Evaluation Committee
- May 2023: Announcing the winners
Scholarships offered
These competitions involve several grants ranging from 5,000 $ to 25,000 $, for a total of 200,000 $.
PME MTL Centre-Ville reserves the right not to pay out the full amount of the planned bursaries if the business projects submitted do not meet all the competition's eligibility criteria.
Accompaniment offered
PME MTL Centre-Ville and the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce will offer support to all candidates who submit an application.
For the first time in Montreal, the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough is adding an extra amount to the competition: each winning company will benefit from several hours of personalized consulting assistance from Training details to increase its lifespan and the positive impact of its project.
This support may be of short or long duration and will take the form of individual meetings of the following types coaching. It will enable analysis of the main aspects of the company's performance (organizational structure, personnel management, promotion, profit development, customer service, facilities, etc.) in order to identify the actions most likely to deliver results. Depending on the jury's assessment of the company's needs, a bank of hours for implementing these action plans may also be offered.
For a company that has not yet officially opened for business, the aim will be to assess whether or not the most important actions for each aspect of performance have been planned by managers, either for the start-up or for subsequent months.
The total number of hours of personalized consulting corresponds to a value of 36,000 $.
PME MTL Centre-Ville reserves the right not to grant all of these hours if the business projects submitted do not require them.
Queen Mary Road
(Rue Lemieux - Avenue Clanranald)
The section of Queen Mary Road targeted by the competition Business Queen-Mary is divided into two sectors linked by the viaduct over the Décarie expressway.
To the west, a large number of high-quality shops make it a popular commercial thoroughfare, but also a popular destination for residents of neighboring districts.
To the east, the presence of public transport, in particular the Snowdon metro station, fuels the vitality of the artery and provides a high level of diversified pedestrian traffic. Numerous multi-ethnic shops and restaurants contribute to this diversity.
For a list of vacant premises, click here.
Sherbrooke Street West
(City of Westmount boundary - Cavendish Boulevard)
The section of Sherbrooke Street West targeted by the contest Entreprendre Sherbrooke Ouest offers an attractive neighborhood life with its parks, numerous local shops and restaurants. The vintage of the artery gives it a unique charm, reminiscent in places of New York's Brooklyn district. The area is sometimes used as a location for TV and film shoots.
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Business Association BizNDG will also help promote the competition Entreprendre Sherbrooke Ouest and maintain an up-to-date list of available vacant premises.
For a list of vacant premises, click here.
Eligibility requirements
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Be incorporated as a company, cooperative or non-profit organization (NPO)
- Make a minimum investment of 25,000 $, with the grant not exceeding 25 % of the project's value
- Provide a down payment equivalent to 20 % of the project's financial package, with a minimum down payment of 5,000 $.
- Demonstrate the financial viability of the project
- Aim to create at least one full-time job or equivalent in the first year of project activity.
- Propose regular opening hours for the type of establishment envisaged
- Submit all required documents no later than March 31, 2023
- Submit an application for premises located within the territory targeted by the competition
- Agree, where applicable, to meet with the jury and participate in contest activities, including the announcement of winners.
Eligible projects
- Opening of a new street-front business
- Diversification of the commercial offering of an existing business (addition of product(s) and/or services, etc.).
Ineligible projects
- Belonging to a chain or banner (already with 5 or more outlets) or operated under franchise or license or owned by a Crown corporation
- Located in premises without a street window
- Whose activity significantly increases competition for the same type of establishment in the artery's primary area
- whose main activity is erotic, political or religious in nature
- Failure to comply with applicable municipal, provincial or federal regulations
Competition target territory
- Chemin Queen-Mary : from rue Lemieux to avenue Clanranald
- Rue Sherbrooke Ouest : from the City of Westmount boundary to Cavendish Boulevard
Required documents
In order to analyze a request for financing, the company must submit the following documents:
- a complete business plan (if necessary, use our Business plan writing guide)
- the project's financial structure (use this template)
- 2-year financial forecasts (if necessary, use our Financial forecast table)
- curricula vitae of the company's shareholders
Evaluation of applications
Winners will be selected by a jury made up of representatives of PME MTL Centre-Ville and a representative of the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce business community.
The jury will evaluate projects that meet the eligibility requirements. The project evaluation criteria and their respective weighting factors are listed below:
We would like to invite you to an information session to present the various aspects of this competition and answer any questions you may have.
When : Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Where: Online (videoconference) - all information will be sent to you by e-mail once you have registered.
Cost : free session
Séance donnée en français. Séance en anglais le 3 novembre 2022.
