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When the Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie borough announced last year that it would move forward with the construction of a public square at Jean-Talon Market, many merchants were furious. But when the borough officially unveiled the project on Friday morning, it seemed like many of them had come around.

“I thought it would surely disturb our business,” said Luigi Bono, who has been working at vegetable kiosk Chez Michel for over ten years. “But, right now, I honestly can’t complain.”

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Last summer, the city announced a plan to create a picnic area with newly planted trees and plants on Shamrock Ave. To do it, however, 10 spots from a public parking area next to the market’s SAQ outlet and Première Moisson bakery had to be removed. At the time, merchants like Bono were concerned over how the removal of these parking spots would affect deliveries and movement in the already-busy space.

“It was normal for us to be mad at the time, but I think it looks really nice,” he said. “Last year, we didn’t know what we would do, but now things are okay.”