One Bishop St. merchant has thrown in the towel - a first casualty of the ongoing STM work on the downtown street that began in October 2016 and is only expected to end in 2020.

Le Gourmet Burger told CJAD 800 News that they decided to close temporarily and relocate to a better location since the STM work partly blocks access to the sidewalk and the restaurant.

The restaurant said "it's another proof that the city doesn't care" about small business.

Executive committee member in charge of economic development Robert Beaudry said they're in contact with the owner and other merchants.

Beaudry said while they promised compensation for merchants affected by roadwork, it doesn't cover those affected by work by other parties such as the STM or Hydro-Quebec so they're trying to see if this can be extended since the money would come from the city's budget.

Beaudry said under metropolis status they can offer subsidies but not tax breaks and that takes time.

"We have to put a program for the equity for all the other businesses in Montreal because there's many construction sites in Montreal actually," said Beaudry in an interview with CJAD 800 News.

"For (subsidies) to take effect we need to build the program on the first step and that's exactly what we're doing right now."

Beaudry said that program should come in May or June.