As Montrealers prepare to elect a new mayor on Nov. 2, one of the city’s biggest questions remains unanswered: how to bring life back to the downtown core.

Once the heartbeat of the city’s economy, downtown Montreal is still struggling to regain its footing after years of disruption. Construction, shifting work habits, and rising vacancies have left merchants and business owners searching for stability — and leadership.

“Downtown has a cold,” said Glenn Castanheira, executive director of Montréal Centre-Ville. “The next mayor really needs to understand that downtown Montreal is the biggest revenue generator for the city. It is the biggest concentration of jobs with over 300,000 jobs an hour downtown”

For restaurant owner Alain Creton, who also heads the Peel Street merchants’ associatio

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