Montreal to remove advertising columns after 30 years

Montreal is phasing out its longstanding sidewalk advertising columns, bringing an end to a 30-year presence across the city.

According to the city, the columns have become obsolete and would require maintenance to remain operational.

A total of 325 advertising columns were installed across nine boroughs under an agreement with Astral, a division of Bell Media. According to a spokesperson from Bell Media, that agreement expired in October 2024 and was not renewed by the borough of Ville-Marie. The columns are now officially under the ownership of the City of Montreal.

Spokesperson Hugo Bourgoin confirmed that the structures “had reached the end of their useful life” and will be replaced with more practical infrastructure, such as BIXI bike stations and public charging ports.

The columns generated significant revenue in recent years. From 2020 to 2024, revenue from the advertising columns brought in a total of $6.1 million for the borough of Ville-Marie alone.

That said, the Quartier des Spectacles partnership told CTV News they plan to preserve 30 of the columns on its territory.