Gordon Bernstein recoils after Linda Vallée grabs his hand during a confrontation at Plateau-Mont-Royal council meeting Monday night. (CBC)

Security guards had to break up a fight at a Montreal city council meeting Monday night as tensions overflowed about a plan to overhaul parking in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

Opponents showed up at the meeting to quiz councillors about a plan — which the city put on hold earlier in the day — to raise parking rates and increase the number of parking meters.

But just as the meeting was wrapping up, an altercation ensued between the head of the local merchants group, which opposes the plan, and a citizen who works on the borough's economic development board, which supports it.

Gordon Bernstein, head of the Saint-Laurent Merchants' Association, accused Linda Vallée of failing to contact him directly, and accused her of doing a poor job on economic development in the borough.

Security guards break up a tense argument between Plateau economic development committee member Linda Vallée and Gordon Bernstein, president of the St-Laurent Merchants' Association, on Monday. (CBC)

Vallée said the comment was defamatory, and grabbed Bernstein's hand.

"Don't touch me," Bernstein shouted.

Vallée's husband intervened, telling Bernstein to get his hands off his wife.

' I screamed because he was [harassing] a woman who was having a different opinion than him.'— Luc Ferrandez, Plateau-Mont-Royal mayor

Security guards stepped in between the two, as Vallée shouted over the guards to a retreating Bernstein, "Just because I didn't call you doesn't mean that I haven't done anything for economic development in the Plateau-Mont-Royal, Mr. Bernstein. Clean your mouth with soap!"

Borough Mayor Luc Ferrandez yelled at Bernstein from across the room, before storming out, his face flush with anger.

On Tuesday, Ferrandez told CBC News that he didn't swear at Bernstein, but admits he called him a liar.

"I will never scream at someone for a parking plan. I screamed because he was [harassing] a woman who was having a different opinion than him," Ferrandez said.

He accused the merchants association of spreading lies by saying higher parking rates would kill business in the area.

City puts borough parking proposal on hold

The Plateau-Mont-Royal borough has been asking for the right to keep its parking revenue, which currently goes to the city.

The borough wants to add 600 new parking meters to commercial streets running east-west and raise the rates to $3 per hour in 2011. The rates are currently $2 per hour.

Ferrandez has said the changes would generate an additional $6 million a year in revenue.

Opponents have accused Ferrandez and his Project Montréal Party of having an anti-car agenda that is damaging local business.

On Monday afternoon, the City of Montreal put the whole matter on hold, saying that the idea of transferring parking meter management to individual boroughs needed further reflection.

A meeting is planned for Thursday between Bernstein and Plateau officials.