Kristian Gravenor looks at Montreal’s long string of equipment thefts from visiting bands and asks why the city and police are ignoring it as a pattern.
Updates from December, 2011 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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The city says it’s ready for the snow, with a team of 3000 standing by. The city website will give updates.
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Kevin
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Kate
Yes, that’s the way to do it!
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Gives you confidence in the medical establishment, this does: in Quebec, 75 people died due to medical accidents in the six months between April 1 and September 30. They represent the worst of the 179,000 medical slip-ups reported during that time.
(The CJAD item says “None of the mistakes caused the death of the patient” but the La Presse one cites 75 deaths. Maybe this is an interpretation issue.)
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Chalk one up for Luc Ferrandez & Co. – businesses along Mont-Royal in the Plateau are noticing they’re getting busier “despite” the borough’s traffic-calming efforts. Or maybe it’s actually because of them – because it’s safer and pleasanter to be a pedestrian there now.
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Steve Quilliam
If this turns out to be the case for a longer period of time then we can expect similar traffic-calming efforts in other neighborhoods or commercial strips eventually, which would be a good thing in certain areas.
I’m dreaming of a small pedestrian street beetwen St-Laurent and Marché Jean-Talon in Little Italy. Something with plenty of italian flavor like the 3 famous colors, the scent, the music, cafe’s, small mom & pop pizza place, terrasses etc…
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Kate
Rue Dante is halfway there. The neighbourhood is pedestrianized during the Grand Prix (with cars on display along Saint-Laurent) and at one or two other times during the summer.
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Jack
That is a piece of great news. I always wondered what data the store owners were using to push back traffic calming. I mean really how many people drive from Boisbriand-Blainville to shop here? Why would they? The Walmarts are all there.
De Castelnau, between St. Denis & St. Laurent had a pedestrianized weekend this September and it was beautiful. Is this the beginning of something?
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Kate
I missed the de Castelnau weekend. But the idea of pedestrianizing streets for events and fairs isn’t too new here – the Main’s been closed for two extended weekends every summer for something like 20 years.
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Robert J
I do all my shopping on Mt-Royal. It’s definitely the crise and not the traffic calming that caused some closures and less clients. The only problem I have with the Ferrandez administration is the noise bylaws for bars, which have become much more severe. The kind of venues that get tickets for these are small, local, community-oriented ones that will have the most trouble noise-proofing (I worked in one, we got tickets). I’m sorry but if you purchased or rent property at the corner of Mt-Royal and say Henri-Julien, and there’s a bar/venue downstairs, you should have thought about that before choosing to live there.
There are so many cheaper, less noisy properties within like 2 blocks of Mt-Royal. It’s just not reasonable. If the borough wants to encourage more cooperation between bars and residents, they can offer tax credits or partial reimbursement for sound-proofing renovations.
I know of at least one place that closed down because of the noise bylaw. If you’re not into the nightlife, move to Rosemont or NDG. Isn’t the point of living in the Plateau going out?
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walkerp
Another significant factor in the drop in sales in the Plateau is that the outer boroughs have developed their own shopping areas over the last 5-10 years. Places like Longeuil are starting to have their own mini-”downtowns” whereas in the past if you needed certain things the Plateau was a real destination for those things. Also, the growth of big box stores (like in Laval) have contributed to this as well.
This analysis is from a longtime Plateau retail business owner I spoke with recently.
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Chris
Robert J, the current administration has not changed the allowed noise levels, only the fine amount. By your logic: “I’m sorry, but you if opened a business, you should have investigated what the regulations were before choosing that area”.
“Isn’t the point of living in the Plateau going out?” -> No. At least, not for everyone.
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ant6n
@Robert J
“Isn’t the point of living in the Plateau going out?” Sounds kinda like
“I thought the point of living in Ville-Marie is that you like car pollution and noise.”You make good points; however, good quality of living should be achievable close to downtown as well.
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Robert J
OK, I’ll admit I’m a bit dogmatic on the bar noise thing. The law Ferrandez put in place was supposed to “encourage better communication between residents and businesses” (I read that in a projet mtl communiqué I think). To do that, they need sensible rules, not higher fines.
Take the Salon Officiel on Roy. They soundproofed, and pay a bouncer to stand outside telling people not to talk (the guy literally says, don’t talk quietly, don’t talk at all, or we’ll go out of business). It works pretty well until the innevitable closing time racket. Roy is a residential street, so this is a good application of street noise legislation. On residential streets, its up to bars to keep it down.
However, if you choose to rent a loft right on Mt-Royal, and then call up the cops when the nightclub downstairs plays loud music on a Friday night, this is not reasonable. Mt-Royal is a primarily commercial space, and its up to residents to be reasonable. I actually wouldn’t mind living in a place like that, because I work nights at a bar, and am often out when I don’t work.
The policy needs to specify different levels and fines for different streets, according to the nature of the area. The kind of “quality of life” you get from living on a main strip in the Plateau is different from living off of Beaubien, say, and people need to decide accordingly.
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Commemorations are being held today for the Polytechnique massacre, as well as a protest against the dismantling of the long-gun registry. A memorial being held on Parliament Hill is excluding Conservatives for that reason.
A Tory MP was caught on video playing shoot-em-up in the Commons as our MPs voted on the gun registry. Isn’t it nice to know we have such classy people representing us?
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The RCMP is looking into influence-peddling at the Port of Montreal.
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David Tighe
While the Provincial Police are trying to find out how the influence-peddling was exposed, presumably to charge him or her. Shoot the messenger?
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Bill Binns
Influence peddling? At the Port of Montreal? Slander! I refuse to believe it!
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Kate
Yep, this morning there’s news of a second investigation by the SQ.
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jeather
I’m shocked, shocked to find that
gamblinginfluence peddling is going on here!
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The Liberals’ Damien Arsenault won his byelection in Bonaventure riding – a mostly Liberal stronghold throughout the years.
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Parents are begging to keep English-language schools open although it’s inevitable that more of them have to close. It sometimes amazes me that we still have public English primary and secondary education here at all.
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Alexandre
I am a bit confused. Why is it an amazement that there are still primary and secondary schools in English? In a sense, I would tend to agree to have everybody go to school in French all over Quebec, but that is a move even a PQ government wouldn’t dare to make. And I would also tend to agree that maybe we have to give an option for anglophone kids. I’m not entirely decided about this issue.
Or maybe I didn’t understand your point at all?
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Kevin
@Alexandre
It’s amazing the community still exists because half a million anglos left this province over my lifetime.While a PQ government would not close English schools, in a separate Quebec every English school would be eliminated within a year.
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Beeper
What I don’t get is that many anglos put their kids into French schools. Say whaaaaaaaaaaaa!? That’s just craziness.
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Robert J
Man, this is so simple. Put a mandatory French program in all schools (about 30% of coursework). Also, put a well-designed French exam (necessary in order to graduate) in grade 6, sec V, and CEGEP graduation. For all other subjects give parents the choice. That way, francos and immigrants have the choice to send there kids to English-oriented schools, but everybody has to learn decent French. I think this a reasonable compromise that respects everybody’s rights. A single, secular, mixed public school board with immersion programs for FSL or any other language.
Its reasonable that a high level of French be mandatory to graduate school in Quebec. You can’t graduate high school in the US in any language but English, even if you live in, say Washington Heights NYC (80% latino) as far as I know.
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John B
How about we make it so that everyone comes out of school fluent in *both* languages. Imagine the advantage Quebec would have in the world.
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jeather
I admit I don’t follow very closely the education laws, but you already do have to come out of high school having passed a French exam even if you go to an English school, and if you fail it you do not get to graduate. And you have to take two classes in the second language (four in your first) in cegep, and again: if you don’t pass, you don’t graduate. The exams aren’t perfect, but there is definitely a base level of competency after 11 years of learning French daily.
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dwgs
I’m an anglo who put my kids in French school. There’s an English school equally close with what’s supposed to be a good French immersion program but saw too many of my friend’s kids come out of that school whose comprehension was okay but their spoken French isn’t good and all the friends they make are anglophone so they continue to live in that little bubble. I want my kids to speak fluently and accent free in both languages (which they now do), have a wide range of friends from all backgrounds (done), and be able to write properly in both languages. I can tutor them in written English if need be.
I don’t owe anything to the English school system, I owe it to my kids to give them every advantage possible. -
Robert J
@jeather I should have specified: make all kids, anglo and franco, pass the same level of French exam, but let them take the rest of their courses in the language of their choice. Different schools could offer different programs to adapt to the particular needs of students and facilitate passing the exams.
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qatzelok
@ John B: “How about we make it so that everyone comes out of school fluent in *both* languages. Imagine the advantage Quebec would have in the world.”
In Tunisia, pretty well everyone speaks two languages, and they’re having a revolution, which seems to suggest “lack of advantages.” Likewise for many parts of India. English helps people whore themselves out to Western businessmen. That’s about the only advantage on a national level.
Let’s not forget that the bottom 99% of Quebecers – French and all – have a slightly higher standard of living (for working a lot less hours) than the bottom 99% of Americans, who speak English relentlessly.
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Jack
Hey Beeper,
I am another craaaaazy anglo who sends his kids to French school. As a matter of fact ALL my friends send their kids to French school.I don’t owe anything to the English school system, I owe it to my kids to give them every advantage possible, and I want them to stay here.
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I trust you approve I included the link directly in the story :)