The 75th consecutive evening demo attracted more participants than recent ones, which have been pretty small. Le Devoir report with photos.
In contrast, Radio-Canada says fewer people attended Carifiesta than usual. I still find René-Lévesque on Saturday a particularly sterile setting for a parade like that.
The CCA is looking for submissions for a wide-open “What is Montreal” exhibit.
The Journal finds that tourist numbers have bounced back up “après les casseroles et manifestations.”
I think a lot of venders got confused the hot weather we had in the spring and expected the summer crowds to arrive early too.
The numbers may be up, but it’s all very last minute and certainly not as good as last year. Also, it’s not the same tourists we normally get, which might mean different numbers in the regions as well as in the restaurants, shops and other businesses.
Businesspeople in my neighbourhood have been complaining about decreased sales for some time but they’re blaming roadwork. I don’t suppose the perpetual Montreal construction zone is great for tourism, all the images of police brutality in the international media aside. Now if only we could get the cops to stop jumping street performers in public view. :D I’m sure the ongoing US & EU economic troubles have some effect on tourism, too. I think someone needs to remind the high-quality reporters at le Journal that correlation is not causation.
Why take the Journal de Mtl seriously about any article that talks about protest or other social issues?
This one was talking about tourist stats, not protests.
How is linking tourist numbers to casseroles and demonstrations not about protests?
There’s a logic to my thoughts here! I would tend to doubt the Journal’s say-so about protests per se, but the main point of this story was about tourist stats, which I don’t think that paper would be quite so likely to massage to its own ends.
The whole metro system is down at this hour because of a computer glitch.
Later, towards noon: said to be back up.
I read the other day that Peter Rose, the architect of the CCA building, also designed the promenade of the Old Port. Who knew?