mont royal

My understanding was that Le-vieux was defined by the limits of the original walled city.

Toronto has nightmarish traffic and its metro system is less efficient than Montreal`s. It has succeeded very well with its suburban train system; much more comprehensive than here in Montreal. All in al, it remains a rather boring centre town....but that probably has more to do with inherent culture than with urban planning. Importantly, Toronto is the capital of Ontario. All provincial jurisdiction decisions are influenced by the location of Queen`s Park. Here, we have a capital city which is imbued with a tense competitive complex , verging on distaste, towards Montreal. That doesn`t help our case when provincial funds are essential, such as in public transportation. At the federal level we are also up against the strong-arm tactics of Toronto, who see us as their main competition and who will use whatever influence they have to affect federal politics (see CBC coverage out of Toronto on SNC ..disguised as national news, but really driven by competitive Toronto antagonism towards us). Irrespective, we move forward with excitement, largely indifferent to the petty envy of others. We know how lucky we are to live in a city where quality of life remains the priority.

Seems like a good time for Quebec to offer to buy Labrador from Newfoundland. Newfoundland can`t afford it and they never deserved it in the first place.

Or, not think at all. It is so much easier that way. .

Ontario has been having a net loss of inter-provincial moves for some time.

Not a testament; a vestament.

Personally, I find this project to be much more exciting than a $200 million, 40 story cereal box. This is Montreal-unique. It captures and preserves a vital component of Montreal`s, as well as North American, history. Properly presented, it will attract visitors from around the world. No one os going to travel here in order to stand on the South Shore and gaze at the symmetry of our skyline, but they will come for this building and the other unique aspects of our architecture and life style. .

We now live in the age of instant gratification. We expect immediate answers, immediate results. Government regulations are dismissed as 'red tape; when, in reality they are there to protect us all...based on hard experience from the past. I will take slow and steady planning over rush-rush...unless there is a clear reason as to why speed is essential. I don't see any need for urgency here.

Very good point. Hence, the need to step back and plan accordingly.

In adition to the questions about the viability of the project, (irrespective of its location; anywhere on the Island it would have raised the same concerns) and also the obvious transportation issue, there is a third issue here; that of our municipal governance. How is it that a small fenced-off community of 20, 000 people can virtually hold the city of Montreal to ransom? Those who argue that 'the rules were followed " are being very sloppy; it was the TMR rules that were being followed.; not those of Montreal City nor those of Metropolitan Montreal. So, here we have a little town which has decided to act as a small autonomous fiefdom. This is a municipality which exists only because of Montreal, whose citizens mostly work in Montreal and receive much of their services from Montreal, deciding unilaterally to support a project which fits into no urban plan and which intends , from the outset, to threaten the commercial base of Montreal and which will also cause chaos on the streets of Montreal and other municipalities. TMR has clearly neglected its own western perimeters and now is drooling at its cash-cow [potential. It would be completely ridiculous for Montreal or even the provincial government to have no legal say in this matter. Why are TMR and other island communities allowed to take independent decisions which will have a significant impact on neighbouring communities, including Montreal? The Balkanization of the Island of Montreal has now gone past its best-before date. We need a unified governance in which all inhabitants are legalized stakeholders.

Thank you YMQ. It is always a pleasure to disagree with you. I have no doubt that I can count on you to continue to give me this pleasure.

You are right. It works. Right now, I am very proud of our city. We care about our community. There is a reason why our quality of life is so high. There is nothing sacrosanct about private money;.it does not rule our community. Those who we elected to represent us are doing so with integrity. They see the long-term and are not blinded by the fast buck. I am now hopeful that we will come through this with a win-win solution. If you have any doubts about the wisdom of this, try driving north on Decarie service road in rush hour: try getting out of Hampstead to go north. And, then, instead of fuming, try imagining what it would be like if this project were to go ahead unchecked.

As the full article states, the fact that an automobile manufacturer has chosen Montreal over Ontario, says quite a lot about the quality of our AI industry!!!

I agree. It will help them appreciate living in Montreal even more.

So, according to Pelletier of Tourism Montreal, the objective of publicity is to provoke a reaction. No, the objective is to increase tourism to Montreal. We, the taxpayer, are not subsidizing experimental art here, as interesting as that may be. We are investing in order to enhance our tourism industry.

similar yes, but totally overdone.

Excellent article on an amazing life story. However, it is hard to believe that he would ‘waste’ any money on aesthetics. His financial success is totally based on strict functionality.

Agreed unnecessary cheap shot based on outdated demographics. If this project proceeds, Montreal should install toll booths on all the exit or entry points in and out of the complex.

It is misleading to refer to asylum seekers as immigrants. By doing so, it raises false concerns that they are jumping the queue and displacing those who have methodically applied for immigrant status. This is not the case. The immigration process is in a separate category all together and the number of immigrants allowed into Canada is not directly affected by the arrival of asylum-seekers. Furthermore, asylum seekers will only be in a position for permanent residence if they can achieve refugee status; which basically means that they have to prove that their lives would be in danger if they ae returned to their native land. A strong majority of the recent asylum seekers are being refused refugee status and are being deported. The biggest problem really is that it takes much effort and time to verify the potential danger a claimant might be in if they are refused refugee status. This, is turn, often leads to another humanitarian dilemma. It can take 2 or 3 years to determine that an asylum seeker will be endangered if they return home and that therefore Canada has an internationally approved responsibility towards them, By then it is most likely that their children will have integrated into Quebec society. Their French will be fluent; In fact, most will be more Quebecois than anything else by then. Their parents will most likely have been working, and have advanced quite a bit in integrating into the local community... and then, if it is decided that that do not qualify for refugee status,, everything changes for them. They have to pack up their bags and go back to their county of origin and restart a whole new process of adaptation and reintegration.. This global dilemma will only increase in intensity in the near future. Climate change will force the uprooting of millions of people who will have no option but to leave a country that is either suffering from severe drought, or is now under water.

Tough luck: no patent on it.

Fair question..and there is a way to steal it back, but it would take time, commitment and patience. The population of Labrador is less than 30, 000. Most of its land mass borders on Quebec. If the GOQ and private Quebec investors began to invest heavily and create employment in Labrador, and if they insisted that employees be bilingual (basically meaning francophones, the majority of whom would come from Quebec) then within a generation or two, there would be a strong enough francophone population base to begin a political drive to have Labrador join Quebec. Even amongst the exiting population, there is no love lost for Newfoundland. In fact there has been a history of promoting Labrador independence. But by any economic and social standard, the quality of life in Labrador would be enhanced best if it were to become part of Quebec.

We don't claim it. We buy it.

We should now offer Newfoundland substantial long-term payments from the Churchill revenues... on condition that they cede Labrador to Quebec. Historically, Newfoundland has effectively ignored Labrador and there is a lot of resentment amongst Labradorians as a result. Quebec could do a much better job of economic and social development there than can Newfoundland, which is facing its own huge economic an social challenges.

Good point. The Seven Sisters in Moscow are all from the Soviet period and they are classical beauties.

Clearly, they don’t hire now on the basis of qualifications! They hire on the basis of whether person X,Y, or Z is white and francophone. Quotas are not the best answer: what is needed is the explicit recognition that the current practice is biased and employers do not make the required effort to find those with the best qualifications.