mont royal

You can name drop all you want, but, with exception of your insider knowledge of the airline industry, your constant negativity hAs totally damaged your credibility on anything else related to Montreal.

Interesting article; ironically because it basically demonstrates that we are really talking about a non-issue. Time to put it to bed. China will continue to be the world's dominant economy for many years to come and it is only natural that, like the British and Americans before them, they will invest globally. This study shows that their numbers here are still quite low, but a quality Chinese presence here will only strengthen our own economy.

Even though basketball was invented by a Canadian, it is essentially an American sport. If we were to have a team here it would be dominated by American players and American coaches, not to mention the management. So basically, we would be paying to see a bunch of giant American mercenaries taking our money to play their game. With hockey, we can all identify with it. Most of us played it as kids, it is seriously played in every village throughout the province and we can all identify with the exceptional skills of the pros. The same is increasingly the case for soccer. In Canadian football, we are producing the best college teams and players in the country, so once again, there is a built-in affinity for the sport. I can only see this sport being of interest to a relatively small proportion of the Montreal pubic. We should concentrate more on sports that come naturally to us. Women`s hockey should become immensely popular if local level participation continues to advance. Having a pro basketball ream here is a form of American wannabeism; perfect for a city-not-to-be- named, but not for us.

What is rich? The 80's are not even close to the 50's in terms of social impact! Everything since the 50's in the music pop culture scene is a relatively minor variation from the preceding decade.

Well said Rocco!! I guess that if you keep sh****** on everything, you will eventually find a toilet.

Nobody would disagree with the importance of your indicators. However, quality of life includes many other intangibles which go beyond the need for security. A lot of people would be strong on all those accounts and, yet, be totally miserable. Conversely, I have seen communities and even cultures who enjoyed none of the above and who nevertheless lived life to the fullest. Millenials are still young enough to have fun!! Montreal, here we come!

How often have we seen developers circumvent the wishes of the public? Abandoning potentially beautiful buildings until they become a public danger; tearing down similar buildings overnight so that the city is faced with a fait acompli and is limited to a weak slap on the wrist fine. In this case, the city still has leverage if they want to use it. Ban, immediately, any further demolition work. Then sit down with the developers and come to an agreement on how to proceed within the spirit of their original proposal. If they still won`t adhere to the agreement, then find an honest developer who will.

Perhaps my memory is faulty, but I was under the impression that the project was approved, in part, because it would meet certain community needs, including the existence of a primary school. At the time, there was a deep concern by the community that the loss of the hospital would lead to a purely commercial use of this valuable land. Perhaps the school board has subsequently mishandled the case, but it looks to me as if the developers , having had their project approved, including the school, immediately began demolition and then decided to change the rules of the agreement. Since demolition is well advanced they now have much more leverage than when they were negotiating for project approval. Obviously , the inclusion of a school, irrespective pf how beneficial it is to the community , is not a revenue generator for the developer. So, a la Trump, they decide to up the ante unilaterally and renegotiate the deal.

Guaranteed to look cheap and ruin an impressive blvd. Dundas is an embarrassing copycat. Why copy another copy and a bad one at that?

This is typical BS Toronto-type marketing. The proof will be in the pudding...literally.

The bottom line is that Montreal is judged, by an important age group, to have the second best quality of life of all of the major cities on the planet. Of course, we don`t lead in all the categories, but it is nevertheless an incredible testimony to our city. Some of these responses remind me of the guy who speaks to 100 people and in the subsequent evaluation, realizes that there was one out of the hundred who didn`t like his performance… and he then spends all of his time worrying about what went wrong. Yeah, there are lots of people who are not comfortable in our amazing city. That’s reality and that’s OK; because we also attract some amazing youth who come and stay because they love the openness, the creativity, the tolerance and the diversity that we offer.

In my view you have generated a constructive discussion; not a debate. This is an idea which is interesting and needs further reflection., tweaking, etc. There are generic ideas which travel well; and these include ferris wheels and longitudinal parks, I think that you are striving for something that is iconic; something as unique as Mount Royal Park; something that distinguishes Montreal from other cities. That will never happen if we begin the process by describing it as our version of another city's iconic symbol. The response which seems to be going in the right direction for me is the reference to our global leadership in high tech video, maybe even AI. If we could take this out of the studios and/or university labs and apply it at the street level, perhaps have it interactive, then maybe we can come up with something that is unique and reflects the dynamic creativity that is Montreal.

Just by calling it `Montreal`s Times Square` makes this idea imitative and not visionary. Forget New York; Montreal itself must be the starting point. The use of neon and videos are common throughout the world; some major Asian cities have neon-lined streets that make Times Square look pale in comparison. Toronto has an embarrassing effort to emulate Times Square, but then, that`s typical of Toronto. So, if the idea is to glam up Montreal. or a part of Montreal, to create a glitzy area that is neither imitative nor kitchy, it would be best to start from Montreal`s uniqueness. Yes, benefit from any outside experience , but don`t try to copy it; it will only result in second-rate quality.

Thanks Rocco. Only in Montreal! I never realized before that never in history has any city other than Montreal had setbacks and delays in construction! You learn something every day!

Interesting. This has, on occasion, been a good debate. I think that, under classification 3, we need to add a second category. We have seen many ideological positions which have been part of the dialogue here and which stem from the belief that any private sector initiative is positive, that it is therefore a private matter, that the risk will be taken on by the private sector, and that therefore the government (i.e. the public) should be grateful and allow them to proceed irrespective of public concerns. I would define that as ideological-based because it is such a simplistic analysis and seemingly stems from a belief system rather than an integrous analysis. Perhaps a fourth category should be added entitled something like 'The Public Interest`. This is our city; not the developers`, and if we do not work together and find common solutions the city will be the worse off for it.

I agree totally that urban quality of life is created at the street level...and no, it doesn`t require low level buildings, but, nor does it require towers. In other words, there is no relationship between height and the urban street life. Would saints Catherine, Laurent or Denis be more lively if towers replaced their current buildings? Ce n’est pas évident. Basically the height is irrelevant; it all depends on what is happening below. Both NYC and Hong Kong have good street level life in the midst of towering buildings. In fact, because of the street level action the height becomes not only irrelevant, but virtually invisible from the street. I just had a good overview of Griffentown coming in by train from Toronto. Maybe Griffentown will not get accolades on the view from the bridges, but up close, it looks very urban and very dynamic.

I couldn't agree more. We look back now at the Drapeau era demolitions with shame and horror. We don't want future generations asking how stupid we must have been to tear down such key icons of the city.

I think that the emergency exits are on the 13th floor. Giant chutes! The toilets at each end will get pretty crowded though.

CF is used to the Toronto dynamic where developers rule, and citizens keep their mouths shut.

I came across the following by accident. Although written a couple of years ago, there is nothing dated about it. Elizabeth Patterson: Our Montreal Voyageur Van Osdol and Magruder News July 7, 2016 This past month I traveled to Montreal. It was my first time there, and while you are only a few hours away from the U.S. border, you feel like you have travelled across the ocean to Europe. Bold, brazen and beautiful, Montreal is a tantalizing tale of two worlds: New-world energy and excitement meets old-world glamour and grace. The 17th century Montreal is still very apparent in Old Montreal today. It has retained much of its charm with cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and original architecture. Montreal is a modern, diverse city with amazing shopping and fantastic food. Montreal is Canada’s most cultural juggernaut, with 250 theaters and dance companies, and more than 90 festivals. It’s also blessed with one of the most exciting food scenes in North America. You’ll find irresistible patisseries, English pubs, 87-year-old Jewish delis and magnificent food markets reminiscent of Paris. Culture buffs seeking Canadian and Québécois art have two solid choices: Traditional and classic pieces at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, or cutting-edge modern masterpieces at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. There is also McGill University, almost 200 years old with turreted Victorian buildings. My favorite day was hiking up Parc du Mont-Royal. Once you finally make it up to the top, you get a stunning view of the entire city. Be sure to visit the Gothic Revival Basilique Notre-Dame, the city’s most famous landmark, built in 1829. It is full of gorgeous carved wood, painted gilded sculptures and stained glass windows. Then head down to the Quartier des spectacles, the arts and entertainment district located in downtown Montreal, for some live music and shows. The writer Regis St. Louis said it best: “I’m always struck by the unbridled creativity of this city. You see it in the magnificent inventions being stirred up in restaurant kitchens, in the barroom and on stage, and you even see it walking down the street with incredible urban art lurking in unexpected places. The dual French-English mix adds dynamism to the city as does its unique mash-up of European and North American culture. Most captivating of all are the people themselves

A Globe and Mail take on the need for height limitations in Montreal https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/montreals-spectacular-vistas-being-crowded-out-by-high-risedevelopment/article37716140/

Not just American cities; after 5PM most of downtown Toronto is dead; Ottawa is abandoned, Calgary deserted,... etc.

On the other side of the coin, Montreal is experiencing extraordinary job growth. The JLL report for the last 2017 quarter points out that in that quarter 3 new office buildings were concluded with only 27%total vacancy on entering the market. That’s impressive!

Very interesting ideas, but most of them belong in the Visions category. They do not necessarily bear any resemblance to reality. It’s fun...but not really informative. However, it is revealing how many equate height with quality. IMO , there is absolutely no correlation between the two. A huge stand-alone Collossus would only deminish the street buzz of Montreal.

It looks as if they are starting work on Drummond 2