mont royal

It looks as if they are starting work on Drummond 2

You're right. It is a joke....sort of.

We can be grateful that we didn’t sell our soul to get Amazon. Toronto, of course, has no soul anyway.

Personally, I think that this approach is a recipe for mediocrity. In addition, it is out of step with the times. The world is urbanizing; like it or not. The youth are abandoning ownership of the automobile; it has become a negative aspect of urbanization and will increasingly become anachronistic. A growing number of empty nesters are moving downtown; fed up with a suburban life style which forces the overuse of the automobile. I have a car, and I live 5 minutes from the metro. I have little need for the car; I walk much more than suburbanites do, and I enjoy public transport. I agree with those who feel that bringing the burbs into the city will be a disaster if the only realistic way of getting there is by car. I also agree that a pedestrian walkway to the metro is a futile and probably dishonest supposed solution. If there is not a community actually living there who can use it for their daily needs, then it will fail.

I have no doubt that none of them had any serious intention of coming here in the first place. In general our southern neighbours are a seriously insular lot. We tend to get the good ones.

Since the topic here is really how this Agreement will affect outsiders' views of Montreal (and Québec at large), my take is the following: Americans visit Toronto because it’s like staying at home except that their dollar goes further. Toronto is a nice comfortable choice. My experience is that Americans who visit Montreal come because they are looking for something different. It’s Europe, except that their dollar goes further. These are the slightly more adventurous and progressive Americans. They will, in most cases, respect the attitude of Quebecers on language. They came from a culture which overthrew an imperialist force and they have respect for independent thinking. So they will basically admire Quebec’s determination. As far as European tourists are concerned, the French will love it and most of the other nationals (excluding the English who are most definitely not European) understand the fragility of minority languages. They are often multilingual and feel very comfortable in Montreal. The one group which may hesitate to visit is the Canadians in the ROC. Most of them avoid Quebec anyway; they feel guilty about not speaking French and anticipate a hostile reaction. This gives them another excuse to stay away and feel righteous at the same time. For those who actually know Montreal, this won’t change a thing.

To complement your historical perspective, it is important to include the fact that French language instruction was banned in Ontario, New Brunswick, and Manitoba for a full generation, Just enough to make sure that bilingualism never really reared its head. This is classic cultural genocide and it worked,. The once powerful francophone praire community is virtually dead. In Ontario, it is on life support. Only in New Brunswick is there a chance of survival and that will be a very tough fight. Given that history, and more of course, (think Lord Durham) I can only congratulate Quebecers on their vigilance, determination and courage to do whatever it takes to protect their identity.

Ever tried walking into a store in Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver and give them a nice Bonjour?.I wouldn’t recommend it. Total hypocracy out of English Canada!

I would rather have a mayor look at this issue from an economic and social perspective, than one who is doing it from a fan perspective.

Good question. ‘If you got" is North American colloquial; think of it as English Canadian joual. 'If you have" is definitely better grammar.

Just a guess: maybe to increase density first, rather than having a few, relatively isolated high towers (a la Toronto)? Once the density improves, then maybe higher towers could be encouraged..

I am not sure that I agree with your assumption. An investment is different from a simple purchase. They should not be asked to buy their citizenship. They are being asked to invest in their new country. An investment implies direct financial return. So, they can invest for example, in a restaurant or, presumably, in the Expos. It would be their decision as to what investment gives them the best return. In either case, they would get landed immigrant status.

My sense is that they are looking for a more urban location. They want ready access to public transport and, presumably, the benefits of city energy and diversity. I am not even sure whether the Blue Bonnets site would satisfy them; it may be close in minutes to downtown, but it is totally missing the youthful vitality of Mile End or even Le Plateau.

Anyone growing up in Montreal should be familiar with the history of ' Speak White”. This was a favourite form of the ridiculing domination of anglos during my parent’s’ generation. If a francophone dared to speak French in a commercial establishment in the downtown area, he could be told to 'Speak White”. I have friends who were told that and it changed their lives...and their politics. Being unaware today of the real importance of this term is understandable, I guess, and, clearly, times have improved since then, but if we are not aware of the history of our own community, we are, as they say, damned to repeat it.

Good for you. When you are able to drop your anger and outright bigoted reflex, you can actually add some intelligent comments to this forum. I agree with you that most promotors will simply assess the limits of supply and demand and try to maximize their profits. That is the norm whenever outright capitalism is encouraged. However, in and of itself, that is not enough. There are many other objectives in a city’s development which go beyond short-term profit for developers with deep pockets. This is our city; we live in it daily, we generally love the quality of life that it provides us, and we want it to get better. Like many of us on this forum, I love strolling through the streets and surveying the energy and beauty of the people and the beauty and comfort of so many of our buildings. In most NA cities (and towns), there is no pleasure in strolling the streets; they are often empty and the surrounding buildings offer no solace. So, when an outside developer comes into town, I expect and insist that they respect and even augment our heritage. The developers at YUL seem to understand this. I am far from convinced that CF appreciates this aspect of our local culture. This wonderful forum allows me to voice my concerns and in some small unmeasurable way, contribute to the quality of our life.

In Toronto, its not about design ; its about money. The last thing a Toronto developer wants is to have Montreal outshine their hometown. Yes, a boycott might have a positive influence. Also, we should put pressure on les Canadiens; they are very brand conscious and the Toronto boys are selling their product well mostly because they have associated themselves with the Habs brand..

According to the criteria as I understood them, it is far from certain that Amazon is looking for a suburban campus. In fact, ready proximity to public transport and to an urban environment seems to be important criteria. Whatever the case, the cities of Brossard, Laval and Montreal better speak with one voice if we are to have any chance of attracting Amazon. If they start backbiting each other, it will be game over.

Is this a useless indicator for New York? for London? for Toronto? Or is this famous bias you keep referring to exist only towards Montreal? This analysis comes our of London and China...why would they have a special bais in favour of Montreal? Maybe the bais is actually quite closer than you think... like about 3 inches above your forehead.

Sorry, but don`t even try to out-Rocco Rocco.

I think that this question touches on a fundamental Montreal issue. Toronto, like most American cities, supports sports teams out of a sense of municipal loyalty. They will even support a bad team, or a badly managed team, or even a dishonestly managed team (all part of the Leafs tradition). The Toronto AC arena can be full, but you can practically hear a pin drop. The well dressed suits at the game are there out of loyalty, to be seen properly, as they discuss real estate while the game goes on quietly. Montreal fans go for 2 reasons; The fans are an event unto themselves. Yes, the event matters, and the fans, along with their reaction, are a significant part of the event. But ultimately Montrealers are consumers of quality; be it of food, cars, clothes, or sports events. If the quality is not there; if the effort is not there; the fans will not be there. This is especially true if the majority of the players are not from Quebec, do not speak the language, go back to their real homes in off-season, etc. Why be 'loyal' to them? The more the team is genuinely rooted in the community and the better the product, the more Montrealers will be the best fans in the world.

http://www.rds.ca/tennis/montreal-a-etabli-un-record-d-assistance-lors-de-la-coupe-rogers-avec-216-097-amateurs-1.4874989 So, who still thinks that Montreal is a one-sport town?

Good point. So...stop complaining.

There is nothing lightly amusing about denigrating what is considered by some to be sacred territory. I could have just as easily said English settlers. Rocco, irrespective of his mother tongue, needs a little bashing from time to time. I have no doubt that his feelings are not hurt.

And if it turns out to be a cemetery of the early French settlers, will you still be so cynical about waiting a few months?