peekay

Super! On est même pas rendu là!

Yes. 

35 minutes ago, Rocco said:

 

Quelle superbe photo. En plus, c'est meme pas fini!

19 hours ago, internationalx said:

Oops.  I forgot I was on the VslP page.   I was counting the BNC tower. 

omg, I'm so stupid, it didn't even occur to me. wtf, I'm getting old.

1 hour ago, internationalx said:

I count 29 floors.... 

I counted 45. What picture are you using to count the floors?

omg des souvenirs! méchant bump! haha. I will log back on and check where I am. Je me rappel que j'étais 2ieme des mtlurbers dans le temps. 

Dans l'ancien Loblaws sur St. Croix

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-largest-t-amp-t-supermarket-in-the-country-will-be-located-in-saint-laurent-montreal-804519323.html

MONTRÉAL, Jan. 21, 2022 /CNW/ - Putting an end to a two-month suspense which became viral, T&T Supermarkets announced today that the very first T&T store in Quebec will be located in the borough of Saint-Laurent, at 300 Sainte-Croix Avenue. This brand new T&T store, at the size of more than 6,500 square meter, will become the chain's largest store in the country and will create more than 300 jobs locally.  The grand opening is schedule to commence by the end of this year 2022.

"Since we announced our plans, honestly it has been so uplifting to hear all the excited shoutouts.  I want to thank all the customers who reached out to us to extend a warm invitation, and who gave helpful suggestions on where we should locate our new store.  This customer feedback gave us confidence that we would attract customers from all around the city, so it is important that we have great highway access. Selecting this particular building also meant that we could give customers in the Greater Montreal area the best T&T shopping experience we know how to offer.  300 Sainte Croix, will not only be the biggest Asian supermarket in Montreal, it will be the biggest T&T Supermarket in all of Canada." said Tina Lee, CEO, T&T Supermarkets. "Customers that live in Montreal who can't wait to try T&T products, don't have to wait.  We already service Quebec with our online ordering platform* and since launching the site, Quebec has been one of our top mail delivery destinations.  Download the APP and non-perishable Asian groceries and gifts can be delivered to your home via Canada Post", continues Tina Lee.

Quebec's first T&T Supermarket will be located in a former Loblaws store, just North of Highway 40 and close to Highway 15 and Highway Décarie. The store was expected to open earlier in 2022, but the business wanted to extend its commitment to the vaccination clinic currently set up in the location in order to support the vaccination effort.

T&T's recruitment efforts are already underway for Store Department Heads, Store Assistant Department Heads and Store Department Supervisors, who live in Montreal and speak French. Training will be conducted in Ottawa, the closest store to Montreal.   There will be over 300 front line positions that will be posted closer to the opening date

Interested applicants should apply via: Recruitment_esc@tntsupermarket.com

T&T Supermarkets is the largest Asian supermarket chain in Canada, operating 29 stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and soon in Québec. T&T stores offer customers a unique selection of Asian products including a wide variety of fresh produce, meat, seafood, grocery items, daily baked breads, ready-to-eat meals, and its popular T&T private label collection.

About T&T Supermarkets:
T&T Supermarkets is the largest Asian supermarket chain in Canada, operating stores in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. T&T Supermarkets was founded in Vancouver in 1993 and is now led by second generation successor and CEO, Tina Lee.  T&T Supermarket is headquartered in Richmond, BC, with offices in Toronto, ON.

*Currently only available in Chinese and English –being translated to French

SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited

For further information: pr@loblaw.ca

Puisque le projet est mort le fil de 'stade de baseball au bassin Peel' a été mergé ensemble avec 'Expos coming back?' J'aurais aimer tellement de la changé pour 'Expos coming back!' Mais, it wasn't meant to be. Maybe one day...

10 hours ago, Maisonneuve said:

I am hopeful about a return of baseball to Montreal, but under the right conditions. Initially, I thought Bronfman and the group started this project well, but along the way they made three mistakes:

1)The two-city strategy was never going to work. I don't care how many business or media people thought that it was "a good idea" or "innovative." It was never going to work because fans in neither city would accept that. The two city-idea, and MLB's initial interest in the idea, seemed to me like a ploy to get something out of somebody, to convince someone of something that wasn't there, or to raise the specter of some threat. Basically, it served as both carrot and stick for Tampa, Montreal, and any current MLB city struggling to maintain themselves in their marketplace. Was it a ploy to slowly move the team from Tampa to Montreal full-time? Was it a ploy to get a higher expansion fee out of Nashville, North Carolina, San Antonio, Vegas or wherever MLB plans to go next? Was its demised announced yesterday a concession made between the league and the players association during the lockout? We may never know...

2) In Canada, never ask for government funds to build professional sports facilities. Never. Don't even think it out loud. If you do, at least half the population will be against you and if you fail people will rejoice (go see the comments under the story regarding MLB's decision in the Journal de Montréal...people are gleeful this failed and received no government funding). The best thing to do is build stadiums and arenas yourself or find private investors to do it. It doesn't matter if "that's how they do it in the States." Canadian politicians are elected by Canadian voters, so what "they do in the States" is irrelevant. Build the thing yourself, find private investors, but take it even further than that. Make a circle on a map around the stadium site with a 1-km radius. In that circle, invest in schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, community centres, libraries, parks, pools, skating rinks, CHSLDs, etc.. because you want to prove with real money that you are a good neighbour in the community. Then, turn around and say this to the city and the province: "I built the stadium, paid for the infrastructure around the stadium, invested in community institutions and facilities in a 1 km radius of that stadium. I've done what no other business that has come to Montreal and Quebec has done. In return, I don't want to be taxed for 25 years." And then die on that hill, because you did the leg work, you put your own money in, so you can tell your critics to STFU and tell the government don't tax me for 25 years. Whoever doesn't like that deal, just ask them when was the last time they dropped a billion+ in the city and stare them dead in the eyes. When you use your own money, you get the bragging rights, and you can literally tell anyone to STFU. In Canada, if you ask for government funds, the government and the half the public will tell you to STFU. 

3) In a market the size of Montreal, in terms of growing a sports/entertainment brand, you need to take the time to think outside of the North American box. The Groupe baseball Montréal has Stephen Bronfman, Pierre Boivin, Alan Bouchard, Eric Boyko, Stéphane Crétier, and Mitch Garber. That's impressive, but it's not enough. A bunch of rich guys from Montreal is not enough to sway a big American sports/entertainment league like MLB. In my opinion, the group were moving about 5-8 years too fast. There's a lot of things happening in the city development wise, and in the tech sector, that's transforming Montreal every day. Montreal today, and Montreal with all the projects in proposed and going up completed, plus the REM, will be a very different city. And that future city will have a stronger economy than the one we have today. So even though the value of an MLB expansion fee or club will surely increase if Bronfman and Co. wait, they should have patiently built an international business strategy which would eventually include an MLB team when the time is right. I don't know what contacts those men have internationally, but let's say one of them, a couple of them, or a few of them, had longstanding established relationships with businesses/investors in countries outside of North America who are either already big players in sports/media/entertainment or who are interested in creating a global brand or holding company. The Montreal business people could go to their international contacts and propose the creation of a global sports and entertainment brand, which would include many assets either already owned or that could be bought, anywhere in the world: a Bollywood film studio, a German Bundesliga team, arenas in Europe, a cricket team in Australia, esports, music venues in Berlin and Madrid, a KHL team, a car racing competition in Africa, sports networks in Asia, etc... Think Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) or Red Bull GmbH or something global of that caliber, but with elements of the Quebec entertainment sector, including the Groupe baseball Montréal, as part of that global behemoth. Now that takes years to build, but they do it patiently as part of this larger, global vision, that includes Montreal but goes beyond Montreal. When things are right in Montreal, they go to the larger international group that they helped to create with a proposal to get a foothold in the North American sports market with an MLB team in Montreal. Their partners, co-owning all these assets globally with them, find the idea of owning something in North American irresistible, so now the whole group is in on it. Bronfman and Co. go down to New York to see MLB and present them with a plan. Now suddenly, they're not just a bunch rich dudes from Quebec anymore, they're a local ownership group that's part of a global entertainment brand, capable of paying the expansion fee, building a stadium with a retractable roof, and creating a TV deal all by themselves without breaking a sweat. And even if MLB still says no, at least Bronfman and Co are still part of a global entertainment brand which can still do many things for Montreal in terms of sports and entertainment. What I just wrote takes vision, diligence, patience, innovation, and a broad view of what is possible.  Bronfman and his group should have taken a step back from the idea of MLB in Montreal, considered what type of legacy they want to build for Montreal writ-large in terms of sports/entertainment, and then network with international contacts to create a global sports/entertainment brand, and include a Montreal MLB club in that universe. Maybe a Montreal NBA team could be in that universe? Maybe some international festival yet to be created could be in that universe? Maybe selling Quebec films/TV/music beyond Quebec could be in that universe, etc... But if they don't want to go international nor don't have those sorts of global contacts...MLSE is the closest thing to AEG that we have in Canada, and they don't own an MLB team. Maybe that should be Bronfman's plan B, because at least their Canadian and you know they can never move the team to Toronto.

Excellent points. I hated his stance on number 1. Why tf did he do such a nonsensical thing!? I am really glad it isn't going through. I feel nothing for the guy. I feel worse for Cromartie and Alou. 

Quel excellente nouvelle! Quelle echappé belle! OMG je suis ravi que cette farce est tombé dans l'eau. Je preferrais attendre 20 autres années que d'avoir une demi-équuipe....C'est quoi ca? Montréal ne merite pas une équipe? Voyons! Tasse-toi Brofman, il va surement en avoir d'autres. Next.

On 2022-01-14 at 12:05 PM, KOOL said:

Le 900 ne sera que très légèrement caché par le 1000. 

Pour la BN, ça ira au moins à la hauteur du toit de la PVM (et non celui de l'observatoire).

J'espère que tu as raison en ce qui concerne Vic et BN. Mais je ne suis pas certain. Pour moi, l'important est que les deux perce l'horizon. Ca l'air que ca va ce faire! 

@Rocco Can you go drop a banana down there to help get a sense of scale please.

9 minutes ago, Djentmaster001 said:

Okay so in all seriousness, if this is true I think they mean Hariri Pontarini Architects will *finally* have a project in Montreal, if all this is true and hopefully something is announced hella soon. 

And just like that, a sudden surge of website hits on https://hariripontarini.com/ coming from Montreal.

On 2022-01-05 at 1:26 AM, Né entre les rapides said:

(full text quoted by @peekay above) 

 

I have had similar questions all along, with still no definitive answers.  What is certain is that the City of Montreal has benefitted from this support; the Rest of the Province?  -- Not directly, but perhaps, just perhaps, yes on a net basis, given the improved prosperity of Montreal.   The federal government as a tax collector: definitely.  

The lingering question: to what extent is this industry footloose ?  The fixed (immovable physical investments) are insignificant, unlike for example a steel mill or an oil refinery.  But what about the employees,  and what about the "whole gaming ecosystem"?  These cannot all be moved indifferently somewhere else.  These non monetary advantages, which were built up gradually, most certainly have an intrinsic value,  sufficient, to a certain extent, to counterbalance hypothetical superior monetary incentives that could be offered in other jurisdictions having no comparable ecosystems  -- in other words: by how much could the current level of subsidies be lowered without seriously compromising Montreal's prominent position?    

Don't just  ask the companies only.  Also ask the employees.  After all, this is an industry where human resources are by far the single most important factor.  In the financial industry, New York City and London, to name a few, occupy the top positions not because they are cheap (quite the opposite), but because of their dominant ecosystem of global firms and top edged specialists.

Maintaining Montreal's position while lowering the fiscal cost involves treading a thin line.  Which leaders can rise to the challenge?  (and don't do this on the eve of an election).  

These are all relevant points and questions. I am sure it is beneficial to the city to have all those employees establishing here and paying their living expenses here even if part of that money is paid for by the province.

A curious question I have:

It was Bernard Landry and the PQ government that gave their blessing to this project. I assume CAQ will not change it. How do they feel about all those studios setting up shop here, knowing they take advantage of a loop hole in bill 101 where French predominance at the workplace over 50 employees must apply.

The vast majority of those companies are small studios that only hire 49 people because of this law. The rest could easily claim that their main clientele is international so the rules do not apply. I would argue that these same companies are the main contribution to the problem of the decline of the usage of French in the core city.  Kind of ironic that the PQ government created this issue.

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2022/01/04/1068916102/how-subsidies-helped-montreal-become-the-hollywood-of-video-games

How subsidies helped Montreal become "the Hollywood of video games"

January 4, 20226:31 AM ET

COREY BRIDGES

Genshin Impact is an award-winning role-playing game created by Chinese video game developer miHoYo. A year after its September 2020 release, the game managed to amass a total revenue of more than $2 billion. That kind of revenue makes Genshin Impact one of the most profitable video game releases ever and easily miHoYo's most successful project in the company's nine-year history.

After seeing such success, it was only natural for the company to expand. The question for miHoYo was: where to go? That question was answered in November when the Chinese developer announced they were setting their sights on the west and establishing an office in Montreal, Canada.

At first glance, this may seem a little odd. Montreal? Why not Tokyo or San Francisco or other cities that have traditionally dominated the tech industry? However, over the past few decades, Montreal has arisen as one of the most attractive cities for video game developers. So attractive that Montreal's economic development agency, Montreal International, estimates that, as of 2021, more than 200 studios have set up shop there.

The secret to Montreal's success? Tax credits. The province of Quebec — of which Montreal is the largest city — attracts multimedia companies by offering them subsidies for employing people in the province. Quebec taxpayers pay a large percentage of the salaries of local multimedia workers. These subsidies have undoubtedly helped Montreal become a leading hub for video game development; however, Quebec may have created a system that will perpetually rely on taxpayer dollars to maintain this position.

The lobbyist who helped launch Montreal's video game industry

Montreal's rise as a video game capital can be traced back to the early 1990s. Its chief industries at the time — textiles and manufacturing — were declining. The city was hemorrhaging jobs. Officials in Quebec wanted to develop a plan to reverse this trend.

Enter Sylvain Vaugeois, a politically connected consultant and lobbyist in Quebec. One publication described him as an "iconoclastic entrepreneur with a cocaine addiction." Vaugeois devised a plan that he believed would strengthen the multimedia industry in Montreal. His idea, known as Plan Mercure, was to provide tax credits to a large video game company willing to establish an office in Montreal. More specifically, government investment of up to CA$25,000 per employee every year for five years of employment with a company located in the city.

The provincial government in Quebec at first refused to support this plan because they viewed it as an unnecessary and large burden on local taxpayers. Vaugeois brushed the rejection aside and sought out a potential suitor on his own accord. He traveled to Paris and arranged a meeting with the French video game company Ubisoft, which is behind the popular Rayman series.

Executives at Ubisoft were already moving to expand globally after their IPO in 1996. Establishing a studio in Quebec was particularly interesting to Ubisoft because of the province's predominantly French-speaking population and its proximity to the large U.S. gaming market. So when Vaugeois — ignoring the fact that Quebec had just rejected his plan — proposed his tax subsidy idea to Ubisoft, the gaming company quickly sent out exploratory representatives to Montreal, assuming that the government had already made a deal.

Ubisoft was shocked when they arrived in Montreal and learned that the government did not approve these subsidies. A crisis of confusion ensued, and Ubisoft began to consider establishing a studio somewhere else. When news of this broke, the local media was not kind to the Quebec government. Hundreds of new jobs were on the line.

Meanwhile, other places in North America began trying to lure Ubisoft. And Quebec leaders were faced with a decision: give Ubisoft the taxpayer money that Vaugeois had proposed or risk losing their shot at gaining hundreds of new tech jobs and growing the city's multimedia industry. Quebec and Ubisoft began a long process of negotiations that ultimately led to an agreement that amounted to CA$25,000 in subsidies per employee for 500 Ubisoft employees over five years, as was originally devised in Vaugeois's Plan Mercure. Unlike the original plan, however, Quebec now provided Ubisoft CA$15,000 per employee and, with some prodding, the province convinced the federal government to pitch in an additional CA$10,000 per employee.

But this generous deal only applied to Ubisoft, and other companies protested the favoritism shown to one company. So, in 1996, Quebec officially established a new tax credit called "Crédit d'impôt remboursable pour la production de titres multimédias," or the Refundable tax credit for the production of multimedia titles. The credit covers a maximum of 37.5% of eligible labor expenditures if a multimedia title is available in French and up to 30% if a title is not. In 2021, the multimedia tax credit cost Quebec an estimated CA$253 million.

An enduring system?

The generous government support for multimedia companies helped Quebec establish itself as what's been called the "Hollywood of Video Games." Ubisoft Montreal is now Ubisoft's largest studio and one of the largest video game production studios globally, with more than 4,000 employees. Just last year, Amazon Games, Quantic Dream, and the previously mentioned miHoYo all announced plans to set up studios in the city.

But the policy of subsidizing multimedia companies has had its share of critics. Those critics often argue that the tax credit mainly helps foreign corporations, which come in and set up satellite offices to take advantage of generous taxpayer support. Labor activists accuse the gaming companies of treating many workers poorly. Even more, critics argue, the subsidies are distortionary, arbitrarily giving multimedia companies an unfair advantage in recruiting local talent. Local tech companies complain they're having a hard time recruiting skilled workers because so many of them are going to work for the subsidized multimedia sector.

Supporters of the subsidies respond that the policy attracts employers from around the world and creates thousands of great jobs that wouldn't otherwise be created in Quebec. Those workers pay taxes and spend their paychecks at local businesses, which makes Quebec's economy stronger. In 2017, a spokesperson for the Quebec government told The Gazette that the multimedia sector creates so much economic activity that "the tax revenue for the government of Quebec generated by the sector is greater than the expenditure related to the tax credit."

The tax subsidies may be distortionary, giving an arbitrary advantage to one industry over others. But, at the same time, they seem to have worked in helping to establish Montreal as a video game hub. Over the past couple of decades, a whole gaming ecosystem has sprouted up around the city. Local universities now have programs dedicated to game development (Concordia University, for example, has an official partnership with Ubisoft to provide a course on game design). This offers a consistent local talent pipeline to the more than 200 studios with roots in Montreal, and it may draw more game developers to the city. Game executives often cite Quebec as having the most attractive combination of labor subsidies, a specialized workforce, and a thriving ecosystem of like-minded gaming entrepreneurs and vendors.

With this ecosystem now thriving in Quebec, the natural question is whether the government can begin scaling back its generous subsidy program. Quebec tried to do this back in 2014, amidst a broader effort to reduce spending and balance its budget. Policymakers wanted to cut the multimedia tax credit by 20%. But even this relatively modest proposal faced a swift backlash from gaming studios. Some studios — including Ubisoft — threatened they'd leave the city. Quebec ended up backing down. The tax bill on creating video games in the province has ballooned even more since then. It seems the "Hollywood of Video Games" may continue to be built on a foundation of generous taxpayer support.

J'ai su par un ingénieur qui travaille sur le projet que les retards sont causé par une construction qui n'était pas conforme.....preparez-vous.....aux normes pour les tremblements de terre! 

2 minutes ago, ToxiK said:

I think where you pay taxes depends on where you live at the time.  I suppose you also need a permit to work in Canada if you are not a citizen.

I guess so. But at less than 6 months, you do not have access to Medicare or any other services for residents, so I wonder.

Just now, peekay said:

I guess so. But at less than 6 months, you do not have access to Medicare or any other services for residents, so I wonder.

edit: I mean no Health Card

1 minute ago, ToxiK said:

If players lived in Tampa and drove everyday to Montréal, they might pay Tampa taxes.  If they live in Montréal during the time they work in Montréal than they pay Québec taxes.  Unless someone has a better explanaition?

Hmmm interesting but what if they rent a house here for 5 months only? June-October(world series 😀) They still pay QC taxes? What is the limit? If I hire a US consultant for 6 weeks, does he pay QC Income taxes if he rents a house here?

There is something I don't understand. The premier said that the players would pay income taxes if Montreal would get a team. Even if we get a full time team here, that is only 81 games. Correct me if I am wrong, why would millionaires pay 53% income tax? Their income tax is based on their permanent home isn't it?

I could live in Hawesbury, Ontario and drive to work to Montreal and pay Ontario income taxes right?

What am I missing here?

I like it. Not bad

Did you see Toronto's? omg terrible

2 minutes ago, Rocco said:

Me luv some TDLB 32nd floor shot.

Higher

On 2021-11-25 at 7:27 PM, SameGuy said:

That’s a bit of a straw man, there. Already the behemoth built with profiled voussoirs on the West Island is significantly better-looking than the steel and concrete beam segments and bridges from Smith to Nun’s Island, so why would their signature on René-Lévesque look more like the ugliness in the picture above?

I often wondered about that. Why did they do that? Why not everywhere?