Expos de Montréal

[Habsfan]

I cannot for the life of me go to a blue jays game. Even if the grapefruit league game is played here next year, I'll root for the other team. Toronto is partially responsible for the loss of the expos. (TSN and CTV abandoned us in favor of the jays)

 

Agreed..the Jays voted in favor of having the Expos moved out of Montreal...rat bastards!

[FlyboyMTL]

This could be a great solution and opportunity to integrate public transit into a new stadium proposal. If any of the sites south of downtown which we've talked about on this forum were considered, this LRT project could be a key factor. Whether it's in the location where Project Montreal proposed the stadium in place of the bonaventure, or near the costco on bridge, an LRT station could be integrated. It would provide a direct connection from the south shore, as well as a potential one-vehicle change for people coming from east, west and Laval.

 

Would love to see this all work out with a stadium proposal! Hope CRO is seeing this!

 

MONTREAL - The era of the orange-coned bus lane is over.

 

That’s what the transport department said Friday in announcing that the Parti Québécois will invest $28 million to study and develop the idea of building light-rail transit on the new Champlain Bridge by the year 2021.

 

Reaffirming its pledge to make public transit the future of urban commuting, the provincial government said it’s willing to work with Ottawa to build an eight-stop electric train linking the South Shore to Montreal. The government predicted the commute would take under 20 minutes.

 

With nearly 160,000 crossings daily, the Champlain Bridge is the country’s busiest — a fact with which most South Shore commuters are likely all too familiar. Currently, about 20,000 people use a network of buses to get downtown during rush hour.

 

But the bridge’s bus infrastructure is maxed out, says former PQ MNA Nicolas Girard, who now heads the Agence métropolitaine de Transport. He says the electric train would carry as many as 100,000 passengers to and from Montreal during peak hours.

 

“This is a system that will allow people to change their transportation habits drastically … and change history,” said Marie Malavoy, the PQ cabinet minister in charge of the Montérégie region on Montreal’s South Shore.

 

Early estimates place the cost of replacing Montreal’s decaying Champlain Bridge anywhere from $3 billion to $5 billion. Because the span is owned and operated by a Crown corporation, its reconstruction will be funded entirely by the federal government.

 

In an exclusive interview with The Gazette last week, Federal Transport Minister Denis Lebel said he is open to the idea of adding light rail to the project. But Lebel added that the extra cost would have to come out of the 10-year, $14 billion his government put toward Quebec infrastructure projects in last March’s federal budget.

 

No one was willing to speculate about costs Friday, but Quebec Transport Minister Sylvain Gaudreault did say he was willing to hammer out a solution with the federal government in order to fund the ambitious venture.

 

“I’m not interested in getting into fights with Ottawa, I’m interested in finding solutions for our transit users,” he said.

 

A delegation of mayors from Montreal’s South Shore sat and listened attentively Friday as Gaudreault outlined the genesis of the light-rail plans. The project could see tens of millions in housing development pour in to the bedroom communities, said Florence Paulhiac, an Université de Québec à Montréal transportation professor.

 

“You’re offering quick access to the city for people who likely spend their fair share of time stuck in traffic, and that’s always an attractive proposition,” Paulhiac told The Gazette.

 

Like so many urban geography experts, Paulhiac said the best way to get people to leave their cars at home is by investing in light rail. However, she cautions that the considerable investment requires foresight and intensive planning.

 

“It’s not just about creating a reliable, affordable, user-friendly service,” she said. “You have to ensure that people will be able to park their cars at the train stations or at least ensure a way for those stations to be easily accessible from their homes. It’s enormously expensive and something of a gamble. But given that the train project would pass along an already thriving transportation corridor, I’d say it’s a pretty good gamble.”

 

Paulhiac said the rail project alone could exceed $1 billion in cost and would need to be heavily used in order for the government to see a return on its investment.

 

“Once the train is built you can’t unbuild it, there’s no turning back,” she said. “I’d estimate that you need about 25,000 people using the service for each hour during rush hour for it to be worth the risk. It’s certainly possible.”

 

But not all within the urban geography sector agree with the emphasis on light rail.

 

“What the PQ plans to do with trains can be done with buses at a fraction of the cost,” said Ahmed El-Geneidy, the head of McGill University’s Transportation Research Group. “You need to invest in upgrading buses, making them larger, more comfortable and re-branding them as a sexier alternative to being stuck in traffic. That way, you accomplish your goal of reducing congestion and reducing greenhouse gas emissions while saving money.”

 

The new span will be a toll bridge, and is expected to be completed by 2021.

 

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/invest+million+study+Champlain+Bridge/8267053/story.html

[ProposMontréal]

Le Concept du Stade Labatt de 2000.

 

http://www.stadiumpage.com/concepts/Labatt00_R.html

 

[franktko]

L'ETS est maintenant installé sur la portion sud de ce lot...

[ProposMontréal]

Et les Jardins Windsor.

 

L'ETS est maintenant installé sur la portion sud de ce lot...

[Habsfan]

Chaque fois que je fois ces évocations, ça me brise le coeur un peu plus...J'espère que Loria meurt d'une maladie horrible...

Modifié 23 avril 2013 par Habsfan

[MtlMan]

Chaque fois que je fois ces évocations, ça me brise le coeur un peu plus...J'espère que Loria meurt d'une maladie horrible...

 

People in Florida are now thinking the same thing.....

[Habsfan]

People in Florida are now thinking the same thing.....

 

Oui, je sais. Loria l'a eu son stade gratuit.

[eastender85]

Reincarnation of Expos may be viable: Bronfman

 

MONTREAL — Stephen Bronfman has a message for young Montreal professionals: follow your passions.

 

On hand at the Hyatt Regency Hotel for a luncheon organized by the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal, Bronfman addressed his business philosophy, current trends and several key issues facing the local business community. With more than 1,600 members, the JCCM is the biggest network of young business people in North America.

 

Based on his experience as the head of boutique investment firm Claridge, Bronfman was quick to point out the importance of teamwork, hiring people with the same worldview and his penchant for working alongside individuals who can bring an entrepreneurial mindset to already established businesses.

 

“One of the things I like to do in business is really to find great entrepreneurs or a great partner because we already have solid contacts and financial know-how,” he said.

 

Given the demographic of his audience, the Montreal sports scene occupied a large portion of the discussion. Bronfman noted that the sports business has evolved considerably since the days when his father, Charles, owned the Expos. With revenue sharing, TV deals and luxury taxes imposed on big-market cities, a reincarnation of the Expos may viable.

 

“It’s a long shot, but if it could happen it would be great for the city. A lot of people are supportive of the idea. It’s a major undertaking and it can’t be done 100 per cent privately. The money is crazy and in Montreal we don’t have the (Walmart founding) Walton family,” to back a team, he said.

 

The topic shifted to Bronfman’s approach to charitable giving.

 

“There has to be a return on everything you do, even philanthropy,” he said. He also stressed that philanthropy is about more than simply cutting a cheque.

 

Bronfman gave the example of SéminArts, a program he established in conjunction with the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Instead of funding yet another artist or arts program, a decision was made to invest in collectors. The idea was to demystify the experience of going to galleries and artists’ studios. For Bronfman, the return on the investment is turning on a whole new group of potential collectors who will hopefully go out and buy art.

 

Communicating to the audience mostly in French, Bronfman was eventually asked what he makes of the province’s language situation.

 

“I don’t like to get political, but it really minimalizes things. I think we should be a free and open society where people should have their choices. I’m married to a Québécoise and my kids go to a French school, but that’s our choice. Many people in this room however, don’t have the choice! It’s a big world out there. Give your kids a choice. We’re a little too insular in Quebec and that’s why it’s important for people to come here and see that it’s a good place to invest,” he said while seemingly making a statement by answering the question using English and French interchangeably.

 

While Bronfman isn’t an angel investor himself, he commented on the lack of capital available to Quebec entrepreneurs.

 

“Even businesses that are two or three years old, those are still startups to me. I think there’s a lot of money out there (in Quebec) chasing deals, but there’s few around that are really the true angel investors,” he said. To prove his point, Bronfman singled out John Stokes of the venture capital firm Real Ventures as one of the handful of aggressive angel investors in the city.

 

As the luncheon drew to an end, Bronfman opined that the younger generation has lost faith in government and that it’s crucial to be active participants within society.

 

“There’s a bit of a revolution going on. The world is changing. Whatever you do, just don’t sit back. Speak your mind and follow your passions,” he said as he wrapped up.

 

 

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/baseball/Stephen+Bronfman+thinks+reincarnation+Expos+Montreal/8284549/story.html

[IluvMTL]

http://www.lesaffaires.com/blogues/francois-pouliot/ce-que-pense-bronfman-du-retour-des-expos-de-la-langue-et-de-trudeau/556696#.UXf0IaLCaSo

 

Le retour des Expos

 

 

Que pensez-vous d'un retour du baseball majeur à Montréal?, lui a-t-on demandé.

 

 

« Je pense que ça peut être viable », a-t-il dit, en précisant avoir des discussions avec Warren Cromartie, l'ancien joueur des Expos, qui planche sur un retour éventuel de la formation à Montréal.

 

 

Monsieur Bronfman a grandi avec le club à l'époque où son père Charles en était le propriétaire de l'équipe. Il a notamment travaillé au service des communications et du marketing.

 

 

À son avis, l'évolution du statut d'agent libre qui a notamment rendu la vie plus difficile pour Montréal. Les Expos étaient capables de signer de jeunes joueurs, mais n'étaient pas capables de les retenir six ou sept ans plus tard en raison des salaires.

 

 

Il a soutenu qu'avec l'introduction du partage des revenus dans le baseball majeur, et la hausse des revenus liés aux droits de télévision, les choses avaient cependant changé.

 

 

Surpris par le point de vue, on a tenté de voir un peu plus clair dans la force de ses espérances, en marge de la conférence.

 

 

Faudrait-il un nouveau stade?

 

 

« Dans le meilleur des mondes, oui. Avec les Molson comme partenaires qui pourraient faire des shows. Et l'hiver, on pourrait transformer le tout en parc de snowboard, avec de la musique et du rap. Mais je ne pense pas qu'un nouveau stade soit nécessaire, c'est trop cher », a-t-il précisé.

 

 

Et lui, mettrait-il de l'argent?

 

 

« J'ai dit non à Warren, mais qu'on serait heureux de le guider », a-t-il indiqué. Il ne ferme cependant pas la porte. « On ne sait jamais, ce n'est pas une bonne affaire. Mais peut-être un jour, dans les bonnes circonstances, avec une bonne gang ».

 

 

Stephen Bronfman estime que le retour des Expos serait bien pour la ville. Et juge qu'il faudrait aussi que les pouvoirs publics s'impliquent. Il ne croit pas qu'un investissement puisse être fait à 100% par le privé, mais n'a pas élaboré sur la forme d'engagement gouvernemental qui pourrait être mis en place.

 

 

Le baseball majeur ne prévoit pas d'expansion, mais Oakland et Tampa Bay sont réputées être des franchises qui pourraient un jour venir sur le marché.