Updates from June, 2019 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Kate 23:02 on 2019-06-04 Permalink | Reply  

    Fireworks shows are captivating, but last year they contributed to five days of bad air quality in July.

     
    • Raymond Lutz 08:41 on 2019-06-05 Permalink

      This makes for a catchy headline but how much did they contributed? Reading the article (and the RSQA 2017 bilan), I understand that the fireworks helped pass the arbitrary threshold of 30 ug/m**3 . But what if it simply went from 29 to 30.5 ? For a few days? I call clicbait.

      En passant, Le Devoir doesn’t point it out but ‘particules fines’ refers to PM2.5 , ie atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. Would you believe me if I told you I had a tag for my bookmarks labelled pm2.5 ? 😎 For now, not much there, but it’s growing… Browsing it, you’ll learn that there is no “safe” level for PM2.5 exposure and that “there is a strong association between PM2.5 exposure and neurological disorders”. Yup, those baddies creep INSIDE your brain. So our leading puppets say a day with 29 ug/m**3 of PM2.5 is a good day? Bullshit. Anecdote: the illustrator of “Bilan environnemental 2017, Qualité de l’air à montréal” completely screwed its drawing showing the scale of a PM2.5 dust particule (p.4).

  • Kate 13:53 on 2019-06-04 Permalink | Reply  

    The SPVM is putting out a reminder about disabled parking spaces, their importance, and the likelihood of getting ticketed if you misuse one.

     
    • Ephraim 15:45 on 2019-06-04 Permalink

      As they constantly remove them and they dwindle. The ticket is insignificant versus the harm and pain that using their spaces can cause. Even when using them as a “stopping” place means that they have to find a place that is further away. And some people are in significant pain while walking.

      Rather than having paid parking meters for handicapped spots, the city should replace the meter with a sign saying “3 min=$300 sauf permit handicapée”

      In Quebec city, they don’t have to pay the meters. In Ontario they can park even in no parking zones for short periods so they don’t have to walk as far.

    • Kate 18:47 on 2019-06-04 Permalink

      So it’s not mandatory to have one or two disabled spots if your parking lot is over a certain size?

    • Ephraim 19:25 on 2019-06-04 Permalink

      For the city…. they keep on removing on-street handicapped spots. For example, there was one at St-Urbain at Ste-Catherine, next to TNM… it’s gone, no replacement. Most people really don’t notice it, but if you have to deal with someone who is handicapped, you really see the loss. https://www.statdemtl.qc.ca/fr/infos-pratiques/personnes-a-mobilite-reduite.html was the map of parking meters… but it’s not up to date… at all. They aren’t consistent in distances and availability. And of course, you need space next to them and behind them for the person, in case the person has a walker or a wheel chair and needs to load it.

      The minimum requirement for spots is by borough… and so is the size. Want to see how convoluted it is? See http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=3619,4034073&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&params_recherche=http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/sel/sypre-consultation/recherchereglement?params=type_regl=999**critere=**source=**type_recherche=0**total=0**crement=10**start_pos=1**acces=0**langue=fr**instances=901**expression=**etendue=titre**statut=1**no_reglement=C-4.1**no_regl_cond=0**applic_territ=0**bro_orderdate=2001-02-02**bro_endorderdate=2001-02-02**utilisateur=&has_been_there=1

      There are two advantage if you are handicapped, you can request a handicapped space in front of your house. And they are allowed to park in resident zones for 60 minutes.

    • CE 23:39 on 2019-06-04 Permalink

      My next door neighbours have a handicapped spot in front of their house so the adapted STM bus or taxis can easily pick up the man in a wheelchair. Surprisingly, people generally respect it. However, last year someone locked a bike to one of the poles saying it was a handicapped space and left it in the way of their entrance for about a week. I was about to cut the lock but it was moved just in time.

    • Chris 08:20 on 2019-06-05 Permalink

      CE why not leave a note on the bike instead?

    • jeather 09:12 on 2019-06-05 Permalink

      Ephraim what’s this about parking in resident zones with a handicapped permit? When I drive my grandmother places I have her placard, and that would be GREAT. Is there a link?

    • CE 09:30 on 2019-06-05 Permalink

      There had been a note on it from day-one.

    • Ephraim 12:25 on 2019-06-05 Permalink

      @Jeather…

      “Zones de stationnement sur rue réservé aux résidents (SRRR)
      Les véhicules munis d’une vignette ou d’une plaque identifiant une personne handicapée délivrée par une autorité administrative québécoise (SAAQ), canadienne ou américaine peuvent être stationnés dans une zone SRRR ou une zone de stationnement interdit dont l’usage n’est pas réservé aux autres véhicules (par exemple : zone de taxis) pour une période limitée à 60 minutes.” see http://www1.ville.montreal.qc.ca/banque311/node/1526 if you want to see it in writing (that’s the Ville Marie part, but it applies to the entire city.)

      I often have to use it with my mother, because there are hardly any handicapped spots left. And my friend who is in back pain has to use it because the more he walks, the more he is in pain. We really don’t have enough handicapped spots in this city.

      My father lived in Toronto, where it was so much easier for him. And there were many more handicapped spots.

  • Kate 13:50 on 2019-06-04 Permalink | Reply  

    Toula Drimonis writes a beautiful counterweight to the chronic kvetching about the Tour de l’Île.

     
    • Jack 06:10 on 2019-06-05 Permalink

      Toula is cool.

  • Kate 09:33 on 2019-06-04 Permalink | Reply  

    The owner of the building on Esplanade whose condition, threatening collapse, caused alarm last month, has been given permission to dismantle the façade, stone by stone. How do the neighbours feel about this? No story on that here.

     
    • Spi 10:44 on 2019-06-04 Permalink

      A great example of how you can drag your feet for years to finally get what you want. Once the facade is taken down (and the stones magically lost during transportation or “damaged” beyond usage) he’ll be able to sell the empty plot of land to a developer.

    • Douglas 12:23 on 2019-06-04 Permalink

      He can always sell his properties for top price. People have been throwing offers at him for decades. Even in this state he could get offers for 1M each property in as is condition. In this case this guy should be thrown in jail for 30 days for such stupidity. Letting the northern property collapse is such a shame.

    • walkerp 13:26 on 2019-06-04 Permalink

      He must be just crazy at this point.

    • Bill Binns 09:44 on 2019-06-05 Permalink

      I don’t understand why the city is so quick to take a property by force to build a new road or expand the metro but refuses to do it in these situations. They simply need to start levying daily fines until necessary work is done. Once those fines (if unpaid) reach X% of the market value of the property, the city seizes it, sells it, takes their fines, court costs, taxes and selling costs and hands the remainder over to the former owner.

      I suspect the city already has the necessary laws in place to pull this off. They just need to do it.

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