Updates from August, 2019 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Kate 22:29 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

    Montreal cyclists are ticketed a lot more than Toronto’s – 42 times as often, if the Toronto Sun is to be believed. TVA mentions in passing that our pedestrians are also ticketed twice as often as Toronto’s.

    Update: Vélo-Québec is not very happy.

     
    • Ephraim 07:21 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

      Wow, it must be a free-for-all in Toronto. Or something is wrong with these statistics. I hardly ever see ANYONE ticketed, other than green onions running around.

    • dwgs 09:47 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

      I see a lot of bikes being ticketed regularly. The cops set up on the bike paths.

    • Mr.Chinaski 09:49 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

      12800 tickets, for 5-6 months of biking, equals not even a hundred tickets per day. It’s more alarming for Toronto than Montreal, I say.

    • Jack 11:27 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

      I wonder how many of those police commanders and their officers use their bikes when they are coming in for the shifts from Mirabel, Terrebonne, Mascouche, and Blainville. They claim they are doing it for our own good and safety but these numbers border on harassment. Maybe they just do not like the lifestyle promoted.
      @ Ephraim your right it is free for all in Toronto, last year 41 pedestrians ( citizens) were killed by cars and trucks in TO, they were not killed by bicycles.

    • DeWolf 12:28 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

      It really is a free-for-all in Toronto. It has some of the worst driving behaviour I’ve seen anywhere. Montreal drivers are saints by comparison.

    • Bill Binns 14:13 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

      I walk a minimum of 40 miles a week in this city and have seen a grand total of one bicyclist get a ticket, ever. I actually don’t know if he got a ticket but I saw him get pulled over. I walk down Sherbrooke between Amherst and whatever that street is at the eastern edge of LaFontaine park 4 times a day and there is never a day that I do not encounter people illegally riding bikes on the sidewalks. Ontario St is almost as bad. It is damn near impossible to find an outdoor space in this city where you can be free from the need to watch for bicycles.

      Either cyclists in other Canadian cities are more responsible or those cities have even more chaotic streets and unsafe pedestrian spaces than we do but the cops clearly are not doing enough enforcement here regardless of the numbers.

    • Ephraim 18:20 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

      Has Velo Quebec EVER been happy? Seriously?

  • Kate 18:50 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

    Sordid tale from Montreal North: the security chief of a Montreal North high school is on trial for pimping.

     
    • Kate 13:23 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

      François Legault is keen on the idea of spending millions on a roof for the Jarry Park stadium for an event that lasts one week in the year.

       
      • CE 14:12 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

        I went to a match last week. Having never been inside the stadium before I didn’t know what to expect but it was a nice, relaxing experience. Even though the match was delayed a bit because of some showers, I feel like a roof would have made it less of a summer experience. You get quite the view from there and I can’t imagine the stadium having the same ambiance if the matches were played under a roof.

        But what I really don’t understand is why the government should have to help with this. The reason given for wanting a roof is that it will increase revenue from television. So shouldn’t the roof be able to pay for itself from this revenue? Is Soccer Canada going to pay the government back or share this increased revenue?

      • Jack 16:16 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

        No, 70 Million dollars for swells to enjoy tennis for 5 days a year. I dont see a lot of kids swinging rackets in Park Ex or Villeray.

      • Tim S 20:20 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

        Since we started signing our kid up for the Tennis Montreal lessons I’ve actually been surprised by the efforts they make to make tennis accessible. I think we paid something like 60$ for 8 weeks of lessons, 3 lessons a week, and as far as I can tell the families seem to be from a variety of social groups. Of course, it helps that I’m home in summer to take her, and part of the funding probably comes from donations that might have been better directed elsewhere, but still, pop into the indoor courts at the stade on a Saturday morning and you might be surprised. I was.
        This doesn’t mean I think taxpayers should pay for the roof, mind.

      • JaneyB 11:44 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

        @CE – I agree with you. The open stadium is an old-fashioned summer experience eg: the sights, the sounds, the temperature and yes, sometimes the rain. Also, why should the public purse subsidize a private company? Sometimes I think companies just float that ridiculous idea to see if it will work. Unfortunately, sometimes it does.

      • david100 14:07 on 2019-08-14 Permalink

        If he’s looking for a legacy, he need look no further than the Ville Marie downtown, which he should cap.

    • Kate 12:43 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

      Last week, Rosemont-PP borough announced it wasn’t going to install fake turf any more because it increases the heat island effect. This week, a Rosemont soccer group is going to hold a demonstration demanding fake turf, because it can be played on more often.

       
      • Kate 12:31 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

        A judge has authorized a class action suit against the SPVM for alleged racial profiling, but the definitions and cutoff dates are pretty narrow.

         
        • Kate 10:01 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

          The arrival of the Lime scooters has been delayed by rain, meaning lines showing where they can go can’t be painted yet.

          I do hope the city has not been inveigled into paying to have these markings done.

           
          • Kate 08:00 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

            Grasping at straws, Ensemble Montréal is demanding a complete financial report from city hall, supposedly to enable candidates to prepare for 2021. I figure Lionel Perez has to know that the city bean-counters are on the job, so this is yet another way to loudly imply Projet doesn’t know what it’s doing. Not impressed.

             
            • Kate 07:57 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

              La Presse looked at the reasons for a slight decline in fortunes at the Jean-Talon market, and their conclusions are a little more subtle than simple parking issues. Another reason is that some of the farmers were getting old and nobody was interested in taking up their business as they retired, leaving empty stalls in the market, which – like empty storefronts on a street – is not good for the overall vibe.

               
              • Blork 11:17 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

                I wonder if the big grocery store chains don’t play a role, in the way many of them have been re-designing themselves to feel more upscale and “market-like” over the past decade. (Provigo, Metro, and IGA have all been doing this, particularly at their larger suburban stores.) Those presentations provide the illusion of the kind of freshness you get at the market.

                I reckon people go to the JTM for some combination of these four things: (1) freshness, (2) price, (3) social (i.e., it’s a thing to do, and there are lots of people around), (4) proximity of high quality other stores like Joe La Croute (bakery), some butchers, poissonerie, fromagerie, etc.

                Now let’s deconstruct:

                (1) Freshness. Hard to beat, but when things are in season (tomatoes, apples, corn) the big grocery stores have gotten pretty good at getting stuff directly from farmer to consumer.

                (2) Price. Prices of seasonal produce at the big grocery stores are typically lower than at the JTM. Also, the price is marked at the grocery stores, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of asking, then asking the next one, then asking the next one (etc) to get the best price. Last week I went to a kiosk at an actual farm to get corn, and the corn was literally still warm from the field, but it was late in the day and everything was picked over and only the runts remained. Price not marked. 20 minutes later I was at Provigo where I could buy plump, local, freshly picked corn at four for a dollar. (I rarely go with that option; I’m just pointing it out.)

                (3) Social. Not much to say about this other than that it’s mostly a weekend phenomenon, and all it really brings to the market is crowds; not so much open wallets. The “social” people will go there, get a coffee, maybe an ice cream or a sandwich, and walk out with a bag of carrots and two tomatoes.

                (4) Proximity of other stores. This is what keeps the JTM viable all year. But every neighbourhood has its bespoke stores these days. A couple of decades ago there were shitty stores all over and then clusters of good stores in a handful of neighbourhoods. But now you don’t have to go to the JTM to get good bread, good meat, or (FFS) little precious jars of overpriced tasty things. And once again, the big grocery chains all have their bespoke little nooks in them, selling fancy this or that. I was in an IGA the other day that had a permanent kiosk housing a tea boutique (separate staff, payment, etc.) and next to that were two other boutiques. This is INSIDE the IGA store!

                Not sure what my point is; just making observations.

              • Ephraim 14:50 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

                I love the markets, but hate their prices or their way of not telling you the real prices. Selling something in nonstandard containers or selling you a volume instead of giving you a price per kg. At least with a supermarket, I can see that grapes are $6.58 per kilo… at the market, they put it into a container with no weight… guess at the real price…c’mon!

              • Jack 16:57 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

                My goodness I was just there on Saturday and the place was jammed with happy buying customers. The idea that market is going downhill comes from that initial letter by a guy who complained primarily about car access. This is a trope used by people who cant get used to the fact that their unlimited access is now being challenged… everywhere. I talked to an employee at Birri’s who told me that they would probably leave next year….I said bye.

              • Jonathan 17:16 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

                I agree that all of this is bullshit. I went to the market Saturday and Sunday this weekend and it seemed busier than I have ever seen it.

                If there were any empty spaces, they were filled with people eating and enjoying themselves.

              • Tim S 20:37 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

                Admittedly I haven’t been to Jean Talon for a few years, but when I worked there crowds never correlated with actual receipts at the cash. The market makes a lot of its money from people who buy really bulk amounts, and like the guy said in the article, vegetables are heavy. So yeah, I get why people would want to make it more pleasant by pedestrianising it, but the market is really huge, and probably can’t survive at its current size with only pedestrian/public transit customers. Maybe that’s for the best, but like I said in a previous post, be careful what you wish for.
                Also, those customers were elderly years ago, and like some of the stall holders, must be dying off. I don’t know if their kids are as into canning as they were.
                That said, I think Blork and Ephraim are also onto something. I was at Atwater this week, and apart from a couple of items that are hard to find in grocery stores, most things were more expensive than in a grocery store, and the way they displayed some of the items almost felt like a scam.

              • Kate 23:39 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

                Tim S., I think you’re onto something. A friend’s mother, from Sicily, used to put up a lot of homemade tomato sauce every year. Bushels of Roma tomatoes all simmering away in her kitchen. But she’s gone now and her kids don’t follow suit. And she was typical of a whole generation who, if still even alive, are past the heroic kitchen exploit of canning three dozen jars of tomato sauce in a weekend.

              • JaneyB 11:51 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

                I thought canning was having a resurgence thanks to the millenial ‘maker crowd’. I doubt it has reached the scale of the Old World grandmas canning bees though.

                Atwater Market’s produce prices are not cheap and mostly not organic enough to justify those prices. Good flowers and fancy meats though and of course jars of every kind of specialty condiment.

              • Michael Black 12:21 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

                St Anne’s has a market on Saturday mornings through much of the year, ndoors n the winter. I’ve been a few times, because I was out that way.

                There is produce, but most of the booths are selling products. So someone sells burritos they put together on site, someone sells indian food (she offers it frozen), Quinn Farms has pies at least, someone is selling honey or maple syrup, that sort of thing.

                It’s not a big spread, but it serves that social aspect and gives the sellers easier access to customers. I suspect it might bring peoole to the town, though maybe as an added target rather than to bring people just for the market.

                It seemed busy enough the times I’ve been, but I can’t tell if they are browsers or buyers.

                We see this sort of thing in more central Montreal, a newer wave of markets that are less permanent than traditional markets.

                Michael

              • CE 12:57 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

                I like the market but I agree with JaneyB, a lot of the produce is very overpriced and, especially with the bigger booths, seem to be the same as the produce you find in any grocery store. Many of the vendors don’t even say where their produce come from and often say “grown without pesticides” but without organic certification, that could mean just about anything.

            • Kate 07:53 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

              Montreal Pride says its community has seen a surge in anti-gay hate on social media over the past year. The rise of the far right has made hate fashionable.

               
              • Kate 07:41 on 2019-08-12 Permalink | Reply  

                Quebec’s businesses need more immigrants and restaurants in particular are suffering from lack of help but the CAQ government isn’t keen to let more people in. I wonder how François Legault will persuade retired white francophones to return to work as dishwashers and line cooks.

                 
                • Ephraim 14:51 on 2019-08-12 Permalink

                  I wonder how he is going to keep alive the towns in the regions (that vote for him) that are dying because the businesses can’t get new employees.

                • Kate 08:01 on 2019-08-13 Permalink

                  Tuesday morning, Simon J-B is saying they have to slow immigration while they figure out how to make people turn into white francophone catholics faster than they do now.

                  I am laughing. Half of my ancestors came here in 1847 from Ireland. I’m still speaking English. Good luck.

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