The owner of the Old Port ferris wheel has been accused of extortion in a matter unconnected with the operation of the tourist attraction. Odd little story four sentences long. Bit more Friday morning in the Gazette.
Updates from August, 2019 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
-
Kate
-
Kate
Despite the CAQ sticking to the grandfathering of existing teachers in hijab, some parents are stubbornly refusing to have their kids taught by a woman in a headscarf.
I suppose they could always pay to move their kids to private schools.
steph
Racists hate being called racist.
js
These parents should be asked how they would feel about their kids being taught how to use Arabic numerals in math class.
Ian
Exactly! Also worth noting algebra is an Arabic word and frankly I’m not comfortable with an enseignante in hijab filling my 8 year old’s head with foreign notions /s
Jack
With Ian, Im just not comfortable with it, and I want my child to be a xenophobic racist like me.
Chris
speph & Jack: Muslims are not a race. The word you’re looking for is ‘bigot’.
js & Ian: Interesting that you have to go back over a millennium for your examples of Arabic numerals and algebra. In recent centuries, the anti-intellectual doctrines of Islam have been holding that part of the world back. Few books are translated, few scientists per capita, etc. See for example https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/why-the-arabic-world-turned-away-from-science
Dhomas
Chris, the fact of the matter is that if they are teachers here, they’re obviously not anti-intellectuals. Also, I can pretty much guarantee that those “bigots” are also racist…
Michael Black
Stereotypes exist because people take one element and apply it to a bunch of people who somehow can be grouped together. They see people in one dimensiin, and hen can’t see anything else. The classic “some of my best friends are…” happens because familiarity show a difference from the stereotype, but the person doesn’t take that exception to question their stereotype assumption.
there are traits we don’t like, not a crime in itself. But some white guy who has no sense of humour is seen as someone to avoid, rather than define all white guys as lacking humour. Yet ae do it with groups we can separate out.
Thsre’s a big difference between someone spewing stereotypes and racist things, and people who neer say anything but who for some reason believe the stereotypes. The latter probably can change with familiarity, I’ve changed and certainly was never sexist or racist but once I changed I can see it wasn’t a good state before.
Bad traits can be spoken about as something bad, without condemning a group of people. Anti-science is a bad trait, but remember Malala was Muslim and shot by the Taliban for wanting education for herself and other young women. Do we dismiss all Muslims because of this, or dismiss a subgroup while applying pro-learning to all Muslims?
I once held a door open for a man pushing a stroller, then his wife wearing a hijab nodded towards me. She doesn’t fit the stereotype, and rather than tell her she shouldn’t wear a hijab, we can make change by treating people differently. Men pushing strollers is a lot more common than it was thirty years ago.
Michael
Ian
“That part of the world”, Chris? I thought we were talking about people in Quebec being allowed to teach or not depending on what they wear.
Your over-generalization based on what people do in some parts of the world is at the very least a logical fallacy, but definitely verges on bigotry if not outright racism.
Chris
Dhomas, I agree racists and bigots overlap, but they are separate concepts, often conflated. Sometimes deliberately so I find.
Ian, if I said communism held Russia back, would you cry racism? But for another ‘ism’ (Islam) you do?
Ian
That’s a cute misdirection but you are evading the point that these people are being told they can’t teach here based on what they wear, not their beliefs – let alone those of people in different countries.
-
Kate
Roadwork plans for the fall have been unveiled.
-
Kate
Tracey Lindeman writes about the impending transformation of the Molson brewery lands for Citylab.
-
Kate
Archives de Montréal has just posted a new feature on Belmont Park in 1953, with brief looks back to the even older amusement parks, Sohmer and Dominion. I don’t think anyone still alive remembers the two older parks – my mother had faint memories of going to Dominion Park when small, but Belmont was the park she loved, even though getting there had involved a long trip back and forth on the Cartierville streetcar. So of course she took me on the Wild Mouse as soon as I was old enough. The full photo set is on Flickr.
-
Kate
So this is TVA, not CBC or CTV, telling about an experienced teacher in hijab who says she’s feeling fear this term for the first time on account of her garb.
Good pieces this week on the secularity law from Toula Drimonis and Martin Patriquin, the latter raising an issue I’m starting to see brought up on social media: will any of the federal candidates broach the topic of the CAQ’s law?
Ian
My guess is no, the feds have always been chicken to get involved with QC stuff for fear of rankling those who feel that QC has special rights to determine its own destiny in defiance of Canadian norms or common decency. Especially with the conservatives and liberals runing neck in neck at the moment nobody wants to upset the apple cart. The NDP of course knows it is already super unpopular in QC, they should take a principled stand IMO. They have nothing to lose, Singh wouldn’t be allowed to teach garderie here, we all know that giant racist elephant in the room but the feds refuse to acknowledge its presence.
It’s all a bunch of jockeying IMO. None of them dare actually be anti racist for fear of losing the racist vote. They are a bunch of cowards.
-
Kate
Lots of folks talking about this Montreal video. I just got smacked down by a Montreal “name” because I expressed this opinion: that while the basic footage is fine, it’s edited to be way too zoomy, to the point of headache – and although he collected some nice sounds, they get swamped by the conventional soundtrack music.
What do people think?
Alex L
I think it’s great. But it sure represents a specific Montreal, seen from an anglo/touristic point of view.
CE
Odd that there’s no footage showing exterior residential staircases or the spiral rear stairs. I’ve always thought of them as defining characteristics of many parts of the city.
Anyway, the style of video isn’t particularly original. This video of Bogotá was uploaded almost three years ago and is in the exact same style (and, in my opinion, is much better).
Ginger Baker
Yeah, I’m of a similar mind… it could be a decent tourism video they maybe show at the airport or something.
By chance, would this name be part of the local Anglo media establishment?
Because IMO they have this whole hangup about how they lost ‘their’ Montreal and they have to ‘get it back’. And so new media pops up now and again… seemingly with every new technology or tech fad… and it always has this pensive, slightly dramatic feel to it… like a “never forget this is yours too’ kinda thing, “remember you belong here too… you’re part of this beautiful tapestry blah blah blah.”
And there’s nothing inherently wrong with presenting that kind of an image… it’s just more mindless feelgoodery… if it makes you feel good then fine, some of us would prefer a more critical eye on our city, and aren’t afraid of being critical. At times I feel the Anglos don’t handle any kind of criticism particularly well, and would prefer to retreat into some soft dreamland.
But anyways, these heartfelt tributes are very warm and soft and nice and great and I look forward to walking past televisions playing them on repeat next time I’m cruising through Trudeau.
Also, get a Nexus card.
Kate
A Nexus card? Not everyone has a sweetie in the United States, Ginger Baker.
Blork
Um. It is way too zoomy for me, but I’m 1000 years old and grew up in a time when content was supposed to make you think and not just feel. I suspect this works well for millennials, who grew up in, and live in, a world of total media saturation, where thinking about what you’re seeing is secondary to your emotional reaction.
Don’t interpret that as a slag against millennials; it’s just an observation. It’s like we’re living in a time of visual impressionism, where the sheer volume of visual media (in particular, video) has transformed the expected response away from thinking and towards feeling, because you can feel much more quickly than you can think.
Ginger Baker
@Kate – I’d say it’s worth it even if you only ever use it once, just to avoid standing in line (either going through security or coming out of customs), or so that you don’t have to get to the airport two hours in advance. You can even use it at land and maritime crossings! No one would ever admit to it but I swear I get preferential treatment… literally a guy who was barking orders at a group of people turned to me and politely addressed me as sir (I was easily half his age) and told me none of what he said applied to me.
DHS can have all the retina scans and finger prints of me they want, I absolutely do not care if it means travelling can be marginally more sophisticated and less of a hassle.
I’ll save my screed about wearing pyjamas and crocs on airplanes for another day though…
Mark Côté
Nexus cards can also be used for domestic travel, although they are really only of benefit at the busier airports.
CE
@Blork, I’m right in the middle in terms of age for Millennials and I also found it too zoomy and fast moving. There were some good shots but the overall package isn’t very good as a stand alone video (I agree that it would work well on a screen in an airport or tourism office though).
CE
I’m also very curious about what this person’s response was to Kate’s valid criticism.
Kate
“Your critique could not be more tone deaf and blind.”
Ginger Baker
^ may we ask what your critique was? or where we can read it?
does this person’s name rhyme with Fred Gird? or Berry Del Monte? or Darryl Fleishman? or Melinda Godin? or Farren Bland? or Nommy Hershmaker? or Fitsumi Crackahashi?
Meezly
The style of the video certainly does not ascribe to the “less is more” approach. While the earnestness and effort is obvious, I too find it overly flashy, jarring, and derivative. It’s reminds me too much of graphics-heavy opening credits of some trendy new show. The videographer seems young and starting out in his career. Post production software has so many bells & whistles these days, it’s too easy to rely on flashy FX or filter the heck out of an image – you forget how to let a shot have a life and rhythm of its own.
Kate
Thank you, Meezly.
Ian
All transitions, no actual footage. I am sure the celebrity voice you offended knows this kid’s parents, I can’t imagine why else this editor-as-director masturbation would merit attention otherwise.
To be fair, it’s technically very well done, but unless you’re from here you probably wouldn’t recognize much as it zips through your consciousness like a series of strung-together interstitials … which it effectively is.
EmilyG
I tried to watch the video, thinking that “zoomy” meant just that it had that slow-zooming-in-on-still-pictures feature that I find annoying. But boy oh boy, this video is constantly moving very fast. I couldn’t even get through the whole video as it was almost motion-sickness-inducing.
Kate
EmilyG: exactly. That’s why I find the chorus of praise puzzling. But then one lays oneself open to “well, why don’t you make one then and show us how it’s done?”
Raymond Lutz
And I was thinking “at last, he’s not using tilt shift” and then…
Tim F
There’s some great technical execution of the camera work and the transitions, but it all goes by so fast you don’t have the chance to appreciate them. I think more than the zoom, the breakneck speed it’s played at doesn’t let the viewer focus their attention before the shot’s changed. I watched it without the sound on, so I don’t know how well the transitions are timed to the soundtrack, but imagining this as an airport display, I feel like you could play the whole thing at half-speed while cutting down on the number of shots used (there are a LOT of statues) and the result would be amazing.
-
Kate
I was passed a link to the Journées du patrimoine religieux event, not this weekend but next. There are definitely some church buildings worth a look, if you’re interested in this sort of thing, but I think the only non-Christian open house is a Hindu temple. I didn’t even know there was one in DDO.
Mark Côté
I think DDO has a higher percentage of immigrants from India than most of the rest of Montreal.
Ian
I vaguely recall that map a few years back showing most popular 3rd languages in Montreal and around DDO it’s Bengali. Makes sense.
There’s a ton of Indians around Parc Ex but there’s a lot of other southeast Asians in the area too so I guess it dilutes the pool somewhat. lots of Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans etc.
js
Aren’t there several Hindu temples in DDO? There’s a Tamil one with a gopuram (maybe the congregants are Sri Lankan?) on St-Regis that can be seen from the 40 that’s very much worth swinging by to check out up close if you have a few minutes.
-
Kate
In 2007, Verdun leased out some Nuns’ Island land to be used as a public golf course. Since then, the operator has started charging $10,000 a year and has been flooding nearby houses with bright lights at night. Verdun plans to have it shut down for breaking its rules, but there’s bound to be a legal fight.
Not the first time this has been reported. Radio-Canada had a piece almost a year ago and there have been reports about the egregious floodlighting since.
Why is Verdun frittering scarce land on golf when it could use either more housing or a decent general park in that area, anyway?
John B
I believe it’s on an old garbage dump, so that limits, somewhat, what it can be used for without serious contamination expenses.
Knowing that, and viewing things through a 2005-2007 lens, I can see how creating a “public” golf course that’s not too expensive to use, is fairly self-contained, resource-wise, with filtering ponds & stuff to maybe even improve the surrounding environnement, would make sense. Done right maybe the land would end up partially decontaminated!
-
Kate
The city is weighing options for the massive, unoccupied Institut des Sourdes-Muettes building on St-Denis in the Plateau as well as the old Soeurs de la Miséricorde building (I believe it’s this one down St-Hubert). They still belong to the province, which would like to hand them over to the city – but Montreal needs to have plans, and both buildings would need extensive modernization.
Since we’re short of school buildings, one or both of these buildings might come in handy. We’d need teachers to staff them, though.
…On considering, what was happening here in the 19th century to require two massive buildings – this one on St-Denis at Roy, and the other up St-Laurent north of Jean-Talon, now condos? – to educate deaf students? Here’s a piece on the city’s official site that answers part of the question, at least: boys and girls had to be educated separately, according to the mores of the times.
dwgs
Also, if it was anything like Ontario all the deaf kids in the province were shipped to a central school. My nephew was sent away to school in Belleville from northern Ontario at the age of maybe 8 or so.
Kate
Right. They were residential. The one at 7400 was condemned for child sexual abuse awhile back – priests and boys. I don’t know whether anything like it happened with the girls.
Ian
The clerics of Saint Viateur founded that one, and as I recall the sex abuse was around boys but the violence wasn’t gender exclusive. A dark bit of Quebec history there that needs to be remembered. Legault is making a big deal about the funny hats but we all know it wasn’t people in hijabs raping children in schools.
jaddle
They’ve been considered for temporarily housing FACE during that school’s planned renovation.
-
Kate
Although a judge stayed almost a thousand fraud charges against Frank Catania this summer, Revenu Québec is saying not so fast.
-
Kate
Radio-Canada has a piece echoing recent reports that east-end residents are concerned about poor air quality while TVA reports that Montreal East mayor Robert Coutu is happy about the most recent reports of a reduction in arsenic in the air of his town.
Meezly 10:07 on 2019-08-30 Permalink
So he installed hidden cameras in the cabins in the hopes of capturing people getting it on?
Kate 12:22 on 2019-08-30 Permalink
Article doesn’t say the photos were taken on the wheel itself. Doesn’t say they weren’t, though. La Presse has a tiny bit more as well as reminding us of another issue concerning the wheel that came up earlier this year.
If this wheel is owned by people of allegedly shady antecedents, isn’t it time it was either bought out by the city or taken down?
Alex L 13:13 on 2019-08-30 Permalink
Not to mention it was installed in a heritage site, without the proper authorizations https://www.ledevoir.com/politique/montreal/549866/des-batons-dans-la-grande-roue