A Journal writer explains that the cost of shelter in Montreal is still low compared to the rest of Canada and one simple reason is that incomes are also, on average, low here as well.
Updates from September, 2020 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
Excellent Le Devoir op-ed lays out clearly why the public purse should not pay to extend the REM to the airport.
DeWolf
The problem was letting the private sector grab ahold of major pieces of infrastructure in the first place.
But it’s too late in this case. Stopping the REM from reaching the airport would be exactly the kind of short-sighted approach Quebec has always taken to public transit. People are going to resume travelling at some point, and unless you somehow stop everyone from doing business or visiting family overseas, there’s still going to be a need for airplanes. And they need a way to get to the airport that doesn’t involve a private car or the 747 bus, which is useless for 99% of the population.
Hopefully future governments can deprivatize our transport systems, but for now, stopping the REM a couple kilometres shy of the airport out of ideological spite would be an incredible act of self-sabotage.
Faiz imam
The ADM is a arms length psuedo crown corporation what funds itself through airport traffic. For the next few years they will not be able to fund any major construction projects. That’s just the facts.
But this crisis will eventually pass, and the need for a high quality airport shuttle will remain.
Seems to be the ideal solution is for the government to hand ADM a interest free loan so that the work can go ahead. In the long run it will be paid back by the traffic that will inevitably return.
But leaving them on their own helps noone.
On a different note, the numbers the article is citing are misleading. The REM’s own ridership studies are notoriously conservative, and the way the author arbitrarily reduced the number further is absurd.
A more useful figure to be aware of if that in 2015 5000 people per day took the 747 bus. We should expect REM figures to be at that level at least, if not higher.
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Kate
The BIG has found that in the case of some public housing buildings, suppliers have been writing the spec included in the calls for tenders to acquire generators. It’s not allowed for the consulting engineers contracting with the city to have suppliers essentially doing their work for them (and, in so doing, easily tie up a sale) but it seems that’s been going on.
In another BIG story Monday, the city department that acquires vehicles has been found handwaving requirements for tendering.
Ephraim
One more reason why the city should be allowing REITs to do it and simply pay them. They have the infrastructure to handle it, they build, they run, they make a profit. The city is not set up to handle this. These are professional apartment building management teams. Yes, it may cost more, but we can get reports, check things and ensure they are doing them with a quick inspection, instead of having to build and run an entire infrastructure that a city wasn’t intended to run.
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Kate
I was struck by this Observer piece on the weekend, describing pandemic traffic calming problems in England, mostly in London: “emergency low-traffic neighbourhoods… restrictions on through traffic… modest traffic management changes have sparked sometimes bitter rows… a culture war is breaking out… demonstrations… petitions demanding the removal of low-traffic neighbourhood schemes…”
Familiar? Totally.
I haven’t studied other cities, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the left-right divide isn’t playing out in similar, predictable ways elsewhere too.
Apropos, a La Presse op-ed points out how little road space is still given, after all this hot air, to other means of transport than the car.
Ian
Funny you see it as left-right, I see it as a class divide. I’m sure there are many factors at play.
Ian
For instance, in the Point there is a groundswell of residents wanting their elected representatives to focus on issues they are concerned with instead of distracting from through situation with what they see as eye candy.
Via one of my friends, an ardent bicyclist and activist in the Point who attended a council meeting:
“What I learned from taking democracy for a test drive is:
the City cares a lot about trees and bike lanes and this is what they spent most of their time talking about
the public cares about affordable housing, and traffic safety and this is exactly what the City did not spend much time talking about until questioned about it
the Borough mayor “deplores” that people are trying to organize to have their voices heard over a controversial project
the borough’s idea of diversity appears to be hiring people from France”If you see this as a left/right thing I think that’s a superficial gloss, even the article you posted on hinted at class strife, yuppie enclaves, gentrification, and a host of other issues.
Kate
Ian, it may be that after reading the UK piece I was struck by the left/right Labour/Conservative bias I could feel in it. Our gradients are somewhat different.
Although I would say that, with your issues, the Projet bike lanes thing is at least an attempt to address the traffic safety issue you mention on the public side.
John B
Meanwhile, in Paris, “les coronapistes seront pérennisées“, including rue Rivoli, which is apparently one of the main streets, and currently looks like this, (if the embed works):
Haven’t seen the amazing transformation of rue de Rivoli in Paris? Watch how many PEOPLE go by, in how many different ways. The cars are a bit delayed, but let’s be clear — they were MORE delayed before when there were more cars. Video HT @EmmanuelSPV pic.twitter.com/ma5CqqDAVR— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) September 16, 2020
Ian
Well to be specific she was talking about the new configurations in the Point specifically like on Island, which are kind of confusing and weird for both bicyclists and pedestrians – many regular cyclists are saying the old bike path configuration was safer, in fact, but PM know best & has spent lots of money on consultations as we now know, and has a big plan for the road network that’s far beyond the ken of mere citizens. The issues in the Plateau are somewhat different but the opacity and unwillingness to consider the views of those that have not imbibed the koolaid is very similar.
azrhey
Having lived in London 2014-2018 , Drama went a little bit like this
*upper class borough drops its speed limit from 40 to 30 and from 30 to 20 mph in their streets to discourage thourough traffic and engine noise.
*middle class boroughs complain about increased traffic and complain about safety and will someone think of the children. They lower their speed limits too*
*working class boroughs asphixiate with all the extra traffic and complain about traffic speeds and safety, demand they lower speed limits for them too*
*upper and middle class people complain very loudly that lowering speed limits in “commercial boroughs” (poor, they mean poor) will impeed traffic and prevent them to travel freely around the city and OMG will the greens stop wanting to lower traffic speed everywhere.
wash. rince. repeat.Kate
John B, are people in Paris also kvetching endlessly about it, though?
azrhey, I am not surprised.
John B
Seems like a lot of the same arguments we see in Montreal: https://twitter.com/BFMParis/status/1306122218552864769
But Anne Hidalgo seems to have managed to reclaim a lot of Paris from cars, at least from what I can tell from this side of the ocean, and has managed to win re-election at least once, which I worry won’t happen here.
Jonathan
This episode of the War on Cars really sums it up pretty well.
https://thewaroncars.org/2018/10/30/cars-and-the-culture-wars/
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Kate
The Office quebecois de la langue française will be getting new offices, services and inspectors soon, a move that’s definitely going to help businesses bounce back from the pandemic slump.
Meezly
You really gotta wonder about their priorities.
Kate
I’d prefer to see them concentrate on an environmentally sound recovery, yes. But they won’t do it unless they feel they’ve covered the ideological bases first.
Ian
The La Presse article describes them as une «équipe choc» …I guess “shock troops” doesn’t have the same sinister implication of zealotry and viciousness in French. At least I hope not.
azrhey
I’d translate équipe choc by dream team, or winning team
Ian
I’m sure they would, too.
Sec V
“they”
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Kate
It’s reported that some parts of town are worse off than others for Covid infections, although there seem few clues to link the diverse areas – Park Ex, Outremont, TMR, Côte-Saint-Luc, Montreal North, St-Léonard, Saint-Michel, and downtown around Atwater and Guy-Concordia – and that’s a lot of the city right there. But something about human behaviour in those areas is encouraging contagion.
Police visited 2000 bars and restaurants on the weekend across Quebec, issuing 90 tickets and giving out warnings. Have not seen anything on breakdown by area, i.e. how many were done in Montreal.
Ant6n
That’s like one in 20, doesn’t sound like much
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Kate
QMI says a CROP poll shows that 59% of us want the powered scooters back after the city ended the trial of Bird and Lime scooters at the end of last summer.
j2
I want people to use scooters but not leave them all over the place. I think that’s best served by people owning them.
James
If CROP had called me I would have said “no thank you”. There seemed to be no enforcement of rules that the scooter companies agreed-to with the city. Scooters were left all over the place. Good ridance!
Kate
This might not have been a bad summer for the scooters, given the relative emptiness of downtown.
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Kate
Quebec’s noting 586 new COVID-19 cases Monday, up from 462 new cases reported Sunday.
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Kate
Linda Gyulai digs into Projet Montréal’s use of private consultants for projects in various parts of town. Is the practice against the rules? A spokesperson says “We follow the municipal affairs department rules to the letter” but there seems at least to be some lack of transparency about how the money is being spent.
Ian
Well the good news is we just found a great way to save the city a whole bunch of money.
walkerp
If you consider 110k “a whole bunch of money”.
Ian
…that we are hearing about. If they’re crooked about this, you know there’s other things.
Kate
Is it crooked, or is it just laziness? (See also the two BIG stories I posted later Monday.) I don’t see much sign Projet is profiting. This isn’t a “Monsieur 3%” situation, it’s more conceptual, but it still doesn’t help if it means public money’s being frittered without much if any benefit to the taxpayer.
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Kate
Extinction Rebellion has taken responsibility for editing a billboard on Park Avenue from “Ça va bien aller” to “Ça va bien brûler”. Ironically, this may be the last sign the structure ever sees, as I’ve seen reports (from Alex Norris on Facebook) of the removal of the Plateau’s billboards, starting along Van Horne east of Park, following the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear an appeal of the borough’s billboard ban back in May.
walkerp
Right on!
Ant6n
Wait, isn’t it exactly not ironic that the sign will go extinct after this stunt by the extinction rebellion? These days i don’t know anymore.
Ian
I’m glad to see the end of billboards in town, and am always happy to see them vandalized. Seems a fitting note to end on.
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Kate
Kids with seasonal allergies or head colds are now causing confusion and fear in their schools.
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Kate
Home daycare workers have launched an unlimited strike.
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