The feds are dishing out $500 million for affordable housing, with Toronto getting nearly half of it. The Globe & Mail says Montreal will be getting $56.8 million.
Updates from October, 2020 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
-
Kate
-
Kate
The city’s blue collar workers haven’t had a new contract since 2017, so the Journal is sowing a little alarm and despondency about the possibility of labour actions interfering with snow clearance this winter.
-
Kate
The STM’s order of new buses has been slowed down because of Covid at the factory and it plans to mothball any new buses that are delivered anyway. According to this, ridership is down 50% across the ARTM region, so there’s no rush to beef up services at the moment.
DeWolf
*Half the story* is devoted to Lionel Perez and Marvin Rotrand ragging on the city for not breaking its contract – and even for ordering the extra 300 buses in the first place. I guess if Ensemble gets back into power we’ll be seeing some permanent cuts to transit because they clearly don’t think it’s important to be able to provide good service when the pandemic inevitably ends.
Uatu
Overhead 2 exo bus drivers talking about possible layoffs. I don’t think the transit situation will improve anytime soon
Kate
DeWolf, you make a cromulent point, as always.
Uatu, you may be right. But here’s a thing that continues to puzzle me. Most days, I listen to CBC radio in the mornings. They have traffic bulletins, and there’s still a lot of traffic – enough to report on, to warn people off certain routes or to prefer particular bridges, take note of overly busy roads and so on.
If so many people are working and studying from home, who are all these drivers?
dwgs
Perez and Rotrand also do a lot of hand waving when the subject of breaking the contract is brought up. “It’s a false argument to say they are being held to the contract; contracts can be renegotiated,” Of course they can, if you are willing to pay substantial penalties. I’m sure somebody crunched the numbers and decided it was cheaper in the long run to mothball them for now.
GC
I wondered that, too, Kate. I recently switched radio stations in the morning and there is so much traffic talk. There must be some people who switched from public transit to driving, out of fears of transmission, but surely that’s not enough people to make up for all the people who are now working/studying from home?
Kevin
Kate
Those are perpetual traffic clogs because of bad design.
Eg. The Jean-Talon/Decarie area routinely operates at more than 200% capacity. So even when most people are off the road, it’s still going to be a chore to get through there. (And also why developing the Blue Bonnets site is a pie in the sky dream. The cost is going to be astounding unless the traffic issue can be fixed first.)
-
Kate
It’s been a week that the STM website has been down. This item says no ransom demand has been made. It also says that payroll has been disrupted, which I hadn’t seen mentioned earlier.
It seems like too comprehensive a failure to be caused by a mere screwup, but if no one is making demands, what’s the aim of the attackers?
dmdiem
Some people just want to watch the world burn.
dhomas
The way ransomware attacks often work is that the attacker will encrypt and rename a bunch of files on your systems rendering them unusable. The renamed files usually have a link or some other means of contacting the attacker to organize for payment via Bitcoin. I don’t know what they are expecting. Someone to call them with a voice modulator making demands?
Michael Black
So they have one server that does the website, adaptive transit reservations, and payroll? They’ve really made themselves vulnerable.
Mark Côté
It says “L’attaque a notamment perturbé 1000 des 1600 serveurs de la STM” so it was some sort of virus. It is weird that they’ve received no ransom demand. Maybe the attackers normally target individuals and don’t want the heat that would follow contacting a big organization like the STM.
dhomas
It’s not necessarily a traditional virus. It’s likely that 1000 of the 1600 servers were not protected against this type of attack, and their files have been encrypted.
And these actors hope to get big fish like the STM. They’ve gotten municipal governments, school boards, Universities, large-ish businesses, etc, to pay up.
Ex: https://www.zdnet.com/article/cognizant-expects-to-lose-between-50m-and-70m-following-ransomware-attack/
That’s where the big money is. Not from locking up a couple of private PCs.Mark Côté
I’m sure there are many players in this space. Some may target bigger companies, and some individuals. Otherwise I have no idea why there wouldn’t’ be a demand in this case.
-
Kate
The massive mixed project (another Royalmount, another Dix30) planned by Cadillac Fairview in Pointe Claire west of Fairview would involve razing one of the few remaining wooded lots in the West Island. If you look at Pointe Claire on Google Maps you’ll see it’s short of parkland, and that the lot is 40 acres of fairly unspoiled land. Some people don’t want it to happen. It will happen.
Su
Such a Green project.
Su
Where does the Caisse think the protected wetland fauna will go?
Kate
I don’t imagine the Caisse loses much sleep over environmental issues.
JP
Are they referring to Terra Cotta park? I don’t live in Pointe Claire but I work there. This actually makes me so mad. Does anyone NEED or WANT this???!!!! Fairview and a bunch of other commercial strips are close by. I don’t get it…we can’t reverse these buildings. Once the natural space is gone, it’s gone.
I’m not ever tempted by the idea of living in the West Island, but I would consider Pointe Claire; however, getting rid of that parkland would dramatically reduce its appeal.
This summer, in the spirit of avoiding the indoors as much as possible, I met up with friends in different parks, Terra Cotta being one of them. The pandemic made me realize even more how valuable our outdoor spaces are, not to mention the environmental, ecological reasons. Maybe if different parts of the city had adequate green space, Mount Royal wouldn’t get so crowded all the time….
We have this lovely piece of green space in my neighbourhood (Park Marcelin Wilson), and I often ask myself whether it will still be there in 15-20 years or so…it would be a shame if it disappeared.
Kate
JP, it isn’t Terra Cotta park. Look at Pointe Claire on Google Maps, but switch to satellite view, because the piece of land is totally unmarked on map view – it isn’t a park. Southwest of Fairview there’s a rectangular piece of land covered with trees, between Brunswick Boulevard and the 40. I believe that has to be the area in question, because it has no other label and it’s close to Fairview.
Su
I am fed up with my pension fund being used to decimate the natural world. No doubt many other people feel the same.
Faiz imam
I’m gonna be that guy again aren’t i?
I’ve studied this proposal in detail, ever since the town of Pointe-Clare passed their amended master plan for the area in 2016, of which this is one part:
http://www.pointe-claire.ca/content/uploads/2016/05/Chapitre-4-Le-centre-ville_EN-projet.pdf
Its a cool document. People who care about this should give it a read.
Comparing this in any way with Dix30 or Royalmount is not only reductive, but inaccurate. Those are terrible regressive traffic generators they do not function with their surroundings.
While this includes a large developer led component, but its one that is definitely Transit first, with a strong focus on active transportation. It also wants to focus on elder care and services, which I think makes a lot of sense. It’s also the first step of a city led initiative to densify and improve all of pointe-claire.
In essence its the kernel of what may become a suburb that is unrecognizable to current inhabitants, for the better.
As for that wood lot, I don’t know what to think. I know its history. It is a empty lot that was for a long time owned by John Abbott College to be used to build a new campus, but they never did. It’s been sitting empty for decades but was *always* zoned for development. As far as the city documents are concerned there is no conception that it has any special status. Perhaps this is wrong? I’m not from there, i don’t know what its ecological properties are.
EmilyG
I used to go by that forest all the time. I was under the impression that it wasn’t public, that you couldn’t just walk into it. But I enjoyed seeing the trees there, and there are many people who don’t want it “developed.”
PO
This is not the Caisse, its Cadillac Fairview. Not sure where anyone was getting the idea that this is a QPP funded investment.
I don’t have an opinion. It looks dense and transit-based, at least more than anywhere else in the west island.
Some of the commenters here confuse me. You hate the suburbs, you hate car drivers, you hate low-density projects. But you also hate that there’s a shortage of housing in Montreal, you hate that rents are rising, and some folks hate tall residential towers. And then you hate gentrification and hate the transformation of neighborhoods and the displacement of people. But also hate the people who flee Montreal for the suburbs… and hate the people moving into Montreal and doing the gentrifying. Also, hate parking spots and hate Dix30 style shopping centers.
Where would a project like this fit into the standard hate scheme? Its an automatic no-go because its green? Its surrounded on 2 sides by industrial/commercial lots, one side with a mall and another with suburban bungalows in a neighborhood already fully of parks. Would I prefer it stay wooded and untouched? Yes. But I also know that in a decade, Montreal risks being as unaffordable as every other major Canadian city.
david844
Actually, you’re confused about the broad consensus. It’s generally pretty straightforward.
There’s me and like maybe 1-2 others who are opposed to:
suburbs, car drivers, low-density projects, shortage of housing in Montreal, rents are rising, gentrification, displacement of people, fleeing Montreal for the suburbs, parking spots, and hate Dix30 style shopping centers.
Almost everyone else who posts regularly here is opposed to:
suburbs, rents are rising, tall residential towers, gentrification, transformation of neighborhoods, rents are rising, displacement of people, fleeing Montreal for the suburbs, people moving into Montreal and doing the gentrifying, and Dix30 style shopping centers.
It’s a subtle difference, but you’ve touched exactly on the fulcrum, which is someone like me wants dozens of these sorts of projects, because long term, this is the way to sustainability and progress.
Su
Yes PO The project is in partnership with our pension plan. The forest which Cadillac Fairview purchased in 2013 will be deforested and The Caisse(quebec pension plan) is Planning on building townhouses on the 2 000 000 square foot space.
Tim S.
FWIW, I vote for better suburbs – they’re possible. I grew up in the Brossard/Greenfield Park/St Lambert triangle. St Lambert is nice and has a sense of community, Parts of Greenfield Park are nice and have a sense of community. Brossard is a soulless residential emptiness. I haven’t looked closely enough at this project to have a strong opinion, but the suburban ppst-war status quo is not working and this seems like the kind of thing we should at least try, with public pressure to make sure it turns out as well as possible.
Urban/suburban greenspace is important, but I’d also like to see transit-accessible greenspace that actually feels like true countryside. The Grand Parc de l’ouest could be that if they don’t cover it with cafes and interpretive centers. I’d sacrifice a few tress near a highway to make those kinds of projects happen.Uatu
I grew up in Brossard and I agree with Tim. If they modelled future suburbs like st. Lambert then I wouldn’t mind. These new developments will be built because it’s the rem’s raison d’etre. A bunch of real estate developments built on cheap land connected by rail. Kinda like Disney world. And the rest of us are just along for the ride
-
Kate
The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) is planning a multi-billion-dollar investment in urban area transit over the next ten years with the ultimate intention to reduce automobile traffic.
david844
Pipe dream, or, “possible, mais ardu,” as the UdeM guy politely put it.
Lol: si le gouvernement continue de réaliser des projets à la vitesse du REM. 28 milliards, c’est 5 REM supplémentaires.
-
Kate
Owners of gyms which open in defiance of red-zone restrictions may be fined, and the customers as well.
dmdiem
I feel terrible for all the fitness enthusiasts who work so hard to keep their bodies in top physical shape. They must be looking in the mirror this past year a losing their goddamn minds. I agree that the gyms should be closed, but I understand 100% why people would risk fines to go.
Kate
Is it not possible even in a fairly small place to do workouts with resistance bands, small weights and so on that will at least maintain a tolerable level? I guess maybe not, if you’re the kind of guy who’s always tuning his six-pack.
Michael Black
I thought the gym owners were worried about their businesses, rather than avid fitness buffs needing their exercise fix.
One can stay surprisingly healthy simply by walking everywhere, though that’s limiting this year without anywhere much to go.
I did go to the library today, a book I reserved back in March which came back damaged was suddenly available, or maybe it was replaced
Mark Côté
Yeah it really depends on the type of exercise you’re used to. You can keep in relatively good shape with walking, running, body-weight resistance exercises, but if your goals are more than that it’s gotta be tough. There’s also a shortage of practically all at-home exercise equipment, from weights to ellipticals.
vasi
Just fines? If there’s an outbreak at a gym that stayed open in violation of the law, and someone dies because of it, I’d want the owners to get much worse than a fine.
Douglas
Impossible to use body weight or bands to maintain what I had before when I gymed 3x a week.
But I bought a 65 lb kettlebell and do exercises to failure to keep muscles sharp.
Now my routine is sprinting and kettlebells. Quite fun still but would prefer the gym.
Bill Binns
@Douglas – Did you buy your kettlebell in Montreal? I have been looking for a big one but Sports Experts either has the little ones meant for women or nothing. It’s a difficult thing to order online for obvious reasons.
Su
Bill. Strata Gym is well stocked with quality exercise equipment. I got a 45 lb kettlebells and some bands . Canadian tire has run out of things due to Covid
-
Kate
An SPVM cop has received a sentence of ten months of house arrest for sexually assaulting a woman at a party. More interesting is how the judge criticized three other police officers for showing up in court with the evident intention of intimidating the witness.
Reading both these pieces it’s not entirely clear whether André Hébert-Ledoux will be able to resume his job after the sentence is completed. Also, what difference is there between house arrest and the way everyone has to live now?
Bert
A similar was discussed on CBC Ottawa this morning… https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-discipline-1.5777218
Ephraim
The three officers, Constable Felicia Adam and Sgt. Stevens Hamelin of the Montreal Police and Julien Côté of the Longueuil Police claimed that they didn’t know each other, but all three got up and formed a wall to block the victim’s view of the accused. While Hébert-Ledoux is suspended, the others aren’t… so intimidate a witness… still get to work. I think that Hébert-Ledoux’s sentence leaves him with a criminal record. Are you allowed to remain a police officer (and therefore an officer of the court) and still be an officer?
Bert
Depending on where they are, yes, they can keep their job. The CBC article details precisely that.
Ephraim
So, you can have a criminal record and be a police officer? WOW. So why don’t more felons apply?
Bert
Because you can’t be a felon and apply.. But much like what happened to Michael Corleone….once you are in there are few ways out.
GC
This is so frustrating. The three who intimidated the witness should never work again as police officers, either.
-
Kate
The actor Jacques Godin has died. He had a long career on stage and screen, and is one of those figures that marked the development of Quebec TV from its beginnings. Radio-Canada has a look at his career.
-
Kate
When the Turcot project was launched, areas of green space were promised to soften its impact on surrounding streets. Many have not materialized. Instead, longtime residents find they’re facing dead gray walls. Take a look at the video in the article, showing the promised strip of pleasant parkland they said would separate the highway from the street.
Blork
Hmm. Not sure what to make of this story. My first thought is “what were they expecting?” There’s only about 20 metres between the houses and the highway, so how much parkland could they have expected? A narrow strip of grass and a few trees at best. I admit I’m surprised they widened the street instead of putting a metre wide strip of grass, but in the end that wouldn’t have amounted to much.
And as grey walls go, it’s not bad. At least there’s a bit of texture and pattern to it. And it’s only a matter of minutes before it’s emblazoned with “urban art” that will at least be colorful. And compared to the horror of what it was like before the project, it’s a huge improvement (and the woman in the article even says as much).
Seriously, look at it in Streetview and try to imagine why anyone would think there could be parkland there: https://goo.gl/maps/iYiiVqCYHJekQqzv6
MarcG
If the experts doing the work told me they were going to build La Ronde #2 in my backyard, and even went so far as to show me mockups of it, I would assume they knew what they were talking about and believe them.
denpanosekai
greenwashing sickens me
Kate
Blork, how would the residents have known how close the highway was going to encroach, till it was at least partly completed? The visuals definitely imply more distance between the highway and the residential street, space which should have allowed for some greenery, if not a full park.
I remember the pitch at the time. Oh, you’ll hardly notice the highway’s there, the whole thing will be masked and softened by a green belt, don’t you worry.
What I’m curious about is how deliberately the transport ministry lied. Did they know they were manufacturing consent based on a total fabrication? Or was there an initial intention to deliver something like the sketches, which got left behind by budget or engineering requirements?
The footbridge across the Turcot between NDG and St-Henri is a similar promise. It was sold well, finally an easy way for people to get from one neighbourhood to the other on foot or bicycle, a reward for the years of hassle during construction. And then, nothing.
Kevin
It’s a huge difference between what was promised, but it looks better than what they had before.
The highway was already there, just slightly elevated. Now it looks like it’s a metre or two lower and about 3 metres further away.
But that little strip of dirt and the big wall? That’d be perfect for vines as long as you can get them established.Blork
That’s a good point about lying. But I don’t think it would have been difficult to see through the lie. After all, they’re replacing a gigantic highway with another gigantic highway in the same location. There are buildings on the other side of the highway, so obviously it was not going to move in that direction. Anyone living there should have been able to figure out that the replacement highway would be in the exact same place as the old one because there is literally no place else for it to go. They did gain about 10 metres (looking at Streetview). I suppose that could have been made grassy instead of just widening the street (seriously why did they widen the street?) and of course there should have been consultation about that.
It would be interesting to know more about what promises were made about the green space. Is this all based on some not-very-clear artist’s renditions? Or was there specific information about how this magical green space was going to come about? I’m speculating, but I’m guessing it started out as magical thinking by the ministry, which the residents accepted without question because of their own magical thinking, and at some point the people building it realized it was impossible but nobody wanted to be the one to burst the bubble so nobody said anything, they just built it the fast and cheap way because that’s what the bosses wanted.
The footbridge is definitely something to get angry about because that’s a specific and plausible thing that was promised and didn’t appear. I suspect this magical park was more along the lines of someone saying “it will be pretty” and then it turns out to be not so pretty.
-
Kate
A young woman died in a fire overnight in a row of small buildings that will be familiar to anyone who’s waited for a bus at Rosemont metro station. Four others were injured. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Meezly
I just learned she was the daughter of a former work colleague. Heartbroken.
Kate
There’s a little more about the fire Wednesday. Sounds like it was not arson, but the landlord is quick to wash his hands of not equipping the apartment with a smoke detector.
david844 00:40 on 2020-10-28 Permalink
While this is clearly a payoff, I would like to think that it at least partially goes back to my biggest gripe about PM: no shovel ready projects for the feds (or even the province) to dump money into.
By now, the pink line should be something they can take right off the shelf, like Vancouver’s skytrain extension and Toronto’s downtown subway train plan. But of course we’re nowhere near. Same as on every other file.
The feds can’t fund your big projects if you don’t have the papers ready for them.
Kate 08:08 on 2020-10-28 Permalink
david, you’ll see that the CTV article specifically mentions buying existing properties, not building new ones. The money could go into renovating buildings like the one at 7290 Hutchison, to make them into residential units.
Joey 08:39 on 2020-10-28 Permalink
Even if the city had a shovel-ready version of the pink Line for the feds to fund, there is *no* way that would happen unless the province were activley on boardl. If Ottawa showed up and said they would fund 100% of construction costs and only needed the province’s agreement to proceed and to fund operations going forward it *still* would be a long shot because (a) the current provincial gov’t would rather extend highways and the REM into the suburbs than fund badly-needed transit in Montreal, which they clearly don’t give two bits about and which (terribly) serves their political purposes better by rotting than by improving, (b) federal intrusion into provincial planning and decision-making is off-putting and any particular file becomes a proxy for Quebec being able to stand up to the feds, regardless of the merit of the idea, and (c) they do not want to spend money on the pink line up front or down the road, even if it’s built as a gift.
I suppose you can blame PM for pushing a major commitment like the pink line when they had no chance of actually implementing it, but I think that’s severe – this is about as far as a municipal party can go in promoting a huge infrastructure idea.
paul 10:44 on 2020-10-28 Permalink
PM should have invested the money to perform the study that outlined the cost and actions required to execute the Pink Line…a study like this would have ran between $20-40M, but at least there would be a tangible starting point for funding requests.
Joey 15:32 on 2020-10-28 Permalink
@paul FYI: https://journalmetro.com/actualites/montreal/2525834/bureau-de-la-ligne-rose-sept-etudes-en-cours-a-la-ville-de-montreal/
david400 20:54 on 2020-10-28 Permalink
^ Wow, I did not know this.