Giant ring to float over downtown
Claude Cormier, who dreamed up the baubles that floated over the Village for several summers, has come up with a new project for downtown Montreal: a giant ring to float near Place Ville-Marie.
-
Kate
Reply
SANTÉ QUÉBEC COVID NUMBERS
Deaths in Quebec:
20,034
As of May 15
Numbers from Santé Québec
Updated irregularly now
Canada Covid epidemiology update
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Ian on Anglicisms and vulgarity on the radio
- Major Annoyance on Body forgotten in Vic ER
- Kate on Anglicisms and vulgarity on the radio
- Meezly on Body forgotten in Vic ER
- EmilyG on Man walks end to end of island of Montreal
- MarcG on Body forgotten in Vic ER
- Ian on Anglicisms and vulgarity on the radio
☠️
INCIDENT TOTE BOARD 2024
Island homicides
11
Pedestrians killed
5
Cyclists killed
0
Pages
Other levels of gov’t
Sideblog projects
Enviro Montreal is a Twitter feed that follows environment news.
Archives
Pages rescued from montreal.com
Meta
Bill Binns 12:02 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
Anybody know how much we paid him for his totally original idea to hang decorations over a city street?
dhomas 13:08 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
I looked into it and couldn’t find out how much the pink balls in the village had cost the city. I did find that they helped revitalize the neighbourhood and were credited with “de nombreuses retombées … une augmentation de l’achalandage et du chiffre d’affaires des commerçants, diversifiant l’offre commerciale et la clientèle”. The city also sold the balls presumably for over $300k (180,000 balls, sold in packs of 54 for 100$ per pack). If you really want to know how much we paid, you could probably open an access to information request.
However, I’m not really sure how it’s pertinent to this story. His firm has been hired by a private company (though with some public ties, being part of the CDPQ), so “we” won’t be paying anything for this next project.
DeWolf 13:21 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
Bill is right. The only thing above our streets should be green highway signs and billboards!
Bill Binns 14:04 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
I live here. The neighborhood or even the particular stretch of St Cat that was covered by balls are far from “revitalized”. Every third storefront is vacant (since long before Covid) and the entire neighborhood would be ground zero for stabbings if Hochelaga wasn’t constantly claiming the crown.
The uniformed security guards that the McDonald’s, National Bank, Pharmaprix and Jean Coutu on St Cat was forced to hire to protect it’s employees and customers did more to clean up the neighborhood than anything the city has done. Not to mention the private army of bullet proof vest and earpiece wearing guards that Place Dupuis employs.
Kate 15:03 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
I would’ve thought closing the street to motor traffic in the summer was the main thing – the baubles mainly serving to brighten up the atmosphere when the street’s closed.
Bill Binns, I’m rarely one to say things on the “love it or leave it” theme, but surely you could find a Montreal neighbourhood to live in that’s less edgy?
dhomas 19:55 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
I refrained from saying it in my first post as I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but it sounded like Bill had a bone to pick. The pink balls didn’t make your neighbourhood shitty, Bill. To be honest, I’m not even sure it’s all that bad. You’re just too close to it, so you notice the bad stuff more than you do the good. There must be some good, or you wouldn’t stay there, right?
Mark Côté 12:03 on 2020-12-09 Permalink
In his defence I believe he said a few weeks ago that he’s looking to move…
Kate 12:05 on 2020-12-09 Permalink
Too bad I missed that. A really sweet duplex was up for sale on my block recently after the owner died, but it’s been sold.