Montreal City Weblog

Updates from December, 2020 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• Kate 19:15 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  Although the city claims it got the approval of the Resilience Centre – the day centre next to Cabot Square – over building a skating rink in the square, Nakuset says they got no such thing. I have no idea what they’re drinking at city hall, but Nathalie Goulet, who has the homelessness dossier, says “C’est une activité […] qui est rassembleuse et qui permet de créer des liens entre les personnes qui utilisent ce parc.”

  I’m trying to figure out how the homeless who hang out there are supposed to make connections with people who come to skate. Is someone going to give them skates, or skating lessons? Do they want these things? It isn’t the first time a city authority has been quoted saying something like this, and it still makes no sense.

  I would actually rather some honest official could say something like: “To keep the condo developers happy we’ve got to move the itinerants out, and this is a way of beginning the process while looking like we’re doing something nice and fun. Now fuck off.”

  Kate and David86 are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • David86 20:31 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    It’s less the developers and more the residents.

  • Kate 12:53 on 2020-12-28 Permalink

    There aren’t any residents yet.

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• Kate 17:59 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  In an echo of Gilbert Rozon’s acquittal earlier this week, TV vedette Éric Salvail has also been found not guilty of sex related charges from incidents decades ago. A deputy chief prosecutor warns against seeing these acquittals as signifying the judiciary is taking a harder line against accusers in sexual assault cases.

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  • Brett 18:07 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    The metoo mouvement is collapsing like a house of cards

  • MarcG 18:28 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Hi Brett. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard all day, thanks!

  • Blork 19:03 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Both of these cases were pretty hard to try, as they both involved incidents that went back decades and essentially boiled down to “he said/she said” (or in the case of Salvail, “he said/he said”). Cases like that are essentially unwinnable.

    It’s worth noting that both of these characters are now widely known to be creeps and predators, and both of their careers are in the toilet, likely permanently. So if the prosecution went into these cases knowing they are unwinnable but with the objective of exposing these guys for who they are and taking them out of the industry, then both trials were a success.

  • Jack 19:13 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    I hope your right but Rozon already was convicted of sexual assault in 1998.

  • GC 19:26 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Some of these cases might not even have come to trial, pre-metoo.

  • steph 21:12 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    These cases making it to trial is a step forward. There’s still progress to come, and these judiciary defeats should not be taken as a loss.

  • Kate 00:17 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Stéphane Giroux of CTV tweeted just now: “Je passe beaucoup de temps au palais de justice. Des condamnations pour agressions sexuelles, il y en a plusieurs fois par semaine. C’est juste qu’ils ne sont pas des vedettes.”

• Kate 17:51 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  A city planning expert writes a Le Devoir op-ed on how Montreal deserves better than the east‑end REM. Marie Massicotte foresees the intrusion of an elevated train that will break up the city rather the way the Met did, half a century ago.

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  • DeWolf 19:14 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    I’m disappointed that the main focus of criticism on the REM de l’Est has been the fact that it would be elevated, not its lack of integration into any sort of regional transit planning or the usual issues with how the CDPQ operates. The idea that an elevated railway will serve as a barrier like a noisy six-lane expressway surrounded by another six lanes of collector traffic is just ludicrous.

    Being elevated is really the least problematic part of this project. There are literally dozens of examples of elevated railways around the world—in London, Paris, Tokyo and other cities—that are perfectly well integrated into their surrounding environment. They even make for a more interesting city, because the sheltered space underneath the tracks is used for playgrounds, markets, shops and so forth. It’s not like we’re talking about a steam train belching out smoke here.

  • Kate 19:28 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    To be fair, it was I who made the comparison with the Met. Mme Massicotte doesn’t mention it, but she thinks even the widening of Dorchester/René-Lévesque created an urban barrier.

    DeWolf, you’ve seen more cities than I have, and I’ll have to take your word that some things thrive under elevated tracks, because my reference points (Chicago, New York, Dublin and London, besides Montreal) have never led me to believe that flyovers do anything but cause a break in the urban rhythm at best, and potentially add dark holes and hazardous locations to a neighbourhood.

  • DeWolf 20:35 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Elevated structures are by nature permeable, so whether they act as a barrier or not depends a lot on how they are integrated into their surroundings. I’d argue that René-Lévesque in its current form is way more of a barrier than any elevated structure built on top of it. If you replaced half the roadway with an elevated railway under which you put basketball courts, plazas and space for all-weather events, you’d be doing a lot to reduce that barrier. If you put the railway in the median and maintain eight lanes of traffic you aren’t really doing anything to improve the situation.

    I think the Notre-Dame viaduct just east of Old Montreal is a good example of an elevated structure that is attractive, even charming, because it’s very light on its feet.

    I’m not defending the REM, but I am defending elevated railways as things that aren’t inherently ugly or disruptive.

  • Max 21:49 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    An editorial piece on the topic from yesterday’s Globe and Mail.

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-what-the-rest-of-canada-should-learn-from-montreals-remarkable-transit/

    No question the whole project’s going to work out very weird in the end thanks to the CDP’s “for profit” motivation vs the customary “for the public good” thinking that usually drives mass-transit projects.

    I guess we’ll see in ten or twenty years. Personally, I can’t wait to ride those shiny new trains. No matter where they choose to plant those columns.

  • Poutine Pundit 21:55 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Agree that integration into existing transit it needed, particularly downtown.

    It would make more sense for the REM to go along Viger instead of René Levesque, which would allow for direct connections to a few stops on the orange line. René Levesque won’t allow for any direct connections to the metro. I’m not sure what motivated that choice.

    It would also make more sense to keep it going across downtown, along the train tracks to NDG, to Loyola, and over to Lachine. Anyone who has regularly used the crowded 105 along Sherbrooke in NDG realizes the West End deserves a more reliable form of public transportation and has the density to support it.

  • dhomas 02:18 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    “The West End deserves a more reliable form of public transportation and has the density to support it.” I don’t think this is a problem the CDPQ wants to solve. In fact, it’s likely a hindrance more than anything. They want their stations to be nowhere near density so they can build up around them with their real estate arm.

    What I don’t understand is why they need another system at all. The Green line already goes pretty far East and already clears the major hurdle that is the 25. Just continue eastward from H-B towards PAT.

  • Ant6n 05:41 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    It’s funny how from the outside, the disconnected micro metro, which makes a real mess of Downtown to keep it cheap, is about thinking big.

    I’d say the best downtown connection would be to stay in the 720 median, connect at chanps des mars, then a tunnel to to lucien l’allier under rene levesque.

  • qatzelok 13:55 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Another option, from gare Centrale, is to reconfigure the ville-marie tunnel and 720 to accept the rem, then continue the tunnel east to Dickson where it could pop up in an industrial area.

    A raised structure on R-L and Notre Dame is like the brutally anti-urban ideas from the 50s. Jane Jacobs will come back from the grave to knock it down.

  • mare 15:57 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Just like the current future REM it looks like this is already decided, and there won’t be a democratic or expert consultation. They have to do the required BAPE but the results will be ignored. The empty land to develop around the future stations is acquired, the right of way along the tracks will be handed over “from government to governmental institution” and the result will be terrible for the next 50 to 100 years. And all because the boomers’ pensions don’t yield enough on the stock market.
    (Sorry, I’m very cynical about all things REM .)

  • ant6n 16:57 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    qatzelok, I had actually proposed using the ville-marie for Transit back in 2016 at the OCPM (The Montreal BAPE) for downtown, see page 12/13: https://ocpm.qc.ca/sites/ocpm.qc.ca/files/pdf/P-83/7.39_anton_dubrau.pdf

    I think it could perhaps be a very cheap way to have an east-west rail tunnel connection close to downtown, but the turns South of Gare Centrale are a bit problematic: it turns away from where you wanna go, and the turns are fairly both in the horizontal and vertical direction.

• Kate 16:28 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  Even though the main suspect has turned himself in, police are still seeking two more suspects in the north end dépanneur killing in early November.

   

• Kate 16:18 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  Ten hospitals in Quebec are near capacity with Covid patients. There are more than a thousand people currently hospitalized with the virus and a recent study shows that a Covid patient has an average stay of 17 days. The upshot is: don’t go to the ER with anything else if you can possibly avoid it.

  Rima Elkouri tells the story of a doctor who caught Covid while bringing help to one of the west-end CHSLDs that’s been so afflicted.

  Ephraim, Kate, and Douglas are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Douglas 00:56 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Too bad.

    Quebec locked everyone in their homes so they will go to each other’s houses and party.

    In Florida only 5% of cases can be tracked back to bars and restaurants.

    Would have been smarter to keep bars and restaurants open while banning house parties. People would have gone out to relieve the pressure.

    Now Quebec is too cowardly to reverse course.

  • Kate 10:50 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Douglas, you really are outstandingly obtuse about the pandemic.

    The government can control bars and restaurants, which essentially exist at its bidding because of liquor licensing and occupation permits. It has much less control over what people do in private houses. And it’s not fair to expect wait staff to put themselves at risk so people can eat and drink in public. Medical staff have to do that as part of their jobs but you can’t expect a waiter to do it. It’s something we can easily pass on for now if we act responsibly.

    Given the Covid numbers in Florida, they are no sort of situation to hold up as an example.

  • Ephraim 17:27 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Not to mention that the number of WALLS in a bar or restaurant in Florida aren’t the same as here, with a lot more bars and restaurants having open/outdoor space.

    There are a WHOLE lot of other reasons that things are different, starting from the fact that Americans, lack universal healthcare. Just that makes their numbers incomparable to any country that does have universal healthcare, because people are a lot more reluctant to seek out healthcare when they can’t afford it. They also, lacking any help, go to work SICK. Not to mention that their governor and their president has suggested to them that they shouldn’t wear masks. And that Florida has more solitudes than we even have here…. not just the Liberal versus Conservative/Church, but also the Cuban community, the elderly community, etc.

    So, let’s look at the statistics for a minute. We had 2038 case yesterday on a population of 8.5M people or 239 cases per million. Florida has 13,019 cases two days ago with 21.5M people or 605 cases per million.

    And couple this with reports that the government in Florida has been fudging the numbers. https://www.wfla.com/community/health/coronavirus/covid-19-death-toll-could-be-higher-than-floridas-data-shows-cdc-says/

    So basically… Florida statistics are bad. They are reportedly being underreported and manipulated. Restaurants and Bars often have outdoor spaces. Even with the underreporting and manipulation, they have an infection rate of 2.5X the rate in Quebec. And the lack of universal healthcare, no paid-leave, minimum wages that often don’t cover living expenses, etc. Basically their numbers are shit, their system is shit, their ability to handle a healthcare crisis is shit, their are countless people running around without masks claiming it’s their liberty, religious exemption, etc.

• Kate 15:45 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  People are dumping way too much junk into charity bins around town. I’m not quite grasping why the pandemic has made this problem so much worse – is it that people are spending more time at home, and doing more to make their living spaces more pleasant?

  dhomas, MarcG, and GC are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • MarcG 16:07 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    I remember hearing about this problem in the spring. My brother and his wife had a room in their house filled with stuff they’ve been meaning to sort through forever but never had the time for… but they finally did since there wasn’t much else to do.

  • GC 19:33 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    I also sorted through some boxes that I’ve been meaning to do for years. It’s not just about making the living space more pleasant, but also just having more time at home to use for the process.

    I’ve been trying to properly dispose of things, however. Some furniture went on Freecycle. Not much has seemed like something a charity would want, so it’s just been trash. I’m all for donating what you can, but it is frustrating when people use charity bins like garbage cans.

  • dhomas 19:43 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    +1 for Freecycle. Just because I don’t use it anymore, doesn’t mean someone else can’t. I much prefer to give my stuff to someone who I know wants it and will use it rather than put it in with other crap where it could get bedbugs or go to waste some other way. It’s a little more work (and it annoys my wife because the stuff goes away piecemeal), but I really do not like wastefulness.

  • GC 12:10 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Definitely, dhomas. There are things that I don’t necessarily think are worth enough money to try resell–or I can’t be bothered with the hassle–but if someone else comes and gets it and uses it that’s so much better than it going to a landfill.

  • MarcG 13:11 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    If you put things out on the curb for your garbage day a bit early you’ll often find takers. I was putting out an old table and chair in the spring and a guy actually pulled over in his car and said “is that garbage?” like I was a crazy person and starting loading it up. Anything with metal the scrappers will grab. I live on a busy street though so YMMV, and obviously it’s a bit more of a dice-roll than freecycle since it will just go to the landfill with the trash if nobody grabs it.

  • dhomas 05:57 on 2020-12-20 Permalink

    Some stuff I know scrappers will take and I leave it front for them. Anything metal, generally. And sometimes things I know people will take, as well. Like MarcG, I once put out a table and chairs (featuring Lightning McQueen!) that my kids had outgrown and someone took it as I was putting it outside! Other stuff needs a bit more time for the right person to find it and that’s when I use Freecycle, when I don’t think it’s worth my time to resell.

• Kate 15:27 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  

  Second pass on the weblog calendar. Changed the typography on the front, made a few corrections as suggested below.

  nino.jr: More legible? You’ll have to forgive me for the Eckmannpsych – I couldn’t resist.

  Later note: Replaced link to preliminary version with final version.

  Kate, Hervé, Simon, and 6 others are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • MarcG 15:35 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Is it intentional that the first quote is in bold while the others are not? Looks great btw, this is a fun tradition.

  • Kate 15:44 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    No. A mistake, now fixed. Thanks!

  • nino.jr 16:02 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Kate: Yeah, it looks fantastic, in my opinion 🙂

  • Mitch D. 18:53 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    This is amazing!

  • dwgs 20:01 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Very well done Kate. Again.

  • JaneyB 20:05 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    I love it. All those stairs!

  • Kate 20:53 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Thank you!!

  • ant6n 21:21 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    very nice

  • MarcG 17:21 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Is there an archive of previous calendars?

  • Simon 18:30 on 2020-12-19 Permalink

    Could you do an electonic calendar version, like an “.ical” so i could get trivias in my google calendar?
    thanks!

  • Hervé 07:18 on 2020-12-20 Permalink

    Très beau travail

  • Kate 13:33 on 2020-12-20 Permalink

    MarcG: I will link them all shortly.

    Simon, I’ve never done anything in .ical format, but if I find time over Christmas, I will try to figure it out.

    Merci, Hervé! Thanks, ant6n, JaneyB, Mitch D., dwgs and nino.jr !!

• Kate 11:56 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  Police are promising a new squad against traffic in firearms. But they already had the Quiétude team, mentioned in this piece from October; Toula Drimonis wrote a column discussing how such “squads” often end up doing little more than harassing Black men on no concrete evidence.

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  • Ephraim 13:42 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    Maybe instead of spending money on such nonsense, we should actually spend it on security and trackability of inquiries in their computer system. Racism training. And maybe looking at replacing some of their cars with electric cars. (Apparently in the US they have discovered that using Tesla Model 3s at police vehicles has a return so large in year 1 that the cars almost pay for themselves quickly (savings on maintenance, savings on gasoline, etc.)

  • dhomas 19:49 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    If the EVs pay for themselves in the US, imagine how much faster it would be here, given our ridiculously cheap hydro.

  • Ephraim 20:52 on 2020-12-18 Permalink

    I think it was Westport, the savings on the maintenance made up for it. And since they were electric, the police didn’t need to keep the car idling to run the computer. But the charge time would go up, so they would likely need the new level 3 chargers at the stations.

• Kate 11:41 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  Major renovations at city hall have been delayed at least six months by the pandemic, so the building is not likely to reopen before 2023.

   

• Kate 11:34 on 2020-12-18 Permalink | Reply  

  The Open Door refuge, now on Park Avenue, has had to close temporarily after a Covid outbreak among the staff and a problem with the sewers. It had recently become a 24-hour shelter in response to the cold snap.