Mayor concerned about Old Montreal
Mayor Plante is concerned about the atmosphere in Old Montreal these days, after a couple of mass gatherings and shootings.
I can just remember a time when Old Montreal was louche. There was at least one Fête Nationale thing that went over the top, down around St-Paul Street, as referenced in Les Blues de la métropole, but after that the area became stolidly respectable, a showplace for tourists and a residential area for people who can afford expensively converted condos in handsome old stone buildings.
It seems that without tourists it’s taking back its old vibe of a waterfront saloon quarter.
Update: the Old Port will be closed from midnight till 6 from now on.
Meezly 18:23 on 2021-06-02 Permalink
Nice analogy. Makes me picture our waterfront populated by desperate locals in lieu of rough n’ tumble dockworkers and salty sailor types, like a Last Exit to Old Port.
denpanosekai 23:56 on 2021-06-02 Permalink
I saw a ton of punk shows in Old Montreal! But I don’t necessarily want to go back to those days.
steph 05:31 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
FUCK normalizing cerfews. This is rediculous.
Kate 09:27 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
steph? Are you all right?
denpanosekai, I know. It’s still weird for me to think of tourists brunching at the Hotel Nelson where once we moshed.
steph 09:39 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
A cerfew for ‘sanitary crisis’ reasons that wasn’t based on science was a hard pill to swallow. Now they’re usimg it to avoid overflows. That’s not acceptable. It’s like the police forgot how to do their jobs and it’s easier to call impose a cerfew instead.
Chris 10:01 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
Hopefully someone will challenge this curfew thing. We’re supposed to have freedom of movement and assembly in this country. Temporary covid emergency was one thing, but we shouldn’t be reaching for this every time there’s a bump in crime.
Joey 10:32 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
Agreed 100% with Chris. Seems especially egregious that the federal government is acting without at least working with the municipal (and, I suppose, provincial) governments as well.
Kate 10:52 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
Parks have always had a closure time of midnight till 6. It’s posted in most of them, and understood generally to mean the police have a premise to move you along if you’re causing a disturbance in the wee hours.
The Old Port is simply invoking a similar measure for the area south of de la Commune.
I don’t find it unreasonable and it isn’t a curfew, it’s just a limit.
Blork 12:18 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
As Kate says, many (most? all?) parks are already closed between midnight and 6AM, so this is not something new. And it only applies to the area “south” (which is actually east) of de la Commune, which is the park/tourist trap area along the water. (I.e., the “old port” which is not the same as “Old Montreal” … yes, some people still don’t know the difference).
I’m not crazy about such closures either, but file this under “this is why we can’t have nice things” while holding up pictures of street gang and mafia thugs waving their guns around.
Kate 15:00 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
Right, Blork. A lot of folks have taken to referring to the whole Old Montreal area breezily as “the old port” in recent years. This new rule only applies to the area between de la Commune and the river, which is mostly federal land. The feds can’t shut down the rest of Old Montreal after midnight.
p.s. Blork, we both know that’s south, don’t confuse us with facts.
steph 15:07 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
okokok, i’ll calm my nerves – I imagined it was the whole Old Montreal.
Ant6n 16:39 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
Closing public parks at night is kind of ridiculous. What’s next, asking a fee to be allowed the commons (i.e. our natural heritage)?
fvr.mtl 16:57 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
@denpanosekai @kate
https://www.arcmtl.org/en/images/77-mtl-exhibit/
Kate 18:29 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
Nice collection, fvr.mtl!
Ant6n, maybe there’s an argument, but the midnight-till-6 thing isn’t new.
Nicole 18:35 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
I don’t love the imposition of a curfew either. But some of the people complaining are talking like the pandemic is over. It’s not.
MarcG 19:22 on 2021-06-03 Permalink
@kvr.mtl: La Brique! That’s wild stuff, thanks.
Uatu 00:20 on 2021-06-04 Permalink
@fvr.mtl- thanks for the memories… Station 10, Genetic Control…sigh. I’m old