It seems odd that it took the REM de l’Est project to convince Quebec that Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital should stay where it is and have $2.5 billion invested in upgrading and expanding it, rather than constructing a new facility from scratch in a different location. Could it have cost less to build a new hospital and demolish the old one, which was declared dangerously decrepit in 2016? Why is Quebec letting the REM make decisions like this?
(Here’s a small but instructive example why I do this blog. CBC and CTV both have reports on the proposed enlargement of the hospital but left out the interesting angle about the REM. Often the only way to understand what goes on around here is to read stories from as many sources as possible, because different media are bound to have different perspectives, and mention different details.)
I’d also note that a big point in the whole premise for building the MUHC and CHUM hospitals from scratch was that new buildings would be more environmentally sustainable, would have facilities suitable for modern technological medicine, would have better ventilation, and in general would be better suited to meeting current standards. Were those arguments valid, and if so, why wouldn’t they apply here as well?
PatrickC 18:49 on 2021-08-20 Permalink
Seeing the expression “sprucing up” highlighted in your post made me curious about where the phrase came from. Nothing to do with the tree, it turns out. Rather, it’s connected to an old English name for Prussia, which produced a leather used in purses considered elegant at the time. So the handbag obsession goes way back…
MarcG 19:43 on 2021-08-20 Permalink
Thanks PatrickC, that’s interesting. What did it say about Kate’s usage in the post title/sidebar ‘re-spruced’? 🙂
DeWolf 10:32 on 2021-08-21 Permalink
You can tell it was designed in the early 90s because the amount of space given over to cars is astonishing. The road that runs along the waterfront has been permanently pedestrianized for years but it’s still just an asphalt tarmac with no shade. Replacing it with nice paving stones and planting a couple of rows of trees would go a long way to making it a beautiful place to walk.
And then there’s the issue of the bike path that suddenly disappears between St-Laurent and the Bonsecours Market…
Orr 16:03 on 2021-08-24 Permalink
If they want to make the Old Port nicer and back to respecting the architectural scale and heritage of the jewel that is Old Montreal, they should get ride of the giant oversized ferris wheel eyesore.