The Grand Prix is expected back next summer, although I still feel a tad superstitious about making firm statements about plans that assume the end of the pandemic.
Updates from November, 2021 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
Urbania has an ode to the Tempo, that suburban species which will be blossoming in some parts of town about now.
Ian
Not exactly suburban, they are all throughout Parc Ex (for one). By contrast they are banned in many clearly suburban places such as Kirkland and Pointe-Claire.
MarcG
Yeah you see them anywhere people have driveways and they aren’t banned – quite a few in the back alleys of Verdun. I’d like to see stats that show the correlation between car ownership and hatred of snow.
MarcG
Correction: you don’t need to own a car. I’ve had to use Communauto in the winter a lot the past few years and it even had me waking up to a beautiful snowfall saying “ugh”.
Ian
In my part of town they are illegal for residences (moot since nobody has driveways) but if you are disabled you can get a permit to put one up over your stairs.
walkerp
Why are they banned? Is it just for aesthetic reasons?
Cars are stupid and should all be banned, but I get why if you had one here, you would want to keep it under a tempo in the winter.Kate
It’s just aesthetics, walkerp.
Blork
I’m not sure what the point of the ban is. Everything looks like crap in the winter anyways, so what’s the big deal if someone has a tempo in their driveway? (I don’t have one, but it’s because we have a car port plus I’m lazy AF and I’d rather nail my head to the floor than have to deal with putting that thing up every winter and taking it down in spring.)
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Kate
Le Devoir asks how easy it is to get a handgun in Montreal and the answer is: very, if you know somebody. The long, porous border with the United States means arms can be brought across in many unsurveilled locations. Sometimes traffickers are even caught.
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Kate
Radio-Canada reports on how some aspects of the restaurant world are changing with the pandemic, but also with technology. The impression here is that owners want to find ways to abolish the role of the waiter entirely.
In another example of changing traditions, Eater reported on a resto in Outremont that avoids the no-show problem by making people pay up front.
And the Journal reports on a restaurateur in Tremblant who has bought a house where she plans to offer rooms to her workers as part of their remuneration.
Faiz Imam 20:40 on 2021-11-20 Permalink
F1 is at the end of a full 23 race calendar, almost all of it with full crowds.
We know from hundreds of examples in dozens of sports and concerts that large outdoor events have very little risk of covid. This is an airborne illness and the culprit is gathings in small poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
I watch quite a bit of F1, and they are very serious about enforcing mask wearing in all indoor spaces.
As long as our mask and vaccine mandates for indoor spaces around the city are maintained, I don’t see the problem hosting large events.
Bert 08:42 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
Faiz, that isn’t quite correct. In the garages, in the paddock, yes, masks are everywhere. But once in the teams hospitality it seems to be open season. Basically put a cup of coffee in front of you, no mask.
Add to that that there are two regulating entities here. The FIA and FOM manage the regulations in the pits, while it is whatever government body that regulates the crowds. Of course the stands are open-air and places like the Paddock Club and the various VIP areas can be naturally ventilated.
Of course there is little to no interaction between the “regular” fan and the F1 circus.
I think global sports have managed this well and have worked with whatever governments as required. But there if there is a ray of sunshine, as Ted noted, Moko is back in the paddock.
Mr.Chinaski 13:02 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
Kate, you really got to start getting a little less covid anxious, it’s going to be a long hard road but it’s inevitable… Everybody has proven that outside events are OK (ex: 2460 baseball games, NCAA football, thousands of outside events with 10000+ people attending, etc..)
Kate 14:56 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
Mr.Chinaski, as hinted above, the Grand Prix is not just a car race, but a big sex-and-drugs-fuelled social occasion. In any case, I’m not personally anxious, I’m cautious, and that’s different. Numbers are rising again in Europe. This is not over.
Max 15:16 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
I understand outdoor spread isn’t much of a thing, but I’m not yet at the point where I’d be comfortable rubbing shoulders with strangers for 2+ hours. Particularly not in a drinking / cheering / partying environment. It’s one thing to hang around the edges of a festival, but the Grand Prix is a total crowd scene. No thanks.
Bert 17:35 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
Sorry Kate, but where does either my or Faiz’s or your original post touch on the Grand Prix being “sex-and-drugs-fuelled social occasion”? You asked about C-19, the replies were to C-19.
I am not trying to deny that the sex trade, indulgence trade, etc. thing goes on, including the non-consensual / forced / illegal sort of thing. But I don’t understand your change of track.
I agree with Max, I too have little to no interest in being in a crowd, not just for C-19 reasons, just that I am a happy loner. Note that; however I have been to the GP, all 3 days, 3-4 times.
Kate 17:45 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
Bert, I was riffing on “But once in the teams hospitality it seems to be open season.”
CE 18:58 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
There hasn’t been much I’ve enjoyed about this pandemic but two years without a Grand Prix was definitely one.
Bert 20:15 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
Kate… WOW! Are you implying that teams are participating in the sex-slavery trade? I think it was clear that my reference was to C-19 mask wearing.
You know that sarcasm is very difficult to convey by text.
MarcG 21:26 on 2021-11-21 Permalink
Just voicing my opinion for the 3rd year in a row that the Grand Prix is the worst thing about this city. If they want to do it they should be forced to do it indoors and either convert the CO2 emissions themselves or choke on em.