Updates from January, 2024 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Kate 15:48 on 2024-01-26 Permalink | Reply  

    I went out to shop in Little Italy on Friday afternoon, but for some reason the 55 bus was packed to the doors – around 1 pm. I couldn’t figure it out. After my quick shopping excursion, the northbound bus was almost as bad. It wasn’t students, either – too early for them.

    I should have twigged. The orange line was down, twice in one day, and going by Twitter, it still is. The STM is running emergency buses, presumably along St‑Denis, but clearly a lot of people felt the 55 was a better bet.

    Update: Of course it eventually resumed, but not before creating some minor chaos.

     

    • Nicholas 18:52 on 2024-01-26 Permalink

      It was fixed, but it delayed again, now reprise graduelle.

    • Ian 18:57 on 2024-01-26 Permalink

      It sounds like the first one was pepper spray, any idea what the second incident was?

    • Kate 19:34 on 2024-01-26 Permalink

      Saw something about medical intervention, can’t find a link on that.

      Brief TVA item mentions “une intervention des services d’urgence.”

    • DeWolf 20:11 on 2024-01-26 Permalink

      New York and London both have screens at the entrance of metro stations that announce the current state of service on every line. I wish we had that here because it would have saved me a ticket this afternoon.

    • dwgs 22:15 on 2024-01-26 Permalink

      DeWolf, if you go through the turnstiles and then find that the line is down you can ask for a refund at the ticket booth.

    • DeWolf 21:03 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

      @dwgs I had no idea, thanks!

  • Kate 11:29 on 2024-01-26 Permalink | Reply  

    The STM’s first venture into real estate development, a multi‑purpose project near Frontenac metro that was announced in 2018, is being called a dud. Don’t be fooled by the picture – that complex hasn’t even been started on yet.

     

    • Kate 11:21 on 2024-01-26 Permalink | Reply  

      There was a flare of media and social interest Thursday night as Patrick Roy returned to Montreal at the helm of the Islanders, but his team lost 4‑3 to the Canadiens, denying him the triumph.

      Further news from that match: the Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher has been suspended for five games because of an illegal check to the head of the Islanders’ Adam Pelech.

       

      • Kate 11:02 on 2024-01-26 Permalink | Reply  

        Some Montreal high schools are opening on Saturdays to help students catch up from the downtime before Christmas.

         

        • Ian 19:09 on 2024-01-26 Permalink

          I do hope those teachers are getting paid for working the weekends…

        • Kate 23:10 on 2024-01-26 Permalink

          So do I. Some of them may need to recoup losses from strike days, too.

        • MarcG 11:01 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

          Another interesting take from Patrick Déry, this time on the strikes. https://www.quebecsplaining.ca/p/quebec-unions-strike-education-health-care

        • Ian 11:42 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

          It’s rather convoluted logic that ultimatley rests on the assumption that the CAQ would have been willing to go to arbitration without the threat of work stoppages, which they clearly were not. Those fat raises teachers are supposedly getting are barely cost of living raises, actually slightly below even projected inflation rates. I’m not sure where he’s getting 25% from, To the best of my understanding except for a few sectoral special cases like school psychologists, teachers are looking at roughly 18.7% in raises spread out over 5 years, taking compound interest into the calculation. Let’s not forget that the cops got over 20% raises over the duration of their new contracts and MNAs got 30% up front. Before the strikes, the CAQ was offering Front Commun workers 9% over 5 years.

          In any case faulting union members for exercising their right to strike if collective bargaining is not being respected is a classic angle for union-bashing. Sure, everyone suffers when there are public sector strikes, but what about the long-term devaluing of health and education, causing worker attrition? Are we not suffering from that as much as the short term pain of strike days, if not more? If our public systems are weakened slowly over time and we don’t think unions are a good idea, we are the frog that doesn’t realize it is being cooked because the temperature has gone up so slowly.

          When Legault played the “won’t someone think of the kids” card he was righfully mocked. Déry has picked a pathetic, played-out hill to die on with this “interestig take”.

        • MarcG 16:23 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

          Thanks for your thoughts, Ian. I should have mentioned that I have no idea what “arbitration” means. He presents it as simply another option equivalent to, and as easily done, as striking.

        • Tim S. 19:06 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

          Yeah, Déry’s blogpost was pretty sloppy with numbers. Rounding up 22 missed school days to 30 was an interesting move. And you know, it’s easy to grumble about unions striking, but in the end they’re settling for most of what they wanted to get at the beginning of the strike – in other words, if the CAQ had made pretty much the same offer in November, I suspect it would have been accepted and no one would have suffered from a strike ( for the Common Front at least – we’ll see about the FAE and nurses). The CAQ made everyone go through with this because they hoped people would turn against unions, and it looks like he bought it.

        • Ian 19:06 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

          Fair enough – essentially arbitration is just good-faith bargaining. Not to be confused with forced arbitration, which is when unions and employers are at an impasse and a third party is imposed upon them to force them to come to some kind of agreement.

          The CAQ likes to play st being the tough guy, but like most bullies, they cave when faced with real pressure.

      • Kate 10:54 on 2024-01-26 Permalink | Reply  

        Weekend notes from CityCrunch, Sarah’s Weekend List, CultMTL.

        Road closures of the weekend.

        Quotes of the moment from CultMTL.

         

        • Frank 09:29 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

          you should add the Main to your list.

        • Kate 12:24 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

          Throw me a link.

        • Ian 18:06 on 2024-01-27 Permalink

          I’m guesing Frank means these guys – https://www.themain.com/

          Pretty slick snagging that domin name!

      • Kate 10:32 on 2024-01-26 Permalink | Reply  

        A woman was found stabbed dead in a Pointe‑aux‑Trembles apartment Friday morning. CTV is cautious about mentioning a suspect but TVA says boldly that her partner has been arrested.

        Update: The husband has been charged with second degree murder. Also, Narjess Ben Yedder was pregnant.

         

        • Ian 19:02 on 2024-01-26 Permalink

          The partner is ALWAYS the first suspect. Sadly, it’s often a correct suspicion.

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