Peter Sergakis says city taxes are too high for his bars to profit.
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Kate
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Kate
A TikTok video showing young men scaling the tower of the Samuel‑de‑Champlain Bridge has apparently been taken down, although the CTV link shows some of it, and TVA has some stills. TVA mentions the death of a young French urbex guy in Hong Kong, and CTV cites the fatal plunge of a young Polish daredevil in Toronto, both last year.
Tux
You ask me, this new breed of tiktok subscriber seeking “urban explorer” aren’t of my cohort.
Ian
They have more in common with the skyscraper thrillseeker types than old school urbex explorer-photographers
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Kate
Québec solidaire wants the government to support a plan to preserve French in Montreal. Ruba Ghazal’s idea is that people would have obligatory French lessons at work – and that businesses would have to pay for them.
carswell
What’s next? Reeducation camps?
Ian
Oh no, free language classes for employees.
How is this not a net win?I just hope it’s not considered a taxable benefit.
JP
I feel like I’m pretty good in French.
I have enough to do at work to keep me very busy with a lot of deadlines and stress. Personally, I don’t welcome this intrusion. Even if the classes are during work time, the volume of work I have and my deadlines won’t change. I’ll just end up having to do more work during the evenings and weekends than I already do.carswell
Wouldn’t this push employers to save money by giving preference to francophone hires instead of non-franco ones? If so, would that be an unintended consequence or part of a larger de-allo/anglicization effort?
Kate
It raises the question of testing. Would only immigrants have to take the lessons or would others as well, and how do you decide which employees need the remedial French?
I’ve worked in places where my written French was more correct, grammatically, than that of Québécois colleagues, even if I reveal myself as an anglo when I speak. How do you sort that out?
carswell
Also, the details of the implementation are scarce. Who’s going to have to take these courses? Everyone or just people who aren’t fluently bilingual? Who aren’t functionally bilingual? How will that be determined? Testing? Can employees stop taking courses at some point and, if so, when? How would a student’s level of proficiency be determined? Testing? Like the testing that’s worked out so well for nurses? How will this be enforced? More OQLF types poking their noses into other people’s businesses? Will they still object to the language police moniker? Will this cause companies, especially non-Quebec companies to think twice about setting up shop in the province?
(Just refreshed and read Kate’s reply but am posting anyway despite some overlap.)
Kevin
Nothing makes a language more relevant and engaging than by calling it a historical relic.
steph
Is this another model they “estimates the total combined cost for all businesses to comply with the regulation will be between $7 million and $15 million?”
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Kate
TVA looks at what it calls the revival of Laurier West – the whole stretch between Côte‑Ste‑Catherine and St‑Laurent.
The writer claims that the only chains present are Première Moisson and Columbus Café, but what are the SAQ, Multimags, Toi Moi et Café and Mandy’s, if not chains? But it’s true, there are a lot of independents along the stretch as well.
jeather
I haven’t been there in a while because the last time I went it was empty and dismal, but it would be nice if it revived.
Ian
There are still lots of empty places but it doesn’t seem to be actively struggling to survive like it has been. The half finished hotel is a real eyesore, though.
Ian
ps. the banks, the dope store and the glasses store would count as chains too, I would imagine? I don’t know if Toi Moi & Café would count though as I believe thaat’s the original location, and just as much a part of theneighbourhood as Arahova is on Saint Viateur.
carswell
There’s also L’Occitane, Orangetheory Fitness, Provi-Soir, Memoria funeral salon, Proxim drug store and a couple of clothing boutiques (e.g. Billie le kid, La Canadienne). Even Dieu du ciel, with its pub in St-Jérôme, is now arguably a chain.
DeWolf
There are plenty of chains along there. Along with the ones Kate mentioned, there’s La Canadienne, Au Pain Doré, Fiorellino and Siboire, just off the top of my head. Renaud-Bray is on Park but it’s part of the Laurier ecosystem.
I’d love to see a bit of a refresh for the Mile End side of the street. It’s very wide and there’s a painted median. Imagine if that was an actual median with trees.
I went to Toi Moi et Café for the first time in many years and was pleased to see it hasn’t changed a bit.
There are lots of good watering holes along there. Pelican is a bit gentrified but it still has a dive bar atmosphere, and it still has regulars who have been going there since the days when it was the Taverne de la Veuve Wilson, aka La Wil. It was a hangout for hardcore indépendantistes (eg actual FLQ members) in the 60s. They’d probably be shocked at how anglo it is today.
Dieu du Ciel has always been one of my favourite spots and while the renovation is a bit controversial, it still feels the same, except a little more relaxed because there’s more space. And the beer is just as good as ever.
DeWolf
We must have been writing our comments at the same time! There’s also Première Moisson.
I would argue that DDC isn’t a chain because its St-Jérôme location is mainly a production brewery that produces cans for the retail market, and it still brews a lot of beer on Laurier Street. So its second location is more of a natural outflow of the original rather than a replication.
Siboire, on the other hand, definitely has chain vibes. It has two locations in Sherbrooke, another on the way in Quebec City, and the vibe is a bit more corporate: you can tell everything is standardized and vetted by some sort of marketing team.
Ian
As much as Toi, Moi is, sure. I didn’t realize the gym was a chain. I still miss the bostok and abricotines at Gascogne – which was also a chain, to be fair.
That said the storefront that used to be Laurier BBQ is empty again, the former sushi place next to the Pelican is still empty, the place that was Mikado is still empty, the old Glatt butcher/ boutique hotel is still “under construciton”, there’s some kid’s clothing stores further west that have been empty for almost 20 years now …
That said I think that somehow the BMO moving to the corner of Parc really helped anchor that intersection, and the SQDC is a great fit for across the street form the park. Where Parc still seems to be perpetually struggling, Laurier has an air of having come through the worst of it. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but it seems like a neighbourhood in flux rather than on the brink of decline. I haven’t lived right on Laurier for over 10 years now but it’s still part of my immediate neighbourhood and I’ve seen its ups and downs first hand. Especially west of Jeanne-Mance it used to feel like a fussy street meant to cater to Outremont residents whose glory had faded – but it feels much more in-the-present now.
carswell
Haven’t spent time in St-Jérôme in years, DeWolf, so I’ll take your word for it while also noting that the DdC website makes it seem pretty pub-like, with an extensive food and beer menu, leather banquettes (to go by the pic) and talk about group reservations. https://dieuduciel.com/pub-stjerome/
Agree about Siboire, though it’s technically on Laurier Est.
Ian
Siboire’s address is on St Larry, not Laurier – as long as we’re being technical.
DeWolf
@carswell Yes, to be clear there’s always been a brewpub there, ever since they opened the production brewery. And the rebranding/renovation of recent years makes the whole business feel a little more corporate even if there’s been no change of ownership. But the St-Jérôme pub wasn’t opened as a branch so much as an adjunct to the production brewery.
I’m probably just splitting hairs.
Meezly
Thanks for that tidbit of history about the Pelican location, @DeWolf.
The Avenue SDC Laurier West merchant association has probably helped in the revival. It’s a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote Avenue Laurier West as a commercial destination. They also organize cultural events – I wanted to check out the Christmas festivities in December, but didn’t make it.
Ian
Whn it was still L’Autre Bar it was still very French, and a LOT more of those guys hung out there.
I’m just glad the owners of the Pelican got rid of the VLTs. Those things ruin any vibe.DeWolf
@Meezly, I went to their little Christmas shindig in front of the church and Engels & Völkers was giving out free sausages and baguettes, and DDC had a bar that was handing out free marshmallows for roasting over bonfires. It was a good time.
@Ian Yes, there are tons of good dive bars in this city that are ruined by VLTs. It always adds a sad edge to what could otherwise be a nice chill spot.
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Kate
A section of the Olympic park has been fenced off since 2021 because of a risk of collapse down into a parking garage. Repairs are pending.
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Kate
Seeing various reports about how the American government is worried about the new language law. Maybe they can come pour some tea into the river, seems to have worked for them.
H. John
La Presse had that Canadian Press article the day before.
And CBC shows what the regulations would mean:
Ephraim
I would be worried more about how silly the law is. So the word Entrepot has to be TWICE the size as the word Costco. Can you imagine how large it’s going to have to be for Canadian Tire?
And seriously, how busy are we going to be with giant signs all over the place that says MAGASIN and RESTAURANT all over the place. So a sign that is 2 metres high and 4 metres wide is going to have to have a sign that is 4 m by 8 m saying “MAGASIN”?
Ian
I envision a lot of tarped-over signs while the court cases are heard.
Or they could just roll with it like PFK, who internationalized even before bill 101.
The argument that people don’t know what a store is without a French declaration twice as big as the name is pretty hilarious, though. Talk about feigning idiocy to win political points.
Ephraim
So, MartWal? CieCout? Pneus Canadien? Roi du Burger? Krème Kroustillante? Coquille? What they going to do with Esso…. Esault?
Kate
H. John, that bit of video is more satirical than the CBC usually allows itself to be – thank you.
No, Ephraim. Watch the video. Words like MAGASIN and QUINCAILLERIE will have to be twice as big as WALMART or HOME DEPOT. Tourists will be taking pictures to have a hoot about it.
Ephraim
I know Kate… it’s going to be shameful…. See above… 2mx4m signs for the company name with a 4mx8m sign for the word Magasin. It’s going to make the province look stupid. And if we didn’t have enough advertising noise… But if anyone doesn’t know what Starbucks is, the problem isn’t solved by writing CAFE twice the size of Starbucks. And of course, names are excluded, so Walmart might be excluded, but not Esso and Shell. Provigo and Maxi exempt but Metro and IGA… not exempted.
Ian
@Ephraim I think I want a “Krème Kroustillante” t-shirt 😀
Imagine going into a salad bar and being confused because each tray isn’t labelled. This is precisely the situation here – so incredibly daft you can’t tell a café from a quincallerie unless it has a 2x4m warning you in advance? Sheesh. Maybe somebody that wilfully daft shouldn’t be an elected leader as they are clearly a danger to themselves and others.
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Kate
Villeray is to be the first segment of its borough to get traffic‑calming measures, in particular to limit the effects the 40 has along its northern perimeter.
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Kate
The REM had problems Saturday because of ice falling from the Samuel‑de‑Champlain bridge.
Le Devoir talks to several frustrated users who are giving up on the REM and resuming use of their cars to get into town.
Ian
I remember when people were questioning whether the REM was the best design choice given our winters and the armchair engineers pooh-poohed those concerns.
Good thing our climate is such that we rarely get ice and snow I guess?
DisgruntledGoat
I’d be interested to know some statistics on total uptime % for the REM and how it compares with other LRT systems across a variety of climates.
carswell
How could this issue not have been foreseen?
Assuming CBC traffic reports were correct, both elevators at the Du Quartier station were out of service for days — days! — running. And, per Radio Canada, this fall there was at least one non-functional elevator in the system on 43 days.
What happens when both lifts — or even just one of them — at the Édouard-Montpetit station go on the fritz? Do they open the emergency staircases and force people to walk up/down 72 metres (the equivalent of 20 storeys per news reports)? Even the elderly, infirm, parents with buggies and small children, wheelchair users?! “That three-minute ride between EMP and McGill stations? Well, it’s more like 30 via the metro cause the lifts aren’t working. So sorry but enjoy the ride!”
Tim S.
@Disgruntled Goat: except the relevant comparison is with the old bus system.
Ian
Sure, but even the bus can still run if there’s 10 cm of snow. I have walked home from downtown in a snowstorm many times because the bus wasn’t coming – you can’t do that if you are stuck on a monorail platform in the midle of nowhere.
@carswell at least it’s not escalators, those things seem to be perpetually breaking down.
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Kate
A small office building in St‑Léonard was firebombed on Saturday night. None of the reports mention that the building (whose address is visible on the Radio‑Canada photo) contains the riding office of Filomena Rotiroti, Liberal MNA for Jeanne‑Mance‑Viger, although who knows whether this was the reason for the attack.
dhomas
According to Evalweb, the building is owned by Les Placements Port Maurice, whose shareholders are mafia lawyers Vincenzo and Carmine Mercadante as well as former judge Antonio Discepola. Mercadante also have their offices in the building. I would guess they are the likely targets. Then again, why a liberal MNA would share office space with mob connected lawyers is another question.
Ian
“Mob-connected lawyers” is a funny way to say lawyers, some of whose clients are known associates of organized crime. Mentioning that they have Italian last names then to note that a judge who happens to have an Italian last name is a business partner sounds almost like an implication based on a racial slur, and maybe even an implication that the MNA who also has an Italian last name is somehow mobbed up.
I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but you’re making a lot of assumptions based on shared ethnicity. Would you call someone who defended a client that was convicted of murder a “murderer lawyer”?
My nonna had a Sicilian last name. Am I a mafia professor?
Joey
In the time it took you to imply that dhomas is a bigot, you probably could have googled the lawyers’ names and seen how long they have been defending mobsters and their families.
Ian
That makes them lawyers, not mobsters. I stand by my initial statement.
It also doesn’t expalin away grouping the judge in there and by extension the MNA.Crazy news, Italian people often go to Italian lawyers, especially if they have worked with their families.
Would you call someone who defended a client that was convicted of murder a “murderer lawyer”?dhomas
So, full disclosure, I am 100% Italian by blood. I have Italian citizenship. I specifically chose language to not implicate anyone who has not already been named as being connected. Mercadante HAS been named. I suppose I should have provided sources for my claims, so here is one:
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/justice-et-affaires-criminelles/affaires-criminelles/201403/19/01-4749442-michel-bissonnet-a-ete-lassocie-dun-avocat-proche-de-la-mafia.phpI would have thought that Ms Rotiroti would have the good judgment to avoid being around these types of people specifically to avoid the types of implications Ian made reference to. I know I would.
Kate
This La Presse piece from almost ten years ago explains dhomas’s statement. The headline is about Michel Bissonnet, but most of the text describes the involvement of the Mercadante law practice with known mobsters.
Kate
Jinx, dhomas.
Jeanne-Mance-Viger was created for the 2003 election and so far has had two MNAs – Michel Bissonnet then Filomena Rotiroti. She may simply have taken over his office space.
dhomas
You are absolutely correct, Kate. Some online sleuthing shows that that office was indeed occupied by M. Bissonnet while he was MNA for that riding:
https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bissonnet-hon-michel-lld-jeanne-mance-viger-speaker-national-assemblyIan
So, are we to assume then that Discepola is a “mob judge” by association? That’s certainly what you all are implying here. Is Rotiroti a “mob MNA”?
Kate
Ian, who do you think is more likely to be attacked by arsonists? The MNA? Or the law practice?
dhomas
I said no such thing, Ian. Those assumptions are your own.
Ian
So you didn’t say “the building is owned by Les Placements Port Maurice, whose shareholders are mafia lawyers Vincenzo and Carmine Mercadante as well as former judge Antonio Discepola”? That sure sounds like you are tarring the judge with the same brush as your so-called “mob lawyers”. As an Italian I am frankly surprised that you are not more sensitive to this, but maybe you haven’t experienced the racism against Italians in the same way that the older Calabrese and Sicilian populations have. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and accept that this is not your intention, but imagine if you were talking about Jews, for instance. Minchia.
@Kate, I don’t know, and I don’t plan to make any assumptions, certainly not based on the last names of the people involved.
dhomas
I have most definitely felt some discrimination in my life based on my last name, though not nearly as much as my parents’ generation did. That said, I don’t think my statement implicated the judge in any way. The two lawyers are seemingly involved with the Mafia; a quick Google search corroborates this (their clients are people like the Rizzutos and the late Paolo Renda). The other shareholder is indeed a former judge. These are statements of fact. Anyone reading anything else into this is showing their own bias. The only “error” I made in my initial post was not giving sources for my statement that they are “mafia lawyers”; I didn’t make this up based on their last names, they have been reported on by the media.
I didn’t even know Ms Rotiroti was Italian before looking into it; it is not a very common Italian last name. In any case, my point was that she was probably NOT being targeted. Though, being Italian myself, I would probably distance myself from that office location to avoid being “tarred with the same brush”, if I were in her position.
Also, I don’t understand what parallels can be made with Jewish people in this situation. It’s a very odd thing to bring up.
walkerp
Oh please, they are so obviously mobbed up.
Nicholas 20:19 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
Maybe he should sell all his holdings and move away forever.
Ian 20:24 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
To be fair Sky rreally did revolutionize the gender exclusive clubs of the Village, but beyond that debt of gratitude, Sergakis is a cheap asshole who treats his tenants like shit.
Ephraim 20:51 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
I still can’t believe that anyone walks into any of his bars after he officially got caught under pouring…https://montreal.eater.com/2014/6/10/6209887/sting-uncovers-beer-scam-at-peter-sergakis-bars
steph 21:52 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
Why is he confounding property taxes and business taxes? How much of Sergakis’s holding are in property vs actual businesses?
Michael 09:25 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
He’s right that Montreal taxes the hell out of retail businesses and makes it hard for them to survive.
Property taxes for buildings that have businesses in them are taxed at 4x the residential rate. Those taxes are almost always passed on to the commercial tenant to pay.
Kate 10:12 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
Michael, the city is largely confined to raising money by means of property tax. What else can they do?
Tim 16:49 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
@Kate: the city can explore trimming expenses.
Ian 19:37 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
Well we ARE supposed to have a big, big conversation about defunding the police – but on the meantime, somebody has to pay for the clowns.
Michael 19:39 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
Police force is about 11% of Montreal’s budget, and every year it seems to go up, more police officers, more money. There seems to be nobody willing to do a hiring freeze of public servants.
Ian 20:29 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
Oh, didn’t you hear, Michael? According to Dagher there is actually a deficit of police, lol.
As the Law of Holes goes, “if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
Michael 21:37 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
NYPD is only about 5% of New york city’s budget and we know how crazy the Americans are with their police and more crime. Something is very wrong here in Montreal.
Tim S. 22:19 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
29% of NYC’s budget is for education and 19% for social services, which as far as I know are provincial responsibilities here. So it makes sense that the police are a smaller percentage of the budget in NYC if the city overall has more responsibilities.
https://www.ibo.nyc.ny.us/iboreports/understandingthebudget.pdf
jeather 12:18 on 2024-01-30 Permalink
I compared our police budget with those of Phoenix AZ (slightly smaller) and Houson TX (slightly larger), and the budgets are: 850M Cad, 900M USD, 1B USD, respectively. So I guess it is good we spend less than the US, but that’s not even a low bar.