Mario Girard is not impressed by the Centre des mémoires montréalaises.
Updates from May, 2025 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
Although some towns do it, Montreal is not about to embark on charging residents based on the amount of garbage they put out for pickup.
Ian
I’m surprised given this is pecusely the kind of greenwashed money grab that seems be popular with city admin. These mountain pistes won’t pay for themselves y’know.
Kate
In a suburb like Beaconsfield, where they do this, it’s pretty clear where each individual house is putting out its garbage. In town, who knows which household put out which bag or can? Would everyone need a bin with a chip and every truck be equipped with a scale and a reader? Madness!
walkerp
Lots of ways it could work in the city. Each household gets specially marked bags or stickers per month. Only these bags are picked up. You want more, you have to buy them.
It won’t be perfect, but done properly could still see a significant movement of organic waste to the compost bins (which would remain free).jeather
Surely no one would just put out regular trash in regular bags and just leave them until someone else deals with it.
walkerp
Ah the smugness and ease of poking holes in a solution via exception instead of actually looking for a solution.
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Kate
A customer at a Lasalle store noticed he had been charged for a charity donation on his grocery receipt, and found others to whom the same had happened, without any verbal request from the store. A mistake! cries Loblaws.
Does anyone believe these amounts are turned over to a charity? But I bet they add up, over time.
CE
I imagine they’re turned over to charity but with the intent of lowering their tax bill at our expense.
DeWolf
Exactly. They’re passing along your money so they can claim your tax credit without actually spending a dime on charity themselves.
Lately I noticed the self checkout machines at Pharmaprix are suggesting a $5 or $10 donation instead of $1 or $2.
Nicholas
Stores absolutely cannot claim customer (or employee) donations as a charitable donation. Only the true donor can claim the donation: see this page, and specifically example #3 in the infochart, from the CRA.
As well, they must turn it over, or they’d be committing fraud. Lastly, even if they could claim the donation or a business expense, they would have to also claim the revenue from the customer, so it would cancel out.
What they get is some nice publicity, especially as they can add $1,000 themselves and then say “Loblaws and our customers donated $1 million.”
Of note, you cannot claim the money you donate unless you get a charitable donation receipt, and they won’t send you one without your name and address, which you won’t take the time to enter at the store and they won’t issue for a small amount. However, apparently some stores will do this if you hit $25 or $50. But it’s best to just donate directly to whomever you want.
Blork
It has also been reported (although I don’t have a citation handy) that the stores keep a large chunk as “administration fees.” Apparently it can even be 50% in some cases.
jeather
Loblaws, commit fraud? Never.
SMD
Related, from CBC: How you can get your dough in the $500M Loblaw bread-fixing settlement.
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Kate
A woman evicted from her longtime apartment when new owners claimed they wanted it for a family member was awarded $81,000 when it turned out it had been rented to random tenants at a much higher rate. Landlords make several excuses here about their “mistake”.
Joey
These good faith mistakes keep piling up, eh?
DeWolf 11:29 on 2025-05-31 Permalink
tl;dr, he prefers old-school museums oriented around collections, whereas the MEM is a more experiential museum oriented around interactivity and storytelling.
Personally, I enjoyed it, although I still haven’t seen the permanent exhibition since it opened. It’s worth going just for the old signs in the lobby.
Orr 11:36 on 2025-05-31 Permalink
When we visited the MEM last winter one of the two main rooms wasn’t open bc software problems.
Mario Girard makes a good point that you need to visit Pointe-à-Callières Museum, the Château Ramezay, the McCord Stewart Museum, the Maison Saint-Gabriel, the Musée de Lachine, the Musée des hospitalierières, in addition to the MEM.
I’d add to that excellent list the Roussillon Archeology Museum across the river in La Prairie.
Orr 11:38 on 2025-05-31 Permalink
it’s worth going for the display of Montreal street parking signs and its “do you understand these signs?” quiz.
Nicholas 12:13 on 2025-05-31 Permalink
The other day I went to an Ethiopian restaurant. It was good, but when I looked at the menu, there was no pizza, no pasta, no poutine, no steak and kidney pie. What about our heritage? By showcasing one thing, they were neglecting everything else, for which I have no options in Montreal, and I cannot go to other restaurants another day. If only I had gone to a food court, I could get a mix of everything.
Kate 14:20 on 2025-05-31 Permalink
Nicholas, your metaphor is extra special today.
mb 16:03 on 2025-05-31 Permalink
Nicholas, the MEM actually is located next door to a food court (Le Central)!
Nicholas 01:16 on 2025-06-01 Permalink
Thanks, Kate. This guy sounds like the kind of person who goes to London and complains about the lack of French, the bad Mexican food and how there are no warm, sunny beaches. Enjoy Epcot!
Margaret 07:08 on 2025-06-01 Permalink
I have visited the MEM several times and found it to be an enriching experience as a local, and would not hesitate to bring friends visiting as tourists. I think the layout and curation honour the city. The short videos in the Detours section ae as diverse in subject matter as is Montreal itself. I would also take friends (and visit often ,myself) the McCord, the Écomusée du fier monde, MUMAQ and Pointe-à-Callière. Montreal City Hall also has a variety of artifacts under glass if needed. Each place has it’s own pov and, like the city, the different perspectives mesh well. The staff at the MEM are wonderfully helpful and informed without being intrusive. It is a favorite spot for us.