Refrigerated rinks are not in the budget
Ensemble has omitted outdoor refrigerated rinks from its budget. I’m thinking of compiling a list of ways in which the party is making it clear that the quality of day‑to‑day life is not one of its concerns. There’s a suggestion that they’re not as good at managing winter conditions either. How can this city be “prise de court” by a fall of 10 cm of snow in mid‑January?
Meezly 14:36 on 2026-01-16 Permalink
A list would be a nice idea. Perhaps it may remind people how splitting the vote and/or voting out of spite has cost them the quality of day‑to‑day life they took for granted from a progressive administration.
Kevin 16:43 on 2026-01-16 Permalink
This week’s issue was the snow started falling after an extended period of above-zero temps. Which is why you need to have managers who know you need to prepare by putting out salt to prevent/abrasives to mitigate the creation of a layer of ice under several cms of snow.
Chris 12:01 on 2026-01-17 Permalink
Denial is always the first stage. Outdoor rinks are a thing of the past, alas. Just doesn’t work with our new climate.
DeWolf 01:01 on 2026-01-18 Permalink
One big cut that isn’t getting as much press as it should is the 50% reduction in the city’s annual contribution to Bixi. Since the city owns all the hardware, this essentially means no more expansion for the next four years — and probably a reduction in service. With such a drastic cut I wouldn’t be surprised to see winter Bixi scrapped next year.
It’s pretty painful to see the mayor sabotaging something that has been so wildly successful. By the end of her term, Bixi will have fewer bikes, fewer stations and fewer users — which I guess is the point, if you want to slowly kill cycling in Montreal.