A resident of the neighbourhood has made a logical proposal, published by La Presse, that the new tennis stadium (which we need so badly) could be built on the huge Hydro‑Quebec parking lot just north of the park, instead. Then the park’s green space could be enlarged instead of diminished.
It’s such a win-win that it will never get anywhere.
The Botanical Garden used to have a First People’s Nations Garden, now renamed to Indigenous People’s Garden. I had not realized that the Inuit are not considered First People Nations.
It was the First Nations Garden, not First People’s. I don’t know about the term First People, but no, Inuit aren’t considered First Nations, that’s why you often hear the phrase “First Nations, Inuit and Métis.”
Is there a definition of “first” that makes the reasoning clear?
It doesn’t directly answer your question Kate but you might be interested in this chapter from Chelsea Vowel’s Indigenous writes : A guide to first nations, métis, and inuit issues in canada..
Actually, the Inuit ARE considered “first PEOPLES” but not “first NATIONS.” I don’t exactly know why, but it probably has something to do with the Inuit historically being nomadic and therefore not tied to any treaties from the old days, or something like that.
It’s all pretty convoluted, but this Wikipedia article does a decent job of explaining it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nations_in_Canada
Thanks to all of you. I clearly need to read up.
A pony (probably more likely a miniature horse) has been stationed outside the Palais de Justice this summer because it’s a defendant’s emotional support animal. The case has been postponed because the judge won’t allow it into the courtroom. This has raised questions about the policy the law should have about such animals (and, if the courthouse, an attitude likely to extend to other official entities).
Oddly enough, both dogs and horses are recognized as service animals in the US, but we don’t have a single standard law in Canada. In Quebec, miniature horse are not recognized. And Quebec doesn’t automatically give emotional support animals recognition. ESAs do not have a guaranteed right of entry, as far as I know. It’s a case-by-case thing and it’s based on a good faith evaluation… which means that you will need to show medical documents (and give away personal information) to why the animal is needed, and what the animal provides. But can be denied entry if the accommodation would cause undue hardship.
Basically, if you want to bring an ESA, you have to prove that you need it, it’s won’t cause a problem and if the answer is no, you can’t really appeal unless you can prove that they didn’t make a good faith effort to evaluate it to the best of their ability. And refusing to provide the medical documents allows them to simply refuse.
Service animals (dogs), you can’t deny access, they are counted as a medical apparatus/assistive device. But the fines for faking it run from $250 to $750 and if I remember, you can ask to see the animal’s training documents (which don’t violate your privacy as the animal doesn’t have a right to privacy.) You may not ask for the human’s medical documents, though.
If he (Asif Ali Choudhry, a 43-year-old man who was scheduled to plead guilty to charges of break and enter) gets a prison sentence for the crime, will he be able to take his ESP with him? /s
Disappointed that the defendant’s name isn’t Lyle Lovett.
Guide horses are a thing, but they are specifically trained similar to guide dogs as service animals, and in many ways are better than dogs. The photo from the La Presse story shows the horse with a vest like service dogs wear and it says service animal, though it’s described in the story as emotional support.
If this is a properly trained animal then it seems it should be allowed in (it’s possible he does not “need” one, but if as Ephraim says you can’t ask for medical proof of the human, then it shouldn’t matter what anyone else thinks…plus these animals are not easy to get, so probably not easy to get if not medically necessary). If it’s not a properly trained animal and it is just “emotional support”, then, well, sorry, you won’t be getting that in jail either, and if you can’t handle a few minutes standing in front of a judge without one maybe you need to go to Pinel until that is resolved.
Can you really stop horses from taking a leak or a dump when nature calls? They haven’t the inbuilt caution about these things that carnivores do.
TIL vegans poop their pants
Did he take his horse with him when he committed the break and enter?
steph, one of the points made in the article was that, if people bring support animals to court but are then taken into custody, the courthouse will then have to figure out what to do with the animals.
MarcG: OK, I should have written “predators” although some of the vegans I’ve known…
But seriously, horses and cows just go. Dogs you can train to be more disciplined about it, while cats naturally want to be tidy, so you just have to show them a litterbox. But animals that just hang around in a field, they don’t have the same instincts. That’s why, when we had calèches, there was always a bucket hanging off behind, so the driver could scoop up whatever the horse deposited on the road.
You can’t have a manure bucket in a courtroom.
If any comedy sketch writers find this thread it’s full of absolute gold
What’s the old joke… how do you know if someone is a vegan?
Radio-Canada highlights the Great Peace of Montreal, Pointe‑à‑Callière museum exhibiting the physical treaty till September to mark the 325th anniversary of the 1701 signing.
La Presse gets an Indigenous academic to sketch out the incidents that led up to the treaty.
The city is making promises to tidy up Chinatown but the additional plan to create a “local alliance” is odd. I’m certain Chinatown already has a solidarity organization, although it may not be blessed by city hall (and may not carry on its business in French).
vasi 02:35 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
I love this idea so much.
Mr.Chinaski 09:14 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
It’s too far from the actual grounds. It’s not a great idea at all, during the tennis tournament you would need corridors between both sites that would cut almost half the park.
Kate 09:24 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
The actual grounds would no longer be the grounds. The whole shebang could be moved to the new location, no need for a corridor anywhere.
SMD 09:37 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
Three local mothers suggest today that Tennis Canada has simply outgrown Jarry Park, much as a child outgrows a pair of pants. Time for a new location, and to let the residents have their green space back.
Joey 10:00 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
Definitely worth exploring to me. I have my doubts about Hydro-Quebec willingly ceding the land (even if compensated at market rates), but it would seem to resolve pretty much all the issues for all parties here. HQ would presumably maintain underground parking access when the tournament isn’t on, Tennis Canada would get all new facilities, and Jarry Park would be a little more of a park. The cost would be quite a bit higher since the land would have to be acquired from HQ and a larger number of net new installations would have to be built – you can’t just take the main tennis stadium and transport it, you’d have to build all new stuff. But the end result would be enough of an improvement over the status quo and other options that it would likely be worthwhile.
Mr.Chinaski 11:55 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
The existing grounds won’t be demolished. There is an already big stadium and another smaller one, with a big interior tennis building. If you keep this and that new space, you basically will need to connect both sites, thus cutting 50% of the park during the events.
You don’t demolish faciilities that were created not long ago, unless you have free money.
Josh Cuppage 12:43 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
In addition to what Mr. Chinaski says, it would also significantly extend the walk from the metro to the stadium. People here will scoff at what would be a ~20-minute walk, but the people who ride the metro to the tournament (many of whom are tourists and/or only ride the metro to big events like this) will not, and Tennis Canada knows this.
Nicholas 13:06 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
Looking at the size on the satellite I don’t see how it’ll all fit even without the expansion that’s wanted. Even with the whole parking lot it’s just not that much space, and there are still a decent number of people parked in that lot. And the metro issue Josh mentions is important as tourists won’t walk that far, but while it’s much farther than the old site to Castelnau, it’s a similar distance to Jarry metro, which is also more convenient being on the Orange Line. They can also run more 193 in that segment if they want.
Maybe there’s a way to make this work by turning the soccer fields into tennis courts and moving soccer to the current stadium site. And then they’ll probably want a tunnel under Jarry to keep the site together, though maybe you could just have stamps on hands to reenter and a nice crosswalk. Don’t forget the parking at the current site, which Tennis Canada will want and is probably smaller than they’d like.
Kate 13:14 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
Josh C., when there was talk about putting a stadium in the Peel Basin, nobody worried about access by metro. Arrangements can always be made.
In fact, it might make the most sense to put the new stadium IN the Peel Basin.
Joey 14:03 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
@Nicholas I think the plan would include moving the parking spaces from ground level to underground, so that’s not an insurmountable issue. The Metro is farther but I think the tournament has in years past run shuttles or had the STM expand 55 service during the tournament – if the STM can efficiently ferry 10K+ people to and from Molson Stadium by shuttle bus, that could work here too.
It could also remain split, with some of the practice courts, etc., remaining in the park, and the major installations elsewhere. The players can ride golf carts…
Kate 14:09 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
Joey, I remember seeing special STM buses from Jarry metro to the tennis stadium, in previous summers, but I can’t find any mention of them this year. In fact, the official site keeps repeating that this year, a ticket to the tournament does not include free access to the STM.
Josh Cuppage 17:29 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
Kate: If you think transit talk would not have quickly followed a Peel Basin stadium (or have occurred with the actual planning of the stadium that never was), I’m not sure what to tell you. Projects of this nature across the country at this point are pretty consistently, naturally followed by the question, “What about the transit?”
Kate 19:15 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
Josh C., you suggested that an extended walk from the metro was an argument against the proposed north‑of‑Jarry location. My response was the opposite of what you seem to think. Of course there would be shuttles from Jarry and de Castelnau metro stations if the tennis stadium was there.
Never gonna happen, but it’s nice to think of the park not being chopped up.
SMD 08:27 on 2026-08-06 Permalink
Gathering and protest on Sunday against any expansion into the park: https://www.facebook.com/share/18dDHLoHGU/.
Kate 13:06 on 2026-08-06 Permalink
Thank you, SMD. I think I may drop by, although I’m not clear what a family protest is.
MarcG 13:48 on 2026-08-06 Permalink
The cops use kid-friendly tearless tear gas