Je veux juste tempérer vos attentes si vous venez nous visiter: ce n’est pas Montréal au complet qui est comme ça (pas encore, du moins!). Mais on travaille là-dessus!

J'aime l'expression que vous utilisez, "l'impression de "vide inutile"". C'est vrai que c'est typique des villes nord-américaines. Nous en avions aussi à Montréal (bien que moins qu'aux USA), mais nous essayons d'améliorer ces espaces et de les rendre utiles et agréables, un à la fois!

C’était un plaisir de te recevoir, Sean!

Some context here: ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/210...?

Montréal is asking for 300 speed cameras within city limits. The provincial gouvernement plans to install 250 speed radars in 2026… for the entire province

A very limited number of speed cameras is allowed by the governement of Quebec. The City keeps asking for more - not for the revenues, we don’t really care (I’m a City councillor), but for the additional safety and the reduction of deaths and casualties.

I scrolled through the very same books just a few days ago 🙂

The Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood is great if you're looking for an area that's more "local". It had great pedestrian streets starting in June. I've sent friends who were travelling with their teens at this Sonder appartment rentals property and they loved it: www.sonder.com/destinations...

Permanent stormwater and planted curb extensions are indeed being built every time major work is being done in the Verdun borough; but we’re not waiting for major work, we’re also doing a few permanent ones every year to replace the 20+ “transitionary” ones

Réservations are down 75% yoy for the next six months.

People still travelling either had reservations booked months ago, are travelling for business or have family in the USA,

I’ll be there! Looking forward to your keynote!

Here's an example of a small-ish development in an established neighbourhood that includes a typical corner store, in what was a food desert. It has the typical inventory of corner stores, plus fruits, vegetables, and an ice cream parlour. It has a great patio too maps.app.goo.gl/MwK43WBtgbmi...

And when there are new major infill projects, there has to be a commercial component included, to make sure the neighbourhood remains lively and that services remain are accessible to residents who live nearby.

We have many great examples of old corner stores that were converted into succesfull cafés
maps.app.goo.gl/WeEQtHzcowdS...
maps.app.goo.gl/5PPZeoCVZpBs...
or restaurants
maps.app.goo.gl/8ejzMeaaazf8...

Many of them have been converted into residential units over the past decades, but we decided to protect the remaining ones (there are dozens), specifically for the reasons you invoke. Old "dépanneurs" (convenience stores) can be converted into cafés, fruit shops, offices, restaurants, etc

I am a borough concillor in Verdun, a borough of Montreal, Quebec.
We recently changed our bylaws and zoning to protect existing commercial spaces located on street corners. We have plenty of those, a legacy of the streetcar-suburb past.