Montreal is a disaster (1)
The once-glamorous city is now a corrupt, crumbling, mob-ridden disgrace. What went wrong?
It says something about a city when tales of bravery in the face of organized crime are apparently a prerequisite to governing it. Five weeks into an increasingly bizarre election campaign dominated by scandal, graft and good, old-fashioned backstabbing, Gérald Tremblay wants it known that he is scared for the well-being of his family. Montreal’s mayor and leader of the municipal party Union Montréal (Quebec has parties at the city level) is vying for a third term. He says his decision to clean up city hall during the past four years has made him a target of Montreal’s criminal underbelly. He recently reminded voters of the time police found two fire bombs behind his country house in 2005. Then there was the time when, as Quebec’s industry minister, he denied a liquor permit to a Montreal-area wine producer—who was subsequently found dead in the trunk of his own car. “I’m not naive,” Tremblay told Le Devoir last week. “I’m very well informed. I knew exactly what I was getting into with the city of Montreal.”
Not to be outdone, Tremblay’s opponents offered up their own brave bona fides. Tremblay’s main challenger and leader of the rival party Vision Montréal, Louise Harel, reminded voters that her late husband, journalist and union leader Michel Bourdon, was repeatedly threatened by the Mafia. Richard Bergeron, of the upstart Projet Montréal, says he has requested police protection, though he makes it clear that his crusade against municipal corruption hasn’t garnered him any death threats—yet. “Everyone knows where I live,” he told a reporter recently.
While other cities grapple with garbage collection, snow removal and other humdrum realities of municipal politics, Montreal has, in the past several weeks, become a chaotic and dirty throwback to its bad old days. Allegations of mobbed-up favouritism, brown envelopes stuffed with cash, wildly inflated city contracts, an aggressive blue-collar union perpetually at odds with the mayor’s office: these, not its many charms and joie de vivre, are Montreal’s stock in trade these days.
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beentheredonethat Says:
Montreal is Canada’s Chicago. So does that mean that there might be some sleasy little marxist living there today who is going to run for Prime Minister tomorrow…..and pull off the biggest con job in Canadian history by getting elected?
Posted on October 31st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Cynapse Says:
It’s still arguably the greatest city to live in – fantastic culture, competent transit, vibrant night life, gorgeous scenery.
Posted on October 31st, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Mac Says:
What a mess… and it sounds like the voters don’t really have much of a choice…
Posted on October 31st, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Jean Says:
I agree with Cynapse here as I live here and there are still a lot of pluses versus minuses.
On the negative side the war against cars means that parking meters Downtown cost too much and too little time to park before having to feed the meter again are very bad for the downtown core as they discourage business. ( Note I don’t drive and don’t have a car and I walk or use the Metro/buses but if you make it impossibly annoying to go downtown to shop don’t be surprised if people go out to the Burbs to do their shopping ).
Another negative is that for anyone not of or for the Left there is no one to vote for in municipal politics in Montreal and in many other of our big cities ? Makes one wonder why only lefties get into local politics ? So, my choices are left, LEFT, lefter, leftest, Communists or The Incompetent, The Separatist/Nanny Statist or The Wingnut conspiracy theorist !
So, does one go vote or stay in bed and hide under the covers LOL !?
Posted on October 31st, 2009 at 11:54 pm
UV Says:
And Jean, what about the language problem? Seen any language police around lately?
Posted on November 1st, 2009 at 10:55 am
Jean Says:
Well the language problem is real in the sense that basic rights are not respected in the name of protecting French: Personally I always disliked punitive measures used to promote the use of French rather than creating a positive climate encouraging the use of French.
Forcing the equal use of French always made sense to me while forbidding the use of English or forcing the English text to be half the size of French text always seemed petty and punitive to me.
On the ground one finds very little language conflict in my experience between most people although one does hear of the occasional bus driver or petty bureaucrat who gets all ” shirty ” about having someone talking to them in English.
So if talking about the Language law and some of the language militants yes there is a problem but the vast majority of people are very unaffected in their daily lives as the real ” jerks ” are not that numerous.
Posted on November 1st, 2009 at 7:49 pm