Montreal's infrastructure calamities nearing disaster proportions | Daily Brew

It's all the fault of the Anglos! (I do expect some editorials in Quebec saying this)

They never recovered from being turned into paupers by the '76 Olympic games. They spent a whole generation's worth of tax revenue an financing debt. They couldn't pave the roads for decades. Corruption and the threat of separation drove the final nails in the box. The Olympic part should be a lesson to any city that is stupid enough to go that route (... the big summer games. I mean).

In a way, it is true. Just about my whole generation ... hundreds of thousands of us, many with University educations, left in short order (driven out) leaving a vacuum behind us. Anglos we are ... smart, productive Anglos who generate wealth. We left behind old folk, who couldn't risk moving and throwing away all of their equity ... and a lot of rather un-ambitious Anglos who wanted to avoid the difficulties of migration.

The Montreal Gazette launched an ongoing debate in May after publishing a letter from a visitor who outlined the city's "Third World conditions”.

"I am shocked at the pollution, rubbish bags everywhere and Third World-class roads, full of potholes, and dangerous sidewalks. It is like coming to a Third World country rather than a place to be proud of," Australian Judy Diamond wrote.

Some locals took umbrage with the statement, but few argued against the sorry state of local roads and sidewalks. Treacherous was a word used more than once.

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Not good.
Where is the Prime Minister?

I toured Montreal in 2 minutes...



Looks nice.

So, Montreal/Quebec are basically French?
They want autonomy/independence from Canada?

Maybe HO Canada doesn't want to give Montreal/Quebec money for infrastructure maintenance as it's now 'France' and wants to leave.

Cool. We provide $24.7 million per year to the language police, yet we don't have money for our infrastructure. There is no question that enforcing discrimination laws based on one's linguistic background is far more important than fixing our crumbling roads.

This strategy of spending money with no financial gain will bring us closer and closer to doomsville. I really wouldn't be surprised if a city in Quebec or the whole province for that matter would one day file for chapter 11 (bankruptcy).

Yeah, I think the 3rd World tag was a little over the top. I love and hate Montreal. I loved the atmosphere the times I've been there but I friggin' HATED those roads. I thought Detroit's roads were bad, until the first time I actually drove in Montreal.
The last time I was there was in the late 90's and I swear they'd done no repairs since the time I was there before that.

If they wouldn't pay the money then how it will be possible to develop the infrastructure..??

I drove through Montreal and Quebec earlier this year and I didn't think the roads were all that bad - and there was tons of road work being done pretty much everywhere we went.

"I am shocked at the pollution, rubbish bags everywhere and Third World-class roads, full of potholes, and dangerous sidewalks. It is like coming to a Third World country rather than a place to be proud of," Australian Judy Diamond wrote.

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Looks like Judy caused quite a stir.

Rubbish bags everywhere?
Ew!
Not a good look.
Maybe there was a collectors' strike that day, maybe the city had just gotten slack...who knows.