Comments on: The Moving Day mess

By: Robyn

Robyn — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:14:16 +0000

I'm a student in Montreal and I am happy to say that my roommates and I have paid for almost nothing in our apartment. Bookshelves, chairs, lamps, side tables, art have all been collected from the streets or from the apartments of friends we have helped move (there to collect their left-overs!). With some bold paint and good scavenger choices (we don't take just anything off the street - in fact we spent July 1st, 2nd and 3rd scouring the streets of Mile End for a good find) our house has earned a reputation as homey and eclectic among our friends. One thing I find is that the annual giant rummage means that people don't feel like they are "above" looking through other peoples junk for salvageable items. It is pretty common to see respectable-looking people surveying a heap of alleyway cast-off - which I think is fantastic!

By: Christopher DeWolf

Christopher DeWolf — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:13:44 +0000

I'm moving soon and I will be selling all of my furniture. I'm going to be posting ads on Craigslist and other classifieds and I will be having a big moving sale* in a couple of weeks. Any stuff I can't sell I will try hard to give away to friends, but if I can't sell my bed, for instance, I'll have no choice but to dispose of it in the street. There aren't any charitable organizations that will come pick it up and I don't have a car, so moving heavy items is impossible.

If you're disposing of lots of big things in the street, the best thing you can do is to call your local Écoquartier to ask how to arrange for the city to pick it up. They do come around and take away large pieces of trash, but not regularly.

* SHAMELESS PLUG: Anyone interested in buying some furniture, clothes, electronics and a whole bunch of other interesting stuff should swing by 5902 avenue du Parc (corner Bernard) between 11am and 6pm on Saturday July 19th and Sunday July 20th. Rain or shine, things will be for sale. In fact, there's even a Facebook event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=22119241485

By: Disparishun

Disparishun — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:44:43 +0000

ut what about instead of folks leaving their crap in the alley or on the street… they arrange to donate it somewhere. Before they move.

There is nowhere to donate it to.

That is, there is nowhere you can call who will pick up all your stuff from the alley or from the street, and use it as a donation for something.

You can try and make a million calls to a million organizations in the hope that one or two might be interested in picking something up, if they are sure they can use it, and if you schedule a specific date and time with them, etc. But it's way more hassle.

That said, if you have a better solution, you should certainly tell people about. They would be seriously interested. And it would save them quite a few phone calls, before giving up and putting things out on the street.

By: Maria Gatti

Maria Gatti — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:29:10 +0000

Denis, no, the politician who spearheaded the change in dates was Jérôme Choquette, a staunch federalist.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:46:15 +0000

Just allow people to start their lease on any 1st of the month like the rest of us. Moving only once a year is extremely, extremely disruptive.

By: jamesmallon

jamesmallon — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:26:07 +0000

God I miss Montreal (Ontario McGill alumnis). There is a certain casualness about street life that's never going to happen in Toronto. What we need is three-storey walk-ups, and to lose the anglo-presbyterian crap... never mind.

By: Denis Agar

Denis Agar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:10:48 +0000

Maybe this is my Ontario blood talking, but did the government of Québec put moving day on Canada Day on purpose to distract people from federalism? It just seems all to convenient. . .

By: Cat

Cat — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:39:55 +0000

Good post, and great pictures. I agree that moving day has its upsides- I was helping two friends move near St Denis and Cherrier, and three complete strangers each grabbed a box off the sidewalk and lugged them up to the apartment, then went on their way. Next time I see someone struggling up the stairs like we were, I'll happily do the same.

By: f. panic

f. panic — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:27:17 +0000

I know I'm absolutely insane to even suggest something like this - but what about instead of folks leaving their crap in the alley or on the street... they arrange to donate it somewhere. Before they move. Plan ahead? I know, I know, I'm crrrrrrazy. Of course, then there wouldn't be busted open garbage bags with clothes and shoes and textbooks leaking out of them...and all over the alley. For days. And other people's crap all over the place is just so darn charming. I'd miss it so....

By: plam

plam — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:00:35 +0000

I can attest to Montreal thriftiness. I was moving a couch from one place to another last June, so I brought it outside while I was waiting for my friend to arrive with a minivan. (Of course, I sat on the couch while waiting. What else does one do with a couch outside?) Some guy walks up and asks if the couch is comfortable. "Well, yes, but it's my couch. I'm just moving it." (No couch for you!)