The back of the  Wilfred Laurier monument, in Dorchester Square, as seen last fall. Its design features the crests of the provinces imbedded in a stylized tree trunk.

The provincial electoral map of the Montreal region. Last spring during the federal election I wrote an article about the possibility of Montreal becoming a major battleground region in federal politics. After the ballots were counted this possibility was turned into a reality with over half of Montreal's incumbent MPs going down to defeat, creating a radically different political landscape. Unfortunately, in the short term the results of the election were negative for Montreal: a majority government that is at best indifferent, at worst hostile, to the interests of our region. But in the mid and long term it can only be an advantage for us that finally no party can take Montrealers for granted and that they will all have to actively work to win our support. Now with the next Quebec election looming, a repeat scenario is looking more and more possible at the provincial level. Just like at the federal level, Montreal has long been a region of safe seats. The anglophone and allophone ridings vote Liberal, the francophone ridings vote PQ and maybe a few in the middle flip back and forth. This has been our city's political geography since the PQ's breakthough election of 1976. Elections in Quebec are thus made in the suburbs and a few swing regions, leaving Montreal often neglected. As a result we get a metro to Laval but no metro to Anjou; a commuter train to Saint-Jérome but no rail link from downtown to the airport; a stadium in Quebec City and an interchange in Montreal that no one in the city wants. But the political scene is changing quickly and it's looking like we're in for another paradigm shift.

Yesterday Rosemont-Petite-Patrie borough mayor announced in a press conference that he is leaving Louise Harel's Vision Montréal and will be henceforth a member of Projet Montréal. He explained his decision saying that he had come to believe that his former party lacked a coherent vision for the development of the city and that he sees his values and priorities better represented in Projet Montréal. A more detailed explanation from the mayor is available here. He elaborates saying, "Ma réflexion m’a  amené à constater que depuis mon entrée en fonction, les mesures ...

This summer has seen the arrival of two new types of biking infrastructure in Montreal: bike boxes on Milton and a hybrid bike path/lane on St-Urbain. Milton bike box at University. Bike boxes are not a new concept; they're just new to Montreal. Simply put, they provide cyclists with the ability to stop in front of cars at an intersection, thus improving their visibility and safety. They are generally used on streets with bike paths and a high volume of bike traffic. It's a technique which has ...

The Ville-Marie borough's decision to approve a 300-unit condo project in the Centre-Sud is creating controversy. The project, to be built on the former site of Touchette automobiles on Papineau near Ontario, will contain no units of social housing despite the city's guidelines that projects over 200 units contain at least 15% social housing. This decision was denounced by the Comité Logement Ville-Marie, accusing mayor Tremblay of reneging on the inclusion policy that his own administration put in place. According to La Presse, a borough representative noted that the area already had a high percentage of social housing and that such projects will help "revitalise" it. This decision was also supported by local district councillor Pierre Mainville, of opposition Projet Montréal. Mainville defended his position stating that he supports the construction of social housing, but that it should be put in other neighbourhoods where there is currently little to no social housing, such as the West-End of downtown.