Benoit Gratton

J’ai eu le plaisir de passer un après-midi avec @seandevine9.bsky.social , conseiller municipal d’Ottawa, et d’échanger avec lui sur la gestion de nos deux villes. Il est venu constater sur place les diverses pratiques de Montréal qui sont différentes de celles d’Ottawa. Ce fut très enrichissant!

C’était un plaisir de te recevoir, Sean!

That’s so cool! Montreal’s bike share system is rolling out trailers that work on BIXIs as well as personal bikes.

They’re hoping to have 50 by the end of the summer, and hundreds over the next few years.

Montréal a besoin de plus de radars photo, dit la mairesse Les 250 appareils que veut acheter Québec pour toute la province sont largement insuffisants, affirme Valérie Plante, qui en réclame 300 pour la métropole.

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.

C'est une autre raison pour laquelle on implante nos pistes cyclables et qu'on améliore les pistes existantes : pour qu'on puisse y circuler sécuritairement, en famille.

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

Sonder, A better way to stay. Your new way to stay in vibrant cities around the world with exceptional spaces designed for living.

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...

Two people riding bikes in Amsterdam. One says “if anyone proposed this in my town I’d kill them”

Cartoon with caption by my buddy @jackhauen.bsky.social

Quand on dit que nos infrastructures sont vieilles! On modernise actuellement des aqueducs plus que centenaires. Impressionnant comme durée de vie quand même!

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.

Great article, but I find that Montreal has much more in common with Boston than with New Orleans.

Density, architecture, character, streetcar-neighborhoods, good transit, etc

We have something almost similar already, but formalizing it would be even better. For example, HEC Montréal, where I went, already has exchange agreements with 68 European business schools. Plus dozens elsewhere in the world. But Erasmus would be awesome

Luc Rabouin elected new Projet Montréal leader The governing party in Montreal will choose a new leader on Saturday night.

NEW: This is BIG news for Montreal & any city inspired by their bold city-making in recent years. @lrabouin.bsky.social (who’s been an excellent leader in the Plateau) is the new leader of Projet Montreal, the progressive party leading many of Montreal’s great moves, replacing @valplante.bsky.social

YouTube video by Aliments Aylmer Québec Aylmer - LA soupe canadienne

J’adore!
🇺🇸 🚫
🇨🇦 ✅

A lot can happen in five months. 🇺🇸

Mayor Luc Ferrandez had a mission: to make Le Plateau-Mont-Royal’s streets safer and reclaim public space, writes @mtltoula.bsky.social. Despite resistance, he stayed the course—more than a decade later, the Montreal borough’s transformation has been radical. thewalrus.ca/montreal-kicked-...

Je suggère d’ajouter une nouvelle discipline au prochain jeux d’hiver : le slalom du piéton.

On aurait de bonnes chances de gagner.

That’s how my dad died. Clearing the snow from the roof. And contrarily to your friend, my dad was a “security is important” kind of guy. 🙁

“Experts”

Difficile de se frayer un chemin à travers les bancs de neige aujourd’hui! Le chargement de la neige prendra du temps, il va falloir être patient

On est en action pour cette offensive spéciale qui vise à ramasser la neige des axes stratégiques @montreal.ca . Reste 24h avant la tempête: aidez-nous en bougeant l’auto s’il y a un panneau!

Demain, ça sera rock and roll! Faites vos provisions et restez à la maison!