“We think it would be a demand that would be easy to achieve. What we need is the political will for a new housing code,” said one protester.

According to a RCLALQ press release, there are currently 1,100 municipalities in Quebec that lack any kind of legislation pertaining to the health and maintenance of rental properties for tenants. The group recognizes that there are a number of effective housing codes in Quebec municipalities but argues that the lack of province-wide rules puts some Quebeckers at risk.

France Edmond, a representative for the RCLALQ, expressed the limitations of the current system in a written statement.

“When people live in a municipality that is lacking health regulations, the tenants’ only recourse is the Régie du logement which is already grappling with a serious problem of delays,” said the statement in French. The Régie is a special tribunal that settles disputes between tenants and landlords.

Jean-Pierre Leblanc, the Montreal spokesperson for the Régie du logement de Québec, spoke on the Régie’s role in establishing province-wide housing legislation.

“Right now we work with the municipal regulations,” Leblanc explained in French, adding that he felt that the municipal legislation in Montreal is effective.

“Even though there is no [provincial housing code] there is still the Régie du logement that will help direct tenants to the appropriate recourse for their complaints,” he said.

McGill’s Off-Campus Housing office provides advising services for student tenants. Pamela, a representative from the office who asked that her last name not be given, listed “vermin, mould, and moisture” among a number of health-related housing problems that students encounter.

The office does not keep statistics on the number of students who report health and sanitation problems in their apartments.

“We do have students in the office with this problem. Is it a lot? I wouldn’t be able to say that because there are also many students who do not report it. Either they don’t know their rights, or it’s okay for them to live in this condition,” Pamela said.

There are a number of tenants’ rights organizations in Montreal, however these groups must still go through the Régie du Logement in order to file official complaints, which can be a lengthy process.

“To go to the Régie if your problem is not serious [will take] you easily 18 months,” explained Pamela.

Pamela believes a province-wide code would streamline the health-related housing complaints process.

“I think it will be beneficial for both the tenants and the government. For the government it will [mean] less tenants filing against landlords for health problems. And for students, they will have better living conditions.”

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Céline Brassard, an administrative assistant for Wapikoni Mobile, explained to The Daily why she feels the program has been such a success. “Social workers are the first team members to arrive in the community,” Brassard said in French. “They circulate in the community, let people know the studio is coming, and recruit youth who are interested in making films.” Where social policies developed at the governmental level have failed, Wapikoni, with its innovative approach and use of contemporary media, seems to be an effective tool for reaching aboriginal youth. The youth gain technical knowledge while developing leadership skills and general self esteem. Some even return to the program as employees, working as assistant trainers to help younger generations on their projects.

It is not just the social intervention aspect of the project that has contributed to its success. “The program has a double mandate,” said Brassard. “For Manon Barbeau…the artistic aspect is very important as well.”

In order to attain a high level of quality, the travelling studio is decked out with an impressive array of equipment including three Sony PD-170 cameras, two editing stations equipped with Final Cut Pro, and a musical recording studio. The young filmmakers who have participated over the years in the Wapikoni project have been the recipients of over forty local and international film awards.

After the arrival of the Wapikoni social workers, a team of young professional filmmakers enter the community and stay for a four-week period. The professional cinematographers act as mentors and provide hands-on training that allows the youth to effectively produce their own films. The end result is an array of short films, music videos, and recordings that showcase the extraordinary talents of these burgeoning artists. The young filmmakers do not shy away from addressing issues that contribute to the social marginalization of their communities. Some of the films produced in 2010 centred on the traumatic legacy of residential schools, the fight against addiction, and tributes to friends who had passed away. Others dealt with more lighthearted subject matter. “There are a lot of positive subjects like maternity, the joy of family, rediscovering identity,” said Brassard. These films work to combat aboriginal stereotypes by emphasizing the universal aspect of human experience.

The short films and music are produced in a number of aboriginal languages, as well as French and English. As Karine Gravel, an on-site coordinator for the project, told The Daily, Wapikoni Mobile is a catalyst for communication. “At the end of the month we do a presentation where the elders can come and appreciate the work of the youth,” she said. This event brings together much of the community and helps to get people talking about some of the serious subjects that are breached in the films.

Despite the challenges that Wapikoni faces in creating an autonomous program run by aboriginals, the benefits of the program are apparent. The Wapikoni Mobile project has even been replicated by indigenous communities in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. “[The youth] have to stop and ask themselves what they have to say,” says Brassard. Although this process can be challenging, the result is well worth it. “They realize they are more proud than they thought of their communities.” Hopefully this renewed pride will empower the next generation of aboriginal leaders.

—

Wapikoni Mobile is currently recruiting young social workers to act as on-site coordinators for the project. Visit their website for more information, wapikoni.ca.

The post Power of the lens appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Bergeron was head of urban development on the executive committee, and threatened to quit last week if the Mayor went ahead and approved a provincial plan that was not in line with the city’s proposal concerning the interchange.

City hall’s project proposal was produced last April and approved by the heads of the three municipal parties. In the wake of his expulsion, Bergeron voiced his opposition to the Mayor’s demands.

“I think it was unfair,” Bergeron stated in a press conference Friday. He had not had access to the report for the past three months, but the last version he saw did not meet the demands his party outlined, including those for public transit. The plan was being reassessed during the past few months after being rejected by the province’s environmental commission, the Bureau d’audiences publique sure l’environnement (BAPE).

Darren Becker, a spokesperson for Tremblay, explained the Mayor’s choice.

“Mr. Bergeron has been making waves in the recent weeks about certain conditions for him to stay or leave regarding the project,” he said. “[The Mayor] wanted his executive committee to be united on the issue. Mr. Bergeron said that he couldn’t guarantee the Mayor that, so the Mayor said to leave.”

In response to whether opposition and special interest groups have had adequate say in the development of the Turcot plan, Becker said, that “The city of Montreal submitted a counterproposal in April done by Vision [Montréal] and Projet [Montréal], and the Mayor’s office, the Mayor’s team. So I mean they already had influence.”

A replacement for Bergeron’s position on the executive has not yet been announced.

“The Mayor didn’t say that he’s not open to looking at other members of Projet [Montréal] to fill this position,” said Becker.

The MTQ is set to unveil the new plans for the Turcot interchange on Tuesday. Although details of the plans have not been publicly released, Becker asserts that the new project “responds to important criteria that the city set out” concerning the issues of housing expropriations, and public transit, and embankments–building on lower instead of higher elevations.

Sources have suggested, however, that the new project plans will not serve to reduce traffic and will involve housing expropriations, according to Radio-Canada. The details will be confirmed tomorrow with the release of the official MTQ plan. Louise Harel, leader of Vision Montréal – the Official Opposition of the City of Montreal – has pointed out that constructing an embanked roadway will serve to isolate communities.

One neighbourhood which will be particularly affected by the project is St. Henri, in Montreal’s Southwest borough. Benoît Dorais, the borough’s Mayor, has said that if the plans do not meet the needs of Southwest citizens, there will be significant protests.

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The plan calls for the construction of 750 housing units for the homeless and a respite centre to provide mental health and addiction services. The city’s police will also undergo “sensitivity training” in order to reduce discrimination toward Montreal’s homeless. In order to execute the plan, Montreal is asking for $29.5 million from Quebec, and a further $21 million from Ottawa. 
As part of the plan, the SPVM has also created Équipe mobile reference et d’intervention en itinérence, a mobile outreach program which seeks to aid homeless people who are repeatedly charged with criminal offences and fines.

The city has sought the assistance of the Makivik Corporation, an Inuit non-profit that aims to hire Inuktitut-speaking social workers as well as develop an Inuit- and Native-specific outreach program. Montreal’s homeless are disproportionately Native and Inuit.

The plan was met with criticism and opposition from organizations working on the ground with the city’s homeless.

Matthew Pearce, the Direc-tor General of the Old Brewery Mission – a hundred-year-old homeless support centre – said that although the plan is an important step toward addressing homelessness, it is significantly flawed. “We’re troubled by the plan in that the city has all of the actions it wants to take, but does not have the funds to do it,” said Pearce. “Their plan is dependent on the province agreeing to their request for money. If the city is truly putting homelessness as a priority it also has to do so in its budget,” he said.

Pearce went on to say that that the announcement of the initiative is premature. “I don’t think they should be advertising what they would do with money they don’t have. What they should do is: complete their conversations with the province, find out how much money the province will give, and…then they should develop a plan.”

Isabelle Raffestin, a representative from Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM) – an organisation which defends the rights of Montreal’s homeless population – said that the city’s plan will make concrete improvements in the area of housing, but thought it fell short in it’s treatment of judicial issues.

She pointed out that when homeless people fall victim to arrest and fines from the police, it is often for minor offenses. Public urination and sleeping on public benches can garner fines starting at $144. In the Ville-Marie – or downtown – area, fines for public disturbance and misuse of urban space can reach up to $628, a fee which few homeless people can afford.

“The Commission des droits de la personne [Commission for Human Rights] published a two- hundred page review which accuses the SPVM of social profiling,” said Raffestin. “What we at RAPSIM are asking for is a revision of municipal regulations that are discriminatory,” she said. The SPVM’s mobile outreach project seems beneficial, but the city needs to go a step further in “sensitizing judges and crown prosecutors to the different realities of people, including the homeless,” according to Raffstein.

In a press release dated October 15, Montreal’s Collectif Opposé à la Brutalité Policière (COBP) has also voiced opposition to the plan. Sophie Sénécal, a spokesperson for the organization, wrote in French that the city’s plan only perpetuates a zero-tolerance approach to dealing with the homeless. COBP maintains that the plan does not address the judicial victimization of homeless people and is an effort to conceal the problem of homelessness rather than eradicate it.

The post Mayor’s homelessness plan takes heat appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Patricia Lowe, a representative for the Assessment Office, explained that the evaluations are based on a number of factors. Assessors examine deeds of sale and track renovation permits and major development projects in order to determine the market value of the properties. In all 23,778 commercial, residential, institutional properties were considered in the Plateau-Mont-Royal, adding up to a total value of $13.2 billion. The new assessment roll is based on 2009 tallies.

Montreal’s property value increases should not come as a surprise, according to Lowe. The city’s last assessment roll, which was released in 2007, “went up much more for residential properties compared to the 2004 roll.”

“The reason for that was because Montreal property values had fallen behind those in other cities. The prosperity started to come back to Montreal [and] the property value started to rise,” she added.

Lowe says even if tax hikes don’t accompany the leap in property values, Plateau residents and landlords will be paying more in the near future.

“The budget determines the tax rate,” Lowe said, “and the budget won’t be presented until the end of November.” But she specified that “if the value of your property goes up, then even if the tax rate stays exactly the same you will have some increase to absorb.”

Based on the property value increase, and taking into account normal inflation, residents of the Plateau will most likely witness an increase in rent and property taxes. In the residential sectors of the Plateau, values are up by 35.6 per cent compared with a 32.3 per cent increase in non-residential markets.

The spike does not put Montreal on par with other big Canadian cities just yet though, Lowe emphasized. “Property values are still lower in comparison than Toronto, Vancouver, other large metropolitan centers,” she said.

Ali Farasat owns and operates a number of residential properties in the Plateau-Mont-Royal and his principal tenants are students.

“Taxes are going to go higher so owners are going to share part of the cost,” Farasat explained. The remaining share of the burden will of course fall on the tenants of the properties.

“I don’t expect the rent to go up by exorbitant amounts,” said Farasat, “but I do expect the rent to maybe go up more than previous years. If [property tax] increases by anything more than 10-15 per cent then definitely you’re going to see an impact on the tenants and on the landlords.”

When asked whether City Hall had any concerns over forcing low-income families and students from the neighbourhood, Lowe responded, “The city worries about that yes, and that’s why they try to be as fair as they can with taxes and with programs to help people buy affordable housing and to stay in the city.”

Farasat doesn’t find the efforts by the city to be self-evident. When asked if he felt a tax increase would be justified, he replied, “I don’t think so, especially looking at the Plateau over the past three years. You see that [on] St. Laurent there is a lot less business, the streets are less clean. The Plateau is still happening, it’s probably one of the best neighbourhoods of Montreal, but you just don’t see where all this money goes.”

Farasat said students and other residents are more likely to bear the burden of rent and tax increases than abandon the neighbourhood.

“I don’t know, because it’s so close to McGill,” said Farasat. “I don’t think you find this type of atmosphere in any other area. I feel like the city knows that and they’re using it to their advantage. The city needs to do their part – if they’re going to increase taxes there has to be some benefit for the residents.”

“There’s no parks being built, there’s no [additional] parking,” he continued. “I don’t see any improvements in the Plateau.”

Lily Hassall, a U1 McGill student who lives on DuBullion near Duluth, said she would move out of the Plateau if rent went up significantly. “I love living in the Plateau,” she said. “It’s a great neighbourhood. But part of its charm is that it’s affordable.”

The post Plateau property values skyrocket appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Ewan Wotarmy (her alter ego – “You and what army”), the Media & Promotions head of MTLRD, captain of the Contrabanditas, and player for the MTLRD travel team New Skids on the Block, explained that when the league was born in 2006, the players “didn’t know what the heck they were doing.” They “just basically, like, ran into walls,” said Wotarmy. The team, however, has come a long way from their wall-smacking origins. In 2009 MTLRD became the first international league to be part of the U.S.-based Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). “It’s become a lot more professional and we’re traveling quite a bit further this year,” said Wotarmy. Their fan base has also skyrocketed: “We’ve sold out every bout this year,” she said.

Roller derby is an offshoot of 1930s long-distance roller skating, though Wotarmy explained that they “realized the fans just like watching people bump into each other,” more than other elements of the sport, and so roller derby was born.

In contemporary roller derby, there are two teams on the track at once. The teams are composed of a jammer and four blockers, one of whom is also a pivot. The pivot controls the speed of the game and calls the plays. The jammer’s role is to score points by passing opposing blockers. As the two packs go slowly around the track, the jammers weave through the pack as quickly as possible to score points. The blockers meanwhile play both offence and defence. They help the jammer get through the pack while blocking the opposing team. What this translates to on the rink is a hypnotic circle of aggression and stealth. “It looks like organized chaos, but we do know what we’re doing,” insisted Wotarmy.

When watching a roller derby game, one thing that stands out from other sports is its ruthlessness. Although only limited types of hits are legal, players still manage to receive a significant number of battle wounds. Wotarmy nonchalantly listed off a cornucopia of injuries she’s sustained: “I’ve broken a couple fingers, displaced some ribs, those kinds of things.” You really have to have balls to go out there, or, as Wotarmy corrected me, “You have to have tits.”

Although roller derby is recognized for its subcultural appeal, the 2009 release of the Hollywood film Whip It, starring Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore, and based on the story of a young roller derby player, garnered mainstream attention. Possibly as a result, about 90 girls showed up for MTLRD recruitment this year compared to the 30 last year. A major draw of the league is the community atmosphere that the sport provides. The league is run from the ground up by the skaters. Everything from the league’s budget, fundraising, and sponsorship contracts are the work of its dedicated players.

A large part of the appeal of roller derby for both players and fans is this distinct culture that surrounds the sport. Athlete and team names, such as New Skids on the Block and the Montreal Sexpos, are perversions of pop culture or conjure up violent or sexual imagery. Although there isn’t a strict uniform to adhere to, players generally don playfully unconventional sports gear such as fishnets and knee pads.

Roller derby is a female dominated sport, but there are a few men’s leagues popping up in the United States. Participation in the Montreal league is limited to women as the team has joined up with the female-only association, the WFTDA. Wotarmy, however, was pleased to witness some men in skirts and cheeky shorts playing in a men’s league competition. She feels that they are missing out in their inability to participate in the overt sexuality and playfulness of Derby. “Sports are really homophobic and really sexist, unfortunately,” said Wotarmy. “That diversity that works really well with derby often works better with women and gets a bit lost somehow with men. I think there’s just a lot a pressure for [men] to look a certain way. I’d love to see them show me wrong.”

Despite the strict female orientation of the league, the teams within the MTLRD still display a startling range of diversity. “Women doing sport are not all one kind of person and our audience seems to recognize that and they like it,” said Wotarmy. “They [can] reconcile athletic women who are queer, athletic women who are sexy.” The age of the players varies from 19 to about 45 years old, and there is a range of sexual orientations represented on the team including lesbian, straight, and transsexual athletes. The players encompass a variety of societal roles: “There are moms, students, professors, doctors, nurses, and engineers,” said Wotarmy. “It’s a pretty amazing cross-section of humanity.” When I jokingly commented that I would love to know who the professors in the league are, I was in for a surprise. “I am,” said Wotarmy, “I teach at McGill.” Gulp. So next time you jostle in front of someone in the lunch line, be forewarned: They might hit back.

With their new recruits in hand, the teams of the Montreal Roller Derby League return to the rink in November to train hard for the upcoming season. Keep your eyes peeled for games, they’ll be worth the wait.

The post Derby rolls out for new season appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Benjamin Forest, a professor in McGill’s Urban Systems Geography program explained this paradox. “The development of the tourism industry typically destroys the very thing they are marketed on,” what Forest refers to as an “authentic historic cultural experience.”

The tourist is left chasing a ghost. “You want to experience authentic culture but tourism is never part of that culture.” Although approximately six million people visit Old Montreal each year, only 4,000 actually live in the area. Forest explained that the absence of residents is not necessarily problematic, however, as it “means that there isn’t that tension” between locals and tourists. Forest pointed to Griffintown as a neighbourhood where tensions between residents and outsiders has arisen.

One corporation in particular holds enormous sway over the Old Port tourist experience. The Antonopoulos Group is a massive conglomerate whose mission is to provide an enjoyable and up-scale Old Montreal experience for those who stay at one of their many ventures. The company owns and manages over 13 properties in Old Montreal, including Vieux-Port Steakhouse, Place d’Armes Hôtel & Suites, Rainspa, Suite 701 Lounge, and Hôtel Nelligan. Their monopoly of the district ensures that tourists can eat, sleep, and party all within the same franchise. The variety of businesses under the Antonopoulos umbrella offers the illusion of choice to those seeking a diverse range of experiences.

Yvon Creton, who has owned and managed the independent l’Aventure restaurant since 1989, commented on the phenomenon. “It’s hard to fight with giants,” he admitted. As an independent business owner he feels excluded from decision-making in the marketing of the neighbourhood, while large corporations hold undue sway with Tourisme Montréal. Creton opposed the incursion of major chains and big local companies as he feels that they don’t add character to the city. “They slowly kill others,” Creton said, referring to the take-over of independent businesses.

When asked if he thinks Old Montreal is for Montrealers or for tourists, Creton explained that he’s been asking himself that same question for 30 years. Although locals do frequent his restaurant, they are generally limited to government workers who come in hordes on weekdays to inhabit the numerous government offices in the eastern part of Old Montreal. He explained that residents of Old Montreal choose to dine elsewhere as they “don’t like mixing with tourists.”

Old Montreal is marketed as a tourist mecca by Tourisme Montréal at the expense of other districts. There could be a benefit in this dynamic, however – the culture of neighbourhoods outside Old Montreal is somewhat protected from the onslaught of the tourism industry. Montrealers can still hope, though, that Old Montreal becomes less of a corporate money-making machine, allowing it to provide a more authentic historical and cultural experience for residents and tourists alike.

The post Old Montreal Inc. appeared first on The McGill Daily.

This was the scene at the annual die-in organized by Montréal à Vélo Collective. The display of political theatre attracted dozens of downtown Montrealers including bike couriers, business people, and families.

Laurent Levesque, the organizer of the event, explained the purpose of the die-in.  “We do this to symbolize the consequence of car culture in our society, the greatest [consequence] obviously being death,” he said.

Levesque was quick to point out that Gérald Tremblay’s Union Montréal, the current municipal government, has implemented “many measures to promote biking and walking.”

“They are doing a lot to make people feel safer, but what we can see in the statistics is that they’re not actually safer,” he said.

Participants reported encounters with aggressive or careless drivers that resulted in injuries.

Alexandre Hupé, an UQAM student, explained how he had been hit twice by cars that turned at an intersection without first ensuring that the bike path was unoccupied. On September 16, a woman was fatally hit by a garbage truck while biking on Jean-Talon near St. Denis, the fourth death of a cyclist in Montreal this year. In 2009, automobiles killed a reported 515 people in Quebec.

Eva Dawson, an event organizer, began the protest with an impassioned speech condemning the city’s efforts towards increasing cyclist and pedestrian accessibility in Montreal as “pervasive green washing.”

The current municipal government has been experimenting with pedestrian zones in downtown Montreal. This year, the Gay Village was car-free from May 26 to September 13. The City of Montreal’s 2010 budget also outlined the goal of increasing the network of bike paths to over 800 km by 2013.

Despite these advances, upcoming construction plans for the Bonaventure Expressway, Turcot Interchange, and Highway 30 extension are still centred on traditional automobile transport while including only the minimal public transport element of bus lanes. The solution, according to Montréal à Vélo, is to reduce the number of cars on the streets.

Police on bicycles monitored the demonstration which circled Phillips Square.

The protest was one of the events marking Car-Free Week in Montreal.  The Agence Metropolitaine de Transports (AMT) was a major sponsor and organizer along with the Montreal Urban Ecology Center and the Goethe Institute who have organized Car-Free Neighbourhoods Week, which features environment-related expositions and activities. Saturday will also see the closure of a number of roads in the downtown core.

Roads in the downtown core were blocked off from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, creating a “pedestrian friendly zone.” Sections of Ste. Catherine street were lined with grass, symbolizing the ecological benefit of limiting car-emissions in urban centers. Various intersections have recently been marked for the occasion by the work of Peter Gibson, the street artist and urban activist better known as Roadsworth.

The car-free perimeter extended from Bleury to McGill College and from de Maisonneuve boulevard to René-Lévesque.

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