Who Wants To Maintain Slums In Monteal?

Thevy Kandasamy holds up a notice left by Montreal inspectors after visisting her apartment in the Côte des Neiges borough. Photograph by: Pierre Obendrauf, The Gazette

The City Of Montreal Says It's Lowering The Boom On So-Called "Slumlords"... -- CJAD

Montreal Executive Committee member Michael Applebaum, responsible for housing issues, wants to get tough on all so-called "slumlords" in the city, and he's starting with one particular landlord: a certain Robert Sebag.

Applebaum is giving Sebag until next monday at noon to start cleaning up and fixing up two run-down apartment buildings on Vezina street in Cote-des-Neiges.

Read more ....

Update #1: City to help tenants in rundown building -- CTV
Update #2: Montreal to seek tougher housing regulations -- Montreal Gazette

My Comment: My father owed a number of rental properties 30 years ago. Duplexes and triplexes that were in good neighborhoods and locations. After a dozen years he sold everything, with the exception of the building that he lived in.

His reasons why were simple .... it does not pay. Repair work, taxes .... and then more taxes. Bad tenants who have no interest in paying their rent, but are also oblivious to the damage that they may be doing to their appartments. Complaints and demands that make no sense. Rental boards and government restrictions on how high you can raise rents .... which never came close to making up for the increases in taxes and expenses.

I can list a hundred reasons why it is pointless to a landlord in Montreal. As for the above story on this landlord having problems with his tenants and the City .... it is obvious on why he has thrown in the towel.

Like what my father realized a number of years ago ..... it just does not pay. A fact that the tenants, the City, and the media are completely clueless in understanding.

Major Fire In Montreal's Red-Light District

Photo: The fire broke out in a building adjacent to the Café Cleopatra on St-Laurent. (Loreen Pindera/CBC)

From The CBC:

More than 100 firefighters battled a major fire Tuesday night on the future site of a major redevelopment project on Montreal’s St-Laurent Boulevard.

The fire started around 7:30 p.m. in a vacant building next to the Café Cleopatra, between Ste-Catherine Street and René Lévesque Boulevard.

The fire started on the third floor of the building, said Richard Laporte, the Montreal Fire Department's chief of operations.

Read more ....

Update #1: Firefighters battle blaze on the Main -- Montreal Gazette
Update #2: Arson suspected in two fires -- CTV

18,000 Take Part In Downtown Centraide March

The annual March of 1,000 Umbrellas kicks off Centraide's annual fundraising campaign through the downtown core of Montreal on Oct. 1, 2009. Photograph by: Dave Sidaway, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Charity sets fundraising target of $54 million.

MONTREAL – An estimated 18,000 people from all walks of life took to the city’s downtown core over Thursday’s lunch hour to underline Centraide of Greater Montreal’s freshly announced fundraising target of $54 million for this fall’s campaign.

That sum would match the amounts raised both last year and in 2007.

Read more ....

Hospital Accused Of Reneging On Deal

Le Piedmont, an apartment complex under construction on Cedar Ave., will cause security problems if it's taken over by the Montreal General Hospital, neighbours contend. Photograph by: PHIL CARPENTER, THE GAZETTE, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Cedar Ave. residents upset; Montreal General 'covets' building for parking spaces, physicians' offices.

Cedar Ave. residents are upset that the Montreal General Hospital is eyeing what is supposed to be an apartment complex - now under construction on the slope of Mount Royal - for doctors' offices and underground parking for nurses.

Read more ....

Lifeguards 'Didn't Do Anything' To Save Hila, Family Says

Hila Zohar, 4, has died in the hospital after being pulled unconscious from a municipal pool in Côte St. Luc on Tuesday. Hila's family says lifeguards didn't react quickly enough to save her life. Photograph by: Courtesy of the Zohar family, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

4-year-old girl dies after near-drowning at Côte St. Luc pool.

MONTREAL – On the day 4-year-old Hila Zohar was buried, her family had angry words for lifeguards who they say didn’t act quickly enough.

Hila Zohar was found Tuesday afternoon at the bottom of the Côte St. Luc municipal pool. She was taken off life-support on Wednesday.

“I lost one of the most beautiful girls ever,” Hila’s mother, Edit Zohar, said Thursday.

Read more ....

Update #1: Pool mishap claims life of girl, 4 -- CBC

Update #2: Coroner investigates CSL drowning; close call in Longueuil -- CTV

My Comment: My prayers are for the family.

Peel Still Closed Five Weeks After Accident

Barriers block cars from accessing Peel St. between de Maisonneuve Blvd. and Sherbrooke St.

From CTV:

Peel St. between de Maisonneuve Blvd. and Sherbrooke St. remains closed nearly five weeks after Lea Guilbeault was killed by falling concrete, and it's caused slowdowns for businesses on the typically busy downtown artery.

The City of Montreal has left inspections up to the Residence Marriott Inn, the building from which an 800-pound slab of concrete plummeted 18 floors through the atrium of the Mikasa sushi restaurant on July 16.

Merchants say business has stalled since the accident, because the two-way road has been closed to traffic.

Read more ....

Firefighters Battling Plateau Blaze

Firefighters battle a blaze on St. André st. just north of Roy st. east Tuesday, August 18, 2009 in Montreal. Photograph by: John Kenney, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL -- Police have taken a 50-year-old man into custody Wednesday in connection with a violent blaze last night in the Plateau Mont Royal borough.

The man could be an "important witness or a suspect" in the fire, Montreal police Constable Anie Lemieux said.

Witnesses told police they saw the man hanging around the neighbourhood around the time of the fire, Lemieux said.

The five-alarm fire on St. André St., just north of Roy St. east, was called in just before 9 p.m.

Read more ....

Update: Fire forces 100 residents from their homes -- CBC

Hotel Inspection Report Overdue: Tremblay

Broken glass and planters litter the sidewalk outside the Marriott Residence Inn on Peel St. Thursday, July 16, 2009 after a piece of concrete fell off the building and crashed into the glassed-in terrace of the Mikasa Sushi Bar below killing a woman. Photograph by: John Mahoney, Montreal Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL -- Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay says he’ll put pressure on the owners of the building housing the Marriott Residence Inn to come up with an engineer’s report attesting to the building’s safety.

A piece of concrete fell off the 18th storey of the Peel St. building on July 16, killing 33-year-old Léa Guilbeault and injuring her husband Hani Beitinjaneh, 33, as they dined in the ground floor restaurant, Mikasa Sushi Bar.

Read more ....

Villanueva's Death Marked By Montreal Vigil

A crowd of several hundred marched through the streets of Montreal North on Sunday to mark the 1st anniversary of the police shooting death of Fredy Villanueva. Photograph by: Peter McCabe, The Gazette

From The CBC:

About 500 people gathered for a peaceful vigil and march on Sunday to commemorate the police shooting death of a Montreal teenager that sparked a night of rioting in a north-end neighbourhood last year.

The march went through Montreal North before stopping by the Henri-Bourassa park where 18-year-old Fredy Villanueva was shot Aug. 9, 2008, after police confronted him and his friends, who were playing dice.

Two other youths were wounded in the same incident but survived.

Read more ....

More News On The 1rst Year Anniversary Of Villanueva's Death

500 marchers mark anniversary of teen's death -- CTV
'Never again,' protesters at Fredy Villanueva march say -- Montreal Gazette
Neighbourhood marks one-year anniversary of fatal police shooting -- Canadian Press
Mayor Tremblay skips Villanueva event -- Montreal Gazette

Fredy Villanueva Anniversary Approaches

Wendy Villaneuva looks at memorial to her brother Fredy, killed last year by Montreal police (August 4, 2009)

From The CTV:

This Sunday marks the first anniversary of the shooting death of Fredy Villanueva at the hands of police officers.

He was gunned down on August 9, 2008, when officers arrested his brother, and his death sparked a riot in Montreal North.

This weekend an event called "Hoodstock" will incorporate two days of concerts and social forums to commemorate Fredy's death.

Read more ....

My Comment: My friends who live in the area are worried only about one thing .... that another riot breaks out. Considering the neighborhood .... I would not be surprised.

Montreal News And Weather -- August 4, 2009

MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

Quebec coroner seeking Arturo Gatti documents -- Montreal Gazette

Police probe video of 7-year-old driving -- CBC

Montreal study links heavy drinking with cancer -- Montreal Gazette

Nadal will be at Rogers Cup: uncle -- CBC

Canadiens' Gainey leaves door open for big trade -- Montreal Gazette

Four men remain in Cuban prison on rape charges -- CTV

4 Montreal men held in Cuban jail on rape allegations -- Montreal Gazette

Firefighters discover marijuana grow-op -- CTV

Montreal firefighters uncover major grow-op -- Montreal Gazette

Man shot in Montreal North -- CTV

Montreal North shooting at group wounds man -- CBC

Montreal teacher gets 14 years in U.S. prison for sex crimes -- CBC

Ex-Selwyn House teacher Richard Doucet gets 14-year sentence -- Montreal Gazette

End Of Construction Holiday Causes Border Delays

From CTV:

A 19th person died on Quebec roads during this year's construction holiday, traditionally one of the most deadly periods for car accidents in the province.

Robert Boyadjian, 26, was killed at 9:30 Saturday night after he clipped the rear bumper of a vehicle while trying to pass it on westbound Highway 20. He lost control of the vehicle at Morgan Rd. in Baie d'Urfé.

Read more ....

2nd Gatti Autopsy Ordered By Quebec Coroner

Brazilian police released new information on Friday about the death of boxer Arturo Gatti. Jeff Christensen/Reuters

From The CBC:

Canada wants details of Brazilian findings on former boxer's death

At the family's request, a Quebec coroner has agreed to exhume the body of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti so that two pathologists can conduct a second autopsy.

His family refuses to believe Gatti committed suicide, as Brazilian authorities affirmed Thursday.

Montreal coroner Jean Brochu said it will be several weeks before the results of the autopsy will be released. One of the problems facing the pathologists is that the body was embalmed before it was sent back to Canada for burial.

Read more ....

More News On Arturo Gatti's Death

Quebec coroner to perform autopsy on Gatti's body -- CTV
Canada wants more info on death of boxer in Brazil -- Montreal Gazette
Gatti exhumed; Canadian authorities to do autopsy -- AP
Former boxer Gatti's body exhumed -- BBC
Canada wants more info about Gatti's death -- National Post

Cracked Window On Eighth Floor Of Eaton Centre

A worker prepares to patch cracks in one of three windows at 1801 McGill college in Montreal Thursday. The eastern side of the street between de Maisonneuve and Ste. Catherine Sts. was closed to traffic as a safety precaution. Photograph by: Phil Carpenter, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL ­ Anxious pedestrians craned their necks Thursday afternoon as police, the Montreal fire department and ultimately a commercial glass company decided what to do about some cracked windows on the facade of the Eaton Centre tower.

Fire officials were called around 10:30 a.m. when cracks were discovered in a window on the eighth floor and another window several stories up.

Read more ....

Arturo Gatti's Death Called Suicide, Wife Released From Prison

Amanda Rodrigues (front), widow of the late world champion boxer Arturo Gatti, leaves a women's jail with her sister Flavia in Pernanbuco. Photograph by: Clemilson Campos, Reuters

From The Montreal Gazette:

RIO DE JANEIRO ­ Boxer Arturo Gatti's death was ruled a suicide by police Thursday and a judge ordered the release of his wife, who was once suspected of killing the former champion.

Lead investigator Paulo Alberes told Associated Press that authorities decided Gatti killed himself on July 11 while at a seaside resort in northeastern Brazil.

When asked if police had determined the case was a suicide, Alberes said "yes." He offered no other details.

Read more ....

Tearful Homecoming For Montreal Girls Caught In Coup

Louise Desrosiers (left) and Rick Strubbe greet their daughter, Alizée, at Trudeau airport July 2, 2009, upon her arrival from Honduras with classmates from Pensionnat Saint-Nom-De-Marie in Outremont. The 21 girls and three teachers had to cut their humanitarian trip short when the Honduran government was overthrown in a coup d'etat. Photograph by: John Mahoney, The Gazette

From Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL - A group of teenage girls on a fateful trip to Honduras arrived back at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Thursday afternoon, tired and disappointed that their trip was cut short, but at the same time exhilarated that they had been in the country to witness the continent's first coup d'état since the Cold War ended.

Amidst the regular fare of tearful family reunions at the airport, the 21 girls, between ages 15 and 17, and their three teachers from the Pensionnat Saint-Nom-de-Marie in Outremont, now had to brave the throng of cameramen and reporters wanting a piece of them to reach their own loved ones.

Read more ....

Update #1: Students back in Canada after military coup in Honduras -- CTV

Update #2: Montreal girls return from Honduras safely -- CBC

Few Takers For New Border Card

File photo: A United States customs agent hands a motorist information on the types of identification documents needed to cross the border from Canada. New rules go into effect starting June 1. Photograph by: Bill Pugliano, Getty Images

From The Montreal Gazette:

Slow start; Just 11,000 pay for 'enhanced' driver's permit.

The province's new enhanced driver's licences, which will act as official identification for crossing the border into the United States, are proving to be a tough sell.

In the first 31/2 months of the program only 11,000 enhanced licences - which have computer identity chips that can be read by border guards - have been issued, The Gazette has learned.

For the enhanced licence program to break even, about 10 per cent of drivers in the province, or a total of 500,000 people, must request one and pay the $40 fee.

Read more ....

Firefighters Contain Dr. Penfield Blaze

Firefighters battle a five-alarm blaze Thursday in an old graystone mansion at 1558 Dr. Penfield Ave. in the Ville Marie borough. Photograph by: Marc Lambert, Gazette reader

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL - Montreal firefighters have contained a five-alarm fire on Dr. Penfield Ave. The fire caused significant damage to the historic building that used to house the U.S. consulate.

The all-clear on the fire was given at 2:48 p.m. Firefighters gained access to the building at 4 p.m.

They have no idea of the origins or cause of the fire.

Read more ....

26 Evacuated From The Monster At La Ronde

File photo: The Monster roller coaster ride at LaRonde in 2008. Twenty-six people were escorted from the Monster Monday after a wagon stalled on an incline. There were no injuries. Photograph by: Dave Sidaway, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Firefighters were escorting 26 passengers from The Monster roller coaster at La Ronde amusement park Monday afternoon, after one of its wagons stalled on an incline.

There were no reported injuries and the passengers, wearing safety harnesses given them by the firefighters, were being escorted along a safety walkway that stretches the entire length of the 24-year-old wooden roller coaster, Montreal fire department Chief of Operations Michel Bourgeois said. There was no need for ladders, he said.

The incident took place at about 2 p.m., he said. Firefighters were expecting to have helped all the passengers down from the roller coaster by 4 p.m.

Read more ....

Canadian Centre For Architecture Marks Its 20th Anniversary

The exterior of Lord Shaughnessy's mansion, seen here on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, is one of 50 heritage properties to hold open houses this weekend. The semi-detached mansion was built by Robert Brown in 1874 and is now part of the Canadian Centre for Architecture. Photograph by: Dave Sidaway, Montreal Gazette

20 Years: 20 Hours At Montreal Architecture Centre -- The Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL - The Canadian Centre for Architecture marks its 20th anniversary this weekend with “20 Years: 20 Hours,” a celebration of its achievements in Montreal and internationally.

From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, the centre will display its designer and exhibition spaces free of charge as part of Design Montréal Open House, which will include guided tours led by the CCA building designer Peter Rose and highlights from 20 years of exhibitions.

Read more ....