The city closed down part of my street three months ago with some ciment blocks. There hasn't been any work done yet. I know this because I know the owner of the corner store and she called the city to know what the heff was going on, and they said they had repairs to do....
I live in Cote Saint-Luc and we are technically not part of Montreal (we are part of the island though) and our roads are actually clean, the work gets done pretty fast. I am like WTF...how come the city of Montreal can't do that? It's like 5min away.
I live in Cote Saint-Luc and we are technically not part of Montreal (we are part of the island though) and our roads are actually clean, the work gets done pretty fast. I am like WTF...how come the city of Montreal can do that? It's like 5min away.
Yeah, I work in Laval (but live in the West Island) and it blows my mind how quickly and efficiently work gets done here compared to Montreal. And, like you said, it's 5 minutes away. Doesn't make any sense at all.
Yeah, I work in Laval (but live in the West Island) and it blows my mind how quickly and efficiently work gets done here compared to Montreal. And, like you said, it's 5 minutes away. Doesn't make any sense at all.
They actually redid the road of my street 1 year ago and it took 1 month with intense work every day. Looks beautiful now.
I live in Repentigny suburb and they do work on infrastructures way faster it seems. But they're also rebuilding the 40 highway all in concrete, for no obvious reasons, it was relatively in better shape there, near Repentigny, than most of the roads in Montreal. I think they don't prioritize works. Instead of rebuilding a non-critical part of a highway, they should fix EVERYTHING, every single problems on the Montreal island first. That's where the economic activity is. From my PoV it's very critical to the economic strenght of the whole province. Even if some think Quebec is poor, it in fact, isn't. It's just riddled with corruption and ineficiency. Why do you think socialism fails EVERYWHERE ?
I'm sick and tired of seeing approximately 50% of my income DIRECTLY sent in the pockets of the gvt, then have to pay 35% more taxes for the gas + 15% normal taxes on everything else (TPS + TVQ), and hearing all those politicians claiming they need MOAR MONEY and moar TAXES for FUXX sakes.
I'm fortunate enough to have a good income, can afford a house and 2 cars, paying all the bills and taking care of my 2 kids etc, but WTF they do with my money ? Corruption everywhere and roads collapsing, orange cones everywhere without any workers in sight, they FCKING even close highways at night and I friggin get stuck in traffic jams after 22:00 when I get back home from beer league hockey (makes me want to stay at the strippers all night to avoid traffic lawl)...
That situation is pathetic, makes me want to move my family south the boarder or in Alberta, I would probably be able to find a much more paying job there anyways, it's just that I love Quebec and I have mostly french roots (my grand-mother is Irish), and that my GF dosen't speak a single word of english.
What's even more terrible is that there is no alternative as far as politics are concerned. You vote for either a center left or a center center left, and both are populists and want to please everyone to gain voters, and won't make the changes necesary to pull Quebec out of the mud.
on the radio yesterday a city press agent said most of all the new revenues they got (hike in taxes, gas tax etc) has gone to the public transport. Whatever they can do to **** drivers theyll do. Every year, STM runs deficits after deficits. Im not against investing in public transport but maybe fix the **** we have already have?
on the radio yesterday a city press agent said most of all the new revenues they got (hike in taxes, gas tax etc) has gone to the public transport. Whatever they can do to **** drivers theyll do. Every year, STM runs deficits after deficits. Im not against investing in public transport but maybe fix the **** we have already have?
Well the public transport has indeed gotten much better recently. Was voted top public transport company in NA for 2010. Positive sign.
Well the public transport has indeed gotten much better recently. Positive sign.
agreed just baffled how the STM runs deficits every year, last year 40Million. Had a friend work at the STM cleaning the metro wagons @ night, he couldnt clean more than 4 or 5 wagons during his shift. After his 3 hour of hard labor, hed go home to chill then back to work to punch out.
agreed just baffled how the STM runs deficits every year, last year 40Million. Had a friend work at the STM cleaning the metro wagons @ night, he couldnt clean more than 4 or 5 wagons during his shift. After his 3 hour of hard labor, hed go home to chill then back to work to punch out.
agreed just baffled how the STM runs deficits every year, last year 40Million. Had a friend work at the STM cleaning the metro wagons @ night, he couldnt clean more than 4 or 5 wagons during his shift. After his 3 hour of hard labor, hed go home to chill then back to work to punch out.
The worst is that they are all antisocial. Although I cut them some slack because they have to deal with a lot of nutcases day in and day out.
part of the collective bargaining i guess. i forget if it was 4 or 5 wagons but it was a ridiculous low amount of wagons. It w would take him 3-4 hours to clean them, then sit on his ass for the rest of the shift at like 17$/hour. This was 4 years ago
part of the collective bargaining i guess. i forget if it was 4 or 5 wagons but it was a ridiculous low amount of wagons. It w would take him 3-4 hours to clean them, then sit on his ass for the rest of the shift at like 17$/hour. This was 4 years ago
Ah, I thought you were implying he would play hookie and go home unnoticed.
That's seems like a pretty sweet deal, yet they still seem to be on strike every second week. I don't know what they have to strike about though, especially the guys in the ticket booths. They get paid obscene money to sit and read and give people tickets once in a blue moon. That's assuming the ticket booth is even open, which it usually isn't.
Ah, I thought you were implying he would play hookie and go home unnoticed.
That's seems like a pretty sweet deal, yet they still seem to be on strike every second week. I don't know what they have to strike about though, especially the guys in the ticket booths. They get paid obscene money to sit and read and give people tickets once in a blue moon. That's assuming the ticket booth is even open, which it usually isn't.
honestly if we are dumping that much money into the system they should make it an essential service and essentially eliminate their striking abilities. I think in NY if they strike, they fine the union 1M$ a day.
honestly if we are dumping that much money into the system they should make it an essential service and essentially eliminate their striking abilities. I think in NY if they strike, they fine the union 1M$ a day.
I don't see the point of a union in the public sector tbh. Seems like only abuse can come out of it. Polytechnique does well with no union.
For those ranting about the taxes and saying it's going to a black whole, I hope you understand that no system is perfect. Our system works, that's what's important. Pointing out what's wrong with our country is important too, because public opinion has its say in politics, and it brings the people in power down to earth. The same with all the other scandals. We should be happy that we have the right of expression. Even though we don't live in utopia, we live in a pretty good country, to me (which is debatable) better than the US or France. Right now I'm in Colombia, and there's violence everywhere, a civil war since forever, helicopters in the sky, the army with M16 in the streets, no liberty of expression... and a neo-liberal system with... almost no taxes... Being out of Canada made me appreciate Canada, let me say. I agree with the people complaining because I think it can make a change for the best, but most have their mouth full of food, a roof under their head, while typing those things. Just be happy you can walk at night without being robbed. Just be happy you don't have to be careful at all time looking for somebody who's going to stick it to you. There's a reasons so many people immigrate to Canada. But we're talking about Québec. There's a reason why even French people immigrate to Québec, and their country is not even that bad. That's why I have been saying all along that this tunnel Ville Marie issue turned into a crusade against Québec is overblown. Sure we have problems, but it's not nearly as bad as you think or say. And everybody has problems. Don't throw rocks when you live in a glass house is an english expression for a reason. Get off your high horses. Canada is a great country, but where does that superiority-inferiority complex to take dumps on one of your founding province that fought for democracy against the British alone with Ontario to bring constitutional reforms and that has always been peaceful comes from ? ...
Last edited by FF de Mars: 08-05-2011 at 07:39 PM.
I know people who work at the STM and they always tell me this: STM will always spend more and run into deficit because if they are profitable, Feds and Provincials will cut their funds. I guess it makes sense. Just like Larry Smith and the Alouettes apparently inflated their attendance numbers to get money for the Percival-Molson expansion.
For those ranting about the taxes and saying it's going to a black whole, I hope you understand that no system is perfect. Our system works, that's what's important. Pointing out what's wrong with our country is important too, because public opinion has its say in politics, and it brings the people in power down to earth. The same with all the other scandals. We should be happy that we have the right of expression. Even though we don't live in utopia, we live in a pretty good country, to me (which is debatable) better than the US or France. Right now I'm in Colombia, and there's violence everywhere, a civil war since forever, helicopters in the sky, the army with M16 in the streets, no liberty of expression... and a neo-liberal system with... almost no taxes... Being out of Canada made me appreciate Canada, let me say. I agree with the people complaining because I think it can make a change for the best, but most have their mouth full of food, a roof under their head, while typing those things. Just be happy you can walk at night without being robbed. Just be happy you don't have to be careful at all time looking for somebody who's going to stick it to you. There's a reasons so many people immigrate to Canada. But we're talking about Québec. There's a reason why even French people immigrate to Québec, and their country is not even that bad. That's why I have been saying all along that this tunnel Ville Marie issue turned into a crusade against Québec is overblown. Sure we have problems, but it's not nearly as bad as you think or say. And everybody has problems. Don't throw rocks when you live in a glass house is an english expression for a reason. Get off your high horses. Canada is a great country, but where does that superiority-inferiority complex to take dumps on one of your founding province that fought for democracy against the British alone with Ontario to bring constitutional reforms and that has always been peaceful comes from ? ...
Thanks for this intelligent post.
I think when it comes to these issues, people (in general, not just on this board) are really over-cynical and close minded. Sure, a few things don't go well in Quebec : Infrastructures have not been properly maintained. The level of corruption and the lack of government action is disturbing. The public debt is pretty high. We lack big ambitious projects. Etc.
But all of this has to be put into perspective.
Insfrastuctures? Yes, stuff like the A-720 collapse is worrying, but really, in the last decade, how many people exactly have been killed by infrastructure problems in Quebec? 6. I think more people have been killed by bees or by revolving doors. Yes, the degradation of the bridges and roads is worrying and it's time to invest some money there (and to add tolls on roads I believe), but anybody who has travelled know that it's much worse in many places. I was in Costa Rica last year, one of the richest country in Latin America, and let me say the roads there are full of ostrich nest, to a point where it's impossible to drive at a normal speed because of all the zigzags you have to do.
Corruption? Yes, it's disturbing and frustrating. Especially knowing that around 30% of public spending on infrastructures goes to the organized crime. But come on : anybody thinks this is happening only in Quebec? My belief about that is that Quebec's journalists are just doing their job better by exposing all of these suspicious affairs to the public eye. Anybody here seriously believe that there's no mafia or organized crime in Toronto or in New York? It's been a while since the mafia has been intefering in the legal economy, and the Montreal criminals are just following what their bosses have teached them in New York and Palermo. What should be even more worrying is when the medias are not talking about it at all.
The most disturbing thing to me is the lack of governement action and all their links to corrupted people. But again, we have to put that in perspective. We currently have the worst governement in Quebec since the Union Nationale, and I think I can say that pretty objectively. In the long run of History, they don't weight that heavily. Sadly, this is making people become extremely cynical about our politicians, but they don't realize it can change very quickly if we vote for the right persons. See South of the border : From Bush to Obama. See here in 1960 : From the Union nationale to Jean Lesage. But for now we just have ourselves to blame. We elected those corrupted clowns there, and the other one at the Montreal city hall. We can't let that happen again. It's easy to blame politicians. I'd rather blame those who voted for them or who decided to stay home on election day.
The public debt? Well again, let's put that in perspective. Many rightist medias would like us to believe that Quebec is on the verge of bankrupcy, like Greece and Spain. It's a lie. It's one thing to look at the debt, but you also have to look at the assets to see the whole picture. And this is where Quebec is very solid. Not only do we have a lot of natural ressources waiting to be exploited, but we have incredibly rich and powerful economical institutions like Hydro-Québec and La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, along with a very strong banking system. Hydro-Québec alone is worth more than 100 billions dollars, about the same value than the public debt. This alone is a strong guaranty against any bankrupcy.
Anyway, all this to say that people are reacting a lot too quickly and negatively to some mediatized events. If the collapse of a few bricks that made no injuries can make the headline for a whole week, that makes me believe that we don't have that much of major problems right now in Quebec.
You see, THIS is a country where things are not going well. And here ANOTHER ONE.
Last edited by Partisan du CH: 08-06-2011 at 01:49 AM.
I know people who work at the STM and they always tell me this: STM will always spend more and run into deficit because if they are profitable, Feds and Provincials will cut their funds. I guess it makes sense. Just like Larry Smith and the Alouettes apparently inflated their attendance numbers to get money for the Percival-Molson expansion.
They actually redid the road of my street 1 year ago and it took 1 month with intense work every day. Looks beautiful now.
same here except
- it took the full summer
- wasnt 100% completed
- the contractor went bankrupt
- they hired a new contractor to complete the job
- they started in June this summer
- they had to redo some of the work since they didnt know for sure what part of the job was completed last summer
it can change very quickly if we vote for the right persons. See South of the border : From Bush to Obama.
Bush was awful. Obama has been equally terrible. He's spineless on top of being utterly incompetent.
The US example isn't a very good one. Unless you meant that it's a good example of what happens when you keep voting for the wrong people... but the wrong people is all that they have down there. Unfortunately, I don't see the right people existing up here either.
Anwyay, from the UN to the PLQ in 1960 was a much better example.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Partisan du CH
The public debt? Well again, let's put that in perspective. Many rightist medias would like us to believe that Quebec is on the verge of bankrupcy, like Greece and Spain. It's a lie.
True.
We're not in the worst situation in North America, contrary to what many people are saying. It's always Quebec this, Quebec that and everywhere else is much better than us and much richer and we're going bankrupt and it's too late to do anything and the sky is falling.
It's not a terrible thing for us to have this kind of mindset though. Nothing ever changes if we refuse to see the problems. We cover our eyes and ears way too much, but it seems far worse in much of English North America. I guess they're too busy bashing us to take a look at themselves.
Bush was awful. Obama has been equally terrible. He's spineless on top of being utterly incompetent.
I think what you describe as "spineless" is in reality the fact that he's stuck with a republican House of representatives that is totally uncompromising and that won't let him do what he wants.
For those ranting about the taxes and saying it's going to a black whole, I hope you understand that no system is perfect. Our system works, that's what's important. Pointing out what's wrong with our country is important too, because public opinion has its say in politics, and it brings the people in power down to earth. The same with all the other scandals. We should be happy that we have the right of expression. Even though we don't live in utopia, we live in a pretty good country, to me (which is debatable) better than the US or France. Right now I'm in Colombia, and there's violence everywhere, a civil war since forever, helicopters in the sky, the army with M16 in the streets, no liberty of expression... and a neo-liberal system with... almost no taxes... Being out of Canada made me appreciate Canada, let me say. I agree with the people complaining because I think it can make a change for the best, but most have their mouth full of food, a roof under their head, while typing those things. Just be happy you can walk at night without being robbed. Just be happy you don't have to be careful at all time looking for somebody who's going to stick it to you. There's a reasons so many people immigrate to Canada. But we're talking about Québec. There's a reason why even French people immigrate to Québec, and their country is not even that bad. That's why I have been saying all along that this tunnel Ville Marie issue turned into a crusade against Québec is overblown. Sure we have problems, but it's not nearly as bad as you think or say. And everybody has problems. Don't throw rocks when you live in a glass house is an english expression for a reason. Get off your high horses. Canada is a great country, but where does that superiority-inferiority complex to take dumps on one of your founding province that fought for democracy against the British alone with Ontario to bring constitutional reforms and that has always been peaceful comes from ? ...
Dude, you should read about how corporations are pillaging resources from most 3rd world countries and use economic hitman to install their puppet governments.
The life we live is tightly related to their actions.
I'm very thankful for and enjoy my life as much as the next 1 billion (we're probably in the 500 million) who live the best lives compared to the 6 billion rest, but I'm a realist and know full well it's largely at their future's expense.
So no wonder they move here.
What I'm interested in is our future as a race, and right now, it looks bleek. The whole model of 'survival of the fittest' is misunderstood and used as a justification for how our whole civilization is being runned right now. The rampant individualism and selfishness and greed can only serve a path of self-destruction for the race. This old mentality of following authority, was good when we were hunters and gatherers, helped us to grow as a race, but we're pass that concept, as we're so much advanced technologically that we don't need this model anymore to survive. Competition has to leave way for cooperation, scarcity for abundance, helping instead of taking. Better managing instead of the extreme waste we accumulate. This whole paradigm has many sides and takes a lot of time to explain, but I've been studying this for a long time, and the evidence is overwhelming.
We're too removed from the consequences of our actions (our 'leaders' actions) to fully realize just how broken this system is, and how it is not meant for actual function, but for control.
What we need is to manage our resources better, manage human life better, so that people don't need to move from their region to survive and have a better life.
Educactional institutions make sure that people don't veer off from the justifying paradigms that govern our way of living. So when people read what I'm writing right now, they usually get the same emotional knee-jerk reaction, equate it with socialism and communism. But the real problem is that any of the prevailing political systems that exist are just an apparatus with different degrees of authority and solely meant to manage life through the monetary system. They all serve the same master, money. That's the major system we live in.
I find it highly funny when our modern civilization thinks of itself as highly evolved, yet do not understand that the reason we're so evolved is because of a select few, very brilliant individuals, who, all they wanted was, the betterment of society by the use of their inventions, technology. It wasn't competition that led us to be technologically evolved, but the generosity of these people who spend their lives giving. A major example of this is Nikola Tesla. We're not 'evolved'. We're meer teenagers in true evolutionary term. Why? Because we don't live in harmony with what we have. We are self-destructive, selfish, greedy, we destroy our own environment because we do not see how everything is related in a global causality, until the day the **** hits the fan, and then we might grow-up, if we survive. That's the one key to our growth, the reduction and elimination of the ego complex. And it all starts with education.
Last edited by Ozymandias: 08-06-2011 at 10:03 AM.
I live in Cote Saint-Luc and we are technically not part of Montreal (we are part of the island though) and our roads are actually clean, the work gets done pretty fast. I am like WTF...how come the city of Montreal can't do that? It's like 5min away.
Seriously? The roads in CSL are disgusting. Remember when they ripped up the Cavendish/CSL road intersection like 4 times in the course of a year? There are so many potholes, it's disgusting.
