MONTRÉAL :: Les Projets

[cjbs1]

Je ne crois pas qu'un tramway soit une grande priorité pour le transport à Montréal. Très cher pour pas grand chose !!!

- plus d'autobus acordéon
- Train Léger vers la rive-sud
- Ligne bleue vers Anjou

[MTLskyline]

Originally Posted by MTLskyline

New Samcon project:
Muz Condos - 11 floors (150 units)
Corner René-Lévesque East and Montcalm (here)
Not far from this recently completed project
Sales office opening end of August.


http://www.buzzbuzzhome.com/muz-condos

Big render


http://www.samcon.ca/162-condos-for-...ntown-muz.html

[Rico Rommheim]

Un train style skytrain de Vancouver vers l'aeroport doit etre numero 1 sur la liste. Il devrait pas avoir d'argument.

Its a goddamn disgrace we don't have one of those, even after getting the biggest world's fair in history AND the Olympics.


Numero 2 dois etre l'extention de la ligne bleu vers Anjou.

Le Tramway? Meh.

[MTLskyline]

EXCLUSIVE: City removing weight from park over Ville-Marie Expressway

CTV Montreal
Published Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 6:03PM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 6:52PM EDT

The City of Montreal has begun work to alleviate pressure above the Ville-Marie Expressway, directly in front of the Palais des congres, by clearing it of extra weight, a move one engineer calls “scary.”

CTV Montreal has learned that in the last week trees, soil, concrete and granite have been removed from Place Jean-Riopelle, a small city park that sits across Bleury St. from the Palais des Congres.

It is also on top of the Ville-Marie Expressway.

The move comes after Quebec’s Transport Department received a report this July about the structure.

“At the request of the Ministère des Transports du Québec, the Ville Marie borough is dismantling two giant planters as well as the stairs in between them,” said Anik de Repentigny, a representative for the Ville-Marie Borough.

The plan is to remove 250 tonnes – 10 per cent of the weight on top of the road that hides the overpass.

“We needed to take some action to alleviate some weight from the structure to prevent and preserve this structure that was built in 1972,” said MTQ spokesperson Caroline Larose.

Trucks with heavy loads have also been restricted from driving on Bleury St.

“We made the analysis, we trust the results that we've got and we're taking some actions,” said Larose. “It's not like we don't know the state of this overpass.”

Repair work is scheduled for 2013, after a winter that is bound to bring heavy ice and snow.

“The step we're talking about right now is to remove this weight,” said Larose. “As for the weight of the snow and the ice, I'm sorry, I'm not an engineer, I don't have this kind of information for you,” said Larose in an interview with CTV Montreal.

Concordia engineering professor Adel Hanna said waiting months to repair the overpass is a troubling move.

“When I hear they have to remove 10 per cent, it's really very scary because we design the bridge to carry twice as much of the load, which means 100 per cent, so 10 per cent is too little,” he said, adding that a report from this summer could already be outdated, especially after last week's earthquake.

“We can't afford to wait until a bridge collapses under its own weight as the Laval bridge, which collapsed just by itself, without any loads or any external effects,” he said.

Still, the MTQ insists the area is safe, claiming that if it were not, they would have closed the Ville-Marie and the road on top.

“All the merchants, hotels and business owners around Place Jean-Riopelle have been informed of the work being done by the city,” said de Repentigny.

The city, however, appears to have missed merchant Anthony Musto, who runs the Java U coffee shop that faces Place Jean-Riopelle.

Musto said he wants the MTQ to fix the overpass as soon as possible.

“If it's 24 hours, if it's two shifts, three shifts, let's take care of it,” he said.

In the meantime, both the MTQ and the city are focusing on continuing the delicate work of removing the sidewalks and stairs along the park.

“It’s not really a reasonable solution,” said Hanna. “It's not a final solution for the problem. Instead of postponing the repair to next year, they should go immediately and start the repair.”

The MTQ and the Ville-Marie Borough have a special meeting on Thursday to discuss how to proceed with the work as safely as possible.

Read more: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/exclusive...#ixzz29bYoyFHQ

[MTLskyline]

The John Abbott Science and Health Technologies Building will be officially inaugurated on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Build...#ixzz29nmnFQ6b

[MTLskyline]

I noticed that there is some heavy machinery on the eastern side of Bishop (in the small empty lot), just north of St. Catherine. Anyone know of a project in that location?

I also noticed the new streetwalk effect that is starting to emerge on lower Bishop. Sure the atchitecture is less than mediocre, but it's still a big improvement over the wasteland it was before.

[MTLskyline]

Cirque du Soleil to Get Permanent Toronto Venue? Say it isn’t So.

Posted by: Pat Donnelly
October 23, 2012. 5:32 pm

Quel horreur! It’s possible that the Cirque du Soleil may find its first permanent Canadian performance venue in Toronto rather than Montreal.

According to a story just published in the Toronto Star, MGM Resorts International, which is lobbying to get in on a proposed downtown Toronto casino, is hinting that it might include a permanent venue for the Cirque du Soleil.

This, of course, would be a huge blow to Quebec pride and could trigger a revolution. Unless, of course, Cirque owner and adventurous billionaire Guy Laliberte appeases les gens de notre pays by completing a permanent venue for his billion circus here first. I recommend this for the sake of social peace. He could make it happen. In a heartbeat.

Meanwhile, the James Cameron film Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away just had its debut at the Tokyo International Film Festival last weekend. And here in Montreal, it has been announced that Cirque CEO Daniel Lamarre will be awarded an honorary degree by McGill University. Read Gazette story here.

http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/201...ay-it-isnt-so/

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MTLskyline

http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/201...ay-it-isnt-so/

Hmmm. Interesting story. I will believe it when I see it though nothing is impossible. It could be that MGM as an American company is all about Toronto because it perceives it to be more anglo-friendly and non-separatist.

Toronto is of course the larger of the two cities and a bigger economic centre but there is no way it is head and shoulders above Montreal as a year-round tourist destination, to the point where it would be a no-brainer for the Cirque would pick Toronto over Montreal as a permanent home for a show.

If it does end up being Toronto there are surely other factors at play.

[MTLskyline]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Hmmm. Interesting story. I will believe it when I see it though nothing is impossible. It could be that MGM as an American company is all about Toronto because it perceives it to be more anglo-friendly and non-separatist.

Toronto is of course the larger of the two cities and a bigger economic centre but there is no way it is head and shoulders above Montreal as a year-round tourist destination, to the point where it would be a no-brainer for the Cirque would pick Toronto over Montreal as a permanent home for a show.

If it does end up being Toronto there are surely other factors at play.

I would see it as a strategic mistake to pick Toronto over Montreal for the Cirque du Soleil. It's a Montreal institution. I would think that its French brand name would link it to Quebec or at least French Canada in the minds of non-Canadians. I'm sure nobody thinks they are from Toronto.

I really think that the Cirque should be careful about having too many permanent locations. I think that Las Vegas (which has proven itself successful), Montreal and one more (maybe Macau or Monaco?) should be it.

That said, these permanent venues are really a sweet deal for the Cirque. They split the profit 50-50 with MGM, but MGM covers the vast majority of the costs (including construction of venue, etc). They also charge about 50% more and avoid all of the setup and transportation costs. With MGM covering most of the costs, I'm guessing that the Cirque du Soleil doesn't have a whole lot of say sadly...

Here's some old renders from the Montreal Cirque du Soleil-Casino proposal on the Peel Bassin that was shelved due to opposition from Pointe-Saint-Charles residents.






(Source: http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpk...hread.php.html (BTW, the source is essentially an archived SSP page from 2006 - a trip back in time for some)

[BIMBAM]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Hmmm. Interesting story. I will believe it when I see it though nothing is impossible. It could be that MGM as an American company is all about Toronto because it perceives it to be more anglo-friendly and non-separatist.

Toronto is of course the larger of the two cities and a bigger economic centre but there is no way it is head and shoulders above Montreal as a year-round tourist destination, to the point where it would be a no-brainer for the Cirque would pick Toronto over Montreal as a permanent home for a show.

If it does end up being Toronto there are surely other factors at play.

I actually had a conversation about this with a very high level Cirque de Soleil executive I met on a plane about a year ago. Suffice it to say, she said that after they conducted studies on economic viability of shows, Toronto came out on top just because of how many more people there are in drivable radius around the city. The greater golden horseshoe means there's almost twice as many people in the area who can come see the show, and they're on average somewhat more wealthy.

MTLskyline, on the topic of that article about the John Abbott Science building, basically an advertisement for Perotte + Saucier, I'll say that I currently go to school at that UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences building they were touting and their architecture is great for impressing donors, not so great for students. It's pretty, but there's barely any study, social, or locker spaces. Beautiful, but the students were obviously their last priority. I'm glad we've got the new building but I have some beef with this firms approach generally having perused much of their work, although I admit that they aren't without talent.

[BIMBAM]

Originally Posted by MTLskyline

I would see it as a strategic mistake to pick Toronto over Montreal for the Cirque du Soleil. It's a Montreal institution. I would think that its French brand name would link it to Quebec or at least French Canada in the minds of non-Canadians. I'm sure nobody thinks they are from Toronto.

I really think that the Cirque should be careful about having too many permanent locations. I think that Las Vegas (which has proven itself successful), Montreal and one more (maybe Macau or Monaco?) should be it.

That said, these permanent venues are really a sweet deal for the Cirque. They split the profit 50-50 with MGM, but MGM covers the vast majority of the costs (including construction of venue, etc). They also charge about 50% more and avoid all of the setup and transportation costs. With MGM covering most of the costs, I'm guessing that the Cirque du Soleil doesn't have a whole lot of say sadly...

Here's some old renders from the Montreal Cirque du Soleil-Casino proposal on the Peel Bassin that was shelved due to opposition from Pointe-Saint-Charles residents.






(Source: http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpk...hread.php.html (BTW, the source is essentially an archived SSP page from 2006 - a trip back in time for some)

Shame, but I can see how Point St. Charles residents might object. This area here, however, north of the highway and just over the bridge from Old Montreal, tourist ground zero, seems an even better location, blighted and begging to be reinvented into a tourist's dream!

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Montre...69.57,,0,-2.17

[isaidso]

Cirque du Soleil to Get Permanent Toronto Venue? Say it isn’t So.

This, of course, would be a huge blow to Quebec pride and could trigger a revolution.

Montreal Gazette

Why is it a source of pride when Cirque de Soleil develops a permanent home in Las Vegas, but it's a blow to pride when it wants to develop a permanent home in Toronto? That's messed up.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Toronto is of course the larger of the two cities and a bigger economic centre but there is no way it is head and shoulders above Montreal as a year-round tourist destination, to the point where it would be a no-brainer for the Cirque would pick Toronto over Montreal as a permanent home for a show.

If it does end up being Toronto there are surely other factors at play.

The casino proposal in Toronto will undergo a very vigorous approval process and it's an extremely complicated and controversial project. It's a little too early to consider it a likelihood.

That said, the tourism gap between Montreal and Toronto is increasing these days. Toronto received around 10 million over night visitors in 2011. Montreal received about 7.5 million according to the Montreal tourism bureau. It's not a huge gap, but Toronto is morphing into a different type of tourism destination.

Historically, Toronto has drawn from Quebec and the Great Lakes states. These days, Toronto is changing into a global tourism destination with huge growth in visitors from further a field. These tourists are staying longer and spending more money. They aren't the weekend visitors Toronto used to get.

MGM and companies like them are recognizing what's happening in Toronto and placing their bets. Toronto is turning into a major international tourism hub. It also benefits from huge international passenger traffic at Pearson (20,355,771 in 2011). In north America, only JFK (24,164,827 in 2011) brings in more.


http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/cana...11-185549.html
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/Pre...tourist-season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's...senger_traffic

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by isaidso

The casino proposal in Toronto will undergo a very vigorous approval process and it's an extremely complicated and controversial project. It's a little too early to consider it a likelihood.

That said, the tourism gap between Montreal and Toronto is increasing these days. Toronto received around 10 million over night visitors in 2011. Montreal received about 7.5 million according to the Montreal tourism bureau. It's not a huge gap, but Toronto is morphing into a different type of tourism destination.

Historically, Toronto has drawn from Quebec and the Great Lakes states. These days, Toronto is changing into a global tourism destination with huge growth in visitors from further a field. These tourists are staying longer and spending more money. They aren't the weekend visitors Toronto used to get.

MGM and companies like them are recognizing what's happening in Toronto and placing their bets. Toronto is turning into a major international tourism hub. It also benefits from huge international passenger traffic at Pearson (20,355,771 in 2011). In north America, only JFK (24,164,827 in 2011) brings in more.


http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/cana...11-185549.html
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/Pre...tourist-season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's...senger_traffic

Thank you for those numbers. I suspect that the difference between Toronto and Montreal is largely due to business travellers (Toronto gets many more because of its economic might) and also VFRs (visiting friends and relatives) which it also gets more of because of its higher foreign-born population. Of course all of these people do have money to spend...

That said I agree with MTLskyline. Whether it is rational or not, if the Cirque decides to go with Toronto, there will strong reactions and controversy no matter what.

Montreal would have a certain logic to it since it is ''home'', but if they pick Toronto - people will ask why Toronto and not New York, or London or Paris?

[Martin Mtl]

When the project of 3 huge towers in the theatre district of Toronto was announced a month ago, the promoter said that he wanted to demolished the Princess of Wale theatre because of the decline of the big theatre shows in Toronto (link here: http://www.nowtoronto.com/stage/stor...content=188880). Toronto is not Las Vegas. I don't think this will fly, with or without a casino. But if it does, good for Toronto and good for the Cirque!

[West_aust]

There are so many big IF in this story, that it can go both ways!

1. Does the city approves to get a casino or not
2. Does the OLG grants a casino to Toronto
3. Does it gets built downtown or on the outskirts
4. Is MGM selected as the manager over Ceasars, Wynn or any other company

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

When the project of 3 huge towers in the theatre district of Toronto was announced a month ago, the promoter said that he wanted to demolished the Princess of Whale theatre because of the decline of the big theatre shows in Toronto (link here: http://www.nowtoronto.com/stage/stor...content=188880). Toronto is not Las Vegas. I don't think this will fly, with or without a casino. But if it does, good for Toronto and good for the Cirque!

Big theater shows don't draw that many tourists, it's all the same broadway shows all over the world, just different distributions! Whether you go to NY, London, Paris or Toronto, you'll find a showing of The Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Mama Mia or Cats! A cirque du soleil show does draw people from around the world on the basis that it's unique to a location (speaking of permanent venues)

However, it is to be noted that this has failed in Macau, where the only activity that was of interest for the visitors was gambling!

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by West_aust

There are so many big IF in this story, that it can go both ways!

1. Does the city approves to get a casino or not
2. Does the OLG grants a casino to Toronto
3. Does it gets built downtown or on the outskirts
4. Is MGM selected as the manager over Ceasars, Wynn or any other company



Big theater shows don't draw that many tourists, it's all the same broadway shows all over the world, just different distributions! Whether you go to NY, London, Paris or Toronto, you'll find a showing of The Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Mama Mia or Cats! A cirque du soleil show does draw people from around the world on the basis that it's unique to a location (speaking of permanent venues)

However, it is to be noted that this has failed in Macau, where the only activity that was of interest for the visitors was gambling!

An interesting question is whether people from Quebec would travel to Toronto to see "their" Cirque. And whether or not this market is part of the Cirque and MGM's calculations on the viability of a Toronto foray.

Just for people who don't know - travelling to Vegas to see Céline or the Cirque (usually both) is a HUGE deal in Quebec. I know literally tons of people in my entourage who have done this. If you did a straw poll among the hockey or gymnastics parents on Saturday anywhere in Quebec you could easily fill a bus there with people who've done this.

I have heard that on some nights in Vegas for Céline's shows there can be as many as 1000 or even 1500 people (out of 4000) in the theatre who are from Quebec.

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by West_aust

There are so many big IF in this story, that it can go both ways!

1. Does the city approves to get a casino or not
2. Does the OLG grants a casino to Toronto
3. Does it gets built downtown or on the outskirts
4. Is MGM selected as the manager over Ceasars, Wynn or any other company



Big theater shows don't draw that many tourists, it's all the same broadway shows all over the world, just different distributions! Whether you go to NY, London, Paris or Toronto, you'll find a showing of The Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Mama Mia or Cats! A cirque du soleil show does draw people from around the world on the basis that it's unique to a location (speaking of permanent venues)

However, it is to be noted that this has failed in Macau, where the only activity that was of interest for the visitors was gambling!

It failed also in New York and Miami.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

It failed also in New York and Miami.

All of these are way bigger tourist destinations than Toronto (or Montreal for that matter).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by West_aust

Big theater shows don't draw that many tourists, it's all the same broadway shows all over the world, just different distributions! Whether you go to NY, London, Paris or Toronto, you'll find a showing of The Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Mama Mia or Cats! A cirque du soleil show does draw people from around the world on the basis that it's unique to a location (speaking of permanent venues)

I think that people do travel from afar to see shows to places like Broadway and London. A place like Toronto, which has actually has built up a pretty impressive musical theatre scene, will draw patrons mostly from its own region and hinterland (Ontario and immediate border areas of the U.S.), and people who happen to be in town for other reasons. But I don't see Toronto as a "show" destination for anyone further than a couple of hours' drive. If you are in Indiana or even New Brunswick and you want to go see a big show, you'll go to Broadway, not Toronto.