I see mtl

WHAT IS I SEE MTL? A movement led by actors from different spheres of activity. A movement meant to change the collective mindset to restore confidence and pride in the city and give Montréal and its economy new momentum.

[iseemtl]

Life coaches for youth, please

The self-made man does not exist. We all need coaching. The guy who coined the phrase “self-made man”—and I’m pretty sure it’s a guy, because Wikipedia says it was either Frederick Douglass or Benjamin Franklin—was probably a jerk, a liar or a wiseass. Why? Because the self-made man, much like the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus, does not exist. Although it would be nice if Santa Claus was real… but that’s a whole other story.

We have all, at one time or another in life, encountered at least one person who helped us on our path: perhaps a parent, a mentor or a coach. Interestingly, the word “coach” originates from the Hungarian word kocsi, which was a type of carriage that transported travellers. A coach that guides us in life is… well… a life coach. Is it not important then, that each individual gets the life coach he or she deserves? The answer is yes. But it’s a factor that’s often overlooked.

Needless to say that in 2013, the graduation rate in Montreal was no higher than 73.4% after seven years in high school. Also needless to say that the drop-out rate in certain Montreal schools exceeds 50%. Obviously, these trends help perpetuate the cycle of poverty. It also needs to be said that most of our institutions, in response to these concerns, sensibly and massively invested in creating extracurricular and sports activities within the school. This is an excellent idea because we know that half of a child’s academic success depends on the development of non-cognitive “life skills”, such as confidence and character, and that sports activities actively contribute to building these skills.

Sports, as a metaphor, is like the school of life. You work with your teammates to face adversaries together. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you always learn something about yourself and others. Character gets developed by learning to respect the referee’s decision even when his ruling is wildly off the mark. In sports, you get injured, but you get up again. Most of the time it’s physical, but there’s always an emotional component.

However, those entrusted with helping youth develop life skills in the context of sports—coaches—do not have adequate training. This is appalling; especially in light of research showing that a coach is the most influential adult in a young athlete’s life, after his or her parents. Is there, consequently, a missed opportunity, especially in disadvantaged areas, to leverage a youth’s motivation for sports and help improve their chances of academic success? Question asked, question answered.

So many young athletes are motivated to play sports, investing themselves body and soul. For those who are having trouble keeping up at school, they may find motivation in their academic success and invest in that. But this will only happen if their coaches prioritize this success and provide the necessary tools to make it happen. Research has shown this to be true time after time… For concrete examples, there are many such coaches here in Montreal.

In basketball, Martin Dusseault is doing great work at Jeanne-Mance High School, as is Alder Pierre at Lucien-Pagé High School. These coaches are not only involved in the lives of kids on their own teams. Thanks to their leadership, they have also built programs that benefit dozens of other young athletes every year.

Wouldn’t it be cool to develop the leadership skills of a group of life coaches entirely dedicated to helping youth succeed in school? To create a model that could be applied to several sports and could even be exported beyond Montreal?

 That’s why For 3 Points wants to engage in the daily work of turning sports coaches into life coaches. Even if they are motivated on the playing field, kids still need a coach off the field too.

Don’t forget. Like Santa Claus, the self-made man does not exist. Happy holidays!

Fabrice Vil – Pour 3 Points

[iseemtl]

Montreal in all its guises: Views!

Seeing Montreal through the many lenses of the directors, photographers and other creatives who find inspiration in our city. Or use Montreal to inspire. Our local filmmakers truly bring to life the unique outlook that Montrealers have on the world. 

Source: C'est pas trop tôt!

It’s not surprising to see why the i see mtl movement has been so successful. So few in this world have the chance to see their city chronicled from every perspective; to see their public spaces, restaurants, neighbourhoods and parks on the big screen, anchoring narratives both fictional and real.

Images, static and moving, help us take ownership of a city like Montreal. When we see Montreal everywhere, it becomes our own. Our city. It’s almost as if Montreal has been staged. By a team of set builders.

From north to south

On an island bordered by images, in the north we have the NFB and its many innovative projects: namely, the StopMo app, which is being praised from St-Denis street to Cupertino, A Journal of Insomnia and Fort McMoney. In fact, the future of Canadian cinema has been evolving here, on the edge of the TransCanada highway, since 1939.

On the southern edge, Mel’s Cité du Cinema and its 18 stages has helped bring some of Hollywood’s most recent big successes to the screen. The producers of X-Men, Source Code, The Aviator, The Day After Tomorrow, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and White House Down all chose Montreal for the quality of its infrastructures, but foremost, for the quality of our creative image makers.

Ideas and places

Thinking in images is also thinking about images. When it comes to innovating for the future of this industry, there are several watchdog institutions, including Canada Media Fund, SODEC and its new president, Monique Simard, who champions digital, Bureau du Cinéma and Télévision du Québec, which, under the directorship of Sylvain Lafrance and Pierre Moreau, can look forward to some heady days in the coming years. 

But seeing Montreal would not be possible without the number of theatres that showcase our city. Some even legendary! There’s the Empress Theatre in NDG — which inspired a project submitted to i see mtl — Cinéma du Parc, Cinéma Beaubien… and, why not, Cinéma l'Amour, which celebrates 100 years this year! For more improvised venues, there’s the Moment Factory’s Megaphone project, which actually projects ideas on the cityscape. A story that fits the setting!

Talent everywhere

When it comes to filmmaking in Quebec, there’s no shortage of talent — Xavier Dolan, Denys Arcand, Jean-Marc Vallée. Their memorable works are being feted on the red carpet and winning well-deserved awards at the Oscars and at Cannes. Each one, however, is backed by an army of creatives and other producers who are reinventing the image and how it is interpreted across all media. Innovative companies, include, but are definitely not limited to, Turbulent and Attraction Images, as well as TOXA, FarWeb, Toast, Saga and others.

Between these two complementary industries, there are also countless meeting places for the image-minded. Montreal has no shortage of festivals — MUTEK, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and Rencontres Internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) — that provide a hub for discussion and exchange, for experimentation, feedback and immersion. 

If we are truly in the era of images, the lenses of Montreal creatives will continue to keep our city on screens around the world. This tradition, and the creativity that grows from it, provides us with a promising and extraordinary opportunity to show the world how truly unique our city is.

Francis Gosselin

[iseemtl]

Montrealers now have their very own restaurants

When I arrived in Montreal, I had my waitress CV and a list of areas, downtown core and Old Montreal, that had a critical mass of restaurants. At the time, Pullman had just opened its doors and there was also BU. I dreamed of working in one of Montreal’s two (only?) wine bars, but they weren’t looking for help. Since I didn’t want to work in tourist restaurants either, my options were few. But then I had the good fortune of making a contact at Leméac. That was ten years ago.

Photo : media.foodnetwork.ca 

Since then, I’ve watched the influence of the restaurant scene grow in this city. Years ago, I remember hearing about two guys who wanted to open a restaurant not in the Plateau, not even in Old Montreal, but in Little Burgundy. Everyone knew that end of town because of Atwater market, but would anyone go there for dinner? Joe Beef put this neighbourhood on the map!

And that’s how it all started—the trend of opening restaurants off the beaten path, that is. We also see more and more eateries being opened by young chefs (used to be a rarer thing) and this new generation is not afraid to find new places in which to build their businesses. Of course, the Plateau institutions, like l’Express and Pied de Cochon, are still standing, but there’s also Tapeo in Villeray, Chez Roger in Rosemont, Hotel Herman on the Main, Pastaga on the edge of Mile End and Park in Westmount. St-Henri is also exploding with new names, notably Grumman 78 on de Courcelles. Every year, the map is growing!

Some say that there are too many restaurants in Montreal, but I think this is a positive thing. Montrealers now have their very own restaurants. We are keeping the scene alive by choosing neighbourhood restaurants that reflect the local vibe. We live next door to these establishments and notice every change. We visit and revisit them, talking about them as if we were the owners. Because these restaurants belong to a neighbourhood, we’re more apt to adopt them in a way that wasn’t possible even a few years ago. Today, as restaurant patrons, we’re able to wander the city and always treat our taste buds to something new. To recommend restaurants that we know others will feel at home in.

This passion for our favourite restaurants greatly benefits those of us who work in the industry; an industry in which financing is hard to find. It’s no wonder then that restaurant owners aspire to go beyond the usual avenues and use their resources in more niche locations. Montreal and Montrealers will continue to make it all possible.

Mélanie Blanchette the co-owner of Bouillon Bilk

[iseemtl]

Montreal it all its guises: And every flavour! - Part 2

Partie 2 : Eating out, yesterday and today

In addition to Montreal’s celebrated culinary innovators, the rich array of flavours found here was also developed thanks to the influences and traditions of different cultures that have immigrated to our city over the centuries. Montreal’s culinary history is fed by the past, but it’s also creating a rich future. Here’s a tasty overview of Montreal’s great institutions.

Classic eateries, past and present

Montreal’s reputation for culinary excellence was founded by world-renowned establishments like Schwartz’s, said to be the oldest delicatessen in Canada. It has even inspired an eponymous musical comedy! Founded in 1928, this famous Jewish deli has always stood in the same place on the Main and come rain, come shine, expect a line-up under the big orange awning. When you’ve have your smoked meat fix, it’s time for bagels from St-Viateur or Fairmount (pick your allegiance carefully!). Another Jewish culinary tradition that has reinforced Montreal pride around the world.

But new traditions are also being born every day! An evening at Martin Picard’s restaurant Au Pied de Cochon, will have you sampling foie gras poutine, pulled pork shepherd’s pie and pig’s head for two. These great reinterpretations of classic Quebec dishes are renowned across the island of Montreal. Poutine gastronomy, why not!

Photo : schwartzsdeli.com

For the last two years, Montreal summers have been spiced up thanks to a cavalcade of food trucks! Montreal street food had been banned since 1947, so when it was reintroduced, we didn’t opt for cheap hot stands. Instead, the city greenlighted a variety of succulent menus created by talented chefs and served from colourful trucks. Whether you get raclette to go from Boîte à fromages or the legendary tacos from Grumman 78, there is something for every taste and every mood. Our food trucks have truly brought culinary creativity and renewed joie de vivre to Montreal streets. 

A new generation of culinary entrepreneurs is committed to serving local and seasonal fare, putting the focus on fresh ingredients and simple preparation. There’s Freshmint, which prepares and delivers healthy meals to your office in less than 30 minutes. Out with fast food, in comes quick food! And then there’s DOSE, organic and raw juices that are freshly prepared and delivered just in time. 

Another recent arrival is Cook It , which delivers fresh ingredients to your door to help you make delicious that will impress the whole family. The freshness geeks at Provender connect local farmers with chefs in order to encourage food diversity and use of 100% Quebec-grown ingredients in our restaurants. Small-scale farmers and producers can finally do more to stimulate the taste buds of Montrealers! In fact, many customers are also members of  Conseil des industries bioalimentaires de l’île de Montréal (CIBIM), an organization that promotes SMEs in the agricultural sector.

From the garden to your table

Montreal is becoming increasingly known as a “green city” that prioritizes sustainable development. This trend is best seen in the large array of local food products. When Montrealers need to stock up, we head out to Jean-Talon or Atwater market, but visit the Marchés Publics de Montréal website to discover more! There are some 15 markets selling fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as providing opportunities to meet local producers across the island of Montreal. 

Lufa Farms offers a very pleasing hybrid between urban life and country fresh. Located across the city, Lufa’s rooftop greenhouses grow fresh, organic produce for our citizens. The idea was born in Montreal but like Bixi, has since spread south of the border. A more recent arrival, SecondLife is committed to reducing food waste by giving ugly fruit and vegetables a second chance. Eating healthier at a reasonable price, all the while encouraging local producers. Something to be proud of!

When in Montreal, you feel a passion that goes beyond a simple love of good food. Discerning palates travel from around the world to taste what our culinary talents put on the table. Meanwhile, our local entrepreneurs are reinventing how food is grown, and festivals and innovations abound. If you don’t believe us, there’s more than one chef willing to impress you with a breadth of delicious food choices.

Geneviève Dupuis & Louis-Félix Binette

[iseemtl]

Love winter, love Montreal

My best memories of winter are not from my childhood. Even if I fondly recall squirming into snow pants and packing snowballs, the round surfaces etched with the patterns of my woolen mittens. I only learned to love winter as an adult, when I moved closer to the mountain and began to wander the city for hours, no matter the season. It was on these walks, my scarf encrusted with ice, that I learned to love the rhythms and landscapes of our city in winter.

But before you call me crazy and stop reading, know that like most other Montrealers, I also question whether we need the month of February. I too have uttered swear words when my eyeballs sting from the intense cold. The winter tests my patience and stresses me physically, but I still love it. That is, I think it’s a privilege to live in a city with four seasons.

In addition to the magic of watching nature transform, of learning to respect the cycles of death and rebirth, winter is a season for self care. Winter encourages us to conserve our energies and snuggle up close. It forces us to dress warmly and eat well. It also marks a time for self-reflection—going inwards, literally and figuratively. An intense few months of change that force us to become more aware of the changes within.

Without the cold of winter, would Montreal be such a vibrant city come spring? Would our summer be so sweet if it wasn’t immediately followed by so much chill and ice?

If we can’t avoid winter, try to enjoy it more, I say. Things I’m looking forward to: hearing the snow removal trucks coming up my street, flashing lights illuminating the bedroom wall, the weight of a hot water bottle tucked under my sweater, walking home at night during a snowstorm, feeling like the last woman on earth. What about you?

  Adriana Palanca

[iseemtl]

Montreal it all its guises: And every flavour

Partie 1 : For your taste buds

Montreal’s reputation as a centre of gastronomy and epicurean pleasures is not a new development. Over the years, many festivals and events have evolved to confirm our city’s notoriety for quality cuisine. Here’s your two-part overview of what Montreal does best in the kitchen.

Taste the best of Montreal

The month of November is often associated with grey weather and early winter blahs, but thanks to the third annual Happy November, we can enjoy a series of events and festivals celebrating wine and gastronomy. Highlights include MTL à table, La Grande tablée and Fête des vins du Québec. All month long, there will be friendly gatherings and great food, all designed to help Montrealers cheer up before winter sets in.

The third edition of MTL à Table (October 30-November 9) features 135 restaurants, all of which are offering their delectable menus at budget-friendly prices to help Montrealers discover some new favourites. Have you sampled the festive ambience and superb sakes at Imadake? What about the Mediterranean flavours at Helena? This is your big chance to broaden your culinary horizons.

But our local gastronomic artists care about more than feeding discerning gourmets. Each year, La Grande tablée brings together talented chefs from all over Quebec to raise funds for La Tablée des Chefs, an organization that feeds and educates at-risk communities. A good meal for a good cause!

Quebec has long distinguished itself for its wealth of local products. To celebrate “terroir”, Fête des vins du Québec offers both fine palates and beginner foodies a guided tour of our best regional flavours. Not to be missed between November 28-30.

Now in its 16th year, the Montréal en lumière festival is a welcome event for hibernating Montrealers who need a boost to survive the coldest season. The eclectic program is especially exciting for foodies, who flock to the unique fine-dining evenings. Two weeks of warming activities happening all over the city.

Experimental eating

Montreal’s culinary culture is also notable for its more experimental events that explore emerging food trends. One such event, In the Mouth, helps participants discover the art of food by exploring it through the senses. On the program: a series of dinners, stripped of formalities and with no menu, as well as an edible exhibit at the PHI Centre.

Chef and kitchen prodigy John Mike Pollock has been helping Montrealers rediscover the pleasures of the table for many years now. No mobile phones, no selfies and no Instagramming allowed at  Tripes & Caviar, an underground food club that features, shall we say, less popular animal parts. But there’s plenty to savour, sip and talk about while waiting for young John Mike’s famous dessert performance.

A festive idea born in the very nordic city of Helsinki, Finland, Restaurant Day inspires the community to create unforgettable moments around great food. Four times a year, ordinary citizens open a restaurant for exactly one day in a neighbourhood, field, park or home near you. If you’re brave enough, it’s a wonderful opportunity to discover new food, new spaces and maybe even make some new friends.

When Apéritif à la française, the much-celebrated annual event, decided to invest in our city’s neighbourhoods, the result was Apéros de quartier! Each event features a new restaurant or new ambience that gives Montrealers a new place to see and be seen. And of course, there’s Dîner en blanc, a concept imported from France made famous for its “chic picnic” concept. The kind of event that will help you see our public spaces in a whole new light.

Montreal’s eclectic ambience is deliciously reflected in the creations of our best culinary innovators. Behind each lovingly prepared plate, there is a passionate talent who, like so many other Montrealers, is constantly chasing new ideas and who wants to share this passion with all of you.

Geneviève Dupuis & Louis-Félix Binette

[iseemtl]

Montreal hospitals: Landmarks in the urban tapestry

A Montrealer since birth, I came into this world at Hôpital Ste-Jeanne-d’Arc. I have also worked at Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur, cried at Hôpital St-Luc and given birth at Hôpital Ste-Justine… I have been fascinated with hospitals my entire life and that is evidently why I became a nurse.

Hospitals play a leading role in our personal histories, with so many family events occurring in a hospital. From my own history, I remember my Grandfather Desrosiers passing away at Hôpital Notre-Dame-de-l’Espérance and my Grandmother Desrosiers at Hôpital Jean-Talon, my ectopic pregnancy at Hôpital Notre-Dame, my daughter in the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur emergency room, my surgery at the Montreal Jewish Hospital and of course, my many internships at various hospitals as part of my training in the Université de Montréal’s nursing sciences program. Add the hospitals where I’ve worked and the list gets longer still.

Hospitals also loom large in our collective history. Jeanne-Mance, co-founder of our city, dedicated her life to building the first hospital in Ville Marie: Hôtel-Dieu. You can still see her statue in the hospital courtyard on the corner of St-Urbain and Pine Avenue. Adjacent to the hospital, there’s the mother house of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph order, which includes a lovely garden, girded by a wall that keeps out prying eyes (except that of the benevolent Mont Royal). The sisters of this order allowed me to visit the old chapel and the burial vaults. In order to keep their healing vocation, as well as the history of their community alive, the sisters have built a beautifully modern museum that dovetails nicely with the old stone architecture. So many unknown treasures to be discovered there.

Today, Montreal is writing a new chapter in its history with the construction of two mega hospitals, affiliated with the Université de Montréal and McGill University, respectively. This modernization project is already transforming our city landscape, with thousands of people soon to be orbiting these 21st-centuries technopoli. In addition to providing health care, teaching and research opportunities, the mega hospitals are also committing to innovation, technological development and the transfer of knowledge. The anticipated benefits and exposure will provide adequate fuel for Montreal’s future.

But one challenge faces us still. What will happen to the old hospitals once everything has been moved? Not every building has heritage cachet, but such large tracts of land require a responsible vision. Hôtel-Dieu and the memory of Jeanne Mance deserve exceptional care.

Gyslaine Desrosiers, inf.,MBA, D.h.c. www.gyslainedesrosiers.com

[iseemtl]

What if at-risk youth learned how to be entrepreneurs this summer?

For students who are at risk of dropping out, the summer season can be a crucial turning point. That’s two long months in which skills learned during the prior school year are not being practiced. For Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal (JCCM), sustainable development of the next generation is a key concern. It’s important that we face the issue head on.

As dropping out and unemployment tend to go hand-in-hand, we want to encourage students to stay in school with activities that reinforce educational lessons and nurture professional skills. Entrepreneurship offers increased independence and greater opportunities than more traditional career paths, making it specially suited for at-risk youth, who are already struggling with the rigid structure of formal learning.

Unlike the school system, entrepreneurship encourages action; specifically, the trial and error process that leads to success. But entrepreneurship does not replace certain skills that can only be learned in a school setting. On the contrary. Accounting, copywriting for marketing materials, technical expertise, sales and business management require a variety of complementary skills.

Entrepreneurship is all about perseverance.

Yet, here’s a distressing piece of news: entrepreneurship isn’t on the radar for most youth and for good reason. Many think that the potential causes of this phenomenon are a dearth of information on the subject, as well as a lack of awareness within the Quebec educational system about entrepreneurship as a viable career choice that is desirable and within reach. Furthermore, there is the destabilizing fact that by its very nature, entrepreneurship is an iterative process, necessarily entailing trial and error in order to generate true learning. Behind every successful entrepreneur, there’s a series of “failures”. Actually, entrepreneurs talk about experiences, rather than failures. In other words, concrete examples of perseverance.

This is the reason why we chose to focus on entrepreneurship as a viable option worth presenting to at-risk youth.

Currently, however, the portrait of entrepreneurs that youth see is incomplete, even deformed: not only is entrepreneurship undervalued in Quebec, but the image of entrepreneurship portrayed in the media and online too often focuses on young geeks who achieved extraordinary and wild success.

To improve the perception that youth have of entrepreneurship and encourage them to stay in school, we have envisioned a summer day camp that provides teens with a concrete and unique experience, all the while reinforcing lessons learned at school, with the help of JCCM entrepreneurs. This is how the “J’entreprends mon été” concept was born, to help youth learn how to persevere.

We see our action as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Not only will it encourage at-risk youth to stay in school, it also gives us the chance to meet the future generation of entrepreneurs who will contribute to the dynamic economic future of Montreal and boost our city’s reputation worldwide.

Ryan Hillier, President Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal

[iseemtl]

Paris - Montreal

I arrived in Montreal one summer morning 11 years ago. I had been working in the creative department of one of the largest advertising agencies in Paris. There were 500 people in my team. 2,000 employees in the whole group. Five outdoor terraces. A high-end cafeteria. Swarms of coordinators, interns, directors and assistant directors. I was just another number.

I have a clear memory of the day I told one of my five bosses that I was moving to Montreal (that is, I was in his office to quit, despite the crisis that was already starting to rear its ugly head). “You don’t know what you’re about to do. I give you two months. I bet that you’ll soon be back here, begging to get your job back.”

It gave me pause but I left anyway, suitcase in one hand, backpack in the other. My belly heavy with the idea that he might be right.

When I arrived in Montreal, the first thing I did—between assembling pieces of Ikea furniture—was to contact various directors of communications, marketing directors and entrepreneurs in the city. It was my approach to learning more about my milieu and, of course, eventually getting a job. I didn’t know anything. I knew no one. My first call was to Cirque du Soleil. I asked to speak to Gaétan Morency, a vice president and close collaborator of Guy Laliberté. I had already prepared what I would say to get past the long line of secretaries who would undoubtedly ask me a million and one questions: “Who are you?” “What’s the purpose for this call?” and “Do you have an appointment?”. All the questions secretaries learned to ask in the Paris market.

“Hold the line. I’ll transfer you.”

I didn’t even have time to register surprise. “Yes? Of course. Shall we meet tomorrow at 11 a.m.? At Cirque?” Although there were no openings for cultural affairs, he nonetheless gave me an hour of his time to answer my million and one questions about the Montreal market. This experience was repeated with Cossette, Publicis, L’Oréal, Danone and others. Each time, I was greeted with the same openness, the same accessibility.

Ten years have past and I’m still living in Montreal, working in a human-scaled company. I’m often asked why I never returned to Paris and the answer is simple: accessibility. And proximity. Working relationships are so easy here, enabling progress, the ability to have an idea in the morning and make it a reality by the evening. Avoiding sandbox politics. It may seem simplistic, but it makes a world of difference.

For me, this is what makes Montreal great.

  Arnaud Granata @arnaudgranata

  Photo credit: Marie-Claude Hamel

[iseemtl]

Montreal it all its guises: Fashion!

While Fashion Week is being celebrated in the world’s fashion capitals, New York, London, Paris and Milan, Montreal has also been showcasing our designers in our own way, at our own beat, according to our own whims—and proud of it.

The former Semaine de mode de Montréal, once presented in fall and winter, has been replaced with a more accessible and friendly gathering. The new Festival Mode et Design, organized by Groupe Sensation Mode, closed the summer season with an event at the Quartier des Spectacles this past August 20-23. This festival’s open-air program, in the heart of downtown Montreal, included more than 50 shows that contributed to breaking down the walls between designers and their adoring public.

D Moment offers a counterpoint to the artifice of fashion week, which often obfuscates the main goal: that is, it enables local designers to be seen and discovered in a unique environment. D Moment is the brainchild of Nancy Richard and Geneviève Allaire, two passionate fashion professionals who want to make Montreal’s emerging fashion and design scene more dynamic by offering local talents the showcase and tools needed to promote their work.

There’s also Montréal Mode, a series of occasional events that brings together local designers with local retailers. One initiative saw boutiques on Laurier Avenue West open their doors to let passerby and local residents discover new collections and unique designs. The dynamic team behind the Querelles blog was delighted to visit many of the chic boutiques selling the best fashion items from here and abroad.

A popular attraction during Pop Montréal (our very own SXSW-style music festival), Puces Pop is an artisanal fair that showcases creators and designers based here in Montreal. More than an adorably eclectic market, Puces Pop has diversified over the years to contribute more to promoting hand-made artisanal creations. Even when an unfortunate event threatened to spoil the weekend, the Puces Pop community showed exceptional spirit and solidarity.

The talent of grassroots Montreal designers is also very well represented on Etsy, the world’s favourite virtual marketplace. And for the first time, they were all united this past weekend at the Technopôle Angus to sell their works in person at the Etsy: Made in Canada event.

If you want to touch, feel and try on the best local designs, head over to Cabinet Éphémère, a temporary installation on the magnificent fifth floor of Maison Ogilvy. Anastasia Radevich, Bodybag by Jude, Eve Gravel, Harricana, Iris Setlakwe, Marie Saint Pierre, Matière noire, Nadya Toto, Pedram Karimi and Philippe Dubuc are but a fraction of the remarkable designers chosen by the Conseil des créateurs de mode du Québec (CCMQ) to participate in this event.

Montreal’s fashion world continues to flourish thanks to a community that’s connected both online and in the real world. The Bureau de la mode de Montréal plays the important role of intermediary, by recognizing the efforts of our homegrown designers, retailers, boutiques and bloggers with the Prix #modeMtl awards. Dentelle&Fleur, Le Cahier, Ton petit Look, Betina Lou and Off the Hook are some of the most notable winners from this past year.

The local fashion industry is also tightly knit thanks to collaborations between creators and big-name retailers, such as the partnership between Target and Mélissa Nepton or the long-standing relationship between Aldo and Quebec’s own enfant terrible of fashion, Denis Gagnon. Rising star Rad Hourani, the first non-French citizen to join the inner circle of Paris haute couture, learned his craft in Montreal and continues to produce his accessories here. In fact, his early career was toasted at the PHI Centre last fall.

Let’s not forget the international successes of local retail start-ups, like Frank & Oak and Beyond the Rack, which continue to grow on a global scale every day. How about local pioneers of wearable tech, such as OM Signal and Hexoskin? They are actively revolutionizing how clothing design is being integrated with the Internet of Things and Quantified Self. 

Outside the elite shows and beyond the glossy magazine pages—which you can only see, not touch—Montreal’s fashion scene is best expressed by touch, the work of gifted hands being introduced to the world, experienced in close contact. Local artisans are not interested in selling new clothes to visiting faces. Rather, they want to help Montrealers shine with their own unique style at home and on the world stage.  Long live their creativity and vision!

Geneviève Dupuis and Louis-Félix Binette

PHOTO: Mariouche Gagné (Source: Harricana)

[iseemtl]

Montreal and its two beautiful solitudes

Since I’ve been living in Montreal, I’ve witnessed many debates about the famous “two solitudes”. It happened again last fall, when a survey revealed that the vast majority of Anglo Montrealers don’t know who Marie-Mai, Guy A. Lepage, Jean-René Dufort, Rémi Girard, Ron Fournier, Pierre Bruneau and numerous other hugely popular Francophone celebrities are.

Each time, the same arguments are trotted out. On the French side, they say that “Anglos despise us”, “they’re not interested in us, our culture or our stars”... When Anglos respond, it’s to say that “Francos” don’t know about English-Canadian culture, have not heard of Alice Munro or Farley Mowatt, and underestimate the influence and importance of Mordechai Richler, despite his having been a Montrealer… So basically, Francophones are also accused of not knowing Anglo media celebrities.

In short, the argument is that Anglos and Francos don’t know anything about the other, that they ignore the other, even that they hate each other. Everyone admits that this is a big mess. Some say it’s because we are not destined to understand one another and that the ignorant Anglos, deep down, just want to assimilate the French. Others express sadness that this mutual ignorance should persist and wish that both communities would, imperatively, today, start showing more interest in the other.

It’s funny, but I see it from another perspective entirely.

For one, this idea of “ignorance” is far from always being  the truth.

In fact, in day-to-day life, our two communities are intertwined. Let me quote columnist Josh Freed, from an article he wrote in 1991: “Every depanneur is a linguistic detective who can sense what language you speak at a glance. The young French salesman at my corner newsstand always addresses me warmly in English, even though I always buy La Presse. How does he know? The cabbies in the neighborhood shift languages as quickly as lanes, depending on whether you ask for Boul. St. Laurent or St. Lawrence Blvd.”

Fast forward some 20 years to me and my day-to-day experience, there’s my neighbour, who immigrated from India a few years ago and who prides himself—as does his wife—of always speaking French to me. Even though it was obvious from the beginning that we could have easily conversed in English. He’s also proud that his son started out in an English elementary school, but has since been switched to a French school. “Because learning French is important,” he says.

Recently, I had to contact Concordia University, my alma mater, and the person who answered my call quickly switched to French when she detected my accent within the first few sentences. Why isn’t anyone talking about those moments? The same thing happens at official events (balls, charity galas and others), when I see people easily switching from one language to the other. No one complains, no one finds it odd. That’s just life in Montreal. It’s also a common practice at press conferences to put aside a certain period of time for questions in English, for the benefit of English-language media. Funny how journalists see this happen time and again… but hardly any of them ever write about it!

It is also typical of most Montrealers to not realise just how lucky we are to live in a city that is expressed in two major languages, immersed in two great cultures. Over the centuries, we have become so accustomed to bickering that we are unable to see the advantages of this bilingualism. What other city can boast four world-class universities, two English and two French? And think of all the leverage this provides for attracting talent from around the world and building our reputation internationally! But do we adequately emphasize our bilingual nature when it comes time to promote Montreal as a destination for conferences?

As to this “mutual ignorance” (where it exists), I think it’s an opportunity for enrichment. I have said (and written) it so many times: with Montreal, you get two cities for the price of one.

When I arrived in Montreal—and an English university—almost 30 years ago, I found myself making wonderful discoveries about the history and realities of English-speaking Montreal. Things I never knew!

And I found it exhilarating.

I had read Michel Tremblay’s Chroniques du Plateau-Mont-Royal, but I also discovered the novels of Mordecai Richler, which took place in the same neighbourhood, yet talked about a whole other universe and reality. I also discovered poet Jacob Isaac Segal, as well as Dora Wasserman and her Yiddish Theatre, which put on plays at the Comédie-Canadienne, thanks to the generosity of Gratien Gélinas. So the two solitudes have often been a lot closer than we’d like to think. I also discovered Olivier Jones; although he wasn’t yet known internationally, he was a huge jazz star in English Montreal at the time (only the most fervent Francophone fans knew his name). There were also the compelling histories of Little Burgundy and Griffintown, of the Irish immigrants in Pointe-St-Charles…  In fact, all of these neighbourhoods, which I thought I knew through the eyes of the “other”, were suddenly new and exciting to me. Back then, I described it as jumping into a lake that you’ve only seen the surface of, only to discover a whole new world that you didn’t expect underneath.

It also made me think of those science-fiction stories in which the hero suddenly wakes up and finds himself in a parallel universe or in another dimension.

Montreal is a city with two parallel universes. Luckily, there are plenty of passages to help us travel from one to the other. But the separation also helps each individual community exist and evolve in its own right… and have surprises waiting for friends when they come to visit.

Montrealers spend too much energy grumbling about scandals and victimization, when we would be better served by focussing more on the advantages of our situation. And on the amazing discoveries that are always waiting to be made.

  Marie-Claude Ducas

[iseemtl]

Montreal in all its guises: music!

“You know someone said that the world's a stage.

And each must play a part.”

— Elvis Presley, quoting Shakespeare

Montreal loves a good show. The city is like one huge stage, where the line between spectator and performer is blurred and the question of where performance begins and real life ends is explored. To live in this city—or even to visit it—is to be open to unexpected theatre, to having your walk detoured. It’s participating in a symphony of the senses.

You would have to be deaf to not hear the music that sets the streets of Montreal thrumming, that makes our blood hum and tremble. Nearly a century ago, thanks to prohibition in the U.S. and the development of the railroads, the black community of Little Burgundy helped to make Montreal a world hub for jazz, competing with the likes of New York City.

Last Saturday, on the rooftop terrace at Ubisoft, French artist Arthur H. and a band of local musicians sent waves of sound across Mile End, the fertile ground that nurtured Arcade Fire, Socalled and other local talents who have made it big on the world stage.

When the weather is fine, Montreal’s public pianos appear across the city, in the Plateau and even atop Mont Royal, inviting strolling passerby to stop and listen to a gentle melody or even attempt a chord or two of their own on the rubbed-down keys. In fact, not too long ago, 17 public pianos played Louis-Jean Cormier’s “Tout le monde en même temps” in unison.

Montreal’s public pianos in unison, by Portraits de Montréal

For those who prefer skins to strings, and dancing on a Sunday, there’s the tam-tams, which started in the time of peace and love and is still going strong at the Sir George-Étienne Cartier monument every weekend. At Piknic Electronik, in Parc Jean-Drapeau, sounds are provided by beatbox and electronics rather than drums, but the concept is the same: dance until the sun goes down and then keep going! Other initiatives, such as LunchBeat Montreal, will go as far as to invite workers to loosen up on electro beats... on their lunch hour!

In winter, our resident musicians are still plying their trade, but this time in the underground, thanks to the STM’s “Étoiles du métro” program. The Piknic becomes Igloofest and even if the windows of your favourite bars are closed and iced over, the cold can’t completely muffle the hot beats of the many local and international artists who keep us warm on the dancefloor.

In summer, music pours out from every public space, from the back-to-back festivals and street fairs, and from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, which has been known to perform outside in Olympic Park and the Kondiaronk lookout. It can be heard emanating from bars and venues, as well as basements and commercial spaces transformed into rehearsal spaces for the likes of Malajube and Half Moon Run. Even our religious places resonate with another kind of holy sound. And every type of fusion is possible, like Misteur Valaire teaming up with the MSO to perform at the Church of Saint-Jean Baptiste. In short, there is no shortage of music.

Source: Olympic Park

Obviously, music generates significant economic benefits for Montreal. New festivals in the month of August, namely Osheaga and Heavy MTL, are attracting a new class of tourists and managed to beat the Grand Prix in terms of hotel occupany rates. The Piknic now has a cousin in Barcelona. Even relatively niche artists like Poirier are successfully sharing their talents on an international scale. Talented Montreal MC Boogat raps in his mother tongue of Spanish both here and abroad. And when these artists tour the world, they are true ambassadors for the Montreal brand.

Poirier, with Boogat — Que Viva (official video)

i see mtl is looking for projects that could give Montreal new momentum. It would be surprising if a few of them didn’t use music as a key element. Do you have any ideas? Or know people who do? There’s a place for you in i see mtl!

Louis-Félix Binette

[iseemtl]

Seeing Montreal

Seeing Montreal is being open to seeing that which you routinely ignore and if there’s a large part of our city’s landscape that we find easy to overlook, it’s homelessness. The federal government estimates that there are 30,000 homeless people in our city, or 20% of all homeless across the country[1]. Needless to say, if we want to paint a true portrait of our city, we cannot, in good conscience, ignore those living on the street.

Let’s be honest: we have all been guilty of walking by the homeless with a hurried step, eyes focussed forward and giving no reaction whatsoever to that crucial question, “Can you spare some change?” It’s because we’re in a rush, we only have bills in our wallet, he smells like alcohol, “he’ll only spend it on beer”, etc. The reasons for ignoring the homeless are many and varied.

Sometimes, we tell ourselves that it’s the government’s job to help the homeless; but even if the government enacts measures, it will still be a long time before we see any difference. In Montreal, there are little more than 1,600[2] (data from 2011) spaces available to house the homeless, so we have a long way to go. Lack of housing is compounded by the weight of another trouble that plagues the homeless: solitude or the feeling of having been abandoned by society in general and being ignored by fellow citizens.

All us citizens have the power to make a difference in the daily lives of less fortunate Montrealers.

Remember the controversy over the anti-loitering spikes installed outside the Archambault storefront? Happily, a great enough number of citizens spoke out against this scandalous practice and the spikes were removed. In this instance, we made a difference.

Collectively, there are so many things that we could be doing to improve life for the homeless. In San Francisco, a bus was transformed into a mobile shower. In New York City, a hairstylist devotes his weekends to giving the homeless free haircuts. When Robin Williams died, the world learned that the actor required everyone who wanted to hire him to also hire the homeless for small, odd jobs[3]. This is only a small cross section of what’s possible.

The blog Humans of the Street, a side project by Portraits de Montréal, shares the stories of homeless persons, revealed during impromptu conversations sparked by a simple “Hello” or a smile. The testimonials reveal that many of these men and woman survived difficult pasts, but they also show that the homeless have a story to tell, if we stop and listen. I’ve heard it so many times—the simple act of taking the time to listen makes a huge difference in their lives. Only yesterday, I asked Jeff, a homeless man I met around Place des Arts, what people could do to make his daily life better. His answer, “Smile at me.”

Seeing Montreal is seeing the homeless—but it’s also seeing them as human beings.

Mikaël Theimer 

[1] Source: L’omniprésente Itinérance, Philippe Orfali, Le Devoir, July 26, 2014

[2] Source: L’itinérance à Montréal en chiffre, Radio Canada, February 4, 2014

[3] Source: RadarOnline, August 18, 2014

[iseemtl]

Four priorities that will contribute to revitalizing our city and its economy

The city of Montreal arouses feelings of ambivalence. On the one hand, it’s a unique metropolis in North America and is celebrated as such. On the other hand, we’ve been performing far below our potential for a very long time. i see mtl seeks to give us a collective shake up. It’s a call to action, a call for change that asks us to relentlessly pursue the future.

i see mtl will contribute to revitalizing the city and its economy. Four priorities have been identified.

The first projects us into the future and is based on our strengths, as well as our unique challenges. We call it, Identity and Aspiration.

On the economic front, there must also be new companies of every variety (start ups, family businesses, co-ops, etc.) that will accelerate economic growth and support sustainable development throughout greater Montreal. These new companies must be able to grow very quickly and, above all, be actively engaged in contributing to our city’s future. This is the Business priority.

In order to increase the number of companies and “gazelles”, Montreal must also be home to people with the necessary skills and creativity. This is the Talent priority. This means reaching out to those who have been “left behind”, including drop-outs and poorly educated individuals, as well as new Montrealers who have international diplomas that are not being recognized. However, this also means attracting and, more importantly, retaining talent of all varieties.

Lastly, there’s the Environment priority. That is, helping companies and citizens in the region evolve in a common geographical framework. This framework must be efficient, inspiring and robust and could include infrastructure, design and the environment. 

These four priorities were identified as undertakings for community leaders. We are not prescribing what the government should do. We are asking ourselves what we can do.

A “leader” is understood to be someone who is in a position to act on behalf of the city. This could be the president of a bank or an especially dynamic community association. In short, anyone ready to respond to our call to action.

In the last few weeks, we have been travelling across the metropolitan region to persuade leaders to make this commitment. We have met with more than 200 people from the business and university sectors, as well as union representatives, engaged citizens, community organizations, associations of every sort, intellectuals, dreamers, etc.

Our website will soon open the discussion to all Montrealers. Then it will be up to you to act!

Félix-Antoine Joli-Cœur, Project Lead, je vois mtl

1)    Identity and Aspiration: Position Montreal as a metropolis that breaks barriers, as a source of great pride and as a catalyst for future growth.

2)    Talent: Attract and retain talent, as well as reach out to those who were “left behind” to better fulfill the needs of our city and its evolving economy.

3)    Business: Build more new businesses that can grow rapidly and be actively involved in generating success for our city.

4)    Environment: Significantly harmonize how we live and work with our collective aspirations and ambitions for prosperity.

[iseemtl]

Views of the city

How can we "see" an object as vast and complex as a city - a city as diverse as Montreal? How can we truly "see" this object when it's right under our noses, when we're living in it? How can we collectively "see" this object when there are almost four million pairs of eyes in the metropolitan region? The very concept of the gaze is put into question.

Visualizing your city

To visualize vast territories, we usually resort to maps. On these large pieces of paper, we can trace the lines that represent the outlines of our environment: the contours of an oblong island and it's smaller sibling to the north, flowing riverbanks and the graphed streets of a modern city. More recently, thanks in large part to Google, we can zoom in on those maps and see the rooftops of our own homes. We can now virtually tour our city, occasionally even spotting a neighbour, their gaze captured by a camera with nine lens.

Thanks to data collected and made available by the City of Montreal, we can also learn more about the details of city life, including more about the enormous poplar in my backyard and the almost 250,000 trees throughout Montreal. We can also play with the geolocalized data produced by Montrealers everyday; like the clever folk at LiveHoods did to create dynamic maps of Montreal's neighbourhoods. That is, not historical maps, but rather maps that trace the urban to-and-fro of our everyday lives.

You say gaze, I say point of view

But we are less interested in compiled statistics than in what individual Montrealers see day to day. In addition to what they see, we also want to understand how they see the city; to slip into and be immersed in their point of view, if only virtual reality enabled us to do so. Last Monday, L. Jacques Ménard, one of the catalysts of I see mtl, wrote that he was inspired by the "eyes of the first-time visitor”. What about Montrealers? Can we still feel wonder for our city, despite our "jaded eyes"?

For the last several weeks, I've been listening in on what Montrealers are saying by monitoring keywords, in both English and French, on public networks like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, forums, etc. I track and I observe, looking for the embers and sparks that still animate conversations about this city. I try to "see" Montreal through the words we use to talk about it.

It's a delicate task, as every news item - from P. K. Subban's new contract to the Victoria's Secret store that will soon replace a bookstore on Ste-Catherine street - sets off a stormy debate that distracts the eye looking for more subtle signals. It’s like trying to hear a birdsong through the rumble of chainsaws and lawnmowers. Or pointing a flashlight through a telescope lens. There is hidden, in every conversation, every debate and every project, the true essence of what we see in Montreal.

"Seeing Montreal" is being in the present moment, it's finding a place far from the bustle of life and political chatter, a place where you can let these conversations grow. Seeing Montreal is creating a communal space where our ideas can become projects and where our actions can be shared and inspire us all. Inspire us with the words we need to talk about our city with pride. Inspire us with the passion or flame that will help us work together and give Montreal new life.

Louis-Félix Binette

[iseemtl]

Culture in my neighbourhood, I love it! I contribute! I participate!

Like any other cosmopolitan city in the world, Montreal faces some big challenges - both economic and social - when it comes to development. 

It’s a recognized fact: arts and culture play a key role in the economic development and notoriety of Montreal. A recent study by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, with the collaboration of Culture Montreal, estimates that culture generates $12 billion of direct spin-offs for the metropolitan region (Culture in Montréal: Economic Impacts and Private Funding, Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, November 2009).

Furthermore, from a sustainable development perspective, arts and culture are important to maintaining social cohesion and well-being within communities. Numerous studies illustrate the major impact that arts and culture can have on living environments; most notably on sense of belonging (to a neighbourhood, city or community), neighbourly relations (mutual assistance, tolerance) and improving urban security (preventing delinquency).

Scientific literature also points out a strong link between arts and culture and a range of socio-economic integration indicators, including post-secondary graduation rates, employability, civic engagement and voter turnout, among others. Arts and culture contribute to fostering creative, well-integrated citizens who are more inclined to confront the challenges posed by a “knowledge society” such as ours.

The development of cultural quarters must be based on a collaborative effort made by all partners and players impacted by this issue. It must be part of a larger development push for culture across the city, but it must also be anchored in Montreal’s local communities, in order to meet the specific needs and character of each.

Developing and supporting arts and culture in our neighbourhoods, our city and across our entire region, is giving citizens the opportunity to make a real contribution; it allows them to fully reclaim their city, to celebrate its vitality and to look towards the future with optimism.

To this end, consider this article as an invitation to share the best-kept cultural secret in your neighbourhood with all Montrealers. Tell us all about it!

Manon Barbeau, Founder and Director General of Wapikoni Mobile, and President of Culture Montreal’s Cultural Quarters Committee.

[iseemtl]

I see Montreal… through others’ eyes

You’ve seen them too. A camera around their neck, their nose stuck in a map, sitting in a calèche… There are lots of them, especially in Old Montreal, where my office is located. When I see tourists, I like to imagine how they ended up choosing Montreal from among so many North American cities.

You and I see Montreal with jaded eyes. Its attractions tend to get lost in the daily shuffle of life. But imagine what strikes the eyes of a first-time visitor. The old stone buildings side by side with the big modern city, the European charm, the French language, the river, the countless good restaurants, a vibrant cultural life whether you’re a fan of shows or museums.  Can you name even one other North American city with a million or more inhabitants that, night after night, attracts thousands to a non-stop series of festivals and does so without having to fear for their safety? Montreal is a human-scaled metropolis that’s great to live in, a university city that’s an epicentre of creativity.

There are plenty of reasons for visitors to say “wow!” when discovering Montreal. And maybe, in order to appreciate our metropolis’s full potential, we should draw inspiration from how they see us. Actually, that’s part of the thinking behind our approach: a desire to look at Montreal in new ways to give a new impetus to it and the entire community. It’s the idea behind the “I see Montreal” movement (iseemtl.com), which is organizing a citizens’ event this November.

Here’s how the initiative was born. Two years ago, when Montreal was at rock bottom and the bad news was coming thick and fast, I had an idea: that there must be other metropolises comparable to ours that have gone through a rough patch and then found their way back to good times and prosperity. At my invitation, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which had just set up shop in Montreal, agreed to have its international network of researchers and experts in management and comparative economics look into the issue – free of charge, I should add. Lasting more than a year, their work resulted in an analysis full of lessons and summarized in a report titled Building a New Momentum in Montreal, which was published in February and is available for downloading at http://www.bmo.com/ci/files/BCGMontreal1405FINAL_Jun0214en.pdf  

We compared Montreal with seven other metropolises around the globe that have successfully transitioned from decline to growth. We studied how they turned their situation around. We found they all used the same strategies. For example, the entire community was mobilized; leadership was established at the metropolitan level and supported by the higher levels of government; the city’s inherent strengths were built upon without trying to reinvent the wheel; public and private investment was channelled toward a limited number of projects and priorities; and, everywhere, improving citizens’ quality of life was one of the thrusts, with projects to beautify and green the city, improve access to the waterfront and so on. We then questioned nearly 60 local leaders from every background to identify Montreal’s advantages and challenges. Lastly, by combining their points of view with the strategies that have proved successful elsewhere, we developed a ten-point revitalization program.

The next step is ours to take. What’s innovative about this approach is that it’s not a shopping list to be submitted to the various levels of government. It’s an apolitical citizens’ movement aimed at bringing together all of Montreal’s stakeholders. It is the community that is mobilizing – proudly and responsibly – to join forces with elected officials and especially Mayor Coderre in order to give back to Montreal all its glory, prestige and dynamism. And if we succeed, everyone will win. With Montreal running at full speed and shining at its brightest, all of Quebec will benefit. Because our metropolis accounts for more than half of Quebec’s economy and generates more than half of the Quebec government’s tax revenue.

For several months now, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has been working with representatives from all parts of the metropolis to organize the citizens’ event on November 17. You have a place there. So, tell me, how do you see Montreal?

  L. Jacques Ménard, C.C., O.Q.                                                                           President, BMO Financial Group, Quebec                                                               Chairman, BMO Nesbitt Burns