Posted at 11:00 a.m.
To each his own time
According to former journalist Paul Roux in his letter “My neighbor is a terrace”, “districts, including those in the city centre, should be pleasant living environments, free of intolerable noise pollution, and welcoming for people of all ages”.
The problem is that Mr. Roux forgets to include himself in his missive. First of all, music, people who drink, is it really an “intolerable noise nuisance”? Intolerable for him, and perhaps some neighbors, but we have to admit that a majority does not seem to agree.
Who is here in a position of intolerance? The person who is not “welcoming[e] for all ages ” ? Mr. Roux is pleased to have contributed to lowering the volume emanating from said terrace, but that does not seem sufficient: he wishes for rain and feels the need to publish a text in the pages of his former employer for, I suppose, unearth fellow discontented people among the townspeople.
What Mr. Roux seems to want is for the city center to evolve according to his tastes and desires. However, his accommodation located in an upscale neighborhood of the city suggests a certain comfort that he most certainly deserved, but which he seems to refuse to his neighbors who do not deserve his status.
Ageism is indeed an unacceptable trend, but it would be good if the good people of the golden age did not take advantage of it for themselves, using their status to calm the ardor of future generations who simply do not wish than to take advantage of the same pleasure that Mr. Roux has already experienced for himself, and which he seems to be trying to refuse to others for the benefit of himself.
“To each his own time”, sang it Pierre Lalonde who, in another era, we had to describe as something like a “boom boom” music maker who bristles.
Finally, I do not wish Mr. Roux to move, but rather to open up to the world, to a world that he may no longer control, but which does not act against him; in the absence of its letter which militates to dictate a rhythm which no longer holds the tempo of its time.
Sylvain Raymond, Montrealer, consultant in the field of communications, marketing and content
Look forward to being old
My sympathies ! But me in Saint-Jérôme, I have mowers, leaf blowers, private parties and so on. I can’t wait to be old, to retire, to go far away. Very far. Veryssss far.
Simon Roby
The unlivable city center
Since politicians decided to make downtown Montreal a year-round party hole, by multiplying festivals and “festive” establishments, these have made downtown Montreal uninhabitable for permanent residents: music , noises, intoxicated people, traveling to take advantage of manna, parties in Airbnb, etc. This is what happens when the only economic creativity targeted is bread and games. It’s poor vision and it only targets a segment of the population: non-resident partygoers. In the end, those who win are the tenants and organizers who enrich themselves. The others see their quality of life deteriorate.
John Sebastian
Copy-pasted in Saint-Lambert
Many laugh on social networks when talking about Saint-Lambert and the noise of concerts in Parc Jean-Drapeau. This is a copy-paste of the situation described in Paul Roux’s article. This weekend with Osheaga, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., non-stop, it’s overwhelming, regardless of the style of music that I like. These people in the article, in their apartment, are prisoners of a situation where “having fun” is done at the expense of others, and this, by making fun of their discomfort. What are the values put forward in living together? It is not an intergenerational issue, because the young people in the house who are affected by the noise feel it as much as the old ones.
Christine Fournier
We no longer have the woodlands we had
My dear Paul, we found a nice little house on a wooded lot in a street built in a wood. All the neighbors are young families (like mine) or “regulars” of the place for several years. Happiness…until my new thirty-something doctor neighbor splits up and decides to live out his teenage years. 80 decibels? Yes, at 4 a.m. in the middle of the week with non-stop cheers. The police ? No power against the lack of civility. They pass when they can and warn, which gives, oh joy, 15 to 20 minutes of rest before leaving without worrying about the next one.
Christian Bissonnette
Airplanes at night
If we want to promote densification in Montreal, we will have to substantially reduce the sources of noise pollution. Fortunately, the electrification of public and private transport will help a lot; thus, the emergency vehicles could also diminish the sounds of the sirens that constantly sound in the city center. By the way, in Europe, the sound of sirens has been much lower for a long time. We must also take serious action against owners of noisy motor vehicles whose supposed mufflers are, on the contrary, designed to make noise. Montreal will also have to convince Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) to implement serious measures to substantially reduce the noise caused by air traffic. Transport Canada must put on its pants and enforce the regulations already in place and which are constantly flouted by ADM.
Jacques Bournival
Curfew nostalgia
I also live in town and the noise control is really poor. There are of course the terraces, but also the mufflers of modified cars and motorbikes, the screeching of tires, people talking loudly in the streets at 3 am and… the city vacuuming the sidewalks. We keep our windows closed and use the air conditioning continuously to have some peace of mind. The only times when we “unfortunately” were able to appreciate the tranquility were during the curfew at the start of the pandemic. You could open the windows and sleep in silence. Quietude is something that must be on the menu if our leaders want to densify and stop the exodus to the suburbs.
Denis Langlois