Actually, the council didn't approve the plan because 10 members of the party in power weren't there to vote. They'll try again next time, but it shows that when you're in the habit of power, you frequentlyl forget about the basics, in all sense of the term.
Tuesday's post: A bit ironically, as I trudged up the Université de Montréal's music school yesterday, the Montreal City Council was charging toward turning the building just below into 130 luxury condos. Both the music school and the old Mont-Jésus-Marie convent have marvelous views north and east of Mount Royal, and indeed the former butts right up to one of the few places still rather wild on the island.
The university bought the convent a few years ago for $15 million, but either discovered it would be too expensive to convert to academic space(seems there might be asbestos in it) or, through some sleight of hand among friends, was willing to make a little money by easing the way for developers. As I paused at the top of the hill, I could see why some might think the old convent would be perfect for luxury development. There are few finer views around, and what is more the Edouard Montpetit Metro station is just steps away.
Monday the city council to all intents and purposes approved the much-criticized plan. Formal approval by the university is the last step, it seems, and that is a given since yesterday the university announced the appointment of Guy Breton, a proponent of the plan, as the new rector.
There have been rumours that the university would also like to get rid of the music school. It houses the Salle Claude-Champagne, the concert hall with the best acoustics in the city, and the center of a vibrant music scene. Indeed the reason why I was headed there was to get tickets for Le Baron Tzigane by Johann Strauss fils: the hall will be filled for each of four performances. To turn the building over to developers would be very sad, as well as another attack on the mountain.
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