The Arrogance of Mayor Tremblay
The controversy over the decision to rename Montreal’s Park Avenue after Robert Bourassa (see Wednesday’s “Robert Bourassa Is Stealing My Street”) continues to mushroom. Yesterday, the Gazette devoted three pages to the news, all of it highly critical of the renaming. It followed this morning with two more pages of angry letters and commentary. La Presse also weighed in today with an excellent column by Michèle Ouimet and an insightful article on the renaming of Dorchester Boulevard after René Lévesque, another dead premier, eighteen years ago.
Park Avenue has been around since 1883 and a large part of the city — Mile End and Park Extension, most notably — grew up around it. Many Montrealers have a sentimental attachment to the street, especially since a lot of them can trace their family history back to Park Avenue, which has welcomed successive waves of immigrants for more than a century. Greek Montrealers even have a word to describe the string of neighbourhoods along the avenue: Parkaveneika. Erasing its name also erases a big chunk of Montreal’s heritage.
But there is another issue at play: the arrogant, unilateral actions of Mayor Gérald Tremblay.
Peter Tsatoumas, the owner of Navarino, a popular Park Avenue café, summed up the thoughts of many when he called the name change “an insult to Montrealers.” What is so insulting is that the decision to rename Park was made in secret, behind closed doors, by the city’s executive council, an elite cabinet of city councillors and unelected officials. No Park Avenue residents or merchants were consulted before the decision was made, nor were any of the city’s heritage or cultural groups. Les Amis de la montagne, a publicly-funded watchdog organization created to protect Mount Royal, was not notified, despite the fact that Park Avenue’s name and location make it part of its jurisdiction. Even the city’s own heritage and toponomy commissions were not consulted before Tremblay and his crew made their decision.
“[C'est] comme si les Montréalais, ces gueux, n’avaient pas leur mot à dire,” fumes Michèle Ouimet in today’s La Presse. “Comme si la ville apparetenait au maire. Bing, bang, Gérald Tremblay s’est levé un bon matin et hop! Fini l’avenue du Parc.” Ouimet points out that Tremblay’s decision to rename Park Avenue was influenced by his long relationship with Robert Bourassa: the two men were friends and Tremblay was a cabinet minister in Bourassa’s government. “Ça manque de distance pour juger de la grandeur d’un homme politique,” she writes.
Of course, Ouimet doesn’t go as far as the editors of the Gazette, who compared Tremblay to a certain North Korean dictator and suggested that Montrealers engage in a mass act of civil disobedience by refusing to acknowledge Park Avenue’s renaming. “Save Park Avenue!” they urged their readers.
Save Park Avenue indeed. You can make your voice heard tomorrow by heading to the Sir George Étienne Cartier monument on Park Avenue at 2pm, where a protest will march to Gérald Tremblay’s house in Outremont to remind him of something called democracy.
Tags: Montreal
Nick Wellingotn says:
That’s ridiculous. Doesn’t Bourassa already have a Metro station named after him?
October 21st, 2006 at 2:38 am
Nick Wellington says:
^Edit. That’s Henri Bourassa. In any event, it’s still ridiculous
October 21st, 2006 at 2:44 am
Seb says:
You want to save our beautifully named Parc Avenue?
1- Sign the petition: http://causes.ca/duparc
2- Spread the word about it!
October 21st, 2006 at 3:18 am
mike says:
Christopher DeWolf,
If you want people to listen to your cause show some courtesy.
Childishly attacking another person is not going to help.
It makes you the arrogant one.
October 21st, 2006 at 11:39 pm
Christopher DeWolf says:
I’m sorry? Where did I childishly attack someone?
Are you referring to my calling Tremblay arrogant? I’m not sure many would consider that childish. After all, Michèle Ouimet, Lysiane Gagnon, Josh Freed and the editors of the Gazette have all used the same term to describe Tremblay.
Am I missing something?
October 22nd, 2006 at 12:03 am
mike says:
You didn`t go as far as Nikolaos Karabineris, but, yes, calling someone arrogant is an attack. The best way for you to be heard and to be considered is to say why you think the name change is not a good idea. It would help if you can list alternatives such as the proposal to rename the beautiful street St-Joseph or some other one that you can think of that is appropriate.
In other words, attack his policies but never attack the man. It reflects badly on you if you do otherwise.
October 22nd, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Christopher DeWolf says:
Politicians are not robots — when they behave arrogantly, they deserve to be called arrogant. I don’t see why we should divorce politicians from their actions or mince words when talking about them. Tremblay’s actions were arrogant. They fit the definition of the world perfectly.
I also don’t understand why you are chastising me for not providing the reasons why I think changing Park’s name is a good idea, or not providing alternatives. I did both in my previous post, “Robert Bourassa Is Stealing My Street.” You replied to it; did you not read it?
Here are the reasons I listed why Park Avenue’s name should not be changed:
– It is a symbol of Frederick Law Olmstead and Montreal’s most iconic park, Mount Royal Park.
– The street has had this name for 128 years; entire neighbourhoods have grown up around it and their identities are inextricably linked to the identities of the street.
– Park Avenue has received numerous waves of immigrants and many cultural communities, Greeks especially, identify strongly with the street and its name.
As for alternative I suggested:
– Buy a parking lot and transform it into public park or square, perhaps one with a fountain shaped like a hydroelectric dam.
Is that not specific enough? Again, all of this was written in my previous post.
October 22nd, 2006 at 1:44 pm
Nikolaos Karabineris says:
Save Park Avenue
General meeting open to all concerned
Mardi/Tuesday
24 Octobre
18h / 6pm
5220 Ave du Parc/Park Avenue
Venez en grand Nombre
Be heard load and clear
Sauvez L’Avenue du Parc Regroupement General Ouvert a tous
October 24th, 2006 at 12:40 am
R says:
The worst part is that they are keeping the Avenue du Parc name for a small stretch in the industrial area around Cremazie!
At least the remaining De Montigny street (apart from the not-renamed Montreal East and Pointe Aux Trembles part) is located downtown near a metro station.
October 24th, 2006 at 2:36 am
Nikolaos Karabineris says:
The City of Montreal in January 2006 proudly committed itself to the Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. The executive committee’s actions concerning the Park Avenue name change violated Articles 4 (Transparent Management of Municipal Affairs) and Article 16 (Commitment by the city to make the public consultation process credible, open and effective).
I urgently request that everyone opposed to the above mentioned injustice contact: Johanne Savard, the City of Montreal ombudsman, to examine the process involved in the decision not to consult and have her report the results of her investigation to the people of Montreal before the process moves any further. Kindly, lodge a formal complaint with her concerning the Park Avenue name change.
Montreal Ombudsman
275 Notre Dame Street East
Suite R-100 Montréal ,QC H2Y 1C6
Telephone: (514) 872-8999 Fax: (514) 872-2379
E-mail: ombudsman@ville.montreal.qc.ca
Website here.
The Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities is available at your local public library, any Access Montréal office and in PDF format here.
The Ombudsman’s Intervention form is available in PDF format here.
October 24th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Nikolaos Karabineris says:
Demonstration at City Hall, Monday at 7:00 p.m
Demonstration:
Lundi / Monday 30 Octobre,
19h – 7pm
Hôtel de ville / City Hall
275, rue Notre-Dame Est
Montréal (Québec)
October 27th, 2006 at 6:43 am
NiBrian McKenna says:
Before being loaded aboard army trucks in 1915 for a long trip to the death and destruction of the Great War, my grandfather’s kid brother was photographed at Park avenue on Fletcher’s Field. It was one of the last pieces of Canada he saw. He was killed. Now my own government wants to kill the street he left behind — that’s what it feels like, killing the street.
Brian McKenna
Save Park Avenue
October 28th, 2006 at 3:45 am
Owen Rose says:
Nikolaos,
Excellent idea to refer to Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. For that document to live, it is up to all of us to breath life into it and make sure that its words are valued.
When the Charter was sent to public hearings, my groupe, Mont-Royal Avenue verte, had also mentioned that these rights and responsabilities should be equally applied to corporate citizens; however, that proposal was not retained.
Montréal’s ‘democracy’ has to seriously improve if we are to be able to stimulate citizens to be involved in the evolotion of Montréal towards a more ecological and equitable city, which is by the way, the mission of the Urban Ecology Centre.
October 28th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
Nikolaos Karabineris says:
Please email Montreal City Hall and sign an online petition in order to voice your opposition to the Park Avenue name change; your voice will make the difference. Rise up and insure that Park Avenue will live on forever!
Online petition: http://www.causes.ca/duparc
City councilors:
geraldtremblay@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; warrenallmand@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; mapplebaum@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; mbarbe@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; mabeaudoin@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; richardbbergeron@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; ybissonnet@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; patriciabittar@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; laurentblanchard@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; richardbelanger@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; jacampbell@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; jeanyvescartier@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; jcowellpoitras@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; cdauphin@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
adesousa@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; lavaldemers@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; mderos@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; richarddeschamps@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
rdompierre@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; caroledusault@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
christiangdubois@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; neloyan@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
genesee@qc.aira.com ; sforcillo@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
hfotopulos@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; jgibeau@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
ggrondinrosemont@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; linehamel@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
sharbour@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; ahenault@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
jinfantino@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; benoitlabonte@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
michellabrecque@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; slachance@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
plapointe@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; andrelavallee@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
cmaciocia@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;elusverdun@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
sorayamartinez@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; lmiranda@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
jacquelinemontpetit@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; marcelmparent@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
dperri@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; mprescott@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
gaetanprimeau@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; fpurcell@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
mrotrand@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; cstarnaud@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
asamson@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; fsenecal@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
jfstonge@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; catherinesevigny@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
elusverdun@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; lfaust@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
fvenneri@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; elusverdun@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
mworth@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; bward@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
fzampino@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; fsenecal@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
sforcillo@ville.montreal.qc.ca ; marcelgtremblay@ville.montreal.qc.ca ;
szajdel@ville.montreal.qc.ca
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:22 am
Nikolaos Karabineris says:
“Save Park Avenue” protest
**City Hall Montreal, November 27th 2006**
Shuttle service to and from City Hall
Merchants and concerned citizens are sponsoring buses for the “Save Park
Avenue” protest at Montreal city council meeting on Monday. The free bus
rides are available to all who wish to participate in the protest outside of
City Hall beginning at 6:15pm. They will be departing from the following
locations:
Park Avenue corner St-Joseph
Park Avenue corner St-Viateur (YMCA)
Park Avenue corner Bernard (5899 Park Avenue)
Park-Extension, St-Roch corner Champagneur (Evangelismos Church. 777 St-
Roch)
Time of departure : 17h30
Time of return : 20h30
______________________________________________________________
Manifestation “Sauvons l’avenue du Parc”
**Hôtel de Ville de Montréal, 27 novembre 2006**
Navettes gratuites
Des commerçants et des citoyens concernés mettront à votre disponible des autobus pour se rendre à la démonstration qui se tiendra devant l’Hôtel de Ville de Montréal, lundi prochain. Le transport en autobus sera gratuit pour tous ceux qui désirent protester devant l’Hôtel de Ville à partir de 18h15. Les départs se feront à partir des localisations suivantes:
1. Avenue du Parc coin St-Joseph
2. Avenue du Parc coin St-Viateur (YMCA)
3. Avenue du Parc coin Bernard (5899 Avenue du Parc)
4. Parc-Extension : St-Roch coin Campagneur (Devant l’eglise Evangelismos au 777 St-Roch)
Heure de départ : 17h30
Heure de retour : 20h30
Pour toutes informations
Chris Karidogiannis
Secrétaire exécutif
Association des commerçants et propriétaires du Village Hellénique de l’avenue du Parc
(514) 996-8404
November 26th, 2006 at 3:51 am
Nikolaos Karabineris says:
It took a lot longer than it should have but in the end we SAVED PARK AVENUE.
LONG LIVE THE PEOPLE!
LONG LIVE PARK AVENUE1
February 8th, 2007 at 8:27 am