WARNING!!! Montreal visitors will be harassed by daily protesters

[elcuchio24]

Excuste my lack of information....but what are these shmucks protesting? Just a general malaise and 'kill the rich' mentality similar to the US Occupy people? Agree...hadn't heard of it on US news, not that I watch much...

[alpal1993]

We will be arriving for our cruise during The Grand Prix weekend.Sure to be more visitors then protesters. It will probably be during Summer Break,so hopefully most students will have gone home.Still coming and planning on having a blast in your beautiful city.

[A Sixth?]

We will be arriving for our cruise during The Grand Prix weekend.Sure to be more visitors then protesters. It will probably be during Summer Break,so hopefully most students will have gone home.Still coming and planning on having a blast in your beautiful city.

 

Have fun, but at least you are now aware that all is not as it usually is here, so keep an ear to the news....

 

here's last nights riot report.

 

Montreal student protest sees 85 arrested

 

Montreal is waking up to a morning of smashed windows, vandalized cars and questions about how a protest degenerated into yet another violent clash between police and demonstrators.

 

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Video+Montreal+student+protest+sees+arrested/6519653/story.html#ixzz1t9mINNRO

 

http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10375273

 

 

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/arrests+latest+student+protest/6519653/story.html

[Urban trekker]

As is often the case it appears that a genuine student protest over very large fee increases has been hijacked by the anarchists and general anti-government, anti-police types who infiltrate such movements and don't give a hoot about who they hurt, how much damage they cause etc.

 

To keep this on topic I am going to cruise on out of here.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[nelina]

I leave in Quebec. Just reading this and can't understand how someone can says people are in danger or at risk to be attacked.....We are not in Syria here !!!!

Students are protesting because government wants to increase scholarship fees (which is, by the way, probably the lowest in N. AM). Yes some of protestants have been arrested for violent acts against police or for vandalism but it is not a general movement of violence at all. Please take in consideration that sensasionalism and exageration is TV News bread and butter. No reason to miss the opportunity to visit Montreal.

[sail7seas]

Goodness Martin are you a war corespondent? If not, maybe you should look into it. Any normal law abiding citizen would look at what you just said -with your background - and immediately decide NOT to go. I know you were trying to calm people but I hope never again to see a "riot" cop... much less be close enough to ask a question!

 

 

I agree...... This is not something we want to deal with.

Reading that post made me shiver. If it was meant to be reassuring, it was not so for me.

 

We're tourists...... we're not kids. We go to Montreal every summer but we are not up to dealing with that sort of disturbance. We always have a full day ashore in Montreal but will not this summer. No Montreal for us if that is what is going on. :eek:

 

I'm surprised we've heard nothing about this on our news.

 

[Sheltieluv]

My brother lives up near the Canadian border (but in New York State) and his local news is from Plattsburg, NY, and Burlington, VT. If I get a chance to call him this weekend, I'll ask him about what's going on in Montreal. I would assume Plattsburg and/or Burlington would have some coverage regarding these student protests.

[p_mori7]

I am another Montrealer saying that it's perfectly OK to come and visit.

 

Yes there are some protests. Yes they can be a PITA for commuters or downtown workers.

 

The protests are over a fee increase of $300 per year in university tuition, Quebec has the lowest tuition fees in all of North America. These protesters are using $300 iphones and drinking $5 lattes wearing $200 coats...an utterly stupid position which is loosing steam fast.

 

Come to Montreal. Enjoy your visit.

 

Warm weather will soon be here and all these students will either be working summer jobs or trying to catch up on lost classes.

[Urban trekker]

Well said - this is probably Occupy Montreal seizing on an opportunity to disguise themselves as concerned students and to wreck havoc on the average persons life by disrupting traffic etc.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[A Sixth?]

Well said - this is probably Occupy Montreal seizing on an opportunity to disguise themselves as concerned students and to wreck havoc on the average persons life by disrupting traffic etc.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

I work at a college.

 

It's driven by students, hijacked by --------, and ignited by anarchists.

 

 

The latest gov't offer was instantly rejected but only a small riot tonight.

 

It's going down to minus 2 rain/snow.... maybe a protest limiting factor.

 

Visit Montreal, but be aware of what you are getting into. Check the news, not BB cheerleaders and make your own choices.

 

Most of all stay safe and informed.

 

 

Thie riots will most likely last well into summer, maybe fall. Anarchists NEVER quit.

 

edited by by fear of threat.

[elcuchio24]

I am another Montrealer saying that it's perfectly OK to come and visit.

 

Yes there are some protests. Yes they can be a PITA for commuters or downtown workers.

 

The protests are over a fee increase of $300 per year in university tuition, Quebec has the lowest tuition fees in all of North America. These protesters are using $300 iphones and drinking $5 lattes wearing $200 coats...an utterly stupid position which is loosing steam fast.

 

Come to Montreal. Enjoy your visit.

 

Warm weather will soon be here and all these students will either be working summer jobs or trying to catch up on lost classes.

 

Thank you for the information. We're heading up to Montreal in June, we usually go to Quebec City in the spring every year but wanted to change it up since DW has not been ton Montreal, and I haven't since college and my Cresent Street/ St.Cat's days;)

[alpal1993]

Do you think a trip to Mount Royal Park is out as it is really near McGill University? We were planning on doing alot of walking.Do you feel it would be better to take bus and Metro.e are staying near the Barri Station.

[Ephraim]

I've been in many places where I have seen protests and strikes, Argentina, Brazil, Spain and France, just to name a few.

 

The students are protesting tuition hikes, essentially the first since 1968, putting tuition up to about $3500 a year from about $2000 a year. Some are on strike, many are in class and ignoring this nonsense.

 

It's mostly a distraction and being used by some who are dissatisfied, they want free education... we want to not pay more taxes. The population is generally against the students. Many of whom might soon be losing their semester because withdrawal period is over and will get an incomplete on their transcripts. It's nonsense.

[Cruisebehindthescenes]

Do you think a trip to Mount Royal Park is out as it is really near McGill University? We were planning on doing alot of walking.Do you feel it would be better to take bus and Metro.e are staying near the Barri Station.

 

You should be fine up on the mountain... the protests are downtown.

[Urban trekker]

Ephraim - point well stated and while our American friends might not understand the following there is a system in place where the wealthier or have provinces send some of there monies to the federal government who then sent it to the have not provinces so that they can provide a similar level of services to their citizens - while primarily use for health care the provinces can direct where the monies go - Quebec which is rich in natural resources, adundant hydro electricity has always been a HAVE NOT Province - so while the rest of the country has much higher tuition fees Quebec has the lowest because some of the other provinces are subsidizing their education.

 

So while here in BC sudent fees have more than doubled over the past decade and as a current have province we are subsidizing Quebecers education.

 

Probably an over simplication of the issue but a stab at explaining some of the reasoning behind the low tuition fees.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Ephraim]

Ephraim - point well stated and while our American friends might not understand the following there is a system in place where the wealthier or have provinces send some of there monies to the federal government who then sent it to the have not provinces so that they can provide a similar level of services to their citizens - while primarily use for health care the provinces can direct where the monies go - Quebec which is rich in natural resources, adundant hydro electricity has always been a HAVE NOT Province - so while the rest of the country has much higher tuition fees Quebec has the lowest because some of the other provinces are subsidizing their education.

 

So while here in BC sudent fees have more than doubled over the past decade and as a current have province we are subsidizing Quebecers education.

 

Probably an over simplication of the issue but a stab at explaining some of the reasoning behind the low tuition fees.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

More Isaiah Berlin and Two Concepts of Liberty, really. We have the highest taxes in all of North America, but we spread the "wealth" (or really poverty) around better. The problem is that the government sort of ignored tuition since 1968 and now that we have to rebalance the books to pay for the deficit caused by the "recession" we have had to come up with money all over the place. We increased sales tax 2% over two years and tuition was part of it. People have become too used to the very low tuition in the province. But from the perspective of the citizens, we just see them as doing their part and that it's just TOO low. Conversely some people see higher education as a right and not a commodity that they are buying to sell for the rest of their lives. And they forgot to contrast it with the costs elsewhere. I know that Americans will think they are sill to protest paying the difference of $6000 for a bachelor's degree with $11100 for a bachelor's degree by the time the full increase is in place (5 to 7 years). We are talking an increase of about $275 a year until it gets to $3500 a year from the current $2000 a year.

 

Quebec has to keep it's financial house in order. We don't like deficits and this is part and parcel of balancing the deficits. The rest of us are paying more income tax, more sales tax, etc. The students just need to do their share and they don't want to... they want to buy their new iPads. It's also the generation of what we call "Les enfants Roi" in Quebec, which is another problem. (ie spoiled children who's parents never knew how to say "no".)

 

Canadians have an thing about deficits that our American friends may not understand. It was caused by the Mulroney government. Since then, running a financial deficit has been the quickest way to ensure that you don't get reelected. Until the current government, Canada has been balanced or in surplus for well over 10 years.

[bobsfamily]

I know that Americans will think they are sill to protest paying the difference of $6000 for a bachelor's degree with $11100 for a bachelor's degree by the time the full increase is in place (5 to 7 years). We are talking an increase of about $275 a year until it gets to $3500 a year from the current $2000 a year...

 

The students just need to do their share and they don't want to... they want to buy their new iPads. It's also the generation of what we call "Les enfants Roi" in Quebec, which is another problem. (ie spoiled children who's parents never knew how to say "no".)

 

Yeah I am paying about 8 times that per year for a child to go to a PUBLIC University in South Carolina... I have NO sympathy, of course it does not matter as I do not live/am not a citizen of Canada... But REALLY?

[ElsieToo]

We're sailing from Montreal on June 23, and we were planning on spending a couple of days to see the city prior to the cruise. Can someone recommend a good (non-inflammatory, fact-based) news resource to check? I don't know which online sources and newspapers are considered accurate and which should be avoided, but I'd like to keep checking over the next week.

[Nitemare]

If I recall correctly, the Montreal Gazette is the daily English language paper for the city of Montreal.

 

I have no idea of the slant (if any) of their reporting, but it is the paper of record, and might be a good starting point to get a comprehensive view of the day to day activity of these "students"

[ElsieToo]

If I recall correctly, the Montreal Gazette is the daily English language paper for the city of Montreal.

 

I have no idea of the slant (if any) of their reporting, but it is the paper of record, and might be a good starting point to get a comprehensive view of the day to day activity of these "students"

 

 

Many thanks - I appreciate it!

[Freo]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/index.html

 

Sad, and the Canadians are not in the playoffs.

[sail7seas]

We have noticed the extremely high tax we pay on everything we buy when in Quebec City as well as added to restaurant checks. I do not know but wonder if all this is on top of real estate and income taxes to province as well as National?

 

 

We enjoy your fine City and visit two times each summer but there is no 'free' anything when paying those sort of taxes. :eek:

 

[bobsfamily]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/index.html

 

Sad, and the Canadians are not in the playoffs.

I would NOT want to be in the city TODAY, May 1st.

[alpal1993]

If I recall correctly, the Montreal Gazette is the daily English language paper for the city of Montreal.

 

I have no idea of the slant (if any) of their reporting, but it is the paper of record, and might be a good starting point to get a comprehensive view of the day to day activity of these "students"

 

I have been skimming for info on tuition protests.For last Friday's upheaval they had a reporter in front and one in back bloging.Demonstrators not students.The Students were having a peaceful March when they were infiltrated.Nothing really since then,that would affect us visitors

[Ephraim]

We're sailing from Montreal on June 23, and we were planning on spending a couple of days to see the city prior to the cruise. Can someone recommend a good (non-inflammatory, fact-based) news resource to check? I don't know which online sources and newspapers are considered accurate and which should be avoided, but I'd like to keep checking over the next week.

 

Likely nothing to worry about... if the strike isn't over by then, their semester will have been cancelled and they won't have apartment leases anyway. The students usually clear out by the end of May and aren't back until September.

 

We have noticed the extremely high tax we pay on everything we buy when in Quebec City as well as added to restaurant checks. I do not know but wonder if all this is on top of real estate and income taxes to province as well as National?

 

 

We enjoy your fine City and visit two times each summer but there is no 'free' anything when paying those sort of taxes. :eek:

 

 

We have the highest taxes in all of North America if we include ALL the taxes that we pay. As the owner of a B&B, I collect hotel tax, provincial sales tax and federal sales tax. I pay property tax on my home. I pay provincial income tax and federal income tax. I pay both provincial and federal sales taxes on what I buy. In Quebec I also have to put into a fund for family leave. If I don't have prescription coverage with an insurance company, I also have to pay into the provincial medicine insurance company. I pay a driver's licence fee that includes bodily harm insurance and I pay a car registration fee that includes bodily harm insurance. (I still have to have separate insurance for the car, the government insurance only covers bodily harm.) I even pay a small annual fee into the board that regulates that I get paid and treated properly at work. If I was a large corporation, I need to spend or pay 1% of my salaries out in education for my employees. I also have to contribute to unemployment (unless you aren't eligible, ie self-employed). Oh and we have a 9% tax on insurance, just for good measure. Interest is not tax deductible either. There is a reason for high prices in Canada!