Montreal's great, save the pavement

Montreal, my hometown (a native) is great. The neighbourhoods, downtown, the mountain, the food (bagels and smoked meat!) and the legacy of this ever-so-bilingual city, of writers, poets and yes, even politicians (a gas to see the intersection of Rene Levesque and Robert Bourassa boulevards) is great. Here are some observations after being away a couple of years. The city has increased bike lanes dramatically an the pioneering Bixi bike service - a huge local industry now delivering rental bikes to cities across N America - is incredibly popular. Despite the temptation to try one I prefer to walk, with fave routes along Rue Sherbrooke and the stairwell up the mountain to the "lookout" over downtown, and across to Mount Royal Cemetery, adjoining the Catholic Notre-Dames-Des Neiges, Canada's largest. Besides visiting relatives' graves I visited Leonard Cohen's (photo), rather commonplace and not surprisingly piled with stones. Then descending north into affluent Outremont and heading east to The Plateau, a fashionable district of bars and bistros, or west by Universite de Montreal (Ecole Polytechnique) and stumbling across College Jean-de-Brébeuf, the intellectually formative institution of former PM Pierre Elliot Trudeau. A new discovery was Little Italy in Mtl's northeast along the very pedestrian and vibrant Rue St Hubert and the Le Roi du Smoked Meat. It's always wonderful discovering a

new smoked meat place, this one opened in the year of my birth 1954! (For the record, I avoid the iconic Schwartz's, a tourist trap if ever there was one). I also noticed that the city's notorious law breaking traffic seems to be calming. Cars don't seem to speed like I remember and pedestrians actually obey Don't Walk signs. I put it down to changing generations. There are still problems. The city's roads are in terrible shape. Rue Sherbrooke and The Boulevard - two showpiece streets - have great swathes of uneven pavement, patched asphalt, and potholes big enough to hold cats. Where does all the tax money go? On a visit to Beaver Lake the curb ramp next to handicapped parking was disintegrating (photo), an obstacle for wheelchairs as my partner is disabled (I posted on a Mtl FB group and got numerous sympathetic comments, and yes I've complained to the city.) Moreover the city's great transit system could use a do-over in the fare dept. My 'Opus' smart card from two years ago still had four fares on it but they had expired! Mtl should join other cities and allow credit and debit cards. The airport is still an horrendous mess. I needed to pick up my partner last weekend and was glad I took the bus there and taxi returning. Traffic was so bad it took half an hour just to reach the terminal from the ring road let alone trying to find a parking spot. But a newcomer might be hard pressed to believe this is a French city. Yes, the signs are mostly 'en Francais' but the conversations on the street, especially downtown, often are more English than French. 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

It took five months but finally an apology from airport security

On Jan. 16, I posted about the hassle we endured by airport security at Toronto Pearson. Our mobility chair (my partner is disabled) has to be shipped separately from the lithium battery (left), which we carried on board as per airline regulations (no batteries allowed for safety reasons in cargo hold). But an agent didn't recognize it and held it for several minutes despite the fact I told her what it was. Who knew what was going through the glum staffer's mind but she was obviously suspicious. She consulted with other security and finally a supervisor, who told her to release it. After arriving home I complained to CATSA Jan 9 and finally got a reply May 28. (I'd all but given up hearing from them.) Here it is: "Good day Ronald, On behalf of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), I wish to respond to the concerns you brought to our attention on January 9, 2025, regarding your pre-board screening experience at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Upon receipt of your complaint, a detailed review was initiated, including viewing the video footage and consulting with our regional management. Our regional management was able to identify the screening officers you dealt with on that day and review your screening experience. Our review resulted in actions and the necessary measures have been taken to prevent this type of situation in the future. We regret that your screening experience was unpleasant. We appreciate that security measures can sometimes be challenging and time consuming and we regret that this incident was upsetting to you. Please be assured that your feedback allows us to review our current services and improve the passenger experience at all airports across Canada. CATSA plays an integral role in the Government of Canada’s aviation security system and takes pride in serving the travelling public. While security is CATSA’s top priority, we also strive to maintain a high level of customer service and professionalism. We trust that your future travels will be pleasant. Sincerely, Patricia Gusta, Coordinator Client Satisfaction, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) 

This wasn't the first time my partner's disability triggered a false alarm. Three years ago, in Frankfurt, security detected something in her carry-on. Next thing we knew two guards with machine guns had been called over. I'm pleased to say that was resolved rather quickly. 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller