In the Globe and Mail today:
A group of residents in the Lachine borough of Montreal are adapting the traditional street protest to the MuchMusic generation. They’ve created a protest music video to be launched on Wednesday on YouTube, a move that makes placard-waving and petition-signing seem almost old-fashioned.
The focus of the dispute is a slab-like cement street barrier that separates the well-to-do bedroom community of Montreal West with an area of Lachine, which happens to be down the hill.I actually lived at the bottom of the hill in Ville St. Pierre as a child and attended the English Catholic school in more upscale Montreal West. In my view there is more than a barricade separating these two communities.
Is this a division of wealth? Language? Social status?
ReplyDeleteAll three. Residents of Ville St. Pierre (at least when I was a kid)were primarily French speaking and low income. Montreal West is an Anglo enclave and very middle class. Being part of the English Catholic minority we had to be bused to Montreal West to school where I recall a teacher referring to us as "Ville St. Pierre riff raff" when I was in Grade 4.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting video and thanks for leading me to this news story!
ReplyDeleteI'm originally from Lachine, and it's amazing to know that, despite the passage of time, some things never change.
I lived in Lachine (and Ville St. Pierre) for many years and still have family there. Where did you live? Where did you go to school?
ReplyDeleteI lived on 49th Avenue, and went to LHS then on to John Abbott, and finally, Concordia.
ReplyDeleteLeft there in '81 for the west coast and still visit there regularly.
I went to Bishop Whelan before I left for an Ottawa convent.
ReplyDeleteSmall world!
ReplyDeleteI had quite a few friends who went to BW.