Really Bad News...Montreal

[RickCanada]

What I am interested to learn is just how much the tuitions have been raised that prompts these demonstrations.

What is the annual tuition for undergraduate work at McGill?

 

 

 

I am not quite sure but I think the tuition is being raised from the mid $2000's to the mid $4000's. Both fees have and will be the lowest in Canada.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Every major city has random crime.

There is NO crime free large city in North America

 

 

,,,,,,protesting is not a crime.:confused:

[aloisia]

I am not quite sure but I think the tuition is being raised from the mid $2000's to the mid $4000's. Both fees have and will be the lowest in Canada.

 

I read that too - it is a huge increase for them.

(DS tuition is around $6000 at a Toronto University :eek: - makes DH quietly protest to me. :D)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We walked all over for 3 days and never saw a problem, Day and night ..

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

You really have to be carefull reading this boards ,some people just post things that ???????

[Divi]

Sail,

According to Maclean's ( weekly Canadian news magazine ), tuition is just under $2500.00 a year which is less than half of the national average.

The proposed hike is $325.00 a year for 5 years. Even with this. fees will still be among the least expensive in the country.

Also note that 70% of students have had nothing to do with the strikes and have finished their year.

[LauraS]

Hi Folks:

 

Let's stay on target on this thread in order to help cruisers on their visit to Montreal, and keep the discussion light and travel-oriented.

 

Thank you very much!

 

Laura

[sail7seas]

,,,,,,protesting is not a crime.:confused:

 

No it is not and I don't recall reading anywhere in this thread where Protesting was called a crime.

 

I have gotten the theme running throughout that travelers are worried about possible crime associated with these protests. Protesting peacefully is fine. Protesting where others feel threatened, property is damaged, violence errupts and scares/injures bystanders and travelers is criminal. We often see quiet, peaceful demonstrations suddenly erupt and that is what would frighten tourists away..... the fear of being caught up in such an event amd being unable to go about their business unimpacted.

 

[Petronillus]

People in Quebec are getting fed up with corruption. We are the most taxed people in North America and for every new construction they are doing, we, the tax payers are charged sometimes 2 or 3 times the amount of money it should cost. There are horror stories about corruption everyday.

 

I am not questioning your opinion or your plainly obvious distress, but in all this grumbling and grousing that has grabbed hold of my country, I am reminded of the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., valiant veteran of the Civil War and long-serving associate justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S.: "Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society." We all want our tax dollars, whether U.S. or Canadian or Australian or whatever, to be wisely spent but nowadays too many of us are out for the free ride and, imho, Canadians has proportionately fewer freeriders than the States has. The consequence, relevant to this board, is that you have many utterly delightful ports of call, including the major cities of Montreal and Vancouver (not to slight Halifax, St. John's, and Victoria!).

[COLLEYBERRY]

No it is not and I don't recall reading anywhere in this thread where Protesting was called a crime.

 

I have gotten the theme running throughout that travelers are worried about possible crime associated with these protests. Protesting peacefully is fine. Protesting where others feel threatened, property is damaged, violence errupts and scares/injures bystanders and travelers is criminal. We often see quiet, peaceful demonstrations suddenly erupt and that is what would frighten tourists away..... the fear of being caught up in such an event amd being unable to go about their business unimpacted.

 

 

 

Really ??? Regardless I do believe that it has be made VERY clear ...time ..after time... in many posts ...this is NOT the case in Montreal.

[sail7seas]

Yes..... and then we watch news reports on national and local tv stations.

Each potential traveler has to gather information from all their available sources and determine for themselves how they wish to proceed.

 

DH and I have been frequent guests in Montreal and clearly like the city or would not keep returning. However, we also evaluate where any location fits into our comfort zone at any given time.

 

We are not coming to Montreal this summer but it is not because of the demonstrations.

We cancelled at just about the time I started to hear about the disturbances and they were not a factor.

 

We look forward to returning to Montreal again and that will probably be next year.

[fatcat04]

I personally appreciate being made aware by posters of any possible issue or inconvenience when I am traveling, whether it be protests or construction or sporting/concert events. I would rather be informed than walk into a situation unawares and have no back up plan.

 

The statistics in this article from the Toronto Star made it very clear tourism is being effected now regardless of the reality on the ground.

[alpal1993]

DH and I are leaving 6/7 for a 2 day pre cruise stay in Montreal.It will be Grand Prix Weekend as well .Due to hotel rooms being pulled early for those attending the race room prices were raised and most fellow cruisers are staying outside the city at the airport.I guess we are just brave souls for we have a Hotel on St Denis very near the Berri Metro station.We have a very busy schedule planned an intend to keep it.Hey I am from Miami nothing like the riots we have had down here.

[Cruiser Craig]

sail7seas,

 

There is no violence nor is there any aggression. To suggest otherwise is distorting the reality I live every day. There is simply a generation supported by their grandparents and parents (and cousins toting small babies in many cases) who don't want to spend the next twenty to thirty years repaying outrageous student loans (as is the case elsewhere on this continent) while upper management in almost all publicly-traded companies are reaping million dollar boni, fat expense accounts and, in some cases, trips on corporate jets when commercial airfare would cost a pittance in comparison.

 

When I was a young student, I also participated in protests. Didn't you too? Just curious.

 

And of course, the media need something to hype about. How else, during these slow news days, would they justify charging fortunes for their commercials which serve to feed the vicious-circle frenzy of paying million dolloar boni, etc., etc.?

[sail7seas]

We certainly hope to return to Montreal where we have enjoyed many happy visits.

We won't be returning this year, as I mentioned, but not because of the demonstrations. I accept all those who say it is safe. I have no reason to not believe you all.

 

Hopefully, things stay safe and fine in that pretty city and all enjoy their visits there and the locals can enjoy going about their usual business.

 

And, No....... I did not participate in demonstrations when I was in college.

I won't get into why as we have been reminded to keep our comments on subject. :)

 

[fatcat04]

And, No....... I did not participate in demonstrations when I was in college.

I won't get into why as we have been reminded to keep our comments on subject. :)

 

 

Me either sail.. I was too busy studying. :D :D

[Hansell]

We were in Montreal last Saturday after cruising on the Maasdam and spent 2 wonderful days in Montreal. We had locals thank us for visiting. The Metro was easy to use - so much better than Boston. We stayed at the Omni and were treated great. The locals told us about the protest - they step outside their homes @ 8pm and bang their pots and pans.

 

We felt very safe.

[cruiseryyc]

Last year at this time the news was full of how awful it was in Athens; however I still went on a tour to Greece and had a wonderful time. Yes there were protests while we were there but we kept away from where they were taking place and were quite safe. The news media likes to make it sound like the entire city is awash with protestors while that is not the case.

[Backstage Traveler]

As a Montrealer who has gone out after dark downtown in the last few days, I can assure you all that we are NOT having "riots", but rather, "demonstrations". I have not seen any of them firsthand, despite being right in the downtown core after 10pm. I avoid the favoured spot of the demonstrators, which is the Emilie-Gamelin park at Berri and Ste-Catherine, and the area around there. I have seen the footage on tv, which is broadcast nightly, and it mostly consists of people walking around. There was some violence several weeks ago, but lately, all the demonstrations have been peaceful.

 

Furthermore, the demonstrations begin around 8pm, with pot banging, then the walking begins at 9:30pm, with protesters leaving from Emilie-Gamelin park. If you are on your cruise ship, none of this is going to bother you. If you are staying overnight in Montreal downtown, you may or may not hear or see the demonstrators, depending on where your hotel is located.

 

Please don't feel that you have to avoid our beautiful city simply because some people are blowing our protest movements out of proportion. Most cruisers coming to Montreal will never know that there is anything going on, other than the typical summer roadwork construction!

[LoveParkLady]

I happen to be in Montreal right now --- my family has been staying in the heart of downtown for the past week --- and there is absolutely nothing negative going on in this city. Some students protest each evening around 8 p.m., banging on pots and pans and rallying against a rise in tuition at the city's colleges, but there's nothing scary or creepy or dangerous happening here. My husband and I come up to Montreal about every 6-8 weeks for a long weekend and we have NEVER had a bad moment here. We walk all over the entire city and are on all the Metro lines all day and evening. So please don't hesitate to come here. We're from Center City Philadelphia, where crazy and scary things actually do happen occasionally. Montreal is a total joy in comparison, with friendly people and safe streets.

[LoveParkLady]

We saw one short demonstration at the corner of Berri and St.-Denis, and another down in Old Montreal along rue de la Commune. Each consisted of a couple hundred kids banging on pots and pans, followed by non-intruding police in cruisers, and accompanied by people on the sidewalks either yelling their support or their disapproval. Nothing scary at all, and each protest lasted less than 15 minutes. We haven't seen or felt any sign of danger all week or in the previous 7 times we've been up here over the past year or so. The streets and Metro seem perfectly safe to me (and I am almost a senior citizen).

[LoveParkLady]

My husband and I were on a cruise this time last year and our ship docked in Athens (Piraeus). Other than the fact that we thought the city was disgustingly dirty, which somewhat ruined our day, we didn't feel unsafe and we saw no sign of protesters, even though we were told to expect rioting. We were in Rome when Berlusconi (sp) was stepping down, with all the police presence in the city, and had just missed an earthquake in Turkey. It's a shame that people will avoid certain places just because of one negative report or an often-biased media; the whole idea of traveling, in my opinion, is to experience the good with the bad (within reason) and see for yourself. If I listened to half the horror stories that people tell me about the world, I'd never go anywhere!

[LoveParkLady]

I visit Montreal a lot (as a matter of fact, I'm typing this note from Montreal now...I'm actually from Philadelphia) and if you have never been on rue St.-Denis, it's kind of nuts all the time anyway --- lots of bars and clubs and things to do, always jumping with college-age kids and young party-goers --- so I can't imagine it will be any crazier or louder during Grand Prix week than it is on any given weekend night. It's not unsafe by any means, and it often has a sort of Mardi Gras atmosphere. I'm too old for that stuff now, but I hope you have fun! :)

[alpal1993]

I visit Montreal a lot (as a matter of fact, I'm typing this note from Montreal now...I'm actually from Philadelphia) and if you have never been on rue St.-Denis, it's kind of nuts all the time anyway --- lots of bars and clubs and things to do, always jumping with college-age kids and young party-goers --- so I can't imagine it will be any crazier or louder during Grand Prix week than it is on any given weekend night. It's not unsafe by any means, and it often has a sort of Mardi Gras atmosphere. I'm too old for that stuff now, but I hope you have fun! :)

 

thanks for the encouraging words .We leave Thursday and plan on having a great time Sightseeing,and eating our way through Montreal.Sounds like alot of fun to us Rue St Denis here we come.

[aberthelot]

Sail,

According to Maclean's ( weekly Canadian news magazine ), tuition is just under $2500.00 a year which is less than half of the national average.

The proposed hike is $325.00 a year for 5 years. Even with this. fees will still be among the least expensive in the country.

Also note that 70% of students have had nothing to do with the strikes and have finished their year.

These kids need to get with the program!