QUOTED: Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, on Toronto’s nightlife
QUOTED: Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, on Toronto’s nightlife

“There is a nightlife in Montreal. The only reason there is one in Toronto is because there’s a half a million Montrealers who have moved there.”
–Denis Coderre, mocking Toronto’s 2 a.m. last call during his announcement of a pilot project that will allow bars on two Montreal streets to serve alcohol until 5:30 a.m. The notion of extending Toronto’s last call to 4 a.m. has been floated from time to time. Here’s what 2014’s crop of mayoral candidates have had to say on the matter.
Is it Expo 67 again? Does Ontario still have no culture? Why isn’t he concerned that 500,000 people have left his city?
Montrealers can bray about their nightlife and their Stanley Cups, but that doesn’t seem to be keeping their best an brightest from moving away. Montreal it will soon be Canada’s fourth city behind Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
@disqus_UAUYVizRg0:disqus
MTL is a unique city in the whole world, it will never compare to Toronto nor Vancouver and Calgary is a neighbor hood it not even a city Lol. So that been said you go visit MTL and you will see how Montrealers are proud of the city and how they maintain their homes streets parks we care for our home, we care for the poor middle class new immigrants and Rich we are all proud MTL Montreal it a city where every one can afford to live unlike the west or Toronto. and every city has it charm yet MONTREAL IS UNIQUE and you cant compare Toronto to it cuz Toronto is just towers and no life at night or day. and people are violent in Toronto they kill and shoot in malls it not safe .. MTL it a safe city. And what make it special is the multi cultural side we have the planet on our plates any food you want you will find it from Japan to Hawaii it in Montreal, the construction is just awesome, the people mentality totally different from out west, where you can compliment a women and a man with out they thinking you have sexual intent where parks are filled with youth old all play all kind sports as of the west you play with kids they think sex, where in Montreal we have the best services in the planet, swimming pools are free Soccer tennis badminton basket ball free for every one to play youth and old we all play and enjoy the moments,gym are cheap 150$ per year out west 1600$ per year. two bed rooms 400 – 600$ out west two bed room 1800 – 3000$.
And I hope that Montreal will continue to improve and grow a better city and affordable to every one to live in. And I am a proud Canadian after all I wish all the best to all of our Canadian cities.
By the way most Montreal immigrants were from the mid 90’s lots of high school friend moved there to make money and work life was hard in MTL but cheap and when your young you want to work and make money so you ask your self it got a be some thing out there not cuz it a question of smart or stupid.. that is one stupid argument you had.
That was my answer to Ryan, and when I said bout immigrant from 90’s. I meant lots of MTLers moved to Toronto for two reasons racism and work they left families to find more paying jobs in Toronto not cuz they are smart or stupid Miss Ryan. and we are bilingual and some of us have three or four languages in the city of Montreal.
And most immigrants from Montreal were between 16 and 28 of age I still remember cuz lots of my high school friends and girl friends moved to Toronto back then, and they made good money most of them stayed and purchased homes in Montreal after couple years of working. So please stop the stupid personal indirect racial point of view cuz we are all Canadians and should be proud and should hope and work for the best of each city we live in. And if you are not happy with what Canada has to offer you or you start spreading the city hate and B.S go back to your country even if your a second or first gen in Canada. Just reminding you that we are all immigrants.
Toronto Butthurt.
Melissia Redreges apparently I am stupid because my opinion is different to yours. I find your stereotyping of Torontonians to be inaccurate, childish, racist and mean spirited. Why are people abandoning Montreal, with its free badminton and amazing nightlife, by the thousands?
We are better off that Montreal and Toronto are different. Both have their upsides and downsides. I am past caring about night clubs and how late closing time is (no, I am not Rob Ford).
I just wish Toronto had Montreal’s subway system, easy access to ski hills, hockey team and some of its French Canadian aspects.
Ryan,
Unfortunately what you say has grains of truth in it. There are issues that are causing people to leave, and that’s the trend we have been seeing. The main reason, is to get the jobs we want, the funding we need, before we can come back and settle down in Montreal, or because we are sick of Montreal (Well not so much Montreal but the fact that the rest of the province’s politics affect the wonderful city) and want to move to bigger and better things and never come back. It is that culture, that feel, that Je ne sais quoi that makes people come back, and what would have been interesting as an amendment to the politician’s claims. A lot of the people that leave, actually do come back to settle down here, and start their own business/industries/shops/etc. So yes, our city is far from perfect, but nor is any city in Canada, and I have lived in most of the ones you listed as the “top four”, with Montreal being the one I have lived in the longest, and have come back to time and time again. In my case, I will have to leave again to pay my dues in my field of study, before I can come back and actually qualify for the job I wish to hold, but I have spent 18 years out of 25 in Montreal, and I plan to continue living here until I die.
Melissia,
When you say Montreal, are you talking about what used to be Montreal, or the agglomeration of reconstituted cities and boroughs, or the CMA of Montreal. CMA of Montreal is massive, and populated 3,800,000 people roughly as of 2014. All the things you say we don’t have, you can find them if you know where to look. I am an urban planning student, and you paint a utopic picture of Montreal that is false. There are places where buildings aren’t taken care of, there are places being gentrified, there has been some racism here and there. Once again, nothing notoriously high, or abnormally low in terms of good and bad, just an average picture. Where it does start to become “better” is that there is more multiculturalism, the world’s food is indeed at your feet (15 ethnic restaurants of different ethnicity in 10 minute walk of my house). Regardless I agree with some of what you say, but a lot of it is just… wishful whitewashing.
Mack
I study Urban Planning. I do projects in Urban Planning for the cities. I am glad cities are different, I wish there was a way for all of them to have benefits like better transit etc, while keeping the culture, but some of the culture revolves around said things. However, you are the best-spoken on this page <3 kudos to you