A Visit to the City of Dandelions

I am just back from a quick (four night) visit to Montreal: the weather was beautiful, spring is in full bloom, and it was great to see the smiling faces of those who faced such a difficult Covid trial, with lengthy lock downs, strict police enforcement of family holiday celebrations and of course a frigid winter. It is also a city that is both beautiful and yet facing several challenges on many fronts. In a way it is a glimpse into the future and a real revelation.

Firstly, I call it the city of dandelions as I was struck by how that weed has taken over vast patches of lawns and green belts along the highways and around industrial parks. The government, to help the environment has banned several consumer weed killers so if a homeowner or park manager wishes to maintain a weed free lawn, they must use the services of licensed commercial lawn maintenance companies which can be quite costly. Or they can get down on their hands and knees and manually root out hundreds of dandelions which are in full bloom and determined to increase their numbers even further. My dislike of dandelions may sound silly to some, but image driving down a typical neighborhood block and all one sees are thousands, no, tens of thousands of dandelions up and down the block, all waving gracefully in the wind. It looks apocalyptic, as if humanity has suddenly disappeared from the area. In fact, a local attitude seems to have developed as if to say that there is nothing you can do about it, so the pride of home ownership seems to have taken a step backward. I admit, I grew up in a time when lawns were considered a sign of order, cleanliness and were envied. Perhaps time has passed me by, but then I was never happy with the concept of mankind regressing.

Adding to the forlorn look of some areas is the shabby condition of the streets. I would say they are even worse than New York streets were before Giuliani became mayor of that town. The average speed limit away from the express ways is 30 km, which works out to be about 18 mph which is impossible to achieve due to the poor condition of many streets. They do not have potholes but rather craters which leads one to speculate that every auto shop which deals in car shocks is secretly owned by politicians as they are obviously doing nothing to improve local roads. Being by nature a fast driver, the condition of the streets was even more amazing.

Then, you have another bad trend, graffiti. Nothing shows a lack of civic pride more than the growth of graffiti and Montreal has serious problems. The city has for years been working to expand and improve the express ways with resulting increase in large concrete walls, buffers, etc. They are coated with graffiti several feet in height and running for fifty or one hundred feet. Apparently, there is no effort to control the blight and a beautiful city will go the way of Rome and many cities in Germany where the locals have given up on attempting to control modern day vandals.

Finally, a sad “green” tale; the city has proclaimed that all homes must be heated by either electricity or a heat-pump. The result of one homeowner I met was that he had to have his efficient oil furnace taken out and replaced by a heat-pump at a cost to him of about $15,000. The result was that his winter heating and electricity bill increased by 300-400% and the home was never adequately heated during the winter. The homeowner is now looking into the cost of additional insulation or siding for his house. The eventual cost out of pocket? $30-40,000. And his is a typical house in his area. Electricity is relatively inexpensive in Montreal due to the abundance of hydropower, but it should be interesting to see the cost of electricity in those areas without the same advantage.

These are a few small examples of a change in the city that I have noticed just since my last visit before the lockdowns. They stand out because they are so visual and dramatic. It is a shame, as there are wonderful lively areas such as the Atwater market where one can wander and shop for wonderful meats, desserts, fresh local fruits and vegetables, etc. all sold by small family businesses who take real pride in their professions. The atmosphere is lively and upbeat as only can be found by folks who have had a long winter and are enjoying the beauty of spring.

Like all small businesses they face the problems of a government bureaucracy and tax system which seems determined to make life much more complex than necessary.  I have a theory that nothing the government does ever decreases cost or leads to a more productive life. Somehow government nibbles at our freedoms pushes us down a path to less choice and fewer opportunities. Stepping away from California where we are so use to government overreach and seeing what is happening in a beautiful city like Montreal brings home the truth of my theory.