Five recent NDG-related stories by Isaac Olson in the Montreal Gazette

Alana Barrell's paintings can be found on her website. Photo: Eva Blue

All of the below blurbs and subsequent links lead to articles by me in the Montreal Gazette. 

Currently, I am producing about two a week for the newspaper, focusing on NDG-area coverage. If you hear about something interesting happening in the NDG area, let me know. If it's not fit for the Gazette, I will publish it here on my blog. 

1. Trinity Memorial: Published on March 18, this article explores the potential sale of Trinity Memorial Church on Sherbrooke St. and the fate of the NDG Food Depot which is still housed in the nearly 100-year-old building. NDG district councillor Peter McQueen will be bringing his church-preservation motion to the borough council on April 3. Click here for the full article.

2. Barrell paints: Part-time NDG resident Alana Barrell loves painting when her paranoid schizophrenia isn’t getting her down. Thanks to a non-profit initiative, she has been hosting her first solo art exhibition at 4865 St. Laurent Blvd. The article was published on March 21. Click here for the full article. 

3. Boundary dispute: As reported on March 21, west-end politicians are leading citizens to fight against provincial electoral boundary lines that, they say, will divide key voting groups. At issue are the Mont-Royal, Outremont and D’Arcy McGee ridings which will all be switched around just in time for the upcoming election on October 1, 2018.  Click here for the full article. 

4. Graffiti fight: Long-time NDG property owner Edward Kalil is looking to fight the CDN-NDG borough by-law that fines taxpayers for not keeping their buildings clean. Kalil is 82 years old and owns the property at the northeastern corner of Sherbrooke St. and Westmore Ave. Kalil has just signed his business tenant, Second Cup, on to another 10-year lease. Meanwhile, he’s going to court on April 28 to fight a $700 fine for allegedly not keeping his property clean. Click here for the full article that was published on March 24. 

5. On-ramp coming: MTQ officials have confirmed plans to build an on-ramp from the under-construction St. Jacques St. bridge to the Decarie Expressway northbound. As reported on March 27, this announcement comes after NDG district councillor Peter McQueen collected more than 300 signatures related to this issue. This new on-ramp will allow vehicles exiting the MUHC hospital faster access to Highway 15. As it is, all motorists are directed north on Decarie Blvd. to the Sherbrooke St. on-ramp, creating constant congestion. For the full article, click here.