Yesterday, the city of Montreal celebrated its 375th anniversary of its founding as a French Colony. Many are excited to take part in the numerous celebrations taking place around the city, not only throughout the day yesterday, but also for the various celebrations that will be taking place throughout the year as well.
The day started off with a bang with the bells of Saint Joseph’s Oratory ringing in unison with other church bells around the city. The ringing of the bells began at 8:45 a.m. to signify the arrival of the French European missionaries and settlers led by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance on May 17, 1642. This was followed by a 9 a.m. mass celebration at the Notre-Dame Bascilica in Old Montreal. However, many Montrealers questioned if opening the day of birthday celebrations with a religious ceremony properly reflected the [religious] diversity that makes up the city of Montreal. (cbc.ca)
The day ended with the much anticipated illumination of the Jacques Cartier Bridge at 9:45 p.m. with up to 2,800 lights dancing rhythmically to reflect the seasons of Montreal, as well as respond to the flow of traffic, weather, and other stimuli that make up our vibrant city. (cbc.ca)
Despite the air of celebration and feeling of pride filling the streets of Montreal, many Montrealers and Indigenous peoples were unsure if 375 years warrant such a grandiose cause for celebration, especially when considering the often tumultuous and controversial aspects of the city’s history starting from its colonial roots.
Many Indigenous peoples are wary about the celebrations taking place throughout the year and the multimillion-dollar budget being allocated to the hundreds of events planned to mark the 375th anniversary, especially since the city was founded on their unceded ancestral land. (cbc.ca)
During the Wednesday morning speeches, Montreal’s mayor, Denis Coderre made sure to emphasize that Montreal was in fact founded on Mohawk land but he hopes the 375th anniversary will help serve as catalyst in the long and ongoing process for reconciliation. According to Coderre, “living together is part of [Montreal’s] DNA”.
Despite Coderre’s optimism for the 375th anniversary celebrations of Montreal and bringing the city together, many were unhappy, including up to 3,000 off-duty police officers that took the opportunity of mass celebrations to voice their grievances. The police union and the mayor have been feuding since 2014 when Coderre supported legislation that would result in scaling back public funding for the pensions of police officers, firefighters, and other municipal workers. Since then, the police union has been a thorn in Coderre’s side with their ongoing strike. (montrealgazette.com)
More planned protests targeted the mayor and the city bylaws including the issue of horse-drawn carriages normally seen around Old Montreal as well as the breed specific pit bull ban that has many Montrealers enraged. (cbc.ca)
The mayor was disappointed to say the least, especially when the protests disrupted the 39.5 million dollar light show held on the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Coderre assures Montrealers that the city will hold a second light show on the bridge to make up for yesterday’s disruptions. He claimed “Montrealers were the big losers Wednesday night, and that’s sad” and when asked if he would warn the police union not to interfere for the second show, he stated his thoughts go out to the Montrealers who had an otherwise remarkable day despite the disruptive protests. According to Coderre, “it’s [his] job to ensure all Montrealers can benefit from the [city’s 375th anniversary] celebrations” and chooses to remain optimistic despite the naysayers. (cbc.ca)