…Continued

Now let’s see what are the 10 things that are not so cool about Montreal. When we were writing about the 10 cool things about Montreal, some of the choices were not obvious and probably surprised few of our readers, especially if they had previously visited Montreal.

On the other side, the 10 not so cool things about Montreal should be of little surprise to everyone because noticing them is rather obvious. Obviously everything that makes little sense should not be present in our daily lives.

However, people that live in Canada, and Montreal in particular, are known to be laid back and not willing to fight for a better tomorrow.

Instead, every Montrealer will be complaining about things that bother him and most likely everyone else, but none would actually do something to change it.

Taxes

Here is a funny one. There are 2 types of taxes in Quebec: the ones we notice and the ones we don’t. Montrealers are aware of both forms of taxes. The tourists, maybe not necessarily be. The tax that everyone is aware about is the sales tax: Well, actually, two sales taxes: federal and provincial.

But even with something as straightforward as the sales tax, there is a hidden element. Here it’s call tax on tax. A system that even  the sharpest evil masterminds would envy. Let’s say you are buying something that costs 100$, while the federal and the provincial taxes are 5% and 7.5 respectively.

So with a combined 12.5% rate, the item bought should cost 112.50$ Wrong! It’s actually costing 112.88$ The trick? Instead of calculating the provincial tax on the 100$ base amout, it is being calculated on the base amount plus the federal tax. In other words, the provincial tax is calculated on 105$. It’s one the rarest cases when 2+2 could actually equal 4.5. Fascinating, isn’t it?

As for the not noticeable taxes, try to think of buying cigarettes, alcohol, fuel and few other things here and there. When we buy a pack of cigarettes for 10$, we pay more than a half to the government in form of taxes. Tourists don’t know that. When we buy fuel, we pay half to the government in form of taxes. Same logic with alcohol. Did I mention casino – the 100% pure source of tax revenue. Yes, Casino belongs to the provincial government. Only Government- owned Casino is allowed to steal your hard earned money. No other casino is allowed in Quebec. So don’t steal…government does not like competition.

Roads

With mind-blowing budgets for road construction and maintenance, the roads in Montreal may remind you the Afghan Capital after heavy US Air Bombardments. Holes, ugly patches, ugly road structures are all part of the things that bring shame to Montreal’s road construction workers.

Cross the Ontario or US border and the difference is noticeable instantaneously. The government blames the Montreal’s bad roads on climate, trucks, natural wear and other forms of non-sense. Let’s blame it all on George Bush…we may as well…it’ll make as much sense.

Traffic

Montreal still uses road capacity that was calculated using the data of the 1960s. Today, there are 10 times more cars but still the same roads with limited road capacity and no place for expansion.

Visitors would notice that most of the main roads in downtown Montreal have only two lanes each way; some even one! Ideal example of proper planning are the US Roads. In fact, Americans build roads with spare space so that they can be expanded in case of a bigger car capacity. The result, pointless hours spent in traffic. A major accident? Montreal is paralyzed.

Signs in French only

The obsession about protecting the privilege of the French Language over English causes the failure to have the signs in both languages. It does not bother the Montrealers, but it does bother people from English speaking provinces, Americans and simply foreigners that are visiting Montreal.

Alcohol Constraints

Europeans mock us. Cannot buy alcohol from a store past 11pm. The bars serve the last call at 3AM. Cannot walk on the street and drink a can of beer. Almost like a dictatorship. Another funny fact- convenience stores are only allowed to sell beer and wine. Stronger alcohol (vodka, cognac and even champagne) can only be bought in government-owned stores. Government-owned SAQ stores dictate prices among the highest in Canada.

Fuel Prices

Prices in Montreal are higher than they are in Toronto and practically everywhere else in North America. On average a converted gallon of fuel would cost here between 3.8$-4.2$ (1-1.20$ per litter).

US Exchange Rate

Five years ago the exchange rate for 1 USD was somewhere between 1.35$ to 1.50$. The city was constantly filled with US tourists, the city businesses were booming. The city was way more alive. Today, less tourists spending less money and Montreal is no longer the most obvious choice for afforable entertainment.

Road Constructions

Constant and often pointless road repairs, badly documented detours and traffic preventive measures could cause you losing an hour or two on a Saturday night- Montreal’s version of Saturday’s Night Live.

Crime and Safety

Montreal was a considerably safer city 5 years ago. In general, people do not feel the same level of security in Montreal as before. Though, lately there has been a revival of the Police’s efforts to curb the crime. So far successful.

Winter

Winter in Montreal is cold and cruel. To connect this with road construction and traffic, people get to spend 4-5 hours in traffic both ways: going to work and coming back. If we add the bad driver phenomenon (Montreal has one of the highest concentration of drivers with poor driving skills or unjustifiably over-confident race drivers) we could easily end up with the neural disorder.

Fortunately, people still come to Montreal. One the main reasons for this? Legal drinking age. In USA it’s 21, in Ontario 19, in Quebec 18. So if you are an 18 year old American from Vermont, two hour drive and you are in a city where you can legally get wasted and spend some qulaity time. To enhance the effect, call Montreal’s Finest Ladies at VIP Escort Montreal.

Team of VIP Escort Montreal / SugarBabes Montreal