I grew up in Quebec City. I am not a fan of the city of Montreal. The older I get, the less I like the city. My feelings are not unlike those of small-town Ontarians toward Toronto.
That being said, I think this article from CNews is a bit harsh, and somewhat of a distortion. It says:
QUEBEC (CP) - Unlike their Montreal counterparts, Quebec City officials have not hesitated to rename a major thoroughfare after the late Quebec premier Robert Bourassa.
You almost feel like the writer wanted to add a "Nyah, take that Montreal, you bunch of crybabies".
The article continues:
A four-kilometre extension of the Du Vallon highway carrying Bourassa's name was opened today.
Premier Jean Charest, Transport Minister Michel Despres and Quebec Mayor Andree Boucher inaugurated the Robert Bourassa Highway.
City officials in Montreal have delayed making a decision on renaming a downtown street after the late premier following vocal protests by residents.
They say changing the name of Park Avenue would alter the street's multi-ethnic identity.
I get the feeling this article was written by someone who does not know Quebec. Because he would understand what the story is.
When highways are re-named in Quebec, almost no one cares. Autoroute de la Capitale in Quebec City was re-named Autoroute Felix Leclerc, after the nationalist writer. When this change took place in the 1990's, no one blinked. Autoroute 20 is known as Autoroute Jean Lesage. I don't know when the highway was named, but I've never heard any objection.
However, when Boulevard St-Cyrille in Quebec City was renamed Boulevard René-Lévesque, in the early 90's, there was a huge outcry. Mainly from the people who actually lived and had businesses on this crucial artery. There was some opposition from federalists, but it was mostly from the people who had to do business on the street.
When you have to change a street name, it's a big headache. Not to mention that there is a kind of "ethnic cleansing" going on in Montreal, and don't think it's not deliberate. In Quebec City, the street names with English-sounding names UpTown were all renamed with French names, sometime after the Quiet Revolution (earlier than the 1980's, but I can't put a date on it).
This is not a Montreal/Quebec City thing. Trying to make it about the Montreal/Quebec rivalry is ridiculous. The issue of the Park Avenue name change is a Nationalist-versus-Anglo thing, and I think the writer should have underscored that fact. If you don't have that in the story, you don't understand the story at all. It's a very superficial article.
