It’s that time again. For the second year running, Hour is participating in Montreal Matters, a month-long collaborative project. Yes we’ll be working with CBC Radio, CBC TV and CBC.ca again, but the initiative has enlarged to encompass a dozen organizations and institutions, from Concordia University and McGill to L’autre Montréal and The Foundation for Greater Montreal.
The idea is to offer a comprehensive view on a subject that resonates for all of us in this city. The topic we’ve been pondering this year is as simple as it is expansive: Home. Look for related articles in this and upcoming issues of Hour. It should be noted we’ve also broadened our efforts to come up with reports that echo between TV, radio, the Web and print.
Below is a preview of some of the coverage and events to look forward to from our partners in this, the first week of Montreal Matters 2003:
On Friday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m., the NFB Cinema hosts a screening of the documentary No Quick Fix, with director Andrée Cazabon in attendance.
And why not celebrate Home with a few laughs as CBC Radio invites everyone down to the ComedyWorks (1238 Bishop, 398-9661), also Friday at 9:00 p.m. Featured are David Pryde, Rebecca Kohler, Heidi Foss, DJ McCarthey, Jocko Alston and Barry Julien. The evening is hosted by CBC Radio’s own Sonali Karnick.
Starting Monday morning on Daybreak (CBC Radio One, 88.5) with Dave Bronstetter, listen to Loreen Pindera’s series Bricks and Mortar, a three-part examination of the housing situation in Montreal. For some it’s boom time, for others a crisis never before seen in this city. Bricks and Mortar will tell you who’s winning and who’s losing in Montreal’s "hot" real estate market.
Also starting Monday on Daybreak, Uneasy Insurance, a Susan Bell investigation into the home insurance industry.
On Wednesday at 8:05 p.m., gather around the radio for an hour of truly Montreal storytelling as CBC Radio One presents part 1 of Urban Tales. Recorded in front of a live audience at the Canadian Centre for Architecture last February, but never before broadcast, Urban Tales showcases five of Montreal’s most talented writers performing specially commissioned works dedicated to Montreal and the urban landscape.
Also on Wednesday, there will be a public forum on the topic of Home Territories, featuring guest speaker Perla Sefaty-Garzon at McGill, 6 p.m.
For more information about these and other events, go to the Montreal Matters website: cbc.ca/montrealmatters
1 comment
Montreal Matters was a month-long collaborative project that encompassed a dozen organizations and institutions including the HOUR and a virtual who’s who of media outlets.
The focus? Something simple and close to us all: Home
Great idea, right?
Well, yeah…but keep in mind that droning on about “Home” doesn’t actually effect a lot of change, all it really does is create more noise.
Did Montreal Matters 2003 result in an explosion of affordable housing?
Did it halt the relentless onslaught of costly condos taking the place of former appartment buildings?
Did it put pressure on the city to do something about the rising cost of living?
Um…no.
But it sure generated some talk…amongst the dozen organizations and institutions that took part in this. Unless any of this talk resulted in any real and substantive change for the people I fail to see the point of it all.