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Good Evening all!
     The meeting ran a little long tonight, so here’s just a brief recap of the 3 topics discussed tonight. I’ll post the rest tomorrow in the discussion group.
     The new St-Gaulle 7-story tower that will be situated behind the bowling alley (next to Mini-General). The promoter attended and talked about the benefits of his project, however, there were many questions and concerns from citizens who attended. The biggest issue is how crowded and disorganized the current layout is, and adding 85+ units will only make the situation worse.
 
     There is no fixed timeline for this project to get underway, but ground could break as early as next spring and possibly by the fall 2019. If it takes any longer than that, the project must then be resubmitted and the process starts over again.
 
     I know that most people on here are very interested in hearing about the Ch. St-Bernard area zoning, and it’s a topic very close to me as well. Most of the original development plans that we’ve seen over the last several months and years have been tossed due to a recent change in the city limits. The land across from the treatment plant and behind Robert has now been handed over to Kahnawake, so no development will be possible anymore there.
 
     The city is looking to change the zoning in the area, which currently allows for 3-4 story houses and condos, but with a zoning change, it will only permit single family housing and duplexes. More discussion will be done to possibly force a lower density, which will potentially make the wetlands less attractive to potential developers.
 
     So, from my understanding, this is potentially a good thing, or at the very least, a lesser of two evils. The land has to be available for development, but zoning at the lowest density possible, might not attract many developers, since it will mean less profits.
 
     Ideally the land should be protected and allow the wildlife to live, and the public to enjoy. Plus it acts as a great big sponge to help protect the current houses from flooding. Those who attended the meeting requested an environmental study to make sure the land always stays protected, but it would cost over $100,000 for the study, and the city wants to put this on the potential developer rather than the tax payer. The city will also not give any incentives for those who want to build here. So the costs could far outweigh any potential profits.
 
     It’s still a dossier I will be following very closely, but at the moment I feel it’s too soon to be concerned, as it could potentially be 5-10 years or longer before this topic even comes up again. It all depends on Transport Quebec, Kahnawake and promoters, developers and the city of Chateauguay.
 
     There will be registry to demand a referendum, which would require 12 signatures from those residing in the area. However, this referendum would not prevent the construction, or protect the land from developers. This zoning change is to lower the density of any future development. A future referendum will only happen if any potential project is accepted, and that’s when residents can step in and try and block any development. Right now it’s just a zoning change to make the land less appealing to development. (So potentially a good thing for us?)
 
 
     Finally tonight, the city is also looking to approve zoning for the towing industry in the industrial park. Presently there is one towing company, which the Mayor has a personal interest in. Also modifying the zone to allow up to 10 shipping containers for police and insurance companies to use, so they can protect vehicles that could be involved in court cases. Currently shipping containers are not permitted to push building owners to add new permanent buildings rather than temporary storage, but a container in this case is a method for police to store vehicles.
 
     And that’s about it for tonight. Lots more to talk about, but I will continue tomorrow. I also have more pictures of the future projects discussed tonight.
     Stay tuned for more, and as always, thanks for your support!
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Here is a discussion that I can surely take a bite out of; the quest for Chateauguay’s perfect pizza! These are just my personal observations, and since I eat pizza almost on a daily basis, I thought it would be fun to do a little run down of the local Pizza establishments in our town.

Let’s start geographically speaking:

il Vicino Wood Fired Pizza

il Vicino Wood Fired Pizza

 

il vicino, (Closed)

A Chateauguay institution since the 1980’s, was very good up until a few years ago. Fresh ingredients, and wood fired pizza. Before the end the dough just wasn’t as crisp or tasty, and the pizza appeared thrown together. (Their bruschetta’s changed as well about the same time). They have since closed, however a local business is planning on reviving the brand in the coming weeks. I’m looking forward to trying them out when they open.

 
Signature Woodland Pizza

Signature Woodland Pizza

Woodland’s Pizza, 40 Boulevard Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Decent pizza, fast delivery and a nice tasting pizza, but just not the same as original in Verdun. I find the prices are quite high, and there is nothing that stands out that makes their pizza unique enough for the extra price. Their signature pizza, “The Woodland” with bacon & onions, with 6 medium slices was close to $27.

 
De La Place, 75 Boulevard Saint-Jean-Baptiste
The classic go-to place for Pizza in Chateauguay for generations of families. Their pizza is very comforting, but perhaps a bit saucy for some. When local celebrities and sports athletes are asked what their favourite memory of Chateauguay was while growing up, usually it’s de la Place pizza.
Domino’s Pizza, (Closed)
Domino’s was part of my regular pizza rotation. My favourite was their Meatza Pizza, since it had so many toppings and Domino’s didn’t skimp. They also had quite the variety of toppings, another one of my favourites was their Philly Cheese-steak pizza. Prices were reasonable and walk-in specials were always inviting. I noticed one thing however, a few years back I remember trying a pizza with a herb garlic butter crust, and a few weeks later it went back to the original crust. I really enjoyed the buttery crust. I hope Domino’s returns once again to Chateauguay. Yes, we already have a lot of pizza places, but this one stood apart from the others.
 
Pizza Hut, 99 Boulevard Saint-Jean-Baptiste
This place has their own unique style and taste. I find their pizzas tend to be a bit doughy and fills me up too quickly. Their evening buffet usually has a good all around selection of pizzas from plain cheese, pepperoni, all-dressed and some different combinations, like hamburger and onions or sausage and green peppers. Friendly atmosphere, fast service, no majors issues here.
 
Nobel ’82, 252 Boulevard Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Nobel’s is similar to de la Place, real ingredients, classic Chateauguay flavours.
 
Super Gyros, 199 Boulevard D’Anjou
Excellent pizza, tons of cheese, but their cheese tends to be very salty, so a beverage alongside this pizza is recommended.
 
Canada Drive-in, 195 Boulevard d’Anjou
This used to be my favourite in town, but they changed something over the last few years and it just doesn’t look or taste the same anymore. The hand made style crust with air bubbles and cheese that landed over the edges was part of my favourite memories from this place, but now the crust appears thinner with fewer toppings, and the last time I received an under-cooked pizza and that was my last time ordering from them.
 
Chateau’s Pizza, Centre Régional Châteauguay
This would be my midnight snack for years, until about 2 years ago when they served me a raw pizza, and even when they took it back it wasn’t much better, so I’ve taken them off my list of regular pizza hangouts.
 
Mercuri Pizza - All Dressed

Mercuri Pizza – All Dressed

Mercuri Pizza, 121 Boulevard D’Anjou

Their pizza looks great, smells great, and is loaded full of toppings. Probably one of the last remaining pizza places in Chateauguay that you can measure the pepperoni portion with a ruler and not slice count. They have since reopened after a fire in an apartment upstairs, and they’ve returned to making their great pizzas once again.

 
Pizza Pizza, 100 Boulevard D’Anjou
When they first opened, their pizza was very cheesy, full of toppings and delicious. Now it’s just a matter of counting 3 pepperoni slices per pizza slice and a handful of cheese that doesn’t always cover the pizza, so it ends up quite dry. Price is alright, especially with the free drinks and two pizza deal for under $20, but I find they charge a lot of delivery, however their delivery of 2 large pizzas and 6 drinks can sometimes arrive in as little as 12 minutes!
 
Now for those 2 for 1 type Pizza places. They all look pretty similar, and the taste is basically the same, with a few subtle differences in style and quality.
 
PM-TONY-041017-01

Tony’s Pepperoni Pizza

Tony’s Pizza, 109-D Bd d’Anjou

The first of it’s kind in Chats, huge pizzas at reasonable prices. The only downside that I can think of is that the toppings have been kind of lacking these last few times, and it would really be great to have more pepperoni and cheese on the pizza, but it’s understandable I suppose to make a huge pizza for under $10, so I can’t complain too much.

 
Sema’s Pizza, 117 Boulevard D’Anjou
Looks similar to Tony’s next door, but I find their sauce is darker and a bit too sweet for my liking. Similar to Tony’s though, they don’t use real pepperoni, and opted for the cold cut style slices. Just like the other 2 for 1s, the pizza is hand tossed, complete with crust imperfections and cheesy crust.
 
Muncheez, 102 Boulevard Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Looks and tastes almost exactly like Tony’s, with the exception that they put a little more toppings on their pizzas than the others, but again they use large pepperoni slices rather than traditional pizza pepperoni slices, it’s still a good value for the money.
 
Maya Pizza, 27 Boulevard D’Anjou
Looks just like the other 2 for 1 pizza options, but I find their pizza crust to have a slight Play-doh’ish hint of flavour to it. The only other time I’ve had pizza like that was when “Double Pizza” was here where the old “Mikes” was located across from McDonald’s. Maya has since moved to a new location across from the fire hall. I want to try them out again.
So that’s it for now on my tour of Chateauguay Pizza. I will continue to keep you updated on the best pizza places in Chateauguay.
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Welcome to my new online project. A photographic journey dedicated to my hobby, my passion for photography and detail for what some might consider the most mundane objects and scenery. I decided to create this site to share with you the various interests that I have and photos that I have taken. I live in a somewhat quiet suburban town near Montreal in Canada. While there is not always a lot of action going on around here, I try to make the most out of what is surrounding me.

Chateauguay in the Autumn

Chateauguay in the Autumn

I still enjoy taking a long walk with my camera in hand and snapping a few photos of our local wildlife or nature, and occasionally I will stumble upon a newsworthy event, such as an accident or fire scene. While not always pleasant, I feel that every photo I take, is documenting a piece of history for future generations to look back on. Perhaps a photo might not seem interesting at the moment, but maybe someday it will be useful to someone.

My interest in photography really began back in college when I was offered to take some photography courses in my program. I knew very little about the intricacies of photography back then, besides the usual point and click functions, and hoped that the photos turned out when I picked them up from the pharmacy.

March 24th, 2016 - Maple Apartment Fire

March 24th, 2016 – Maple Apartment Fire

My first camera was a refurbished Minolta 35mm SLR camera that cost me over $400 from a camera shop nearby my school. This place was amazing. They had two floors packed full of camera equipment, film, accessories and very helpful staff who helped me begin my passion in photography. Our course required us to use slide film for demonstration in class, so most of my photos were projects for school. After I graduated, I continued to take photos, but not as often, due to the high costs for film and development. It wasn’t until 2005 before I bought my very first digital camera, that is when I began to take photos as a hobby and I have been taking photos since.

Some people prefer portrait photography, but I enjoy focusing on scenery, wildlife and objects. More specifically bus and train photos, which later included emergency vehicles and vintage cars. Since 2013 I have been regularly photographing the Montreal Food Truck scene, and have photos of close to 100 different food truck vehicles from in and around the Montreal area.

Montreal Food Trucks - First Fridays 2016

Montreal Food Trucks – First Fridays 2016

My photos have appeared in various publications and news media over the years, and I have several photo galleries online with my photo content. While this continues to be a hobby, I take my photography very seriously, and I spend a lot of time and money trying to keep up with technology, to have the best quality photos as well as to keep this as fun and affordable as possible.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and I hope you enjoy these photos and stories.

 

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