My latest food article in the Montreal Gazette was about gentrification in the southwest neighbourhood of Pointe-Saint-Charles in Montreal as told through its changing restaurant scene, from blue plate specials to tacos.
What I didn’t get to include were some of the statistics listed on the latest Centraide neighbourhood report.
Check out the side bar on the right for the stats on single parents, seniors living alone, high school dropout rates and low-income housing. The numbers are generally better than the 2016 report, but a lot of that (as the report states) probably comes from low-income families being forced to leave the area as gentrification pushes them out (e.g. increased rents buildings flipped for condos).
It was important when writing my article to cover gentrification from multiple angles. For instance, you can call it “development” instead of “gentrification” if you’re in favour of new businesses and companies moving into the area. The area certainly is more prosperous overall, as the owner of Café Cantina notes. And plenty of local workers – tech workers and others – are plenty hungry for more restaurant options.
And I had to keep in mind that compared to downtown, prices are still pretty good. The only fine dining is Miel, which is a small place on Centre Street that’s open in the evening only, and I’m honestly not sure how it’s doing. It could be popular, but I haven’t been myself since the menu isn’t so friendly for a gluten free, dairy-free diner like me.
So I’ll be watching the area’s progress in the next 10 years and seeing what opens and what closes. Because sweet potato and kale tacos and naked burrito rice bowls do seem to be a vivid reflection of the times.
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