A highway project, expropriations, unhappy residents. Sound familiar? Turcot, again? No, this time it’s Griffintown, and the resident’s discontent, apparently, is being caused by the Société du Havre’s plans to make a transport hub for in-bound and outbound South-Shore buses, as part of the Bonaventure freeway project, in the Dalhousie Corridor.
Opponents say that the project is too expensive, that the 1500 buses/day that will pass through there will create more pollution, that the corridor will create an artificial barrier, that the buses are unnecessary due to the proposed metro and light-rail expansion, that the commercial expropriations are unnecessary, and that the project threatens the heritage of the neighbourhood….
One of the instigators and main leaders of the opposition movement is a man named Roland Hakim. Mr. Hakim doesn’t happen to live in Griffintown. He doesn’t even live in the South-West. Yet, in the words of one of the participants, « Roland Hakim is clearly leading this movement, and it most probably is more for economic reasons than social ones….”
Roland Hakim is a real-estate promoter. I’ve met him once or twice, but I don’t really know him personally. He may be just a good-hearted guy who selflessly wants to help the handful of Griffintown residents who are going to be inconvenienced by this important public-transportation hub. At the same time, it is clear that Roland Hakim has significant financial interests in the matter. I found this article by Henry Aubin, which describes his plans: a 50 story private hospital, coupled with luxury hotel. A kind of medical Club-Med for American tourists who want to come a get treated in Canada at a discount (compared to their outrageous health-care costs). So what? It’s not exactly a breach in our public-system – the hospital would be for foreigners, not Canadians. What’s wrong with a local entrepreneur making a few bucks?
The problem is, according to Henry Aubin, is that obviously this hospital would require thousands of qualified nurses and doctors – qualified health-care professionals who would be tempted out of the public system by the better salaries offered by Hakim’s hospital. This would cause a serious drain on a system that, as we all know, already suffers grave personnel shortages.
This private hospital is the kind of project that should be opposed, adamantly, no matter where it is to be implanted. It just happens to be planned for the Dalhousie corridor. And the SHM’s public transportation plans are getting in the way.
So Roland Hakim is mounting a challenge to the public-transport hub planned for the Dalhousie corridor. He is mobilizing residents, and trying to mobilize neighbourhood groups against it. Here’s an email I received from Roland Hakim’s son Sami,
Hi
Hi Manuel,
Thanks for your message. Indeed, we are about to embark on another citizen-city hall exchange by means of the OCPM’s consultations on the Bonaventure project. The table is being set, but we need more people to come and eat! This is where you and hopefully Manuel and his group, and hopefully other groups can become implicated. The OCPM site concerning the project is at http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/ldvdm/jsp/ocpm/ocpm.jsp?laPage=projet42.jsp#documentation
We will need experts such as yourselves to be present at the consultations and to use the key words respective of your domains of expertise. If you would like to drop by our offices at the old Selby Campus building (3555 St-Antoine west, corner Bel-Air), we will happily bring you up to date on the documentation and discuss strategies.
As far as coming out to discuss strategy, I am always willing to lend myself to this type of exercise. Other groups I know of in our area are the following:
Village des Tanneries (contact Jody Negley jody.negley@gmail.com )
Griffintown Horse Palace Foundation (contact Christian Roy christianroy2003@yahoo.com )
Griffintown Cultural Corridor (contact Judith Bauer judithsbauer@gmail.com )
Artistic Peace Embassy O Ciel (contact David Yargeau monk-e1@hotmail.com )
Best for now,
Sami Hakim
514 313 8877
The handful of residents opposed to the Dalhousie public-transportation corridor may have some legitimate gripes. Trouble is, the fact that Roland Hakim is their leader makes it difficult to separate the justifiable elements in their arguments from those based purely on Hakim's financial interests. It pains me to have to say it, but - whether they have done so from pure naivete or simple lack of wider perspective - in my eyes the people who have chosen to associate themselves with Roland Hakim on this issue have ended up tarnishing their own credibility.
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