220 Prince Albert

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Charles Manhire, Shearer & Brown Co. Ltd. (1897)

From: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/shearer_james_13E.html

“Shearer was an innovator. He is said to have developed a hollow roof drainage system to overcome the problems of the Canadian winter. The roof was concave and the drain for the run-off was in the centre of the roof; it carried the water down the inside of the building where it was protected from freezing. This type of roof was apparently first used on the Windsor Hotel in Montreal in 1877.

Shearer was also responsible for the “Shearer scheme” to redevelop Montreal Harbour. In 1882 he put forward an extensive plan, consisting of a large dam, with a combined railway and roadway on top, from the foot of Victoria Bridge to Île Sainte-Hélène and a suspension bridge from there to the south shore of the St Lawrence River. Since the development would require major changes to the facilities of the Grand Trunk Railway, the Montreal Harbour Commission, and various shipping interests, there was substantial opposition to the scheme. As a result, a bill to incorporate the St Lawrence Bridge and Manufacturing Company, which was to implement the plan, failed to get approval from the House of Commons committee on railways and telegraphs in March 1883.”

Westmount Park – Please do not “feed” the squirrels

From Wikipedia:

“Squirrels’ diets consist primarily of a wide variety of plants, including nuts, seeds, conifer cones, fruits, fungi, and green vegetation.”

I noticed this pile of pita bread, left untouched, over a twelve hour period under a tree. I have also seen baguettes, and every other assortment of bread.

This is, unfortunately, a common occurrence early in the mornings – in spite of the City’s Bylaw 257.

For dogs, like ours, that have chronic pancreatitis (and must be strictly monitored as to what they eat) this issue is a very serious, and expensive (in terms of veterinary fees) problem.

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King George Park

King George Park

Many years ago, the trees in Westmount’s parks had their species’ names nailed into the bark.

From the Montreal Gazette, April 14, 1920:

“Alderman Scott, Park Commissioner…said that it had
been decided to place metal tags on the different kinds of
shrubbery in the parks and also signs on trees denoting the
common name as well as the botanical name.”

Over time, vandalism caused the removal of these plaques. I was fortunate to find one, still extant, in King George Park.