Remember When Garbage Pick up Was in the Lanes of Verdun

Growing up in Verdun we were all familiar with having to watch out for Garbage Trucks, or Oil Trucks ,not to mention Taxi's taking a 'fast' shortcut through a lane. Those were all dangers most of us aware of, but the trucks all disappeared over time and then Garbage out front of the house on the avenues happened. They do look horible but that is the way it is. But think about this the size of those monstrous size garbage trucks these days just in fact could not fit in the lanes,or make the right angle turn to go up between the avenues,but have a look at this old photo of a Montreal Garbage Truck way back when, they were small in comparison to today's behemouths. Verdun had their own fleet of garbage trucks and of course police cars and Firetrucks........other than the Fire Trucks all the rest of the Verdun Fleets were a green colour,even their police ambulances...Ahh that was long ago. Hope you enjoy the photo.

Ken Dryden dies at 78

Standing tall in the goal crease as he did in life. Rip Ken many memories you provided us with over the years. Verdun Connections wishes the Dryden family and friends our sincere condolences.

Just a Pretty Cool Pool

I guess a swimming event was going to happen,with bleachers around the deep diving pool. I remember events there for us kids,but this must have been for some great Verdun divers. Anyway I thought you all might get a kick out of seeing this old shot sent to me recently. I could see no credit name on the photo so to who ever initially took this pic, We Thank You

Cheers and Thanks for Surfing by Verdun Connections blogspot

Again Verdun Beach ........Currents are dangerous in any body of water....

Perhaps it is a good time to remember the buddy system ALSO Don't swim outside designated areas. Having grown up there we all have experienced the wrath of the St Lawrence River at some point,maybe friends died in it,or we fell in it. But the one thing people need to KNOW is that the currents can grab you quickly and the immediate tendency is to swim against it trying to get back to where you think is safe...try to remember go with the flow,and swim on an angle towards shore..Oceans have undertows at certain points and rivers have directional currents. Basically Verdun Beach is akin to swimming in a back eddy where waters seem calmer,but there is a fineline between calm and caught in a current. Sadly another peson is lost and presumed drowned ,authorites always quick to say he was swimming outside 'designated area' Truth is you can drown anywhere. Be Alert Be Carefull The following is a bit from the Montreal Gazette story on the latest incident.

Currents in the St. Lawrence River would have been strong in the wake of Sunday’s heavy rainfall, said Quebec Lifesaving Society executive director Raynald Hawkins. “I’m very sure that increased the water level.” “People don’t understand the impact of the current,” Hawkins said. A Quebec Lifesaving Society review of coroner reports showed that 35 per cent of drownings in the province occur in rivers, compared with 24 per cent in lakes and 17 per cent in swimming pools. Swimmers often “overestimate their swimming skill,” he said, without realizing that “under the surface, you have currents.” Tuesday’s possible third drowning is the third incident to have occurred in the area of Verdun’s public beach since the start of June. All three incidents occurred outside of the beach’s designated swimming area. This report will be updated. This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 7:30 AM. www.montrealgazette.com/latest-news/article1045408.html#storylink=cpy Again folks enjoy your summer,but also be careful....no one wants to lose a friend or loved one.

Verdun Beach refreshing in this Heat............but Be Careful

The waters have claimed it's 2nd life as the body of a young man has been recovered. Here is the Montreal Gazette story in today's paper.

Montreal police say they believe they have found the body of a young man who disappeared from Verdun beach Monday afternoon, the second death at the popular beach this month. Police spokesperson Const. Véronique Dubuque said searchers found the body of a young man who matches the description of a person who had been seen in the water at the beach. She said he was pronounced dead at the scene. The man has not been identified, but he was around 20-years-old, Dubuque said. The death is believed to be accidental, she said. “The coroner’s office will take over to establish the exact circumstances surrounding this young man’s death.” Police, Montreal firefighters, the Coast Guard and a nautical unit from Longueuil began searching for the young man after he was reported missing from the beach around 4 p.m. This is the second drowning at the beach, on the St. Lawrence River near LaSalle Blvd. and de l’Église St. in the Verdun borough, this month. A 20-year-old swimmer went missing on June 7, his body was found last week. A 22-year-old man drowned at the beach in September. This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 7:51 PM. Read more at: https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article1006074.html#storylink=cpy

More Now Than EVER, Remember What They Did

Wellington St ........Year Round Promenade???

Montreal Gazette Story today : A proposal to make the pedestrian zone on Wellington St. in Verdun car-free year-round has divided residents, according to a new report from Montreal’s public consultation office. The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) said on Thursday the borough should not move ahead with the idea for now. It pointed to a lack of clear data on how the change would affect the community. The idea to extend the current seasonal pedestrian zone year-round was launched by a local resident and backed by thousands of signatures, triggering a formal consultation held between November 2024 and February 2025. Wellington St. is already closed to cars each summer. This year’s pedestrian zone, which runs between 6th Ave. and Regina St., will operate from June 2 to Sept. 19. The seasonal initiative began in 2020. The OCPM said more than 3,500 people took part in the consultation process, with 1,770 formal contributions submitted, including written statements, surveys, and public presentations. Business owners divided The report found no clear agreement. Some people supported the idea of a permanent pedestrian zone, while others raised concerns. Francis D’Anjou manages Comptant.com, a Wellington shop that sells an array of products like electronics. He told The Gazette the pedestrian zone has helped smaller businesses like his gain exposure. “When people take a leisurely walk on Wellington, I leave my door open and play music. More people come in,” he said. “Even if they don’t buy right away, they see what I have. I get more visitors, more eyeballs on my stock.” D’Anjou said he supports the plan overall, but called for better communication from the city. “One issue is how they announce changes — bus routes, street events — there’s not always good information. If this becomes year-round, that’ll need to improve.” But others say the closure has done more harm than good. Eddie, who would not disclose his last name, runs a local grocery store on Wellington St. He said his sales drop 30 per cent when the summer closures begin. “No one wants to walk home with a 10-pound bag of onions,” he said. “Daycares used to come in, now they don’t. It’s not worth the hassle.” He explained that pedestrianization makes it harder for customers to access his store. During the summer months, he said: “Before, people could drive up, park, pick up what they needed. Now it’s just people walking by. You can’t sell fresh produce on the sidewalk in the summer heat. It doesn’t work for everyone.” Eddie said the city’s approach mainly benefits restaurants with patios, while grocers and other retail shops lose foot traffic they can’t recover. “The city looks at a few packed terrasses and thinks it’s working. But beyond that, it’s killing small businesses.” Read more at: https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article960371.html#storylink=cpy