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Startups in Montréal

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Re: Startups in Montréal

#31

Post by chm »

Apocryphon wrote: post #24
JamilD wrote: post #2

Love seeing more prominent Canadian startups. I'm always impressed when I speak to people from McGill too… they have a tech-focused culture that could rival Waterloo. Miles ahead of the University of Toronto.

How does Concordia compare to McGill? Those are the two main Anglophone universities, right?

Yes. I've never followed classes at McGill but Concordia was excellent. I mean, anywhere in the world you could be stuck with a sub-par teacher. The facilities (chemistry) were also great. Nothing to complain about.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#33

Post by halfear »

Apocryphon wrote: post #24
JamilD wrote: post #2

Love seeing more prominent Canadian startups. I'm always impressed when I speak to people from McGill too… they have a tech-focused culture that could rival Waterloo. Miles ahead of the University of Toronto.

How does Concordia compare to McGill? Those are the two main Anglophone universities, right?

I regret not going to McGill.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#34

Post by [deleted] »

toomim wrote: post #16
JamilD wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find this is a culture that pervades most of Canada (with perhaps the exception of Waterloo). It's a culture that follows, not leads and innovates. We're all for pretending to be like Silicon Valley… but not trying anything new :)

Exactly! Like in Seattle: a culture of fitting in , rather than standing out .

[deleted]

Re: Startups in Montréal

#35

Post by jordigh »

Apocryphon wrote: post #30
jordigh wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For better or for worse, Quebec is a nation of renters. The rent laws are thus skewed in the favour of tenants. The rental board enforces the laws very strictly. Tenants can refuse rent increases and have many rights that are probably keeping prices down. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9gie_du_logement

Interesting. How come there isn't a large influx of people moving into the city?

I think there is? Although we are second to Toronto by numbers.

http://www.statista.com/statistics/443728/canada-immigrants-...

Re: Startups in Montréal

#36

Post by branchless »

Apocryphon wrote: post #23

I'm really quite surprised that Montreal lacks the same sort of rent crisis that other cities like the Bay Area (or Vancouver and to some extent Toronto) has. Apparently they've got a surplus of condos for some reason?

They also have rent controls to a degree. If you are in a rental they can only bump the rent ~5% per anum. Sad for the bankers and rentiers.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#37

Post by ConfuciusSay02 »

chm wrote: post #22
toomim wrote: post #5

I moved to Montreal last summer and spring, after years in Seattle and Berkeley. Then I gave up and moved back to Berkeley. Pros: + Bitcoin Embassy Montreal! + Really cheap hipster life + Wonderful cheap food + Walkable city + A French culture that values living, parks, & community! + Beautiful women, and lots of them + There actually is a tech scene! Woah! + It's different Cons: - Less edgy culture. Less individual…

I'm sorry you had to go through some bad experiences. However I think you're unfairly judging the city: Corrupt government: The fact that we talk about corruption does not mean its worse than elsewhere. Quality of higher education: Well, you've left out the whole of French speaking universities. And what does "good" mean? Just looking at budgets, you're not comparing on equal footing: Stanford ~5.5 bn USD, Concordia…

In southern states some legislators have been trying to pass "speak English" laws for a long time. These laws seem to never get passed because they're deemed to be discriminatory. In Quebec however, those types of laws are here and being enforced. If you went to San Diego and told the guy with the Mexican food stand that he had to have English menus, you'd get called a racist.

As someone who has lived in Montreal my entire life and is perfectly bilingual, I can tell you I've had many discriminatory experiences while speaking English. Not to mention it's very easy to test these things out when you are able to do certain things in both English vs French to compare experiences. If you speak in English you often get a different, and more negative experience. Given that I speak perfect French, it's very easy for me to simply ignore most of it, but don't kid yourself, it's still there. Just because there's a bad history doesn't excuse the current state of affairs.

I also find, contrary to your experience, that it's those Anglophones who did not grow up here who tend to excuse the discriminatory laws and practices the most.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#38

Post by sebtoast »

chm wrote: post #28
Apocryphon wrote: post #23

I'm really quite surprised that Montreal lacks the same sort of rent crisis that other cities like the Bay Area (or Vancouver and to some extent Toronto) has. Apparently they've got a surplus of condos for some reason?

It's a buyers market at the moment, you can get some good deals but I still think they're overpriced. Personally looking at Laval (just north of Montreal), where there are 3 metro stations and the train. It's cheaper and I'm betting on properties to increase in value in the coming years. However should I make more money, I'd definitely stay in Montreal. I think I'd miss walking around shopping for groceries, going to…

I love Laval, used to lived there when I was younger but prices have become too high for me so I went a little more north to Saint-Eustache.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#39

Post by Coincoin »

the_duck wrote: post #32

I've heard vague tales of Canadian companies receiving tax incentives to do research, in the form of SR&ED credits. ( http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/txcrdt/sred-rsde/menu-eng.html ) Does anyone have any concrete experience with the program?

Pain in the ass for the employees and everybody really. You have to fill reports for weeks about some vague stuff. And then they come to inspect and it's more pain and more time not actually working.

You can get help from third parties, but they take a big chunk of the money and they just make the process a little bit easier.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#40

Post by futuravenir »

jordigh wrote: post #25
toomim wrote: post #5

I moved to Montreal last summer and spring, after years in Seattle and Berkeley. Then I gave up and moved back to Berkeley. Pros: + Bitcoin Embassy Montreal! + Really cheap hipster life + Wonderful cheap food + Walkable city + A French culture that values living, parks, & community! + Beautiful women, and lots of them + There actually is a tech scene! Woah! + It's different Cons: - Less edgy culture. Less individual…

I find it a bit troubling that you list beautiful women as a plus of a city, as if women were a natural resource like trees or clean water. I also don't know what you mean about Montreal not being edgy enough. There's plenty of counterculture in Montreal. Did you ever spend a lot of time in Hochelaga? The language laws have a very good historical basis. Used to be that the bosses all spoke English and the employees a…

>I find it a bit troubling that you list beautiful women as a plus of a city, as if women were a natural resource like trees or clean water.

As a Montrealer, I would say that we have beautiful people living here in general. OP is likely heterocentric in their commentary.

>Did you ever spend a lot of time in Hochelaga?

Not much of a tech scene...but incredibly progressive/beautiful attitudes. Also, very French. If you don't have the language, you're missing 80% of it.

I think a good bit of the incredibleness of Montreal is kept at arm's length through the language barrier.

I grew up mostly with English friends and never spoke French. These days, I spend a lot more time with French friends and I feel much more at home.

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