Guy A.

I didn’t have to look far to find Guy. He lives in the neighborhood and came knocking to our door with some garlic flower for us without knowing what waited upon him! Nevertheless, after I explained my project, he was willing to take the pose and had many stories to tell.

Born on the Plateau, his first move came after his wedding in his twenties. It was three houses away from his parent’s. Having married a young woman who was virtually his next door neighbor, he moved with her and his in-laws after the wedding! They have been a couple for over fifty years now. From that era, he has memories of seeing fields with cows west of Millen Street, when he took the tram to get to Belmont Park, a popular destination at the time.

Guy and his wife live in Sault-au-Récollet since 1965 in a duplex paid $ 28,000 at the time. Cows and fields were things of the past by then, but for less than 10 years. They had left the Plateau, which in those days, was far from the fashionable borough it has become today, because, as he said, "downtown was moving up." It must be said that this was a time of great demolitions south of Sherbooke Street under Mayor Drapeau and the number of dwellings was in free fall in the Centre-Sud.

He had many jobs, but what he is most proud of is the years he spent as an officer at Barnes Security Agency. It was then a prestigious agency that watched over the safety of many financial institutions and many of the consulates in Montreal. His position allowed him to carry a Smith & Wesson 38 Special equivalent to that of the police. He even claims to have suffered some shots without a scratch. He later worked for the city to issue parking tickets.

When he arrived in the neighborhood, he was for three years a churchwarden at St-Paul-de-la-Croix church. He contributed to the installation of a sound system, the addition of sprinklers and various building maintenance tasks. He knows the attic of this temple well.

If you are looking for someone who can help you learn more about the residents of the neighborhood, this outgoing man has seen a lot of folks in his life.

Guy A.

Sophie T., David H. & Jayden

I met Sophie, Jacob and their son Jayden on Fleury Street East during the Promenade Fleury sidewalk sale. It was Jayden who first caught my attention that Sunday. He seemed to be enthralled by the musical performance of the guitar-voice duo formed by Clement Courtois and Julie Perron. As they were standing quietly, all three together, showing no sign of hurry at all, I approached them to ask for a few minutes of their time and the permission to take a photo.

Jacob is a native of Shawinigan, Sophie of St-Hyacinthe. They have been living in the Sault-au-Récollet district for two years. For Sophie, Fleury Street was the route of frequent walks during the period of her maternity leave. She appreciates the street for its activity.

Although they like the neighborhood, they will soon leave. The arrival of their child has prompted them to move to St-Hyacinthe to be closer to family members and become homeowners at an affordable cost.

Jacob and Sophie are creative young entrepreneurs. They are the founders of Productions 540, a company that describes itself as "the specialists of video, events and social media." You can learn more about them on their site: productions540.ca.

Jayden seems ready to follow the footsteps of his parents on the road of technology. After the little family had posed for me, he showed a great interest for my camera. I handed it to him, pointing it at my face so that he could take his first picture.

But no, I will not show that one!

Sophie, David and Jayden on Fleury street east on a sidewalk sale Sunday

Ginette L.

Ginette is crazy. At least, this is what she replied when asked to describe herself in one word. An opinion to be verified!

I had casually walked into Le Reliquaire to see the latest arrivals of second hand goods. The store seemed more packed than the last time I had visited it, which possibly went back quite far in time. I asked the owner if, by any chance, the store had changed hands. The lady at his side replied that this was not the case, that he only had had his haircut. Alain, who actually had a shaved head, then exclaimed: "Wait, you're going to recognize me!” A moment later he reappeared with a blonde wig. I expressed the wish to take a picture, but it was rather the woman, Ginette, a regular customer of the place, who showed willingness to be photographed.

After chatting a bit, I learned that she was a native of Sault-au-Récollet, where her parents have been living for 51 years. She herself came back in the neighborhood three years ago for its atmosphere.

Just like me, she studied Graphic Design at Cégep Ahuntsic but did not complete the program. She had quit, carried away by love.

Today, she works in the same institution with people afflicted with serious intellectual disabilities. It may be her empathy for them that prompted her to declare herself mad...

Let’s say she may have a pinch of craziness, but mostly a lot of humanity! 

Ginette standing in the doorstep of le Reliquaire,  rue Fleury est

Guy F.

I met Guy at the entrance of the Jardin Ahuntsic, a beautiful community garden sloping up to the south of Sackville Street. He started cultivating a plot of this garden 2 years ago. His plantations are quite varied and growing well this year. Insofar as his dwelling place would allow it, he always had a small piece of land to cultivate. It's a habit that comes from his mother. As is often the case in the area, the soil here is clayey; a plant that grows well in it is the tomato. Guy chose the Florida cultivar. 

I thought the places were few and that there were long waiting lists to get one in a community garden. He said he got his pretty quickly and has already seen some turnover. People without gardening experience make a first try and then give up. These are often people who do not measure the daily involvement necessary to maintain a vegetable garden. They buy ready-made plants, put them in the ground, go on vacation three weeks without seeking a caretaker and then return to find that everything has withered. For him, the garden is a daily haven after work in a green oasis. 

Guy knows his way around in Greater Montreal. Grown up in the Mile End in Montreal, he lived in different districts of the city, then on the South Shore and the North Shore. 

Production Manager in a printing shop in St-Laurent, he came to live in the Sault-au-Récollet district two years to be closer to his work. The fact that his children are well on their way in life after successfully completing their studies also favored his return to the city. 

The company where he works is active in two sectors, general commercial printing and music publishing. It makes everything that is connected with the packaging and promotion of recorded music. 

I wish him a good harvest.

Guy standing behind his vegetable patch at in the Jardin Ahuntsic, a community garden.