Queen Mary Road

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The advice police all over the world give, “if you see something, say something,” does not only apply to looking out for suspicious people and calling local authorities.

It can also apply to potential hazards in neighbourhoods that could harm members of the public.

On May 13, on the north side of Queen Mary Road between Earnscliffe and Clanranald in Snowdon, I saw that a sign prohibiting parking between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. in a bus zone was almost hanging by a thread. One of the bolts the sign was attached to had broken and it was tilted diagonally, looking like it could come off completely and cause major harm to a passerby.

Major harm had come to the area just days before. A block and a half to the west, a branch from a tree at the corner of Queen Mary and Macdonald in neighbouring Côte St. Luc fell and killed a 76-year-old woman.

Not wanting another tragedy to take place, I called the 311 city portal, a number used to inform the City of Montreal of potentially dangerous situations, at 9:43 p.m. May 13. A representative answered right away, took down the information, and promised to send someone to fix the sign.

By the time I returned to the area at around 6:30 p.m. May 14, the sign was fixed and firmly secured, proving that calling 311 for a potentially hazardous situation results in a very rapid response. Montrealers should be on the lookout for other potential dangers and call the service as soon as possible. n