A quest to transform tehe once-glorious Blue Bonnets west end racetrack into some form of housing has moved forward at the speed of a dead nag in spite of years of planning and discussions. One series of social groups has been pushing for a massive number of subsidized housing units to be installed on the site, citing census data that suggests that 4,000 residents of Cote des Neiges spend 80 percent of their incomes or more in rent, although that's pretty standard practice in welfare homes where tenants use their welfare cheque to pay rent and then work at odd jobs all day. And of course any additional homes will only increase vacancies, thereby lowering rents, so the urgency of subsidized housing there escapes me. Hopefully something more impressive will be built for that site in the form of housing that makes money for the city rather than housing that costs money to the city.
Blue Bonnets timeline:
June 4, 1907: Track opens on Decarie.
1943: Harness racing begins.
1988 Quebec provincial government with Agriculture Minister Michel Page guarantees $44 million loan to save the Blue Bonnets race track and its 700 jobs.
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Feb. 20 1991: Under Mayor Jean Dore Montreal's housing agency buys the 146-acre (6 million square foot or 43.5 hectare) Blue Bonnets racetrack off of bankrupt Robert Campeau for $46 million. About two-thirds is that space is used for a racetrack. The city signs a $3 million annual lease with the Quebec Societe de Promotion des Industries de Courses for 10 years, a group of local businessmen led by Andre Marier. The $3 million-per year lease was to end either 1998 or 2003 or 2008 depending on whether the SHDM decided to renew. Blue Bonnets and the province agree to spend $14.8 to spruce up the track.
The track had previously been evaluated at $80-$90 million and generated $275 million in annual revenues.
Dec. 1991: It was reported that the city lost $1 million due to the deal over the first few months but Robert Cohen, of the SHDM said that the first year loss in rent was only $400,000. Cohen noted that previous-owner Campeau only usually paid 30 percent of what was due in tax payments on the property. The SHDM was now paying $377,000 pear year in taxes to the city.
1991 - Provincial police raid and launch an investigation that led to charges against four minor players who were fined $3,500. The track's reputation is tarnished by what some feel was a minor affair. Harness race drivers Rick Zeron, Mario Baillargeon and Richard Simard spend several years attempting to reverse their bans.
1992-Blue Bonnets reports a profit of $2.7 million on revenues of $209 million.
1993-Casino opens in July, threatening business and the 8,300 direct and indirect jobs supposedly fueled by Blue Bonnets. The track requests a big number of gaming machines but that it rejected by government and the casino.
The losses lead purses to get cut in half. Betters were ponying up $2 to make 20 cents. Third floor grandstand was closed, $350,000 in electricity and other costs were saved by shutting those units down. Staff was reduced by 25 percent. Free meals to workers were suspended. Revenues plummeted to $95 million for 1993.
1994- Jan 3: a 173-day labour dispute - that saw the track remain shut down since July - finally comes to an end. A Quebec government corporation called SONACC (Societe national du cheval de course) takes over. Blue Bonnets president Andre Marier exits. He is paid $800,000 for his shares, which he acquired for $10 in 1991. He also received dividends of $320,000 before the sale and was given a severance of $483,000. The new corporation also paid off $1 million in unpaid back rent. The track had four vice presidents and a president, all were soon laid off.
Crowds at the races dwindle. There's space for 15,000 in the crowd but only about 2,000 show up on a good day. Payoffs were down to 76.5 percent from 79.2 percent. The track was expected $185-$190 million in bets but only got to $117 million in 1994, far below its $200 million break-even point. Its previous worst year was 1975 which saw $190 million. The trend was across North America which saw a 20 perent drop that year, but Montreal saw a 50 percent drop. Some fans complained that there were too many Quebec-bred horses. Plans were afoot to increase off-track-betting, include a 135 seat theatre in the Casino.
November 1993: Blue Bonnets sues province for $1.86 million in revenue guarantees made in 1988, a deal signed under then-owner Robert Campeau.
Oct. 1994: Mayoral Pierre Bourque urges that part of it be sold off for housing. SHDM said it wasn't a good idea.
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1995: HDM renames Blue Bonnets to Hippodrome de Montreal.
July 1995: Longueuil businessman Lucien Remillard attempts to strike a deal with the province to build a new race track on the South Shore. No headway is made.
May 1998: City of Montreal, with the dossier handled by Saulie Zajdel sells the property to two provincial agencies for $35 million ($20 million from province under then-Premier Bouchard's minister Bernard Landry and $15 million from the SPICC provincial agency). Many councillors opposed the deal. Several Bourque councillors quit the party, costing him his majority in council.
The track threatens to move ot hte South Shore, Laval or Le Gardeur. SPICC, run by Landry's millionaire friend Gilles Blondeau, promises $25 million in renovations. Landry shifts horse-racing from Agriculture to his Industry ministry. Landry had previously shifted $13.5 million to the SPICC to cover debts one year earlier.
Jan. 2001: Snowdon City councillor Marvin Rotrand opposes plan to install 1,200 slot machines along with already-existing 200 VLTs in a plan that would give Blue Bonnets 20 percent of revenues.
October 2002: Province ends subsidies to race tracks after putting about $100 million in four tracks since 1995. Had once again hinted as a massive infusion of VLTs at the tracks but that fell through again.
April 2001: Government report by Denis L'Homme claims that the province's race-track industry inflates its revenues and underestimates its costs.
2005: Quebec Finance Minister Michel Audet puts Blue Bonnets and all of the other province-owned courses up for sale. A city study says 2,500 housing units could be built on the site, which could bring in $50 million a year in tax revenues. Some believed that 6,000 units could be possible, if the CP were to sell its adjacent lands.
June 27: Blue Bonnets goes under bankruptcy protection and suspends operations. Track permanently closed October 13, 2009.
2009: Forty-five community groups oppose a plan to add 300 VLTs and televised races at the Blue Bonnets site as a private casino.
2010: Montreal begins kicking tires on an eventual repurchase of the land from Quebec.
July 2011: U2 performs two well-attended concerts at the site.
January 2012: Parking lot used for a shuttle bus services for local hospitals.
March 23, 2012: Quebec gives up Blue Bonnets to the city in a deal which would see half the profits derived from the subsequent sale to be shared between the two. Some decontamination was said to be required. The deal was announced but never signed. The city put aside $2.6 million for design plans.
Oct. 2012: Mayor Gerald Tremblay announced a five year plan to turn it into a new neighbourhood that could accommodate as much as 5,000 to 8,000 units with 20,000 residents. The clubhouse was to be demolished in 2014. A master plan was expected by 2016, sales to begin in 2017. Anything left unsold by 2025 would revert to the province.
September 2014: CDN/NDG borough mayor Russell Copeman muses that 3,500 to 5,000 units could be built on the property.
October 2014: It was revealed that the city's purchase of the land had never been finalized, so the city does not, in fact, own the property.
Blue Bonnets timeline:
June 4, 1907: Track opens on Decarie.
1943: Harness racing begins.
1988 Quebec provincial government with Agriculture Minister Michel Page guarantees $44 million loan to save the Blue Bonnets race track and its 700 jobs.
Feb. 20 1991: Under Mayor Jean Dore Montreal's housing agency buys the 146-acre (6 million square foot or 43.5 hectare) Blue Bonnets racetrack off of bankrupt Robert Campeau for $46 million. About two-thirds is that space is used for a racetrack. The city signs a $3 million annual lease with the Quebec Societe de Promotion des Industries de Courses for 10 years, a group of local businessmen led by Andre Marier. The $3 million-per year lease was to end either 1998 or 2003 or 2008 depending on whether the SHDM decided to renew. Blue Bonnets and the province agree to spend $14.8 to spruce up the track.The track had previously been evaluated at $80-$90 million and generated $275 million in annual revenues.
Dec. 1991: It was reported that the city lost $1 million due to the deal over the first few months but Robert Cohen, of the SHDM said that the first year loss in rent was only $400,000. Cohen noted that previous-owner Campeau only usually paid 30 percent of what was due in tax payments on the property. The SHDM was now paying $377,000 pear year in taxes to the city.
1991 - Provincial police raid and launch an investigation that led to charges against four minor players who were fined $3,500. The track's reputation is tarnished by what some feel was a minor affair. Harness race drivers Rick Zeron, Mario Baillargeon and Richard Simard spend several years attempting to reverse their bans.
1992-Blue Bonnets reports a profit of $2.7 million on revenues of $209 million.
1993-Casino opens in July, threatening business and the 8,300 direct and indirect jobs supposedly fueled by Blue Bonnets. The track requests a big number of gaming machines but that it rejected by government and the casino.
The losses lead purses to get cut in half. Betters were ponying up $2 to make 20 cents. Third floor grandstand was closed, $350,000 in electricity and other costs were saved by shutting those units down. Staff was reduced by 25 percent. Free meals to workers were suspended. Revenues plummeted to $95 million for 1993.
1994- Jan 3: a 173-day labour dispute - that saw the track remain shut down since July - finally comes to an end. A Quebec government corporation called SONACC (Societe national du cheval de course) takes over. Blue Bonnets president Andre Marier exits. He is paid $800,000 for his shares, which he acquired for $10 in 1991. He also received dividends of $320,000 before the sale and was given a severance of $483,000. The new corporation also paid off $1 million in unpaid back rent. The track had four vice presidents and a president, all were soon laid off.
Crowds at the races dwindle. There's space for 15,000 in the crowd but only about 2,000 show up on a good day. Payoffs were down to 76.5 percent from 79.2 percent. The track was expected $185-$190 million in bets but only got to $117 million in 1994, far below its $200 million break-even point. Its previous worst year was 1975 which saw $190 million. The trend was across North America which saw a 20 perent drop that year, but Montreal saw a 50 percent drop. Some fans complained that there were too many Quebec-bred horses. Plans were afoot to increase off-track-betting, include a 135 seat theatre in the Casino.
November 1993: Blue Bonnets sues province for $1.86 million in revenue guarantees made in 1988, a deal signed under then-owner Robert Campeau.
Oct. 1994: Mayoral Pierre Bourque urges that part of it be sold off for housing. SHDM said it wasn't a good idea.
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July 1995: Longueuil businessman Lucien Remillard attempts to strike a deal with the province to build a new race track on the South Shore. No headway is made.
May 1998: City of Montreal, with the dossier handled by Saulie Zajdel sells the property to two provincial agencies for $35 million ($20 million from province under then-Premier Bouchard's minister Bernard Landry and $15 million from the SPICC provincial agency). Many councillors opposed the deal. Several Bourque councillors quit the party, costing him his majority in council.
The track threatens to move ot hte South Shore, Laval or Le Gardeur. SPICC, run by Landry's millionaire friend Gilles Blondeau, promises $25 million in renovations. Landry shifts horse-racing from Agriculture to his Industry ministry. Landry had previously shifted $13.5 million to the SPICC to cover debts one year earlier.
Jan. 2001: Snowdon City councillor Marvin Rotrand opposes plan to install 1,200 slot machines along with already-existing 200 VLTs in a plan that would give Blue Bonnets 20 percent of revenues.
October 2002: Province ends subsidies to race tracks after putting about $100 million in four tracks since 1995. Had once again hinted as a massive infusion of VLTs at the tracks but that fell through again.
April 2001: Government report by Denis L'Homme claims that the province's race-track industry inflates its revenues and underestimates its costs.
2005: Quebec Finance Minister Michel Audet puts Blue Bonnets and all of the other province-owned courses up for sale. A city study says 2,500 housing units could be built on the site, which could bring in $50 million a year in tax revenues. Some believed that 6,000 units could be possible, if the CP were to sell its adjacent lands.
June 27: Blue Bonnets goes under bankruptcy protection and suspends operations. Track permanently closed October 13, 2009.
2009: Forty-five community groups oppose a plan to add 300 VLTs and televised races at the Blue Bonnets site as a private casino.
2010: Montreal begins kicking tires on an eventual repurchase of the land from Quebec.
July 2011: U2 performs two well-attended concerts at the site.
January 2012: Parking lot used for a shuttle bus services for local hospitals.
March 23, 2012: Quebec gives up Blue Bonnets to the city in a deal which would see half the profits derived from the subsequent sale to be shared between the two. Some decontamination was said to be required. The deal was announced but never signed. The city put aside $2.6 million for design plans.
Oct. 2012: Mayor Gerald Tremblay announced a five year plan to turn it into a new neighbourhood that could accommodate as much as 5,000 to 8,000 units with 20,000 residents. The clubhouse was to be demolished in 2014. A master plan was expected by 2016, sales to begin in 2017. Anything left unsold by 2025 would revert to the province.
September 2014: CDN/NDG borough mayor Russell Copeman muses that 3,500 to 5,000 units could be built on the property.
October 2014: It was revealed that the city's purchase of the land had never been finalized, so the city does not, in fact, own the property.