“Where I live in NDG, my neighbors on either side, one are from refugees from San Francisco and the other ones are refugees from Brooklyn. Both of them left for this very reason. The artists, the restaurateurs, the small mom and pop shops make a neighborhood what it is and then the tech money comes in and everyone gets pushed out.

That shouldn’t have to be the case. I think there’s a compromise. I think there’s a way to create a commons, like I said, the stratified price points on buying and renting. When you have that, you have a greatness. That’s why people move to those neighborhoods, in the first place, because of their unique character, architecturally, ’cause of the diversity. You see it in nature. You see diversity is a strength. Monoculture is a weakness.

I think condos are nice but all those people in the condos in Griffintown are gonna want the nice food, they’re gonna want the pubs to go to, they’re gonna want art galleries, they’re gonna want my Griffintown tour, you know? Why not? It’s coming.”