CarnalNation

Under the stewardship of Mayor Gérald Tremblay, the Canadian city of Montreal is undergoing a revitalization. The nearly one-square-kilometer area formerly known as the Latin Quarter, home to artists and the city's world famous Red Light District, has been rechristened the "Quartier des Spectacles" and will become the new art center with more than 30 performance halls plus art galleries and other exhibition spaces. However, critics have labeled the redevelopment of the area the "Disneyfication of Montreal" (after similar protests of Mayor Rudy Giuliani's renovation of New York City's Times Square in the 1990s) and contend that one project in particular is a violation of Canadian law.

The project in question is the Quadrilatère, a $167-million-dollar 12-storey glass office and shopping tower designed by architect Paul Andreu, slated for construction on the corner of Saint Laurent Boulevard and Ste. Catherine Street, the heart of the Red Light District which is also known as The Main. In order to build the tower, all of the buildings on the block will have to be razed. However, that stretch of Saint Laurent Boulevard was designated as a National Historic Site in the 1990s.

Among the longtime businesses located in the contested area is the Café Cléopâtre, a burlesque theater. The artists who perform there, a troupe known as the Dead Dolls, have formed an activist group to try to stop the project. In November, they planned to appeal their case to Prince Charles, who was visiting Montreal as the representative of Queen Elizabeth, the titular sovereign of Canada. They purposely sought out the aid of His Royal Highness because he is particularly active in restoring and preserving historic sites throughout the British Commonwealth. They even offered him a free lap dance. While the performers were unable to communicate with the visiting prince directly, they did produce a clever video of their plea (see below).

Although the Office de Consultation Publique de Montreal released a report urging the city to take more time to study the impact of the project, the mayor has insisted that construction must begin as early as January 2010. In the meantime, club owner Johnny Zoumboulakis has refused to be bought out by the redevelopment agency despite threats of having the building expropriated out from under him. Zoumboulakis and his dancers will now turn to the courts for assistance, seeking an injunction to halt the project until it can be decided if it is legal to demolish an area that has been designated a national landmark. They are also circulating a petition to prevent the destruction of the Red Light District.