Is Montreal starving its cultural life? “Montrealers love to mock Toronto’s obsession with becoming a ‘world-class’ city, but they also hate to acknowledge signs that their city is being left behind. Montreal had access to the same kind of funding, and what did it use the money for? New pipes and sewers. The big capital projects in Montreal these days are a pair of hospitals and several academic buildings. Like the sewers, they’re needed, but they’re also draining money away from the city’s cultural base.”