DebConf17/Bids/Montreal
[edit] Why Montreal
Montreal is a nice central city for the US as well as for Europe. Its weather has its up and down, but in summer is quite decent (not too hot). In winter, while cold, Montreal is close to lots of great locations for winter sports: skiing, snowboarding, hiking, etc.
With all its festivals, it can be a busy place, but there are definitely some periods where it gets much calmer, and even then, festivals are a great place to meet people and learn of new and interesting things!
Montreal is located on an island in the Saint-Laurent river, and is built around Mount Royal, a small hill which is a nice spot for summer activities as well, for low-difficulty hiking, or barbecuing in groups.
The transport system in Montreal is relatively well-designed. There is a (fairly cheap? at 24$?) weekly pass available for using the buses and subway system as well as the 747 bus which does the transport between the airport (located in the city) and the city center. Although the subway stations have been slow in building elevators to make it possible to avoid using stairs, all buses are equipped with measures to make them more easily accessible.
Security-wise, Montreal is a very safe city. No need to worry about walking alone at night or taking the bus or the subway. In all buses, women can ask the driver to get down between two stops if it makes them feel safer. Our hospitals are great and tap water is excellent. There is a strong LGBT community in Montreal and diversity is taken seriously everywhere.
If something ever happened to your electronic material, Montreal is home to lots of small and big electronic stores. One of the biggest and most diverse store is Addison. From resistors and PCB boards to duct tape and audio cable, everything computer related can be found there.
[edit] Visas, customs and entering the country
- See discussion about requirement to use non-free software (Acrobat Reader and Internet Explorer) for visa application.
- Find out if you need a visa to visit Canada
- Use this link if you prefer to avoid using a form to select your country.
- Steps for visiting Canada as a tourist
- What Can I Bring Into Canada in Terms Of Food, Plant, Animal and Related Products?
All the information for visiting Canada, and to apply for a visa online is available here
The nearest airport is codenamed YUL. It is located within the city on the mid western section of the island (see on map). Going from there to the downtown area can be achieved by a dedicated bus line (line number 747) for 7 CAD$ or by taxi which is more expensive.
[edit] Local team
[edit] Core team
The core team are the people willing to work on the project seriously. Add yourself to the core team if you wish to help, but please be aware that we will want you to attend our meetings and take some responsibilities.
| Name/nick | Location (town) | Debian/DebConf experience | Comments | Willing to join DC16 in CT? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerome Charaoui (lavamind) | Montreal | DM, debian user, sysadmin | sysadmin at College Maisonneuve | yes |
| Jean Schurger (jeansch) | Montréal | DM, DC14 attendee | ||
| Gabriel Filion (LeLutin) | Montréal | sysadmin, debian user, developer | yes | |
| Louis-Philippe Véronneau (pollo) | Montréal | sysadmin, debian user, videoteam in DC15 | Work at Collège de Maisonneuve | yes |
| Tiago Bortoletto Vaz (tvaz) | Montréal | DD, attended all DCs since 2004, worked in many orga fronts since then | ||
| Alexandre Viau (aviau) | Montréal | DD | Student at ÉTS, member of the Maison du Logiciel Libre committee, Works at Savoir-Faire Linux | yes |
| Guy Hughes (gxg) | Ottawa | Debian user, wannabe maintainer | compsci student, developer | yes |
| Olivier Tardif (acetone) | Montréal | Debian user | CompSci teacher at Collège de Maisonneuve, security enthusiast | no |
[edit] Willing to help
You wish to help us fo DC17 but don't have enough time or can't be in the core team? Please add yourself here!
| Name/nick | Location (town) | Debian/DebConf experience | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Carter (highvoltage) | Cape Town | DM, debian user, sysadmin, developer | Used to stay in Sherbrooke just outside of Montréal, can fake it as a local |
| Valessio Brito (valessio) | Brazil | debian artist, web design, publicity | I plan to arrive months before to collaborate in person. |
| Gregory Colpart (reg) | Montreal/Paris | DD | President of Evolix |
| Romain Dessort (billux) | Montreal | debian user, sysadmin | Works at Evolix Canada |
| James Shubin (purpleidea) | Montreal | Hacker, Debian/Fedora/etc GNU/Linux user | Works at Red Hat |
| Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox) | Montréal | debian contributor, attended DC14 and DC15 | ubuntu core developer |
| Abdelhakim Qbaich (abdelq) | Montréal | Debian user | Computer science student |
[edit] Contact Details
- Mailing list: debian-dug-quebec@lists.debian.org
- IRC Channel: #debian-quebec on oftc
[edit] Venue options
| Criteria | Collège de Maisonneuve | École de Technologie Supérieure | McGill University (backup) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Venue is situated 1 km near downtown Montreal, near the Olympic complex | Venue is situated at the borders of downtown Montreal, near the Central Station | Venue is situated downtown Montreal. Student residences available. |
| Transport | Airport to venue is 45 to 60 minutes by public transport | Airport to venue is 45 to 60 minutes by public transport | Airport to venue is 45 to 60 minutes by public transport |
| Accomodation | Nearby hotels and classroom dorms | Nearby hotels, TBD for classroom dorms | Nearby hotels or student residences |
| Food | Internal or external caterer | Internal or external caterer | Internal caterer |
| Capacity | 600+ people | 1000+ people | 450 people |
| Advantages |
|
|
|
| Downsides |
|
|
|
| Potential Dates | May 15th to August 15th | August 3rd to September 6th | May 15th to August 15th |
| Details | /Venues/CollegeDeMaisonneuve | /Venues/EcoleDeTechnologieSuperieure | /Venues/McGill |
[edit] BUDGET estimation (~300 debconfers / ~60 debcampers)
We're considering that ~50% of DebConf attendees will ask for food/accomm sponsorship. And about 1/3 of them wouldn't be comfortable with the indoor dorms arrangement, so we'd offer them a hotel room. This is based on past DC numbers, as stated in DC14 final report:
"The budget for DebConf 2014 was based on the assumption that up to 280 people would attend the conference on any given day with a small amount of fluctuation, for a total of 308 unique attendees. We furthermore assumed that roughly 45% of the participants would request room and board sponsorship, based on the experiences gathered in previous years."
We're considering that 100% of DebCamp attendees will ask for food/accomm sponsorship. And like DebConf, 1/3 of them wouldn't be comfortable with the indoor dorms arrangement, so we'd offer them a hotel room.
| Criteria | Collège de Maisonneuve | École de Technologie Supérieure |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | 44,042 CAD (~32k USD or ~29k EUR). Includes accommodation rooms for about 150 attendees. See the detailed quote. | 20,000 CAD (~15k USD or ~13k EUR). Includes accommodation rooms for about 150 attendees. See the intention letter. |
| Accommodation |
|
|
| Food | Internal caterer (23CAD/person/day): 6,900 CAD for DebCamp, considering 60 people during 5 days + 21,600 CAD for DebConf, considering 150 people during 7 days (breakfast for the last day). TOTAL: 28,500 CAD. | Internal caterer (23CAD/person/day): 6,900 CAD for DebCamp, considering 60 people during 5 days + 21,600 CAD for DebConf, considering 150 people during 7 days (breakfast for the last day). TOTAL: 28,500 CAD. |
| Grand Total | Venue + Food + Accom + 15% taxes = 121,873 CAD (~89k USD or ~80k EUR) | Venue + Food + Accom + 15% taxes = 98,441 CAD (~73k USD USD or ~65k EUR) |
[edit] Power
"The 5-15 socket is standard in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Panama. It is also used in Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and, as a legacy, parts of Brazil), Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. This socket is recommended in IEC standard 60906-2 for 120 volt 60 Hz installations." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets)
[edit] Potential dates
- Between May 15th and August 15th
- McGill residences are open for rental
- No regular university classes during this period
- Last weeks of June
- Francofolies (second/third week of June? was June 12-22, 2014)
- Jazz Festival (last week of June? was June 26-July 6, 2014)
- This means accommodation could be more expensive, less available due to the number of people staying in Montreal for the festivals.
- Between August 12 (end of Summer semester) and September 6 (beginning of Autumn semester).
- École de Technologie Supérieure is available; this is the only available dates for ÉTS.
- Beginning of September
- Tree leaves start turning orange, red... It's a beautiful time of the year, not too warm and not cold yet.
- Very impractical for our guests in academia.
- Accomodation on campus and rooms will be less available, but accommodation off campus (hotels) would be cheaper.
[edit] Prospective local sponsors & support
[edit] Business
- Koumbit
- Google (confirmed sponsor & support by Google Montréal)
- Savoir-Faire Linux (confirmed sponsor & support)
- Evolix (confirmed interest to sponsor)
- APELL
- Libéo
- Collabora (confirmed interest to sponsor)
- Linagora
- iWeb
- Praxis Co-op
- Ubity (about telephony)
- inLibro
- Canonical
- Avantech
[edit] Institutional / government
- CRIM (cyphermox to reach out)
- Tourisme-Montréal (can find places with good rates for venues)
- Vitrine technologie éducation
- ADTE
- Centre de services partagés du Québec
- Réseau d'informations scientifiques du Québec
[edit] Community
- Notman house (maybe for hacklab ? )
- Foulab
- Debian Quebec
- Ubuntu Quebec
- Club Linux Atomic? Linux Meetup?
- Île Sans Fil (http://www.ilesansfil.org/)
- Eastern Bloc (http://easternbloc.ca/)
- Montreal Python
- Comité logiciel libre UQAM
- Réseau Libre
- Communautique
- FACIL
- QuebecOS
[edit] Fun and Free time
- Montreal hosts tens of international Festivals all year long
- The Olympic facilities have been converted into cultural attractions:
- Other parks, for chilling out.
- Bixi -- biking in the city.
- The Montreal underground (Largest underground complex in the world): shopping, visiting, walking around to see things or just avoiding the rain or heat.
- Indoor rock climbing and Yoga (outdoor climbing can be arranged with locals)
- Kayaking at the Parc des îles de Boucherville
- Montreal has a huge geocaching community
- A lot of very good microbreweries
- Law prohibits smoking indoors in most "public spaces". This includes bars and schools, although it is permitted on outdoor terrasses for bars.
Possible day trips:
| Activity | Where | Description | Transportation time | Costs per person | Disability friendly? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biking "Le P'tit Train du Nord" linear park | look it up on the map! | Day biking trip on a beautiful biking trail | 1 hour by train till St-Jérôme town | To be evaluted more clearly (transportation + bike rental) | We have to check in recumbent bikes can be rented |
| Hiking at Mont Saint-Hilaire natural reserve | look it up on the map! | A beautiful day of hiking at a local "mountain" (414 m - 1,358 ft) | 45 minutes by bus | To be evaluated more clearly (transportation + 6$ entry fee) | No |
| A day at Lake Memphremagog | look it up on the map! | Enjoy a day at the beach or a hike through the beautiful Cherry River swamp | 1 hour 25 minutes by the express bus, 3 hours 15 by the local bus (stoping in small villages) | 31$ (bus ticket) | Yes (both the beach and the swamp) |
| Visit Fort Chambly (dating back from 1675) | look it up on the map! | Visit the fort and participate in the activities offered | 1-2 hour by bicycle, 30 minutes by bus | 16$ for the bus + 5,65$ entry fee | Not all of the site |
| Kayaking on the Chambly basin | look it up on the map! | Rent kayaks and have some fun on the Chambly basin | 1-2 hour by bicycle, 30 minutes by bus | 16$ for the bus, 15$/hour (solo) to 20$/hour (tandem) rental fee | Only if you feel safe getting in a kayak |
View at the top of Mont Saint-Hilaire
"Le P'tit Train du Nord" bike paths
View from Lake Memphremagog's beach
View of Fort Chambly from the Chambly basin
[edit] Wine & Cheese party
We are cheese-friendly!!! It's totally legal to bring up to 20kg of cheese to Canada. More details in http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/information-for-consumers/travellers/what-can-i-bring-into-canada-/eng/1389648337546/1389648516990#a2
While the summer in Quebec can be quite hot, a picnic would not be the most appropriate place for cheese to be happy. However, Montréal is full of churches, and some rent their basement for events. A such fresh place would be particulaty enjoyable for the party.
- The Concordia church is an option http://www.concordia.ca/offices/chaplaincy/loyola-chapel.html
- The "Église Saint-Enfant-Jésus du Mile End" is another one http://www.diocesemontreal.org/leglise-a-montreal/nos-lieux-de-culte/nos-paroisses/paroisse/saint-enfant-jesus-40montreal41.html
- C&W in the Parc Maisonneuve, with a backup plan if it rains (won't rain, i assure you)
[edit] Transit
[edit] Public transportation
Montreal has a very nice public transportation system for a city in North America. Société de transport de Montréal (STM ) is known to be efficient, clean, safe and relatively cheap. STM's website is very complete and uses OpenStreet Map to implement routing and map features.
Information for people with disabilities can be found here. All buses in Montreal are wheelchair accessible. Sadly, the Orange line is the only subway line that can be called wheelchair accessible. Even there, only a few subway stations are equipped with elevators. To palliate to this, STM offers door-to-door public transit service called Paratransit. Paratransit is accessible to people visiting Montreal from outside the Quebec province and globally uses the same fares as the rest of the public transportation system.
[edit] Subway
The following section has been taken from Wikipedia.
The Montreal Metro consists of four lines, which are usually identified by their colour or terminus station. The terminus station in the direction of travel is used to differentiate between directions of travel. The busiest line is the Orange Line, while the least is the Blue Line.
On weekdays and Saturday and Sundays, the Metro service runs from approximately 5:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on the Green, Orange and Yellow lines and 5:30 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. on the Blue line. The busiest station on the network is Berri UQAM, which connects the Orange, Green and Yellow lines.
[edit] Bus
The following section has been taken from Wikipedia.
The STM bus service operates well over 200 bus routes serving a number of different markets. These routes serve an average of 1,403,700 daily passengers each weekday.
- Local network routes, numbered 10-299, generally operate seven days per week, from 5:00 am to 1:00 am (Monday to Friday) and usually with a shorter span of service on weekends and holidays. Within this classification, some routes operate only at peak hours Monday through Friday, and sometimes only in peak directions. Others, numbered above 251, are specifically designed to serve the needs of senior citizens.
- All-night network routes, with route numbers from 300-399, generally operate from 1:00 am to 5:00 am, seven days per week with some only operating early on Saturday and Sunday ("late" on Friday and Saturday)
- Express Network routes, numbered 400-499, are limited-stop routes. Some routes are classified as Metrobus, and Trainbus and are geared to deliver peak-hour commuters to specific Metro and commuter train stations.
- Shuttle Network routes, numbered 700-799, are special-purpose routes serving hockey games, tourist areas like Old Montreal and La Ronde (amusement park), as well as an all-hours route between downtown and Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
On August 30, 2010, the STM introduced the 10 Minutes Max network. This "network", overlaid on both the local and express networks described above, schedules buses at a maximum headway of 10 minutes, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday to Friday, on the 31 of the STM's busiest bus routes. A few routes support that maximum headway only in the customary peak direction mornings and afternoons.
[edit] Car rental
[edit] Taxi
[edit] Uber
The Uber "community" service is available in Montreal https://www.uber.com/fr/cities/montreal
[edit] Network connectivity
There is a free city-wide network. Local team have good connexion with the 'Ile Sans Fils' organisation.
[edit] Food
Montreal is a very culturally diverse city, as such, many varieties of food, including vegetarian and vegan, are readily available. The local staple food is poutine.
[edit] Cheeses
There are many cheesemakers in Canada and Quebec. The Canadian Cheese Directory lists all the cheese available in the country. The Quebec section may be of interest.
[edit] Vegan
Several restaurants offer vegan food in Montreal. The vegetarian association of Montréal has a list of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Montréal. It also has the same list in PDF format with maps and descriptions of some restaurants included, only available in French though.
[edit] Status and priory list
Please take a look at our status page to know what changed recently and see how we comply with the priority list.
[edit] Original ideas (sort of)
I haz no creativity, but when i do, i write here.
- Debian tattoo section
- Debian exhibition, old & new hardware running Debian, "The Universal OS"
- Old hardware could be borrowed from the local iMusée
- New/strange hardware running Debian: tablets, routers, phones, tiny computers (eg. Raspbian), etc.
- Showcase old releases!
- Interactive with visitors, allow them to use software (eg. games)
- fruit picking with the 'les fruits defendus' collectif for the (now traditional) debian cake!
- local music performance (as in heidelberg, was amazing!)
