NATIONAL OFFICE MOVE BLOG

THE BIG MOVE -  NOV 2 | GETTING PLUGGED IN - NOV 13 | LATEST PROGRESS - NOV 27 | CEILING LEAKS AND SHOPPING TRIPS - DEC 17 |
 

CEILING LEAKS AND SHOPPING TRIPS

December 17, 2015


 
Just when we thought all our heating problems had been sorted out (during the month of November, the heating was only turning on at 3:15 p.m. on our floor, leaving us in a pretty chilly office) a new problem came to light. With the heating operational in the morning as well, it quickly became obvious that a heater on the 5th floor was broken and was leaking through our ceiling! Luckily, as with all of our other issues, the building manager, Thomas, had this sorted out by the next day, bringing in a plumber to do the repairs. We kept our buckets out during the weekend as a precaution, but all appears to be fixed! Luckily nothing was damaged by the leaking water.

Other stories of note to relay include our shopping trip at Bureau en Gros (or Staples for those of you not from Québec). We bought a bunch of office supplies, a shredder and a printer. We got a great deal on an all-in-one (print, copy, scan and fax) ink-jet printer. There were a few hiccups in setting it up (we had to call Videotron to fix one of our wireless networks), but we eventually managed to set it up successfully. So far the printing and the scanning is pretty fantastic.

There is still a lot left to do in the office, but we are set up comfortably enough for the moment that we are waiting until after the holidays for all the next steps. We just bought a new water kettle, and what else does one need to be comfortable than a hot mug of tea? Maybe if we are lucky we will be able to take advantage of some nice boxing day sales in the purchase of our office furniture.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank IATSE and USITT for the fantastic Christmas cards we received and to wish everyone a happy holiday. You will hear more about the move in the new year!

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New Printer
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New kettle
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Christmas cards

LATEST PROGRESS

November 27, 2015


We have made a few new acquisitions for the office, namely four new carpets! One for the entrance, one for the lounge area, one for the master office and one for the small office. You can see three of them in the pictures below. They really warm up the space! We also got a set of curtains for one of the windows which add a nice touch as well. We will have to get more for the other windows.

While we havent yet purchased any new furniture, we had someone come in to remove the tape marks from the floor (all of the internet and electrical cabling had been run along the floor and duct taped there by the previous tenants), as well as from a number of filing cabinets that had been left behind. The floor now looks fantastic, as do our second hand filing cabinets! We also purchased a fax machine so we can receive signed contracts from EXPO-SCÈNE 2016 exhibitors. The booths are filing up fast; over 70% of the space has already been sold!

On another note, our office received its first visitors last week, when the CQICTS, the Québec Section of CITT/ICTS, held its board meeting in our conference room. We served some croissants and chocolatines from the nearby café as well as Tim Hortons coffee. The board members who came were very impressed by our new space!

IMG_3406.jpg Small office and lobby area from central space
IMG_3388.jpg Lobby area from the entrance
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Entrance and lobby area from central space
 

STEP 1: GETTING PLUGGED IN

November 13, 2015


The first two weeks of our move have been busy ones as we have been working to set up all the essentials in the office. Vidéotron paid us a visit on our first day here to install the Internet connection, as well as our new phone and fax lines. The technician was fast and efficient and we had working WiFi and phones in short order. We have already received the bill for the work from Vidéotron; our first ever mail delivered to our new address!​

Later in the week, after we had the office space all cleaned up, another technician came in: this time to install our security system. By Friday our space was officially secured at all window and door entries and we each have our very own code to arm and disarm the system.

With those essentials set up, we were able to settle down and continue with business as usual. There were some minor hiccups with the space: the old cast iron water radiators were a bit leaky and the linoleum floor in some of the rooms was damaged. But our very friendly building custodian, Thomas, got both of those things repaired quickly! The next phase is to buy office computers and furniture!

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Vidéotron technician installing internet cables
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Our first letter!
 
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View of the Olympic Stadium 
 
 

THE BIG MOVE

NOVEMBER 2, 2015


 
On Monday November 2nd, we moved into our new office on Clark Street, in Montréal. The office is located in the heart of the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood, and we have already been taking advantage of the wonderful amenities that this area has to offer while working in our temporary space in the same building. 
 
When the weather permits, we can enjoy our lunch in the beautiful Jeanne-Mance Park, just a short walk away. Lunch always tastes good when you have a great view of the leaves changing colours on the Mont Royal. However, if you didn't have time to pack your lunch, there is a huge selection of restaurants nearby to satisfy any type of craving: breakfast at Beautys, chicken at the Kiri-Piri Portuguese Rotisserie, doughnuts from Tim Hortons, poutine at the Mange-Moi burger bar. There are even two fantastic vegan restaurants nearby: Aux Vivres and La Panthère Verte. If you don't have time to go to a restaurant, there is a Provigo right down the street where you can buy anything you need.
 
It is very easy to get to the office as it is located a stone's throw away from Mont-Royal Metro, and along bus route 55 running up Saint-Laurent or down Saint-Urbain streets and the 80 or 435 on du Parc Avenue. We hope to welcome you at our new headquarters once we have settled in! 
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Provigo on the corner of Mont-Royal and Clark                                                                                                         
 
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View from Jeanne-Mance Park
 
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Office from central area