Peoria, welcome to the forum! I love your comment and thank you for it.
As a born and raised downtown Montrealer
, I can offer an explanation for your observation that Montreal disappeared from global radar after the Expo and the summer Olympics, but I won't, as this is not a political forum, and there is no point anyways.
I will say that I love this city, and I, like you, am glad to see at least some construction going on, even if it is still small potatos. You have to learn to crawl before you can run...
All the best to you in Caterpillar-land.