Cities are often defined by artificially induced boundaries: zoning laws, voting districts, historic neighbourhoods, highways and taxation regulations. These all inform how a city is shaped and operates.

This weekend, the Ile Notre Dame--yet another artifical element in the city--will host the Formula 1 race. During the race, which happens to fall on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (during which no retail activity is supposed to take place), an eruv-like zone has been created to enable F1 fans to do some 'kosher' shopping.