Depending on how you look at things, Montrealers can be considered a pretty optimistic bunch.

On the one hand, according to the recently released annual World Happiness Report, Canada has slipped to 25th among countries.

“But if you separate Quebec, they’d be fifth,” observed Gazette columnist and author Josh Freed, who is this week’s guest on The Corner Booth with hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand at the Snowdon Deli.

“Quebecers know that despite all of our complaining, we have a lot to be happy about.”

Now, will Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon take those happiness rankings to heart? Freed thinks the rosy outlook might actually be more of an anglophone thing.

“When it comes to Quebec I find, especially when it comes to Montreal in particular, I think anglos and francos are different at complaining, potholes aside,” he said.

“Anglos complain about stupid language legislation. But most of us like or love the city. I think that’s why we live on island. But francophones have been fleeing for the last 10 years to the South Shore because they’re tired of Montreal.”

The latest gripe, and one that comes up every spring thaw, is about cleanliness. Or lack thereof.

Headlines will vary greatly. You’ll have Montrealers shouting out our “fantastic city” on television while accepting an Oscar or the New York Times hailing us a “rotisserie chicken heaven.” But you’ll also get pundits lamenting the sorry state of the roads and lack of garbage pickup.

“Montrealers are exhausted by the end of winter. We’re just too tired to lift the garbage and put it in a garbage can,” Freed said.

But he also suggested a public education campaign, or even more fines, could encourage locals to be more mindful of where they dump their trash. More bins would also help.

“I’ll walk 11 blocks before I see a garbage can,” Freed said.

This week, the city rolled back a pilot project to remove bins at Parc La Fontaine.

And while Freed might get a tinge of jealousy when he visits tidier locales during his travels, like Japan or Switzerland, Montreal’s penchant for rule-breaking is part of the special sauce that keeps him here.

“I think it’s in our character,” he said. “I’ll be honest, one of the things I like about Montreal is that it’s a really chaotic city.”

The Corner Booth is also available on The Gazette’s YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts and on Spotify.