Montreal News And Weather -- December 9, 2009

MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

Snowstorm affects planes, trains and automobiles -- Montreal Gazette
Quebec hit by first winter storm of the season -- CTV
Snowstorm closes in on Montreal -- CBC
Montreal snow-removal equipment aging -- CBC

H1N1 vaccination centres to close early during storm -- Montreal Gazette
Swine-flu vaccination centres close early -- CTV

Almost-Olympian, 91, carries torch -- Montreal Gazette
Quebecers welcome Olympic torch -- CBC

AMT to hike fares in New Year -- CTV

Superhospital's cost might double -- Montreal Gazette

Quebec union proposes income-tax hikes -- CTV

Longueuil’s finances a mess; taxes to go up -- Montreal Gazette

St. Laurent cell-phone fight -- CTV

Officer who shot Villanueva feared for life -- CBC

Montreal police officers cleared by ethics committee -- Montreal Gazette

No safety harness during washer's fatal plunge : CSST -- CTV

Fraud ring busted -- Montreal Gazette

Montreal's First Snowstorm Of The Season (Updated)

SNOWFALL WARNING: Montréal Island area Issued at 5:02 AM EST WEDNESDAY 9 DECEMBER 2009

SNOW AMOUNTS MOSTLY BETWEEN 15 AND 25 CENMETERS ARE EXPECTED AS OF THIS MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY. IN THE ST LAWRENCE VALLEY AND OVER HIGHER GROUNDS, AMOUNTS COULD REACH UP TO 35 CENTIMETRES.

Snowstorm Affects Planes, Trains And Automobiles -- Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL – Montreal’s first major snowfall of the season is making itself felt on rails, roads and runways.

Check back here throughout the day for updates.

Read more ....

Update #1: Quebec hit by first winter storm of the season -- CTV
Update #2: Snowstorm closes in on Montreal -- CBC

Shock Therapy For Hydro Ratepayers -- A Commentary

From The Montreal Gazette:

The global economic meltdown might be nothing more than a distant memory for captains of industry but the same cannot be said for ordinary consumers.

Business leaders need to remember two important things about consumers. First, they have not bounced back from the devastating economic crisis triggered in 2008.

And, second, they have not forgotten the spectacle of company leaders helping themselves to extravagant bonuses while company shares, pensions and payrolls evaporated.

Read more ....

My Comment: The sentence that caught my eye was the following ....

A hike of a single cent could mean as much as $2 billion more in income for the province, at a time when Quebec's debt is headed toward $146 billion.

A provincial debt of $146 billion dollars .... for a province like Quebec this is disastrous.

On a side note, there is no mention of Hydro Quebec's debt, a debt that also runs in the mega billions.

Quebec's Unions Demand More Taxes

CSN president Claudette Carbonneau says she will fight against any
move to 'decrease and weaken the state's role.' (CP).

Quebec Union Proposes Income-Tax Hikes -- CTV/Canadian Press

QUEBEC — One of Quebec's largest unions is asking the provincial government to increase taxes by almost $1 billion.

The Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) says that would be a better way to eliminate the province's roughly $4.7-billion deficit than simple budget cuts.

Public-sector workers want an 11.2 per cent raise over three years and union leaders want the government to abandon plans to cap the size of government.

Read more ....

Update: Roll back tax cut, CSN tells finance minister -- Montreal Gazette

My Comment: This is so typical of those who believe that government should play THE dominant role in our lives .... but (of course) they want someone else to pay for it.

The question that must be asked is .... will the Quebec Liberals be stupid enough to fall for this crap.

Montreal Snowstorm Forecast -- December 9, 2009

SNOWFALL WARNING: Montréal Island area Issued at 5:02 AM EST WEDNESDAY 9 DECEMBER 2009

SNOW AMOUNTS MOSTLY BETWEEN 15 AND 25 CENMETERS ARE EXPECTED AS OF THIS MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY. IN THE ST LAWRENCE VALLEY AND OVER HIGHER GROUNDS, AMOUNTS COULD REACH UP TO 35 CENTIMETRES. More here.

City Says It's Ready For The Snow

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL – Montreal’s first big snowstorm of the season started before 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. The city says it’s ready for it and Montreal police are asking drivers to drive carefully today.

About 1,000 city employees and almost as many pieces of snow-removal equipment are ready to begin removing Wednesday’s snowfall, which is expected to leave about 10 centimetres on the ground by lunchtime.

Read more ....

My Comment: The City says the same thing every year ..... and we are always disappointed. On a side note .... I guess we are now going to have a white Christmas.

Montreal 4 Ottawa 1

Habs Cookin' With 4-1 Win Over Sens -- Montreal Gazette

Halak stands tall as Canadiens win third straight.

OTTAWA – The Canadiens used head coach Jacques Martin’s time-honoured recipe for success to cook up a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Martin believes good goaltending and special teams are the keys to victory and the Canadiens had both ingredients Tuesday night as they moved into a playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

Read more ....

More News On Last Night's Hockey Game

Halak makes 45 saves, Habs beat Senators 4-1 -- CTV
Canadiens win 3rd straight -- CBC
Montreal's recipe garnished with a win -- National Post
Inside the Habs' dressing room -- Montreal Gazette
Habs make it three in a row -- Toronto Star
Halak backstops Habs to win in Ottawa -- Toronto Sun
Senators continue losing ways at home -- Canada.com
Halak makes 45 saves to lead Canadiens over Sens -- AP
Halak's 45 saves stamp Habs win over Senators -- Washington Post

Superhospital's Cost Might Double

MUHC executive director Arthur Porter visits the Glen Yard, future site of the megahospital, in April 2008. Photograph by: ALLEN MCINNIS, GAZETTE FILE, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Projected at $800M in the 1990s; MUHC dismisses report of soaring price tag as rumour.

At a public meeting in September, Arthur Porter could hardly contain his joy as he announced that after years of delays, the future hospital of the McGill University Health Centre was finally going to be built.

At precisely noon on Dec. 3, he said, the MUHC would choose the winning bid to construct the $1.12-billion hospital in the city's west end. And the following morning, he added, everyone would be invited to a sod-turning ceremony at the construction site, the former Glen railway yard.

Well, Dec. 3 has come and gone with no announcement, and there was no sod-turning on Friday.

Read more ....

My Comment: I guess that they think we are fools. In my entire life, not one government project or program ever met its budget guidelines. Their costs were always more by a factor of 2x plus. I expect the super hospital costs to go down the same route, if not more.

In the long term people are going to die from this lack of leadership from the government to get this project going .... 10 years and counting .... who are these people and why are we paying their salaries?

Snowstorm Closing In On Montreal Some Schools Close For Snow Day

From The CBC:

Montreal will get hit with the season's first snowstorm on Wednesday as weather experts predict a dump of 30 centimetres by day's end.

Some schools are closed and public security officials are anticipating a slow-moving rush hour on Wednesday as the storm settles over the region.

A weather system carrying high winds and blowing snow is passing over Toronto and will build over Montreal and across Quebec as the day progresses, Environment Canada said.

Temperatures are expected to hover around –10 C.

Read more ....

Update #1: School Closings -- Montreal Gazette

Update #2: Quebec braces for first winter storm of the season -- CTV

Montreal News And Weather -- December 8, 2009

MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

Hundreds cheer gold medallist who takes Olympic torch through Mohawk reserve -- CTV
Debra Arbec carries the torch -- CTV
Torch arrives in Longueuil; deal reached in Kahnawake -- CTV
Olympic torch cheered in Mohawk community -- CBC

Sept Îles doctors get severe reprimand -- Montreal Gazette

Quebec baby boom continues, but slows -- CTV

Unions launching campaign to stop sale of NB Power -- CTV

Quebec minister says aerospace layoffs only temporary -- CTV

Montreal residents fight prostitution online -- CBC

Man killed by exploding tire -- CBC
Tire explodes, kills young mechanic -- CTV

Ballistics expert testifies at Fredy Villanueva inquest -- Montreal Gazette
Rescue workers, police to testify at Villanueva inquiry -- CBC

Quebec to form squad to fight financial exploitation of seniors -- Montreal Gazette
16 arrest warrants for alleged RRSP fraud ring -- CTV
RCMP investigates 'pump and dump' fraud ring -- CBC