Monday, August 31, 2009

CBC-TV Launches 90-Minute Supper Hour News. Montreal Included

From The CBC:

CBC-TV's supper hour newscasts expand to 90 minutes on Monday, part of the public broadcaster's efforts to increase local coverage.

The extended newscasts will feature new hosts in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Montreal, Halifax, Calgary and Toronto.

The news will run from 5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., with stories updated throughout the 90 minutes.

Read more ....

Montreal News And Weather -- August 31, 2009


MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

Canada ekes out meagre growth in June -- Montreal Gazette

Economy sees first monthly increase since '08 -- CTV

Que. town to get potable water system for first time -- CBC

Power of One: Betty McLeod tirelessly gives of herself -- CTV

Dozens of birds drop dead in Quebec City -- Montreal Gazette

Police to investigate Laval fire -- Montreal Gazette

Multiple car crashes in the rain -- CTV

Smugglers, RCMP face off on St. Lawrence -- CBC

Montreal Cops Warned About Toronto Years Ago

From left to right, Raymond Pollard, Steve Correia, Richard Benoit, Ned Maodus, Joseph Miched and John Schertzer. (Ron Bull/Toronto Star)

Montreal Warned Toronto About Drug Officers -- CBC

Toronto police officers focused only money, report says


Montreal police raised a red flag about allegedly corrupt Toronto drug squad officers in 1997, but to no avail, newly obtained documents show.

The since disbanded drug squad was the subject of Canada's largest-ever police corruption probe after complaints from drug dealers eventually triggered an internal investigation by a special task force.

Read more ....

More News On This Toronto Police Corruption Case

Montreal police raised a red flag about Toronto drug squad cops in 1997: report -- CTV
Cop corruption case revived -- Toronto Star
Montreal police raised concerns about Toronto drug squad cops in 1997: report -- 680 News
Accused Toronto cops flagged years earlier -- UPI

A Paper With Street Credibility

Pedestrians greet L'Itinéraire vendor Michel Desjardins by name, and he enjoys the rapport he has developed with his clients. "They all know me," he says. Photograph by: Allen McInnis, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

L'ITINÉRAIRE, which was initiated by the homeless, is partly produced by them and has changed many of their lives, prints a 150-page special edition tomorrow to celebrate its 15th anniversary.

Gabriel Bissonnette, 51, stands on a street corner in Montreal's Latin Quarter holding a stack of L'Itinéraire newspapers. Outfitted with a black knapsack, he carries himself confidently.

"He's a great guy to have around the city," says Serge Lareault, his boss at the paper, which was initiated and is partly produced by the homeless. Bubbly and passionate, Bissonnette is doing the only job he has known for 15 years - he has been selling L'Itinéraire since its first edition was printed in 1994.

Read more ....

My Comment: Makes me realize that there is hope for all.

Nez Rouge Planning Annual Campaign

From CTV:

Christmas ornaments aren't even on store shelves, but Nez Rouge is planning its annual campaign to convince people to get a ride home after celebrating the holidays.

Nez Rouge has been offering tipsy Christmas partygoers lifts home since 1984.

Read more ....

Montreal's Mayor Race Is Heating Up

Vison Montreal leader Louise Harel and Mayor Gérald Tremblay launched their campaigns with nasty words on Sunday. Photograph by: Dario Ayala, John Mahoney, Gazette file photos

Mayoral Rivals Launch Campaigns -- The Gazette

Tremblay, Harel open bids with nasty insults.

Flip-flopper. Anti-democratic. Panicked. Defensive.

These are some of the invectives Mayor Gérald Tremblay hurled yesterday at Louise Harel, one of his main rivals for the mayoralty, in what was supposed to be a campaign kickoff speech urging a contest of ideas.

Read more ....

More News on The Montreal Mayoral Race

Montreal parties unveil candidates -- CTV
Montreal municipal parties gear-up their election campaigns -- Canadian Press
I'll sweep city hall clean if elected mayor, Harel says -- Montreal Gazette
Mayor's in "a panic": Harel -- Montreal Gazette

Montreal Blue-Collars Staging One-Day Strike

A blue collar worker rejoins two colleagues after the trio stopped to look at an alley entrance (or perhaps verify if they were being followed) after driving in circles for over an hour in Montreal's Plateau district in March 2006. Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay said April 19, 2008 the city will set up a telephone tip line so the city's 22,000 workers can report fraud or conflicts of interest. Photograph by: Marcos Townsend, The Gazette

From CTV:

Montreal's blue-collar workers walked off the job at midnight for a 24-hour strike.

The 5,000 workers have not had a contract since August 2007. The main issues are salaries and subcontracting.

Union president Michel Parent says they have been waiting for the city to make its latest offer since last June.

The city says it will wait until the union makes all its demands before making a counter-offer.

Read more ....

Update #1: Montreal blue collars launch one-day strike -- CBC

Update #2: Blue-collar disruptions expected today -- Montreal Gazette

An Exciting Finish To Montreal's NASCAR Race

Carl Edwards does a backflip from his car at the finish line at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after winning the NAPA Auto parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide series race on Sunday. Photograph by: John Kenney, The Gazette

Edwards Pounces On Final Turn -- The Montreal Gazette

Edges ambrose for checkered flag 'Just an amazing last lap. I can't believe I caught him,' he says of Île Notre Dame win.

Carl Edwards stole Marcos Ambrose's thunder yesterday during an exciting, incident-filled NASCAR Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200 on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Ambrose, who led a career-high 60 laps, saw his lead slip away on the last turn as he lost control of his car for a split second, going wide and allowing Edwards to slip past and claim the checkered flag. Ambrose was able to hold on for second spot.

Read more ....

More News On NASCAR

No shortage of thrills on this track -- National Post
NASCAR fans enjoy a wet n' wild 200 miles -- CTV
Carl Edwards passes Marcos Ambrose on final turn to win at NAPA Auto Parts 200 -- Canadian Press
Quebec drivers give fans lots to cheer about at NASCAR Nationwide race -- Canadian Press
Ambrose's mistake gives Edwards the win at Montreal -- Miami Heral

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Montreal News And Weather -- August 30, 2009


MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

Rival Harel changes tune, Tremblay says -- Montreal Gazette

Union Montreal members build platform -- CTV

Demers says 'common sense' will help in Senate -- CBC

Plateau fires have residents on edge -- CTV

Montreal YM-YWHA will open on Sabbath -- CBC

YM-YWHA to open on the Sabbath -- CTV

Protesters want Omar Khadr brought home -- Montreal Gazette

Protesters support Omar Khadr -- CTV

Boy, 2, hit by car after running from pregnant mom -- Montreal Gazette

Four Montrealers killed near Calgary -- CTV

Woman, 47, killed in violent crash on Hwy 15 -- Montreal Gazette

Canadian Drivers Crowd Faves At NASCAR

Hometown hero: Jacques Villeneuve qualifies sixth for today's NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Photograph by: JOHN KENNEY; THE GAZETTE, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Last year, the NASCAR Nationwide series made history in Montreal when it raced in the rain using windshield wipers and rain tires that had been sitting in trucks for years.

A year later and the rain again caused all kinds of headaches on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as it limited morning practice for Sunday's NAPA Auto Parts 200 to only a few laps for some drivers and cancelled the afternoon practice session altogether.

Read more ....

More News On NASCAR

Canadian drivers crowd favourites in Montreal -- Canada.com
Ambrose takes pole position in rain for NASCAR Nationwide race -- Canadian Press
Marcos Ambrose sloshes to NASCAR Nationwide Montreal pole -- Detroit Free Press
Ambrose wins Nationwide pole at rainy Montreal -- Miami Herald
Ambrose captures NAPA Auto Parts 200 pole -- Houston Chronicle
Late arrival, long day leaves NASCAR star Busch-ed -- Canada.com

Old Montreal's 'New' Public Market

Musicians in Old Montreal play tunes from 1750 (Aug. 29, 2009)

From CTV:

The streets of Old Montreal have been transformed into an 18th-century public market this weekend.

The Pointe-a-Calliere museum is hosting the re-enactment of the city's first public marché, complete with pirates, storytellers, and musicians.

Children are getting the chance to get into the act, by dressing up in uniforms like those soldiers wore in the 1750 and marching on the cobblestone streets.

Read more ....

My Comment: I passed by yesterday .... it looked "quaint".

Tremblay's Party Off To A Quick Start

Projet Montréal chief Richard Bergeron says Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay (pictured) can't solve Montreal North's problems with money. Photograph by: Pierre Obendrauf, The Gazette

From The Gazette:

Hits campaign trail early with ethics a key issue, mayor says donations will be posted on website.

The official start of the municipal election is still 19 days away, but members of the mayor's political party were in full campaign mode Saturday.

"We can say that the campaign starts today," said Daniel Hurteau, an organizer in the Lachine borough.

Read more ....

My Comment: It is hard to see him lose. The opposition is made up of pro Quebec separatists, anti-English/immigrant members, and a few (very few) English/immigrant sympathizers. Montreal is half non-francophone, and they have never had sympathy for groups or political parties that have always disrespected them.

The question is not will Tremblay win, the question is by how much.

Als Legend Sam Etcheverry Dies At 79

Alouettes legend Sam Etcheverry in 2003.
Photograph by: Marcos Townsend, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Sam Etcheverry, the legendary quarterback who led the Montreal Alouettes to three Grey Cup appearances in the 1950s then later coached them to CFL title, has died at the age of 79.

Etcheverry died Saturday morning following a long battle with cancer.

One of the most remarkable players in team and Canadian Football League history, Etcheverry quarterbacked the Alouettes from 1952 to 1960, setting virtually every team passing record. He totalled 30,303 yards and 186 touchdowns on 1,969 completions.

Read more
....

More On The Passing Of Sam Etcheverry

Former Alouette Sam Etcheverry dies of cancer
-- CTV
Former CFL star Etcheverry dies of cancer -- CBC
CFL legend Sam Etcheverry dies at 79 -- National Post
'The Rifle' dies -- CJAD
Former Montreal Alouettes quarterback Sam Etcheverry dies at age 79 -- Canadian Press

Montreal's Jewish Community Gets Federal Funding for protection against Hate Crimes

From CJAD:

The Ben Wieder Center in Snowdon was firebombed over two years ago as part of a hate motivated attack against Jewish institutions.

It's among ten Jewish schools and cultural centers getting 223-thousand dollars for more security cameras, closed circuit tv's and other security equipment.

"No one should live in fear," Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney said, as he made the announcement in Montreal on behalf of the federal government.

Read more ....

Update #1: Jewish institutions get federal cash to improve security -- Canadian Press

Update #2: Jewish groups get 84 per cent of cash for federal hate-crimes program -- Metro News

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Nascar Rumbles Into Montreal

Photograph by: Dave Sidaway, The Gazette

From CTV News:

The good ol' boys of Nascar are back in town for the third edition of the Napa Auto Parts 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

This year's race includes many of the sport's top drivers, as well as five Quebec racers.

Alex Tagliani, Patrick Carpentier, Jacques Villeneuve, Andrew Ranger and Jean-Francois Dumoulin will all suit up for this weekend's Nationwide series race.

"I think it's a tribute to all the work that the promoter did and his staff," said Tagliani. "I think it's going to pay off."

Read more ....

More News on NASCAR

Living life in racing’s fast lane -- Montreal Gazette
Carpentier looking to improve on second-place finishes at NAPA Auto Parts 200 -- Canadian Press
NASCAR promoter looking to expand beyond Montreal to other Canadian cities -- Canadian Press
Carpentier thirsts for champagne -- Montreal Gazette

Shafia Lawyers Waiting To See Evidence

Left to right: Mohammad Shafia, Hamed Mohammad Shafia and Tooba Mohammad Yahya face four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Photos from The Montreal Gazette

From CTV:

Three Montrealers accused of murdering four members of their own family appeared in a Kingston courtroom via video-conference on Friday.

Mohammad Shafia, his wife Tooba Yahya, and their 18-year-old son Hamed are facing four counts of first degree murder and four counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

There were arrested and charged nearly a month after a car was found in the Rideau canal near Kingston in June with bodies inside.

Read more ....

More News on The Shafia Murders

Shafias to face preliminary inquiry in February -- Montreal Gazette
Hearings set for accused in submerged car deaths -- Chronicle Herald
Preliminary hearing set for Montrealers in deaths of relatives. -- Canada.com

Laval Blood Boutique Draws Customers

Nurse Annie Cochon helps Fernand Tremblay give blood at Centre Laval’s blood boutique. Photograph by: Phil Carpenter, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL – Tucked in between the clothes and cellphone boutiques of a busy mall in Laval is a new kind of boutique.

A blood boutique.

A vampire’s dream if there ever was one.

Since it opened last January, the storefront blood boutique that operates in Centre Laval under the Globule trademark name gives shoppers the chance to stop in and give a unit of blood.

Read more ....

Montreal World Film Festival Under Way

From Hollywood Reporter:

MONTREAL -- The Montreal World Film Festival looks to have its mojo back, as it enters its first weekend.

"Everyone is back and everyone is behind us," Montreal festival director Serge Losique said Friday as he counted the local politicians and sponsors once again underwriting his festival after years of fractious infighting between the city's summer film festivals.

Losique made good on his promise to glam up his 33rd edition by including an acrobatic performance by Cirque Eloise just before the opening ceremony Thursday night, which was followed by the upbeat Quebecois comedy "1981" from local filmmaker Ricardo Trogi.

Read more ....

More News On The Montreal World Film Festival

Autumn in the City: Film festivals -- Montreal Gazette
The 2009 Montreal World Film Festival Has Begun!-- Rush PR News
Quebec director has high hopes for Montreal festival film -- CBC
An enduring spirit and a bright future -- Globe And Mail

Friday, August 28, 2009

New Hospital For Western Sector Off Tip Of Montreal?

Lakeshore General Hospital

From CJAD:

More and more people are moving out to the sector off the western tip of Montreal.

And Quebec's health minister says they need more healthcare services.

That could possibly mean a new hospital.

Quebec health minister Yves Bolduc says he's ordered studies on possibly building a hospital in the region.

Read more ....

The Next Space Tourist Is A Montrealer

Mission: Fun Guy Laliberté, at a training session outside Moscow, says he hopes to bring lots of levity to his liftoff. Photograph by: DMITRY KOSTYUKOV, GETTY IMAGES, AFP

Laliberté Flying Without A Nyet -- Montreal Gazette

Weak in Russian; Space tourism is not rocket science, Cirque founder says.

When Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté flies as the latest tourist to the International Space Station next month, he promises to bring a comic touch to the mission.

Already his screen saver pictures his mission colleagues - U.S. astronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev - in spacesuits and red clown noses, and he says he will bring six more clown snouts to those now in orbit.

Read more ....

Montreal News And Weather -- August 28, 2009


MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

No blue-collar strike in Dorval
-- Montreal Gazette

Tentative blue-collar deal in Dorval -- CTV

Dorval averts blue-collar strike -- CBC

Montreal consults residents on CN shops redevelopment -- Montreal Gazette

Jacques Demers' Senate spot confirmed -- CTV

Demers says 'common sense' will help in Senate -- CBC

Federal Liberals meet Jones clients -- CTV

Harper meets white-collar crime victims -- CBC

White-collar crime victims meet with PM -- CTV

Champlain Bridge lane closings announced -- Montreal Gazette

Man dies in fiery crash in Laval -- Montreal Gazette

Three fatal road collisions -- CTV

Motorist dies in accident at Candiac -- Montreal Gazette

Four arson fires in same Laval neighbourhood -- CTV

4 charged in credit-card skimming seizure -- CBC

Que. men charged for alleged credit forging gear -- CTV

Julie Payette Gets Warm Homecoming

Payette operated three arms during the mission: the station's Canadarm2, the shuttle's Canadarm, and the Japanese arm.(NASA)

From CTV News:

Employees at the Canadian Space Agency in St. Hubert welcomed astronaut Julie Payette back home with thunderous applause on Friday.

Payette was part of the last shuttle mission to the International Space Station and spent 16 days in orbit.

On her last day before a much-needed holiday, Payette said she's proud of her 16-day stay last month aboard the station.

Read more ....

My Comment: Good for her. She is a true Canadian (modern day) role model and hero.

Will Ottawa Cede Veterans Hospitals To The Province?

Canadian forces veteran Fernand Léveillé (L) gets handed a bowling ball by volunteer Terrence Jones during a bowling session for veterans at the Ste. Anne's hospital for veterans in Ste. Anne de Bellevue near Montreal Monday, March 23, 2009. The session is one of many activities organised by the liason centre at the hospital, which offers many services to vets who do not live at the hospital. Photograph by: Phil Carpenter, The Gazette

Veterans' Families Lash Out -- Montreal Gazette

Ste. Anne's hospital; They fear care will suffer if Ottawa cedes control.

They fought for their country in the Second World War and survived.

Claude Renaud, 86, was an air force navigator. Marvin Silver, 86, was a Spitfire pilot.

Both are ill, and their families are happy with the way they're treated at Ste. Anne's Hospital, the veterans' facility in Ste. Anne de Bellevue that houses 415 elderly soldiers.

But now that Ottawa has opened exploratory talks with Quebec on transferring what is the last of Canada's veterans hospitals to provincial control, the families are worried.

Read more ....

My Comment: I do not blame the veterans for being concerned. Provincial care is different, and will not compare with what the Feds can offer. In my fathers case, my biggest beef with the Provincial system was that he was often treated in a French environment even though he could not speak the language. As a stroke victim .... he always had trouble communicating his wishes as well as his needs. I am not sure, but I would bet that many of these veterans are English .... and they do not want to be put into the French system. But even if they were French .... as I said .... the Fed system is vastly superior to the Provincial one.

NASCAR Returns To Montreal This Weekend

Jacques Villeneuve (left) and Ron Fellows laugh as they discuss practical jokes amongst teammates during a press briefing about the upcoming NASCAR race to be held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Thursday August 27 2009. Photograph by: Allen McInnis, Montreal Gazette

Former Champ Villeneuve Embraces NASCAR Run In Montreal -- USA Today

When Jacques Villeneuve was winning everything that open-wheel racing could offer, NASCAR didn't cross his mind.

A late 2007 foray into stock cars in the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck series changed the mindset for the French-Canadian driver, who eagerly awaits Sunday's NAPA Auto Parts 200 Nationwide Series in Montreal. That it's a road race at a track bearing his father Gilles' name has much to do with that, but the former Formula One, CART and Indianapolis 500 champion also looks forward to learning more about a discipline he couldn't have imagined driving in Europe.

Read more ....

More News on NASCAR in Montreal

Villeneuve gets a home do-over -- Edmonton Sun
Villeneuve looking forward to this weekend's NASCAR race, rain or shine -- Canadian Press
NASCAR organizers praying for sunny weather -- Canada.com
Keselowski represents new face of NASCAR -- Canada.com

Arsonist In The Plateau?

Firemen clean up on Aug. 19, 2009, after an overnight five-alarm fire on St. André gutted a residence in Montreal's Plateau district. After five fires in two weeks, some neighbourhood residents fear there might be an arsonist on the loose. Photograph by: Marcos Townsend, The Gazette

Residents Fear Plateau Pyro On The Loose -- The Montreal Gazette

Five fires in two weeks, but police downplay talk of arson

MONTREAL – Boxes of old records, teddy bears and other sentimental items stand at the feet of Étienne Morisette on Marie Anne St. in the Plateau, where a five-alarm fire ravaged a three-storey building early Thursday.

Morisette, who lives in Rosemont, showed up in the morning to help his friend salvage what he could from his apartment, now mainly ashes.

Read more ....

Update: Another Plateau fire: Fifth since July -- CTV

My Comment: 5 fires in 2 months .... yup .... there is an arsonist out there.

Kovalev Left His Heart In Montreal?


From The Edmonton Sun:

OTTAWA -- Alexei Kovalev will get paid to play in Ottawa this season, but you have to wonder if he left his heart in Montreal.

With only two weeks before the Senators report to training camp, the 36-year-old Kovalev, who signed a two-year, $10-million US deal as an unrestricted free agent in July, raised eyebrows when he said yesterday he wouldn't mind finishing his career with the Habs.

Read more ....

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Montreal News And Weather -- August 27, 2009


MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

Cinar to pay $5.2M for plagiarizing cartoon -- CBC

Cinar, three other firms lose $5.2 M plagiarism suit -- CTV

Industrial fire at paint depot in R.D.P. -- CTV

Another five-alarm blaze strikes Plateau-Mont Royal -- Montreal Gazette

Another Plateau fire: Fifth since July -- CTV

Plateau fire leaves 15 Montrealers homeless -- CBC

Police budget cut but city will pay more to keep chief -- Montreal Gazette

Laval sex offender charged again -- CBC

Hilton's latest court fight extends boxer's rap sheet -- CTV

Former boxer Hilton Jr. denied bail -- CBC

Laval police seize 105,000 illegal smokes; 2 arrests -- CTV

Illegal cigarettes seized in Laval -- Montreal Gazette

Man killed by SQ in Sorel-Tracy -- CTV

7th man arrested in 2005 drug mule death -- CBC

Husband charged with murder in wife's death -- CTV

Police Arrest Husband, 23rd homicide

Police received a call at 1:10 a.m. Wednesday and found a 37 year old woman in her home who had suffered upper body injuries in an apparent case of conjugal violence and was pronounced dead on the scene. The man and 2 girls, eleven and fifteen, living in the home were taken to hospital, Wednesday, August 26. Photograph by: Natasha Fillion, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL--Police have arrested a 41-year-old man, the victim's husband, in connection with a homicide early Thursday morning in St. Michel. The man, who police had originally described as “an important witness,” will appear in court today on charges of first-degree murder.

He was inside the home on 21st Ave. near Crémazie Blvd. E. when police arrived around 1 a.m. Wednesday and discovered a woman’s lifeless body. "It has the appearance of a domestic dispute," said Constable Olivier Lapointe of Montreal police Wednesday.

Read more ....

Mulroney Addresses Spat In Tory Ranks, Urges Unity

From The CTV:

Montreal — Brian Mulroney has made his first public comments about a high-profile rift that emerged in the Conservative party -- and he's urging party unity.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, the former prime minister said Conservatives needed to put recent differences aside and stick together.

Read more ....

My Comment: Former PM Mulroney does not get it. His act of introducing the GST for paying down his uncontrollable spending and the deficits during his term has made him political poison in the minds of many Canadians. For myself .... I will never forgive him for the impact that his taxes and regulations had on me.

Good riddance is what I say .... and thank God PM Harper has flushed him (deservedly so) down a toilet.

As to the rift .... it is a rift of a few dozen Mulroney cronies and the entire Conservative Party. I side with the Conservative Party.

NASCAR: A Spectacle To Behold

Jacques Villeneuve is one of several drivers who will be in Montreal this weekend to drive in the Nationwide race. LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

From The Montreal Gazette:

Surely NASCAR has paid its scriptwriters a bonus for the plots they've cooked up for Montreal.

In just two years on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, stock-car racing has staged some wonderful theatre, the sublime colliding with the ridiculous in a crunching of sheet metal and screeching of Goodyear Eagles.

Read more ....

More News On NASCAR Weekend

All eyes will be on Fellows -- Edmonton Sun
This Week in Auto Racing August 28 - 30 -- Motor Sport
NASCAR notebook: Nationwide race in Montreal draws several Canadian drivers -- Autoweek
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series News & Notes - Montreal Preview -- Inside Track
NASCAR Nationwide Series: News And Notes - Circuit Gilles Villenueve -- Auto Racing Daily

Le Monstre Is On A Roll

La Ronde's wooden double-track Le Monstre roller coaster has been killing the competition from other Six Flags amusement parks in online Facebook voting. Photograph by: DAVE SIDAWAY, GAZETTE FILE, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Former premier Landry makes pitch for La Ronde ride in roller-coaster battle.

MONTREAL--We're in the semifinals and now the push is on to vote Le Monstre the best roller coaster in North America.

For weeks, Montreal's wooden double-track coaster has been slaying the competition from other Six Flags amusement parks in online Facebook voting.

Read more
....

Montreal: Your Ad Goes Here

A group of enterprising admen are seeking to brand the isolated, largely French-speaking city as “the perfect human laboratory” for global companies to test their advertising strategies

From The Globe And Mail:

When MasterCard Worldwide went on the prowl for a testing ground for a new big budget ad campaign using its “Priceless” tagline, the company was looking for a “purer” market with less exposure to U.S. advertising.

It chose Montreal.

“It's an isolated market with very little ‘spill' from outside,” said Lilia Tomovich, MasterCard's Toronto-based vice-president of brand marketing, citing a much lower level of U.S. advertising penetration compared with the rest of Canada.

Read more ....

Montreal World Film Festival Kicks Off

Claudio Colangelo (left) and Jean-Carl Boucher star in Ricardo Trogi's 1981,
which kicks off the film festival.


From The Montreal Gazette:

The circus comes to town when the 33rd Montreal World Film Festival (WFF) opens for business Thursday, Aug. 27.

And it’s not simply the three-ring fever that accompanies an event trying to stuff about 450 films from 78 countries into four venues in 12 short days and nights, until Sept. 7. Or the air of barely managed confusion that has come to surround the WFF over the years.

Read more ....

Housing Prices in Montreal Up In June, 4th Consecutive Month

From The Montreal Gazette:

Housing prices in Montreal rose again in June, the fourth consecutive month of advance, and finished the month up 2.4 per cent from a year earlier, according to the latest Teranet-National Bank national house-price index.

Montreal is the only one of the six metropolitan markets represented in the index that has yet to show a decline over a 12-month period.

Read more ....

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Documentary On Symphony's Trip To Arctic Screens In Montreal

Kent Nagano, right, conducts the Montreal Symphony Orchestra during the opening concert of its Japan tour in Tokyo last April. (Koji Sasahara/Associated Press)

From The Globe And Mail:

Last year's Arctic adventure by l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal will hit the big screen at the Montreal World Film Festival on Sept. 5, for the premiere showing of Tusarnituuq! Nagano in the Land of the Inuit.

The 52-minute documentary chronicles the OSM's first tour of the far north, which included performances of Stravinsky L'Histoire du Soldat in Inuktitut and collaborations with Inuit throat singers and Toronto composer Alexina Louie. Kent Nagano, OSM music director, will attend the screening.

Read more ....

Quebec Liberals Are Up In The Polls

Liberals Try Not To Gloat About Poll -- CTV

The Quebec Liberals wrapped up their two-day caucus meeting in St-Hyacinthe Wednesday as a poll indicates that Premier Jean Charest is in the driver's seat among decided voters.

The Crop-La Presse survey taken earlier this month indicates that the Liberals had 44 per cent support compared with 33 per cent for the Parti Quebecois.

Read more ....

My Comment: What is my take .... this is more of a reflection of how bad the PQ is .... not the Liberal Party.

Wind Power In Montreal

Hugues Leblanc on the roof of his apartment with his homemade windmill and solar panels, in Montreal, Tuesday August 25, 2009. He says that he gets about 100 watts of power from the setup. Photograph by: Phil Carpenter, The Gazette

New Quixote Tilts At Turbines -- Montreal Gazette

Hugues Leblanc has spent about $4,000 on wind turbines to save only $5 or $10 a month on his electricity bill, but he's nonetheless on the cusp of a movement of urban "self-generators"

MONTREAL--Hugues Leblanc has spent three years at war with a wind turbine.

His first model, an AirX horizontal-axis unit that he bought and installed in 2006, caused his ceiling to quake and filled his apartment with an alien whooping sound - "like a swirling noise, woowoow owowoow," he says.

Read more ....

Montreal News And Weather -- August 26, 2009


MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

Old Montreal merchants' group under fire -- CTV

Harel a hypocrite: Prescott -- Montreal Gazette

City investigating ex-public works director -- CBC

Ottawa might cede control of Ste Anne's Veterans Hospital -- Montreal Gazette

Toddler falls from window in Verdun -- CTV

Canadian financial fraud victims band together -- CBC

Gatineau teenager dies in rural ATV crash
-- CTV

Woman killed in St. Michel: "Important witness" in hospital -- CTV

Montreal mother of 2 killed at home -- CBC

Shafias lose bid to contact other children -- CTV

Trio charged in canal deaths can't talk to other kids -- CBC

St. Urbain Bike Path Unsafe, Bus Drivers Say

The union says bus drivers are forced to cross onto the path every time they make stops.
(Courtesy: FTQ)


From The CBC:

Montreal's bus drivers' union wants the city to move the bicycle path on St. Urbain Street from the west side to the east, claiming it's a dangerous route that makes accidents more likely to happen.

Drivers for the Montreal Transit Corp. have asked the city and the province's workplace health and safety board (CSST) to move the path from one side of the one-way street to the other.

The path currently runs down the west side of the north-south street – the same side as several stops serviced by the No. 55 bus.

Read more ....

Update #1: St. Urbain St. bike path dangerous: bus drivers -- Montreal Gazette

Update #2: Bus drivers say St. Urbain bike path unsafe -- CTV

Quebec Town Bans Noise On Sundays

Granby, Quebec

From The Globe And Mail:

City of 60,000 has passed a bylaw fining people who are too loud when conducting home repairs or auto-body work.

A bid to silence drills, chain saws and other power tools on Sundays has sparked a noisy row in the city of Granby, Que., where the hunt for tranquillity has come up against the new realities of the 24/7 economy.

The city of 60,000 has passed a bylaw fining people who violate a noise ban aimed at giving neighbours a break from builders and Sunday do-it-yourselfers.

Read more ....

Update: Quebec town bans power tools on Sundays -- CBC

H1N1 Vaccine Available This Fall

A swine flu vaccine dose, is seen at the Flinders Medical Center in Adelaide, Australia, Friday July 24, 2009. (AP / Aman Sharma)

From The CTV:

As many as 50 million doses of the swine flu vaccine will be available in Canada this fall, and the Quebec government has plans to vaccinate thousands of people per day against the deadly virus.

"We are going to be able to vaccinate at least 5000 people per day, so if we have 12 sites, we will be able to vaccinate 60,000 people per day in Montreal," said Johanne Frenette, a public health nurse.

Read more ....

Canadian Forces To Invest $108.8 Million In Quebec Defence Infrastructure

From The Canadian Press:

CFB VALCARTIER, Que. — The Canadian military will invest $108.8 million in defence infrastructure in Quebec.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay made the announcement today at CFB Valcartier, north of Quebec City.

The projects will be located in Valcartier, Bagotville and Montreal.

Read more ....

Update #1: Ottawa to spend $109M to improve Quebec defence -- Montreal Gazette

Update #2: Government of Canada Creates Jobs Through Defence Infrastructure Projects in Quebec -- Market Wire

Man Touched By Earl Jones Taint Meets With Layton

Earl Jones is hustled into a car before leaving the Montreal courthouse yesterday. He reportedly looked at no one but the judge during his arraignment. Photograph by: PHIL CARPENTER, THE GAZETTE, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL ­ Joey Davis, whose life has been consumed for the past eight weeks with getting answers and working with other alleged victims of disgraced money manager Earl Jones, went to Ottawa yesterday for a private meeting with NDP leader Jack Layton.

Davis’s mother is one of an estimated 150 people who saw approximately $50 million of their life savings, nest-eggs and estates vaporized in an alleged Ponzi scheme operated by Jones.

Read more ....

My Comment: Good for Mr. Layton to be involved in this. This type of crime screams for attention and harsh penalties.

George Bush To Visit Montreal

From CTV News:

Former U.S. president George Bush will visit Montreal this fall.

Bush is slated to speak at the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth Hotel on Oct. 22 in a private by-invitation-only luncheon.

Publishing house tinePUBLIC Inc confirmed the information Tuesday.

Read more ....

Update: Talk is cheap? Not for Bush's local speech -- The Montreal Gazette

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Quebec-Windsor High-Speed Train Would Succeed: Study

The long-talked-about fast train from Quebec to Windsor, Ont., has all the ingredients to succeed, according to the findings of a preliminary French study.

Quebec-Windsor High-Speed Train Would Succeed: Study -- Montreal Gazette

QUEBEC — The long-talked-about fast train from Quebec to Windsor, Ont., has all the ingredients to succeed, according to the findings of a preliminary French study.

Led by Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume, a coalition of cities has awarded a contract to the French railroad society to study the economic, social and environmental benefits of a high-speed rail system for communities along the route. The first draft of the report, obtained by the newspaper La Presse, says the project would be viable.

Read more ....

My comment: Another interesting project .... but with no money in the bank to pay for it.

Montreal News And Weather -- August 25, 2009


MONTREAL NEWS AND WEATHER

Blue-collar, city talks at impasse -- Montreal Gazette

Fraud victims create new national group -- CTV

Cegeps prepare for possible H1N1 outbreak -- CTV

Ticket traps? Not here, city says -- Montreal Gazette

Two-year-old boy drowns in backyard pool -- CTV

Quebec toddler drowns in family pool -- CBC

Live dinosaurs on the way, Montreal researcher says -- CTV

Mayor announces Forcillo will run again -- CTV

Rainstorm floods Montreal borough -- CBC

Mayor says washed-out residents can sue city -- CTV

Cyclist, 25, struck by tow truck -- Montreal Gazette

Skateboarder, 23, killed on rural Hwy -- Montreal Gazette

Cornwall businesses hurt by border post move -- CBC

Get tough on white collar crime: Charest -- Montreal Gazette

Boxer Dave Hilton arrested again -- CTV

Former boxer Hilton Jr. facing new charges -- CBC

Police looking for Plateau arsonist -- Montreal Gazette

2 arrested for assault, threats
-- Montreal Gazette

F1 Return Might Steal NASCAR's Thunder

Formula One drivers whip through the hairpin at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal 2007. Media reports suggest the F1 race will return to Montreal in 2010. Photograph by: Dave Sidaway, Gazette file photo

From The Montreal Gazette:

Reports suggest 2010 Grand Prix will make pit stop in Montreal.

MONTREAL – Organizers of this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200 had no comment Monday afternoon on an Internet report that has Formula One’s Canadian Grand Prix restored to the F1 calendar for 2010.

A report on a website based in France announced that F1 commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone had on Sunday shown team principals a copy of the 2010 provisional schedule during the weekend in Valencia, Spain, site of the European Grand Prix.

Read more ....

Update: No comment on latest Canada GP return reports -- Motorsport

Two-Way Bike Path Planned For University St.

Proposed new bike path showing University St. from Milton St. It's to be completed by next spring. Photograph by: City of Montreal.

From The Montreal Gazette:

Will link up Milton, de Maisoneuve

The city of Montreal has new plans to finally link the Park Ave.-Milton St. bike path to the de Maisonneuve Blvd. path, thus eliminating a dangerous gap in the network.

Once a 500-metre pathway is established, it is hoped that cyclists will no longer travel against one-way traffic down University St. in order to join up with the east-west corridor on de Maisonneuve.

Read more ....

Update: Montreal,McGill going greener with new bike path -- CJAD

Canadiens Will Wait For Olympic Stadium Game

Canadiens put on ice idea of hosting Capitals at Olympic Stadium in November.
Photo Globe And Mail


From Canada.com:

The Montreal Canadiens will not be playing a game at Olympic Stadium in November after all.

A plan to move the Nov. 28 game against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals from the Bell Centre as part of the Canadiens' centenary celebrations received the go-ahead from the National Hockey League's competition committee at the June entry draft in Montreal. But with the Montreal Alouettes expected to make a deep run in the Canadian Football League playoffs, the Canadiens decided there simply wouldn't be enough time to set up the Big O for a hockey game.

Read more
....

More News On The Canadians (Not) Playing In The Olympic Stadium

No Olympic Stadium game for Habs this year -- CBC
Canadiens shut down stadium game vs. Ovechkin, Washington -- Yahoo Sports Canada
Big O a no-go for Habs -- Globe And Mail
Habs nix stadium game -- Slam Sports

Montreal Opposition Wants Tougher Ethics Code

Vision Montreal mayoral candidate Louise Harel (left) and opposition leader Benoit Labonté say the proposed code of ethics for city councillors is "toothless." Photograph by: Allen McInnis, The Gazette

From the CBC:

Montreal's city hall opposition says it will push for an independent ethics commissioner and tougher penalties for elected officials.

The city's opposition party was expected to present its recommendations for a new code of ethics at a council meeting Monday night.

Former Vision Montréal leader Benoît Labonté says the only way to fight corruption at city hall is to name an independent person to oversee ethics investigations, one who can impose penalties on elected officials who violate the rules.

Read more ....

Update:
Vision Montreal says proposed code of ethics is 'toothless' -- Montreal Gazette

Update #2: Proposed council code of ethics "weak": Labonté -- CTV