Quebecers Go To The Polls On September 4

Quebec Premier Jean Charest poses for a photographer with two tourists as he leaves a meeting with the province's lieutenant-governor accompanied by his wife Michele Dionne, Wednesday, August 1, 2012 in Quebec City. Charest called a provincial election for Tuesday, Sept. 4. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Quebec Election Called For September 4 -- CTV

QUEBEC - Premier Jean Charest has announced plans to call a provincial election vote on Sept. 4.

His office released a statement saying he will visit the province's lieutenant-governor at 10:55 a.m. today and request a dissolution of the legislature.

Should Charest win, he would tie a provincial record with four consecutive victories.

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My Comment: It is going to be difficult for Premier Jean Charest winning a fourth term .... but this is probably the best time for him to call a poll.

Montreal Drug Sting Nets 43 Tonnes Of Hash

Monster Drug Sting Nets 43 Tonnes Of Hash -- CBC

Drugs were destined for Montreal and Halifax.

Nine Montreal-area residents have been charged in connection with a massive international drug sting that nabbed more than more than 43 tonnes of hashish worth an estimated $860 million.

"Such a large quantity of hashish could have supplied every resident of a city of 10,000 with a daily dose for more than 11 years," the RCMP said in a release.

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My Comment: Wow .... that's a lot of hash.

Are The Liberals Prepping For A Spring Election?

PQ Warns That Liberals Are Prepping For Spring Election -- CTV

MONTREAL — Holding a leaked document in his hands, the Parti Quebecois' language critic revealed on Thursday what he thinks will be the Liberal government's first move to call a spring election.

In an event Yves-Francois Blanchet says is designed to make the party more appealing to French voters, Culture Minister Christine St. Pierre is expected to ask partners to sign a special declaration about the French language on April 27.

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My Comment: It's not going to happen. The Liberals suck in the polls .... and they know it.

Clashes Between Students And Police Reported

Students demonstrate against tuition hikes Wednesday, April 4, 2012 in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

On The Eve Of Negotiations, Two Arrested As Students Clash With Police -- CTV

MONTREAL — Two demonstrators were arrested on Thursday morning after a protest against the government's plan to increase tuition turned violent, leading to a confrontation between riot police and student supporters.

Pepper spray and riot shields were deployed as over 200 demonstrators blocked streets in downtown Montreal in a bid to shut down the area.

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My Comment: I am getting so fed up with these demonstrations .... the traffic jams that they cause .... and the dislocation that these students have decided to impose on me when I have nothing to do with this dispute. If they are looking for supporters .... here is a big hint .... you are losing those who have already paid for their education and who are now working to pay for yours.

Stop Targeting ‘The Other’ In Language Talk

Stop Targeting ‘The Other’ In Language Talk, Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil Says -- Montreal Gazette

Bill 101 must be rewritten, says Parti Québécois’s Yves-François Blanchet

QUEBEC — Kathleen Weil, Quebec’s immigration minister, and herself the daughter of a doctor who immigrated to Montreal from the United States, has had enough of constant suggestions by Yves-François Blanchet, the Parti Québécois language and immigration critic, that newcomers embracing English threaten Quebec’s French character.

“I find it really destructive to constantly target the other, the person that has come here,” Weil said after Blanchet released a leaked draft of a declaration the Charest government wants participants at a language summit next Friday in Montreal to endorse.

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My Comment: I have lived here for 52 years .... and the nationalist hostility towards immigrants has always made me shake my head. Kathleen Weil is right .... but such is the state of French Quebec.

Revenue Quebec Moves To Crack Down On Tax Evasion

Revenue Quebec Cracking Down On Tax Evasion -- CTV

Revenue Quebec is launching a multi-million-dollar ad campaign aimed at making Quebecers aware of the consequences of tax fraud.

With the tax deadline 14 days away, millions of Quebecers are sending in their returns, and the tax agency is hoping to cut down on tax evasion, an illegal practice which costs the government $3.5 billion per year.

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My Comment: Reading reports like this one gives me the desire to move to a place like Alberta .... where there is NO filing of provincial taxes.

Air Canada To Be Sued For Aveos Closure

Nearly 200 Aveos workers marched in downtown Montreal on Tuesday morning, destined for the private residence of Air Canada board member Pierre Marc Johnson. (Shari Okeke/CBC)

Quebec To Sue Air Canada Over Aveos Closure -- CBC

Workers stage demonstration in Montreal.

The Quebec government is taking Air Canada to court in an attempt to keep more than 2,000 aircraft maintenance jobs in Montreal.

Aveos, a subsidiary of Air Canada that was responsible for the upkeep of the company's planes, declared bankruptcy last month.

The firm started liquidating its assets and laid off 2,600 unionized employees.

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My Comment: Suing a company because another company has gone bankrupt is not going to solve anything .... or even get anywhere. This is all political theater.

Anti-Corruption Raids Net 14 Arrests In Quebec

Quebec buisnessman Tony Accurso was arrested in connection with UPAC raids Tuesday. (Radio-Canada)

Quebec Anti-Corruption Raids Net 14 Arrests, 47 Charges -- CBC

Quebec's anti-corruption unit (UPAC) made 14 arrests and laid 47 charges in a series of early morning raids on Tuesday north of Montreal.

The arrests include construction magnate Tony Accurso, who was taken into custody as investigators searched locations in Terrebonne, Mascouche and Laval.

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My Comment: This is a start .... what I would like to see are more arrests and more charges.

Montreal International Jazz Festival To Be Open With A Free Concert By Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright's new album Out of the Game is due April 24. Photograph by: Handout , Postmedia News files

Rufus Wainwright's Free Concert June 28 To Open Montreal International Jazz Festival -- Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL - Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright will open the 33rd Montreal International Jazz Festival with a free outdoor blowout concert at Place des Festivals on June 28.

Wainwright revealed the information to The Gazette during an interview a couple of weeks ago, but asked that it be kept off the record. The information was confirmed by jazz fest co-founder André Ménard in La Presse on Monday morning.

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My Comment: 10 more weeks (give or take) for the festival to begin.

Charest Denounces Student Leaders, Marois

Charest Denounces Student Leaders, Marois -- Montreal Gazette

Premier Jean Charest has denounced as totally unacceptable the refusal of student leaders and Pauline Marois to condemn the vandalism and social disruptions of the last few days.

In his first comments since returning from a trade mission in Brazil, a tough-talking Charest showed no signs of wavering in his government's intentions to increase tuition.

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My Comment: Charest now has an election issue if he should decide to call one in the next few weeks.

Government Offices, Metro System Vandalized By Tuition Protestors

A police officer looks at her phone outisde the damaged office of Marguerite Blais, the Quebec minister responsible for seniors, in Montreal, Monday, April 16, 2012. Police in Montreal are investigating several cases of vandalism that targeted mainly Quebec government offices early Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Ray

Government Offices, Metro System Vandalized -- CTV News

MONTREAL — Police in Montreal have arrested three 19-year-olds for vandalism Monday morning, believed to be in connection with the ongoing tuition protests.

Police rounded up a duo of young men after 5 a.m. for breaking and entering the CEGEP du Vieux Montreal. Another 19-year-old man was arrested for mischief later Monday morning.

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My Comment: Throw the book at them.

Update: The vandalism and metro stoppages are continuing.

Update: Finally.

Quebecers Are Still Smoking

Quebecers Still Lighting Up In Spite Of Smuggling Crackdown -- CTV

MONTREAL — The celebrated crackdown on cigarette smuggling has done little to reduce smoking in the province, according to the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control.

Co-director Flory Doucas is now calling on authorities to intensify efforts to reduce smoking in the province.

Doucas urges more measures to make smoking less attractive to consumers, particularly young ones. She would like to speed the process involved in putting unpleasant images on cigarette boxes. The photos depict illnesses suffered by smokers.

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My Comment: With Montreal's surrounding Indian reservations selling cigarettes unencumbered .... what do you expect.

Runner Dies In Montreal's 21st Marathon

The race began from the Jacques Cartier bridge at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday. (Photo courtesy race ambassador Bruny Surin, from his Twitter feed.)

Runner's Death Casts Shadow Over 21st Montreal Marathon -- CTV

MONTREAL — Tragedy struck the Montreal Marathon Sunday morning as a 30-year-old male participant collapsed during the race and died following the subsequent ambulance ride. Officials have not yet revealed further information.

The man fell to the ground at Rosemont and Pie IX, according to Urgences Sante spokesman Guy St-Pierre who said the man was likely killed by heart attack.

Many other racers were treated for various malaises, according to St-Pierre, who said it could be due to unseasonably humid weather.

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My Comment: it was hot and humid yesterday .... something that probably did not help.

Public Consultations On New City Electoral Map

Vision Montreal leader Louise Harel says city council is too big, and she wants public consultations before Mayor Gérald Tremblay and his Union Montreal party vote on keeping the current municipal electoral map. Photograph by: John Kenney, Gazette files

Harel Wants Public Consultations On New City Electoral Map -- Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL - City council opposition leader Louise Harel is calling for public consultations before Mayor Gérald Tremblay and his ruling Union Montreal party vote to maintain the current municipal electoral map until 2017.

Harel, leader of Vision Montreal, said the current roster of 103 elected officials is bloated. She noted the numbers of municipal councillors in Calgary and Toronto are much smaller.

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My Comment: Not going to happen. Mayor Gérald Tremblay and his ruling Union Montreal party like the system as is.

Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois Summons125 PQ Riding Presidents

The Parti Québécois's fortunes have tumbled in recent polls, and party leader Pauline Marois's popularity has taken a hit.

Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois Summons Riding Presidents -- Montreal Gazette

QUEBEC — Pauline Marois, the beleaguered Parti Québécois leader, has summoned the 125 PQ riding presidents to a closed-door meeting in Montreal on Saturday to prepare for a fall provincial election that Liberal Premier Jean Charest has said he has no intention of calling.

“We have no choice but to prepare,” PQ spokesperson Manuel Dionne said Wednesday.

Dionne said the Saturday meeting is “informal,” as opposed to the PQ’s formal “council of the presidents,” a periodic gathering that is partly closed, partly open to the media.

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My Comment: After the Bloc's decimation in the federal vote .... she knows that her own party has problems and is facing another electoral defeat.

Alouettes Lose To The Ticats 44-21

Ticats Defeat Als 44-21 -- Montreal Gazette

HAMILTON – Like the captain of what appears to be a sinking ship, Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman justifiably claimed he’s responsible for his team’s debilitating 44-21 defeat to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday afternoon.

“I hold myself accountable for our inability to be focused and our inability to be disciplined,” Trestman said. “It starts with me. It should.

“At the end of the day, as I told the team, I’m accountable for this. I didn’t have the team focused and we didn’t play a disciplined game. And I’m responsible for both.”

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My Comment: Yup .... the Als were destroyed.

Dalai Lama in Montreal This Wednesday

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gestures as he delivers a speech at the plenary hall of the state parliament in Wiesbaden August 23, 2011. The Dalai Lama is on a three-day visit to the German federal state of Hesse. Photograph by: Alex Domanski, REUTERS

The Dalai Lama in Montreal Wednesday -- Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL- The Dalai Lama will join controversial Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan in Montreal on Wednesday for a conference on world religions and peace in the aftermath of 9/11.

But rather than promising inspiration in a world plagued by religious tumult, the conference has already stirred up controversy and dissension as critics charge that the Dalai Lama is being duped into promoting Islamic fundamentalism.

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My Comment: He's arriving at the best time (weather wise) in Montreal.

Montreal's Place In The World

Montreal And Its Place In The World -- Montreal Gazette

So Montreal has once again failed to make the Top 10 in the "most livable cities in the world" rankings. Well, so what

MONTREAL - So Montreal has once again failed to make the Top 10 in the "most livable cities in the world" rankings. Well, so what?

We came in 16th this time in the widely touted Livability Survey conducted annually by Britain's the Economist magazine. We rated even lower, 24th, in this year's Monocle magazine Quality of Life Survey. In this one we came second-last among the 25 towns surveyed. Well, big deal.

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My Comment: I have traveled (and lived) in a number of places .... but I always end up back home in Montreal. Hmmmm .... that says a lot.

Remembering The Blue Bird Cafe Fire

The site of the Blue Bird Cafe fire is now inhabited by a parking lot. (Image Google maps)

Permanent Blue Bird Cafe Memorial To Recall 37 Fire Victims -- CTV News

MONTREAL — A permanent memorial will be installed on the site of the Union St. site of the historic Blue Bird Café fire, it was announced at a vigil Thursday night to mark the 39th anniversary of the blaze which claimed 37 lives.

"We're mandated to work with representatives of the family to come up with a suitable commemoration that will be ready for next year," said Executive Committee member Helen Fotopulos, who represented the city while speaking to those who gathered for the solemn occasion.

About 100 people attended the candle-lighting ceremony to mourn the mostly young Anglophones who perished in the fire set by two drunks refused entry into the bar.

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My Comment: A few years in jail for the culprits who committed this mass murder .... where is the justice in that?

Large Grocery Stores Closed On Labor Day

Sunday might be a good time to stock up on groceries, as such opportunities will be limited on Labour Day Monday (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Grocery Stores Among Establishments Closed On Labour Day -- CTV

MONTREAL — Bigger isn't always better when it comes to shopping.

According to provincial law, supermarkets and other stores of sized 375 square metres and more are required to remain closed on Monday on Labour Day.

Most offices will also stay shut, including financial institutions, and government offices.

Some municipal services will be offered. Garbage pickup and other roadside pickups vary according to municipality and borough, best check their websites (see below). In the case of the City of Montreal, residents can dial 311 to ask about services as the phone line service remains open for the day.

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My Comment: I just learned that right now.