Quebec Needs Full Inquiry Into The Construction Industry -- A Commentary

From The Montreal Gazette:

City hall should also end its practice of hiring companies to review tenders.

There was a stunning moment of truth this week. After months of denial, Mayor Gérald Tremblay admitted that "corruption" exists in what he called the "municipal world."

"There's a problem in Montreal. There's a problem in Quebec. There's a fundamental problem, and it's the corruption in the construction industry," he said. "It has been decades that people have been saying this in the the municipal world," where, he added, he found out that "brown envelopes circulate" as well.

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A Commentary From Red Fisher On The Sale Of The Montreal Canadians

I'll Miss You, George -- The Montreal Gazette

Are you as surprised as I am that owner George N. Gillett Jr. and the Molson brothers, Geoff, Andrew and Justin, have reached an agreement in principle for the purchase of 80.1 per cent of the Canadiens, the Bell Centre and Gillett Entertainment Group? I'm surprised that Gillett sold the team. Yeah, sure I am. I mean ... the last time I saw Gillett sneaking out of the building with a set of used goalie pads, his response to a question of whether or not he was selling the team was: "Uh ... oh ... (followed by a few deep breaths with gusts up to gasps) ... it's nothing more than estate planning." My pal George brought the 10-second interview to an end so quickly, I didn't have time to ask him whether or not I was mentioned in his will.

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Montreal Canadians Sold To The Molson Familiy -- News Roundup

Montreal Canadiens players salute the crowd after their loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of their NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal hockey game in Montreal, April 22, 2009. Photograph by: Shaun Best, REUTERS

Molson Brothers Buy Montreal Canadiens For $500M -- The Montreal Gazette

The Molson brothers - Geoff, Andrew and Justin - are proof that the early bird doesn't always get the worm.

The Molsons were the last group to enter the bidding for the Canadiens, but their efforts were rewarded yesterday when it was announced that they had reached an agreement in principle to buy a controlling interest in the team from George Gillett Jr.

The announcement yesterday ended speculation over Gillett's future in Montreal. On several occasions, he has denied that the Canadiens were for sale and said that he was merely reviewing his assets as part of an estate-planning exercise.

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More News On The Sale Of The Montreal Canadians To The Molson Family

Gillett agrees to sell Canadiens to Molson family -- CBC
Quebec Federation of Labour to help fund Molson family's Habs purchase -- CTV
Quebec Federation of Labour to help fund Molson family's Habs purchase -- Canadian Press
Molson family reaches deal to buy Montreal Canadiens -- Globe And Mail
Gillett agrees deal to sell Canadiens -- Press Association
What's old is new again: Molson's purchase Canadiens -- Canada.com
Molson family buys Canadiens -- Canada.com
New Canadiens owners have strong pedigree -- National Post
Molson family reaches deal to purchase Canadiens -- NHL.com
Fan reaction to Habs sale -- Montreal Gazette
Liverpool's money problems ease as Gillett sells ice hockey team -- The Guardian
Liverpool owner agrees NHL sale -- BBC

Two By-Elections In Quebec On Monday

From CTV News:

Voters will be heading to polls to cast their ballots in two provincial by-elections in Quebec on Monday.

The by-elections will determine who will replace former ADQ leader Mario Dumont in the riding of Riviere-du-Loup, and former Liberal finance minister Monique Jerome-Forget in the riding of Marguerite-Bourgeoys.

Liberal candidate Clement Gignac is considered the favorite in Marguerite Bourgeoys, a traditionally Liberal riding, but the race is tight in Riviere-du-Loup, where the Liberals and the PQ are both desperately trying to woo ADQ voters.

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Protesters March In Montreal To Support Democracy In Iran

From The CTV:

Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Montreal Sunday to show their support for pro-democracy demonstrators in Iran.

They gathered at Dorchester Square and proceeded to march east along Rene-Levesque to the Guy Favreau Complex, a federal government building.

Some of the protesters carried signs with pictures of the bloody conflicts taking place in Tehran, Iran's capital city.

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Update: About 400 protesters march in Montreal to support democracy in Iran -- Canadian Press

Black Eyed Peas Shine At Virgin Festival

Singer Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas performs the headline show at the inaugural edition of the Virgin Festival Friday night at Jean Drapeau Park. Photograph by: John Kenney, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

12,000 fans Simple Plan helps warm up crowd

MONTREAL - Black Eyed Peas saved the day. The inaugural edition of Virgin Festival Montreal got off to a slow start Friday, eventually drawing 12,000 fans to a chilly, cloudy Jean Drapeau Park - most of them coming around sunset to catch the headliners.

Luckily, the headliners delivered, bringing much-needed star-power to the proceedings. They mixed old hits (Let's Get It Started, Shut Up, My Humps and the unifying Where Is the Love) with new (Rock That Body, Meet Me Halfway and I Gotta Feeling, off their just-released album The E.N.D.).

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Impact Bounces Back From Humiliation

Impact midfielder Rocco Placentino fights Whitecaps defender Wes Knight yesterday at Saputo Stadium. Photograph by: Dario Ayala, Montreal Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

Impact 2, Whitecaps 1 Players rested against Toronto return to edge Vancouver again

It wasn’t the team’s best performance of the season, but neither was it the worst, which arguably came less than 48 hours earlier.

The Impact bounced back from Thursday’s humiliating 6-1 loss to Toronto FC in the finale of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship with a hard-fought and well-played 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps as the club returned to regular-season action in the United Soccer Leagues First Division before 12,287 at Saputo Stadium yesterday.

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Michael Phelps Wins In Montreal

Michael Phelps at Montreal City Hall, June 19, 2009

From CTV:

14-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps is competing in Montreal this weekend at the Canada Cup.

Saturday morning he posted a time of under 52 seconds in a qualifying heat for the 100 metre Butterfly.

He did much better in the actual race, with a career best time of 50.48 seconds, improving his previous best of 50.58, and just missing the world record by 8/100ths of a second.

The next race for Phelps is Sunday, where he will compete in the 100 metre freestyle.

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Update: U.S. star Phelps swims career-best in butterfly at Canada Cup -- Canadian Press

Summer Camps Brace To Battle The Flu

The Windsor Jewish Community Centre's Camp Yomee participants held a summer splash party Friday at the Jackson Park. Photograph by: Canwest News Service, Canwest News Service

From The Montreal Gazette:

OTTAWA -- With outbreaks of the H1N1 swine flu a real possibility this summer, directors of youth camps are urging parents to be straight with counsellors about any medical conditions their children may have, and to keep their young ones at home if they develop flu symptoms.

In many cases, camp directors are taking extra precautions to screen campers for signs of illness - coughing, fever, diarrhea, vomiting - in the hope of minimizing the spread of the virus.

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The Montreal Canadians Have Been Sold To The Molson Brothers

Brothers Geoff, Andrew and Justin Molson have reportedly reached a deal to buy the Montreal Canadiens and the Bell Centre. Photograph by: John Kenney, The Gazette

Molson Brothers Buy Montreal Canadiens: Reports -- The Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL - Montreal Canadiens owner George N. Gillett Jr. has reached an agreement in principle to sell the Habs and the Bell Centre to the Molson family, media reports say.

Confirmation of the deal is expected to come later Saturday, the reports say.

Brothers Geoff, Andrew and Justin Molson announced earlier this month they had placed an offer for the club. Gillett bought an 80.1-per-cent stake in the team on Jan. 31, 2001, the brewery keeping 19.9 per cent.

This is a breaking story. Details will follow.

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My Comment: If true .... this sale is going back to its original owners .... the Molson family.