I understand that taxi drivers could use a little extra revenue from advertising on their cabs but the other stuff quoted here by Andy Riga is just rubbish. Sticking ads on the roofs of taxis won’t “freshen up” or “rejuvenate” their image which wasn’t, in any case, in trouble, contrary to the ad sales guy’s claim. Taxis are what they are. So long as the car is clean – and, most particularly, that you can find one when you need one – it isn’t going to be improved by having an ad panel stuck on top.
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It’s an English story and an English film, but the Cinémathèque québécoise has contributed to the revival of a silent British film made in 1920 that hasn’t been shown for 80 years. The only viable copy was found in the Cinémathèque’s archives. I don’t know whether it will be shown here sometime after its relaunch in England.
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It’s the season for journalism awards. Lise Bissonnette, who was managing editor of Le Devoir and later the first head honcha of the Grande Bibliothèque, is getting a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Journalism Foundation.
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Chris Haney, who co-invented Trivial Pursuit when he was a photo editor at the Gazette, has died at 59.
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As if the pervasive forest fire smog wasn’t enough, there’s a big fire in an industrial plant in Saint-Léonard which may be belching toxic smoke.
Last night’s smoke invasion created a record particle level in our air, at least in modern times. I suspect 19th-century coal fires and industry might have been as bad.
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The forest fire smoke that drifted into town in the wee hours is the big local story today. The Gazette has a photo set about the fires and the media are full of anecdotes about people waking up in a panic, thinking their house or something nearby must be on fire.
Warnings are in effect for anyone with respiratory problems to stay inside or at least not exert themselves outdoors. The city’s air quality index page is the thing to keep an eye on. There are hints the wind direction may change today and whisk it away.
Five years ago we experienced a similar effect from forest fires.
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The Quartier des spectacles opened a new parterre yesterday on the east side of Place des Arts, with a lot of colourful balloons as shown above. It’s really just a piece of newly landscaped green space – might get greener if we get any rain. -
It’s kind of a non-story, news-wise: a plane made an unscheduled landing at Trudeau yesterday on a route from Paris to Mexico City and a man was removed because he’s on the U.S. no-fly list. Unnamed, the man remains in custody in Montreal. That’s the extent of the news because there’s no further explanation forthcoming.
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The city will have spent a good few thousands on police presence at hockey festivities while the Canadiens were winning.
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Ten of the city’s festivals have created a festival meta-group, the Collectif de festivals montréalais, in hopes of building our festival culture into a bigger draw internationally. Whether they’re also hoping to gang up on the government for more funding isn’t mentioned.
Later item from Radio-Canada mentions eleven festivals but lists twelve.
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The Gazette’s multiculturalism specialist reviews Montréal multiple, the book on the city’s cultural communities by two of her La Presse colleagues.
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Quebec money’s going to buy more green space to be added to the West Island’s Anse-à-l’Orme park.
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If you can smell woodsmoke, it’s coming from forest fires outside town. I just called 911 and it took awhile before someone answered: he said they were flooded with calls about it.
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One of the management perks offered at the SAQ, Loto-Quebec and Hydro-Quebec is access to private clinics – clearly a reflection of their assessment of the public system.
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Museums Day is in effect all day – whole schedule here in PDF format including info on the free bus shuttles.
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Nathalie Petrowski asks why the federal government capriciously withdrew its promise of funds for the FrancoFolies and has no answer, although it seems to have something to do with the whim of the deliciously named Christian Paradis whom the Conservatives appointed as their overlord of Montreal.
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The Gazette’s Linda Gyulai has nabbed a second major award for her articles on the water meter contract. I suspect she won’t be getting any bouquets from Mayor Tremblay though…
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Various rating systems, assessing this city’s quality of life, environmental responsibility and so on, assign it a not very impressive note despite our lingering belief in its livability. Unmentioned is one major factor that drags down its approval in almost all ratings: many people wouldn’t choose to come here and live through our winters.
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A body washed up ashore in Verdun today but it was neither Paolo Renda nor the woman from the kayak accident, but a man in his 60s who shows no signs of violence on his person.
If the woman from the kayak fell in near the Old Port I don’t see how she could be found upstream in Verdun.
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There’s another standing wave in the St. Lawrence besides the famous one next to Habitat 67.
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Some folks are extremely pleased about the city’s move on the development of the old Marianopolis grounds.
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That the original Baron Sports is closing down in Griffintown is less interesting than pondering what will happen to the distinctive building it occupies. I’m struck again by the ugliness of the ground floor now. Coolopolis had a then and now entry on the building two years ago, showing that it once had much bigger, nicer windows and more store frontage – back when that area clearly had some kind of street life. It would be great if a new owner could restore that look. Photo clip from Google Streetview.Later note: Coolopolis looked at this building twice. Here’s another then and now comparison giving a better idea how the building used to be part of a neighbourhood.
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Quebec wants to force an Outremont yeshiva to close: open for half a century, the institution offers mostly religious instruction, takes no government funding, and has refused to teach the official curriculum.
I can see both sides of this. It’s a traditional way of life and something will be lost if Quebec succeeds in enforcing strict educational uniformity on absolutely everyone. But this issue strikes at something we’re not all in agreement about, which is how much a child is the creature of its family and of its birth culture, and how much it is of the society and state in which it lives. Arguably, the yeshiva is preparing these boys to live life well within its terms, but what happens to any who later choose to leave the life of strict orthodoxy? How well will they be prepared for life outside? (Which is, of course, the last thing their parents want.)
In other educational news, the Charest government is apparently pondering making kids attend three years of private English school before allowing them into public English education. I don’t see who this helps except, of course, anyone operating one of those private schools. The article only hints at the byzantine twists of logic necessary when you try to justify denying access to education on any basis.
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Interesting item on the wide bounty of local beers and how much has changed since the corner dep only offered a choice between Labatt and Molson.
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Notes on Festivalissimo – the anarchist book fair – Marché de la poésie – Museums Day on Sunday – Globe and Mail notes on the FTA – upcoming Mutek and more Mutek – the history of the upcoming Fringe.
James O'Callahan 01:02 on 2010/05/31 Permalink
Yes! I’m smelling it.
Phew. Thanks. I’ve been wondering what it is!
sushi 01:21 on 2010/05/31 Permalink
wow, the smell is strong here in brossard. Hard to believe it’s coming from that distance away.
sherry 01:26 on 2010/05/31 Permalink
It’s in Cote St Luc too!
Johanne 01:28 on 2010/05/31 Permalink
Woke me right out of bed…terrible smell, burning the back of my throat, can see it here in Verdun too.
Michael Simonson 01:39 on 2010/05/31 Permalink
They have a recording in place now…I was definitely surprised to learn what the cause was. The moon is an interesting color though.
Glenn 04:47 on 2010/05/31 Permalink
Wow, I haven’t been able to sleep since 2am. Went around my building to check if anyone’s unit had caught fire. Incredible.