Forbes is quoting a report from the city’s board of trade as claiming the Plan Nord could create multi-billion-dollar spinoffs for Montreal over the next 25 years. Canoe’s Argent section reports similarly.
Aaaaand, Thursday morning, a report that the UPAC is keeping a sharp eye on the Plan Nord for signs of corruption.
The UdeM is suspending some classes while the student strike lasts, while its own professors are condemning both the university management and the government for their poor reactions to the student actions.
Line Beauchamp is still insisting CLASSE condemn acts of violence and vandalism and they’re still holding out till their weekend meeting. This has to be the stupidest standoff in this whole affair, because the “violence” has been trivial and it’s so beside the point. Mme la Ministre, you have to actually address the problem, not put up arbitrary ultimatums to avoid talking about it.
Yeah, refusing to negotiate with the students that weren’t being negotiated with anyway isn’t exactly great statesmanship. Given the less-than-stellar performance of the Liberals in this matter and the lukewarm response from the PQ, I wonder who all these disenfranchised students will be able to vote for? I’d love it if the NDP ran a provincial campaign, I’d love to see these dinosaur parties get shaken up.
Beauchamp may be grandstanding, but the CLASSE’s reaction is just pumping her up. Seems like a pretty good opportunity to push back – ok, we condemn acts of violence on all sides (militants and police), now sit down and talk to us. Moreover, the CLASSE’s position, that it doesn’t have a mandate to condemn violence, is nuts. Is a general assembly of student associations really necessary to formally disapprove of acts of violence? Is that really the position of half of QC students?
It’s grandstanding and very deceptive considering FEUQ have also not denounced “violence” either. She just needs a reason to not have CLASSE at the table because she knows the Parti libéral-aligned FEUQ will sell out the majority of students as they did in 2006 (their membership is much lower now than it was then as a result and many students are very distrustful of them).
Also, why should the student groups denounce violence against chairs, desks, doors, and windows when the government has has yet to even comment on the very real violence against students at the hands of the police? One student has lost and eye and many others have been cut, bruised, and beat up by police batons, shields, and pepperspray.
CLASSE and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois (as spokesperson) can’t take any position without the mandate of the delegates at their weekly meetings. The organisation has no leader who can make decisions on the fly, all decisions have to be made by the student organisations who make up CLASSE as a whole. The topic of violence was discussed at the last meeting on Sunday and the general attitude was that no resolution would be made because it was not CLASSE who was organizing/involved in any of the acts of student “violence” and because the government had not condemned their own actual acts of violence against students.
You can tell its a bunch of students commenting here
I came across another CLASSE sponsored violent demonstration this morning..
They really need to denounce violence instead of condoning it. To say they need a committee to discuss the issue or they won’t because they aren’t responsible is ridiculous.
@ marco: what part of that article described [i]violence[/i]?
If the issue of condemning violence is so up in the air that each student association that’s a member of the CLASSE has to way in, isn’t the minister right? Arguing that the CLASSE can’t outright denounce acts of violence (on all sides) without taking a poll is just more grandstanding. At the least, Nadeau-Dubois himself (who we learned today has taken a series of personal threats against him to the police) could condemn acts of violence even if he’s unwilling to ascribe such a fairly reasonable and moderate position to the organization he – allegedly – leads. More to the point, if the CLASSE maintains that it’s not involved in propagating acts of violence, however you choose to define it, why is it so reluctant to take a stand? Perhaps most importantly, this is politics – the CLASSE can win the point by denouncing violence and forcing the minister into a position she clearly doesn’t want to be in, i.e., having to take the CLASSE seriously. Should the government enter into negotiations with an organization that is willing to tacitly accept that external agents may use violence to help it achieve its aims? Somehow I think most Quebecers would say no.
As far as the FEUQ “selling out” its membership, didn’t it work diligently to get the government to restore the $103 million it cut in bursary funding in 2005? Ask Pierre Reid if the students didn’t totally get their way.
mtlweblog has consistently been *the* forum for discussion about this issue. thanks kate.
@ Joey: Nadeau-Dubois doesn’t lead CLASSE, he is only the spokesperson. He only conveys the decisions decided upon by the membership of the organisation.
@ Ian: “I’d love to see these dinosaur parties get shaken up.”
Then why are you proposing the pseudo-socialist NDP when Quebec Solidaire is such an obvious non-dinosaur choice?
The vandalism at UdeM was pretty disturbing.
The trashing of the UdeM’s heritage building saddens me.
@qatzelok
Quebec Solidaire is a separatist party, and they apparently want to expand language laws. So they are probably not a choice for many Anglos.
ant6n, it’s endlessly irritating for me that the only way to vote against Jean Charest is to pick a separatist party. It’s not even that I fear separation. I do cringe from the constant waste of money and effort on the concept, as we’ve seen since 1976.
Kate, strictly speaking, that’s not true. There are many parties: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Quebec Though of course only a few have a realistic chance of winning, discounting small parties has the same problems as just nothing bothering to vote.
@Kate
I have less problems with separation than with language laws. The problem is that these come usually hand in hand. And parties who are separatist probably know that they can’t get a proper separate Quebec, so they always seek to expand bill 101 etc.
I have come to realize that to support federalism – and Anglo hegemony – means to support organized crime and corruption. So if you vote for Anglo parties “because you’re an Anglo,” don’t go putting down other dinosaurs.
@qatzelok
You don’t make no sense. Firstly, Quebecois culture is full of corruption; Secondly, they’re much more interested shoving their culture down everybody’s throat than the ‘anglos’. Also, disliking Quebec Solidaire is not about support for federalism necessarily, but dislike of language laws. Most people exactly are annoyed that there exists no left-leaning party that’s not interested in ridiculous and undemocractic language laws. Your attempts at being radical or whatnot often are just stupid plattitudes.
According to a new paper by two Irish computer scientists, Montreal leads indie music trends on Last.fm, in North America anyway.
The city comptroller has sent a file to the Marteau squad about a big piece of land in Rivière-des-Prairies that the city sold to a developer for a fraction of its value in 2006. Video from CBC.
The CBC video includes a segue to Quebec Liberal ties to the people arrested in Tuesday’s Marteau action. CTV also has a piece on municipal politicians’ connections but the city responded by affirming its collaboration with anticorruption squad UPAC as well as the SQ and the Charbonneau commission.
Despite charges from Tuesday’s arrests, Tony Accurso still has support from the Banque Nationale.
Corruption does pay! Too big to Fail! The positive contributions they make outweigh the corruption! If only Quebec was free we wouldn’t have these problems.
I actually don’t see your logic, and I don’t think I’m just being a thick anglo here. If Quebec wasn’t in Canada why would that make it less attractive to the Quebec government or to municipal governments to make deals with big construction firms?
It’s so obvious why people do it. You’re an elected official, you pass a developer some nice land extra cheap, he builds houses, he sells you one or two for your family members at a good rate, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. While all that goes down, they forget that it’s the taxpayer who compensates for the cut price of the land and the houses. And so many more things like this, more complicated sometimes, harder to follow the trail of deals and back-scratches, etc., but obviously going on all the time.
But what on earth does that have to do with Quebec being independent? How would a Quebec republic magically be more free of this stuff?
Sorry, I was just foreshadowing some of the ridiculous headlines I expect to see as this develops. (I believe SSJB used the “si le quebec etais libre” line in respect to the tuition hikes already this week, then CTV translated it awkwardly into “if quebec was free” which does NOT have the same meaning at all)
Via Andy Riga on Twitter, silent Youtube video simulations of an aerial view of the new Turcot and driving along A-15 north and 20 east to Decarie. No other traffic is shown on the driving sections, unrealistically.
Diligent language vigilantes have deposited 850 complaints at the Office québécois de la langue française about things in Côte-des-Neiges, NDG and Saint-Laurent that “don’t respect Bill 101.”
In all seriousness, I hope each of these infractions is punished to the full extent of the law.
Meanwhile, soiled linen bins are causing something of a crisis at Saint-Luc hospital.
If history is any guide, a few dozen complaints will turn out to be legitimate enough to warrant an investigation. The OQLF throws out something like 90% of complaints as being totally baseless.
I understand people need hobbies, but I have to wonder why my tax dollars pay for ‘em.
Oh, these were volunteer infraction searches.
They are always volunteer searches. Every few months the SSJB officially recognizes the person who makes the most complaints.
And while the volunteer (busybodies) may be free we’re certainly paying for the legwork to follow up on them.
When I lived in the Plateau I used to watch motorist after motorist turning onto Saint-Denis where an arrow light should have held them back from turning. As a pedestrian I found this habit potentially dangerous (it was a busy crosswalk – you sometimes saw drivers trying to force their cars through a crowd of walkers on weekend afternoons) and used to occasionally think about videotaping at that corner – keeping the licence plates in focus – and sending the tape to the cops.
But I realized this was nuts long before carrying out such a plan.
However, language laws are fundamental in Quebec and every infraction must be punished. Besides, it’s fun to watch. Pass me the maïs soufflé and a gros pepsi.
“Besides, it’s fun to watch”
So much fun to watch people being harassed and threatened. It’s awesome! It’s especially funny because it’s not happening to you. If you ever get in trouble with the law for something, no matter how stupid or unjust, be sure to let us know so what we can gawk and snicker.
Well, Kate does run a website in only English. Somebody should file a complaint! ;-)
Adam, it’s fun to watch because most of the complaints will turn out to be ridiculous and it’ll be interesting to see how it deliquesces in the media. Not because I’m glorying in schadenfreude, believe me.
As a Quebec anglo I can get angry or I can laugh. I prefer to laugh.
The cameras were there as the xenophobe Mario Beaulieu delivered the complaints. Seems like more of a publicity stunt. I’m sure many of those complaints will be laughed out.
I’m glad everyone is so mirthful. I get despondent about the already fractured state of human rights in this place.
In all seriousness, I hope that each and everyone who ever made a complaint in this case comes down with a serious and terminal case of cunt cancer.
These guys have pics on their front page website (where the photos change) of some of the offending photos the volunteers took:
http://www.cjad.com/
@ Adam: “people being harassed and threatened.”
Is this really an Ann Frank moment? Merchants who don’t respect language rules being fined?
Adam didn’t pull a Godwin, don’t try to create a straw man argument. Is this jackbooted thuggery? No. Is it small-minded pettiness supported by a vindictive bureaucracy? Yes.
Doobious get a grip.Thats exactly the kind of dumb ass reaction that is saught by Beaulieu and his minnions
Referendum 2016! Lets send these guys packing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Companies_based_in_Montreal
The STM has made its GTFS files open – get them here. Description of the GTFS specification.
Note that this data is about the static network scheduling. STM buses are not yet equipped with GPS systems for live updating, but that’s said to be coming in 2014.
If the Toronto tram data is any indication, lots of very intersting projects may emerge from
the live GPS data broadcasts. I can’t wait!
Now that most of the city’s older industrial buildings have been converted to condos, the city has passed a resolution to protect artist studios. The Plateau recently put a moratorium on condo conversions in part of its industrial area, but only for a year.
Tuesday’s arrests of Tony Accurso and a dozen others has shaken the world of construction collusion, says Le Devoir Wednesday morning. The Gazette lists the people arrested, whom Le Devoir describes as representing pretty much every business connected with construction – entrepreneurs, engineers, lawyers, elected officials.
The Gazette notes that because Accurso’s business are so ramified, some of them keep working despite laws about corruption making companies ineligible for public contracts. Accurso’s empire is so big that in some sense it can’t be allowed to fail, because it would mean halting too many construction sites and projects.
Martin Patriquin analyzes possible political implications of Accurso’s arrest.
I hate that excuse “This criminal empire runs too many important things, we’ve got to keep it running while still, somehow, bringing the ringmasters to justice” – Screw the construction industry. They made their bed, let them lie in it. A collapse of the industry would mean it could be rebuilt better. Short term chaos due to the collapse of the local industry would be a small price to pay for the new and improved industry that could be built in its place.
I tend to agree, but there’d be a huge domino effect from halting a lot of construction sites.
I just think “So what, they’ve got the ringleaders” There’s no way they’re going to catch everyone involved. And as long as there are people in the industry with a criminal mindset, corruption of one kind or another is always going to be present. If you let the industry collapse completely a lot of people who are innocent of any wrongdoing would be hurt, true, but it’s an object lesson. Don’t let your industry be run by criminals, even if those criminals pay you well. Even if, short term, working for criminals works out great for everyone, long term it means a collapse. If you don’t allow the collapse of the industry, there’s no incentive for the industry to police itself. If it can’t be allowed to fail the low level people will always tolerate criminality in the high level people. They don’t care who the boss is or what he does so long as they get paychecks. There has to be a reason for them to care, and that reason ought to be “Corruption gets rooted out, and when that happens LOTS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE GET HURT” If you never let your child cut or burn themselves they’ll never respect knives or stoves.
@Tux I think you have an overly simplistic view of the construction industry.
You may as well talk about a collapse of the banking industry, or the medical industry.
You can try to shut down individual companies — but when shell companies own shell companies, we need laws that can ban certain individuals from being involved in the industry.
Let’s not forget they are innocent until proven guilty. They shouldn’t cancel contracts on an accusation only.
The metro’s green line was closed down for a little while Wednesday morning because of a smoke bomb dropped at Beaudry. It’s long since back now.
Totally agree that Mme Beauchamp is grandstanding here. Don’t you think it’s just a little bit odd that they haven’t released any photos or made any arrests in the vandalism of her office? What, no surveillance cameras in a minister’s office? And what about the numerous acts of violence committed by the police — shouldn’t the government be condemning those?
Thanks for continuing to fight the good fight Kate.