Weekly Anglo Quebec News July 11-17 '09

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Every Saturday read a short, subjective weekly review of Quebec news with a Anglophone perspective.

A giant 'Madoff' type fraud has rocked the Anglo community in the West Island of Montreal. Earl Jones, an unlicensed investment advisor ripped off over $50 million before fleeing. Nobody, including his family has seen hide nor hair of him and police in Canada, USA and Europe are actively looking for him. The victims include elderly widows and pensioners as well as his own friends and family, who weren't spared. Some of the victims lost everything and will be obliged to sell their homes. In some cases people are so destitute that they have turned to Sun Youth to help them with food.

A woman was killed when a slab of concrete fell off a Montreal building and crashed through a glass atrium where a couple was celebrating her birthday in a Sushi restaurant on Peel St. in Montreal. The women's dining partner was her husband who sustained injuries to his hand and who is reported to have lost some fingers. The busy downtown street remains closed while engineers investigate.

Michael Jackson considered moving to Montreal because of a poll that indicated the majority of Quebeckers rejected the child abuse allegations against him. Link

Montreal Comedy Festival is under way. The premiere showcase of comedic talent traditionally takes the stage immediately after the end of the Jazz Festival, which this year was somewhat disappointing due to the the rainy weather, which ruined most of the outdoor shows.
Quebec's summer season is highlighted by countless annual of festivals held across the province. That being said, 84% of Quebeckers admit to attending none of these events.

Quebec City is named 3rd best North American travel destination by Travel & Leisure.

"Lola' loses court case. The wife of a Quebec billionaire has lost her attempt to have her common law marriage recognized and thus claim of $50 million from her husband. The court has placed a publication ban on the couple's identity, but they've been outed by a television reporter and their names are all over the Internet. The wife of Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberte vowed to appeal the loss. The judge held in her judgement that Quebec law does not recognize common law marriages and that those in favour of the concept should take it up with politicians. It's hard to be sympathetic to the plaintiff, she's collecting 50K a month in support, plus, plus, plus....

CRIME & PUNISHEMENT

(Weekly review of interesting crime stories and court room antics)

The inquiry looking into the shooting of Fredy Villanueva will be held this fall after the family of the dead youth pressured the government into paying for a legal team. Meanwhile two of men involved in that incident were arrested again.
The unfortunate shooting set off a cascade of events including multiple riots in Montreal North. The city caved to pressure and called an inquiry. The thugs are enjoying their notoriety and will have their day before an inquiry to heep scorn on the police, while the public conveniently ignores their ongoing criminal gang activities.

Arturo Gatti, Former Montreal boxing great, was murdered while on a second honeymoon in Brazil. His wife was arrested by police for the crime, who claim that she strangled the boxer after he passed out after a drinking binge. Gatti met his wife at a strip club in New York and his friends tried to talk him out of marrying her, claiming she was pyscho.

An 84 year old man living in a seniors residence, was arrested Tuesday after a care-giver was shot at Les Jardins de L'Aubade residence in Montreal's Saint-Léonard district. The shooter was wheel-chair bound will be given psychiatric evaluation. The victim remains in hospital in stable condition after being shot in the thorax.

A gang of hot looking thieves use their good good looks to distract people while cloning their debit cards. LINK

Basil Parasiris is out of jail. He's out on parole after serving 5 months of the 20-month sentence for storing firearms illegally in his home. He had plead guilty to weapons charges, including using an unlicensed gun, the revolver used in the killing of a Laval police officer during a botched police raid. Parasiris successfully argued that he thought the raid was a home invasion. He was found not guilty last June 2008.