Friday, July 5, 2013

French versus English Volume 88

This week in Quebec corruption

With the summer recess of the Charbonneau Commission, it would be reasonable to assume that news on the corruption front would peter out over the next month or two, but alas this certainly isn't the case.
It seems that the Quebec Tax department has taken up the slack and charged two infamous and notorious titans of Quebec's construction industry with hundreds of charges of fraud.

Tony Accurso and the various companies that he once owned have been charged with over 900 criminal charges of cheating the department out of taxes and so it is looking to recoup over $8 million dollars. Link
And in an announcement just a couple of days later, the department charged Frank Catania and his companies with almost 1000 charges of fiscal fraud. Link

On Wednesday, the police executed 15 search warrants and questioned another 15 people in relation to another tax fraud investigation, so the process continues.....

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Mr. Dressup?
In a bizarre story, the interim mayor of Laval, Alexandre Duplessis, has resigned, but not over allegations that he was involved in some illegal campaign financing (that case remains under investigation) but rather the more traditional sex scandal.
It seems that the mayor got into a pay dispute with an escort and accused her of shaking him down. Link
The cheeky owner of the escort service hit back hard going on television claiming that the mayor stiffed the escort for payment for a private party that the mayor initiated wherein he and the escort engaged in a girls night of dress-up, where the order of the day was trying on female underwear and dresses and applying makeup. Yeechhh!!!!!!!!

Once that allegation hit the airwaves, it was all over but the crying.
As for the mayor's job....NEXT!!!

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By the way, UPAC, the corruption police have a new target on the radar scope, the city of Granby and the ruling party which is suspected of illegal campaign financing as well.

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In a weird turn of events, UPAC served a warrant on the Charbonneau Commission to seize the $700,000 that was turned over to it by a Laval political fixer. The money was seized via a warrant to preserve the chain of custody and will be used as evidence in future criminal prosecutions.

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"Trust me, I'm not under investigation!"
Questions are being raised about UPACs behavior in the investigation of Michael Applebaum.
Clearly he was under investigation while he was campaigning for the interim-mayoral position, yet the police said nothing even though they were pretty sure he'd be soon be arrested.

Now it would have been unethical to announce publicly that Applebaum was under serious investigation, but a leak to a friendly journalist would have saved the city a lot of embarrassment. Let us remember that Applebaum vehemently denied that he was the target of a police investigation in light of the raids conducted on his office by UPAC, clearly what he and UPAC knew to be a bold-faced lie.
The question remains as to whether UPAC had an obligation to somehow set the record straight about the raids in light of Applebaum's false statements.

 ***************
Swiss police claim they have wiretap evidence proving that SNC-Lavalin made millions of dollars in illegal payoffs  in relation to the awarding of the Montreal super hospital contract. Link{fr}.

Now French police are investigating another case of SNC-Lavalin illegal payoffs; 
"The paper said French police are looking into $13.5-million of suspected kickbacks to someone based in the United Arab Emirates. It said an external auditor first discovered the sum as an anomaly in SNC Europe’s books and that the money appeared to have nothing to do with the company’s European business." link

Quebec minister's demands are a 'bridge too far.'

Gaudrealt: "..Gimme dat ting!, Gimme dat ting!!"
If ever there was an award for political 'Chutzpah', Quebec Minister of Transportation Sylvain Gaudreault would win hands down for his rolls-Royce demands that Ottawa pay for a diamond-plated bridge to replace the crumbling Champlain span connecting Montreal to the south shore.

I'm not really sure why it falls to Ottawa to pay for a bridge that lies completely within Quebec's borders, but apparently it does.
At any rate Mr. Gaudreault sent a letter to his federal counterpart, Denis Lebel,  chock full of hilarious demands.

Now if you are one of those readers, furious at Quebec's sense of entitlement, I heartily suggest that you calm yourself before proceeding to the details, or alternately, skip ahead to the next story...

 First, Mr. Gaudreault explained that tolls were out of the question because they weren't equitable (and for the fact that Ottawa would get the money to pay for and maintain the bridge) because it penalized poor people and slowed traffic down. He wants Ottawa to pick up the $5 billion tab exclusively and without conditions.
The fact that Montreal's newest bridge connecting Laval to eastern Montreal is a private toll bridge, is of course of no never-mind.

Then Mr. Gaudreault demanded that the bridge include a light rail system of Quebec's choosing that Ottawa would, of course pay for as well.

And then, for the cherry on top, the Minister demands that the bridge be an expensive architectural gem, a symbol worthy of Montreal as an international city.
To whit, the minister demanded that an international competition between world renowned architects  be held in order to secure the most lavish and expensive vanity prize.
I wonder if the minister recalls the last great Montreal project built by a renowned 'international architect,' one Roger Taililbert.

The whole affair reminds of the family member who orders an expensive appetizer, and a pricey bottle of wine to accompany the five-pound lobster he ordered, just because it was an uncle picking up the tab at the family reunion at Gibby's.
For those unfamiliar with the Yiddish word Chutzpah, here's an English expression that aptly describes such behavior...'Unmitigated gall!'

"They don't build'em like they used to!
Now what really amazes me is the fact that the ministers involved seem perfectly comfortable with the ten-year plan to build the bridge.
TEN YEARS!!!!! ...you've got to be kidding!

It only took around thirteen years to build the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and that was 143 years ago!
That was without computers or even motor-driven vehicles or power tools!

The George Washington Bridge, the behemoth 14 lane masterpiece over the Hudson in New York, was built in four years, back in 1927, as was San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge, built also in four years starting in 1927.

And by the way, all these bridges remain highly functional today, the average age between them, about 100 years.
Our Champlain bridge in Montreal is but 52 years old and on life support.

Readers, I bet the Chinese could knock up a new Champlain Bridge in under  eighteen months, they built a 27 mile ocean bridge (seven times bigger than the proposed Champlain replacement) in about four years. Link

Think I'm kidding?
Watch the Chinese erect and complete a 30 story hotel in 15 days!


  
How long would it take to build here? One, two or three years?


PQ loses gun registry appeal in Quebec's highest court.

In a unanimous and brief judgment, the appeal court found Quebec has no say in what Ottawa does with data in the federal long-gun registry that is now defunct in every province and territory except Quebec.
“Quebec has no rights over the data,” Chief Justice Nicole Duval Hesler wrote on behalf of a five-judge appeal panel. “The data does not belong to the province, the provinces exercise no control over the data, it is the sole responsibility of the director of the registry – a federal civil servant – from the moment the data is collected until their destruction.”  Link
The PQ government reacted swiftly, promising to appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court of Canada in a cynical and devious political manoeuvre where the inevitable loss would serve the PQ's purpose.

Readers, when you lose an appeals court verdict, 5-0, there's not much chance of succeeding in a higher court and the PQ knows it.
But it prefers and in fact is drooling for a loss in the Supreme Court rather than in it's very own Quebec Court of Appeal. Such is the politics of sovereigntist governance,

The Supremos must do us all a favour and quickly decide not to hear their case, making the gun registry loss a Quebec court issue.

If the Supreme Court foolishly decides to hear the appeal,  they are doing a disservice to the country and so I hope they quash the appeal as soon as possible.

Quebec City fretting about NHL franchise

It seems that the NHL's agreement with the city of Glendale, assuring that the Coyotes will be there for the foreseeable future has delivered a painful reality check to fans in Quebec City who were holding out hope that the franchise would be moved to their fair city.

PQ minister Agnès Maltais shared her disappointment with the Press but insisted that the new 'Field of Dreams' arena (build it and they will come) remains necessary with or with out an NHL LNH franchise.
That being said she deftly handed off responsibility to Quebec city Mayor Regis Lebeaume, calling it his baby, just in case the worst happens.

The palpable disappointment has some local writers and sportcasters musing that Quebec doesn't have what it takes to be an NHL franchise, with fans that are too poor to pay NHL ticket prices and little in the way of corporate sponsorship. Listen to a radio show in French
By the way, listening to the show you might be inclined to believe that commentator read my piece published the week before entitled: PQ & Péladeau Holding Back NHL Franchise in Quebec. 

But the truth is that Quebec is the most viable market available to the NHL, hands down, as long as the Toronto Maple Leafs assert their territorial rights to block expansion to Hamilton.



At any rate, the news of the Coyotes agreement set off a wave of disappointment high lighted by this ad placed in Kijiji, offering the new arena for rent.....


Odds'n Ends

A reader sent in this email and asks if anybody else has had the same experience.
"In 2011 I moved the headquarters of my federal corporation from Montreal to out of province. Almost like clockwork, 1 month after the PQ took power, we received a letter from Revenue Quebec stating that they are considering us a "compagnie mondiale" and are asking for an addition 2% on all our source deductions back to 2008. We called and explained that we simply moved to another part of Canada, but they said that since we didn't answer within 10 days, their decision was final (it takes letters approximately 10 days to reach me from Montreal). We have since spoken to them and they are willing to accept summaries of our federal T4's which we need to produce by Friday. I am wondering if this is blatant harassment of companies that leave Quebec and I wonder if it is more widespread. Have you heard anything about this from your readers? Could be an interesting story."

Joke of the Week
 "For those who haven't heard, Washington State just passed two landmark laws: "Gay marriage" & the "Legalization of marijuana".
 The fact that gay marriage and marijuana were legalized on the same day makes perfect biblical sense because Leviticus 20:13 says: "If a man lies with another man they should be stoned."

(S/O to Judy)
 
The rehabilitation of Quebec’s Maurice Duplessis


"To listen to the apologists of the Quiet Revolution, Quebeckers under Duplessis lived a benighted existence under the thumb of the Catholic Church, denied the economic opportunity available to other Canadians, and particularly to their neighbours in prosperous Ontario. ".......
......The historical record, as set out in Mr. Geloso’s book and other recent works, says otherwise. Duplessis’s was an era of unprecedented expansion of the economy and public services, closing the gap with Ontario at a rapid clip." Read a fascinating article in the Globe and Mail


BTW (By the Way) Two new acronyms for this blog... S/O "Shout out"   P/W 'Paywall'


Here's an interesting ad;

'Moving Day' replaces 'Canada Day' in Quebec Best Buy ad

 Quebecers work almost three weeks less a year than Ontarians. Link{fr}

Poll: Quebec 'worst managed,' 'least friendly';


Read the complete survey results here

What's wrong with this picture?

I was watching an episode of 'Magic City,' a television series surrounding Miami Beach circa 1959, featuring the trials and tribulations of a Jewish hotel owner, backed by the mob.
In this episode, that is accurately dated by its storyline which includes Castro taking over Havana and closing the casinos, a view of the front of the hotel had me scratching my head.
Can you identify the gaffe?



Montreal Canadiens sign  francophone has-been.

I wrote this over a year and a half ago, the fact that Canadiens are having trouble attracting talent, especially francophone Quebecers.
"This coupled with the strange fact that francophone stars eschew Montreal as well, ensures that the team is on a downward spiral, sucked into a linguistic black hole, never to escape....
.....Agents of star players will cross off Montreal from the list of acceptable destinations and so the Canadiens will choose from has-beens, also-rans and aging veterans closing out their career. Its already happened, but no one will admit it."  Language Flap Damages Canadiens Brand 
And so the Canadiens signed Daniel Briere, the very same player who rejected Montreal out of hand when he was a hot property six years ago, enraging fans who have booed him on every visit to Montreal.

No doubt there will be joy in Mudville tonight, but lets us remember that after a disastrous season, Briere was bought out and tossed aside by Philadelphia Flyers like a bad burrito.
All I can say about the Canadiens signing him is summed up in the line that got by Sean Avery dumped from the New York Ranger...."Sloppy Seconds'

How did the signing go over ?
Well the language militants are thrilled to repatriate and a francophone to the team, but hockey fans are not so impressed.
Read the vicious comments below a story on the signing in La Presse, entitled Six Years Later. Ouch!!


Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks, especially for beating the Bruins!

CLICK HERE if you'd like to see more Ice Girls!

Have a great weekend

Bonne fin de semaine

50 comments:

  1. What's wrong with this picture: Castro took over Cuba in 1959, when Canada flew the Red Ensign; the Maple Leaf flag was only adopted in 1965. Canada’s Red Ensign was famously featured in the opening scene with a chess sequence against Czechoslovakia in the second James Bond film, “From Russia with Love” (1963).

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  2. And yet another "great" mayoral candidate for Montreal. God help us if this is the kind of people that are voted into positions of power in quebec:
    http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Sovereignist+Michel+Br%C3%BBl%C3%A9+mayor+Montreal/8616419/story.html

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    Replies
    1. Sorry Laurie - I see you noted this guy on the last thread - oh well, more to read about his way of thinking I guess. What a nut!

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    2. No problem Cutie. The more people that see this the better.

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    3. Actually Laurie the whole thing is laughable but sad. That they even think they will get elected to run a dog pound should be given serious thought by these maniacs. Sometimes the whole thing makes me want to cry and other times I just want to join the dogs that are in the pound. Unless the mentality of these people change, we will never, ever get this province back on the road to any prosperity. When, if ever, will they learn they are not "special" = we are all just people trying to survive and get along in this tough world and the more we fight with one another, the worse our situation will be. I just want to knock heads together sometimes. My depressing thoughts this evening.

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    4. @cutie003

      what's wrong with michel brulé, mate? you forgot to mention even one fact that would support your radical judgemnt.

      Delete
  3. Editor,

    Based on my experience in construction environment in Asia and in Montreal, constructing such structure in such short time here is really impossible. We can see that the works are done in 360 hours, not just 15 days. Thank the construction union, the working conditions in Quebec:

    1. Works are done from 07:00 to 15:00 everyday. Anything before and after that is overtime with overtime pay.
    2. No works on weekends and holidays, of course. Doing so? Another overtime, this time even more expensive.
    3. And of course no works whatsoever during 2 weeks in summer (construction holidays) and in winter (Christmas - New Year).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You hit some of the problems/differences spot on. You forgot a couple of things:
      1. rigid job definitions that reduce productivity - the thing we see when four guys are standing around and one guy is actually doing something down a manhole.
      2. extortionist union salaries that have made the cost of building anything prohibitive. OK China salaries are the other extreme but does a Quebec welder really deserve $100 an hour or more on overtime?
      3. Canada and Quebec have imposed burdensome "community consultation" processes, which provide a pretext for the NIMBY types to whine and impede development, and "impact studies" that are often aligned with the whiners' views.

      As someone who has spent months in China over the past decade, I am constantly impressed by the ability of the Chinese to build stuff efficiently and in a timely manner. They built 500 km of magnificent subway in a couple of years in advance of the Beijing Olympics. And their subway system puts the Metro to shame.

      Delete
    2. They built 500 km of magnificent subway in a couple of years in advance of the Beijing Olympics.

      Really? That’s rather surprising because since it first opened in 1969, the Beijing Metro network has grown to 456 km of track in total. Admittedly, that makes it the second-longest subway system after Seoul, and the third-busiest after Tokyo and Seoul, but still…

      Delete
    3. Hi Troy!

      Yes, I've had indigestion all weekend having to eat my words re Daniel Brière. It's off the topic of this thread, but very much on topic of this day's blog and a carry over from what I wrote in the Ayatollah blog.

      The worse indigestion comes from the fact the Habs signed this has-been who will score a dozen-or-so goals next season - maybe! PK Subban just won the Norris Trophy for $2.75 million each of two years while this has-been yutz is getting $4 million over the same period for maybe a couple of dozen goals over the next two years. But what the hell? DB is francophone. That's all that counts - that is, until the media starts hounding him for what will likely come across as substandard play. The fact Subban is the first Hab to win the Norris Trophy in over half a century I guess doesn't mean much as long as they have another French speaking mouth on the team.

      Now that this franco has-been will be getting $4 mil for very little production, Subban will ask the moon and the stars during the year as his contract expires in less than a year from today. Now that the Habs have eaten $4 mil in wasted cap room a year from now when they regret the Brière contract, will they have the cap room to pay Subban? It's not a question of money itself since the Habs are the third richest hockey franchise in the League, but cap room is the equalizer. Where was Brière six years ago when he was a hot commodity leaving Buffalo? I think as a result of this, we'll be kissing the first Norris trophy winner in over a half century here good-bye by next July 1st...all in the name of language.

      I used to say to Leafs fans as long as ten years ago the Habs will win another cup before the Leafs will. Now I'm not so sure. In fact, the Leafs build a bigger, stronger team this past season and they'll be even bigger and stronger than this past season. Gee, while they're at it, why didn't the Habs trade Carey Price for Jonathan Bernier? Price is not a winner, and Bernier is francophone. Habs' loss is the Leafs' gain. Oh, and notice how the Leafs discarded to ex-Habs recently? Not francophones, mind you.

      Finally, that rag, a.k.a. Journal de Montréal article is spot-on. Goes to show it doesn't take rocket scientists to show this is a bad signing.

      Excuse me, I have to drink a half bottle of Pepto Bismol now as the heartburn is rampant!

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    4. Mississauga,

      The thing that eats me the most is the fact that the Flyers did buy out Briere contract. Basically they gave him a Scott Gomez treatment. Yet the Habs took him in with open arms. Is there something Marc Bergevin knows that Paul Holmgren does not know?

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    5. Troy, time will tell, so all we can do at this point is keep our fingers crossed!

      Delete
    6. @troy & @sauga

      i agree. i doubt signing daniel brière was a good move. but if he becomes just one of a dozen french canadians with the team, then it could be 1993 all over again.

      Delete
    7. It was a wise business decision by the Flyers to buyout Briere. Look at Briere's contract :
      http://capgeek.com/player/749

      His salary of 3 million for the next season is alright for a 40-50 points forward, however that cap hit of 6.5 million was just too high for the Flyers. He got bought due his cap hit, not his salary or his performances.

      Also, I don't feel bad for Briere, had he not been bought he would have made 5 millions over the course of the next two years. However, with his new contract and his new contract, he'll make 9.6 millions during that same period.

      Delete
    8. *his new contract and his buyout money

      Delete
  4. As for the Champlain Bridge replacement, I hope the feds keep saying "NO" and tell the separatists to stuff it. The line has to be drawn for these people and this is a good opportunity to do so. They'll whine and say "look, if we didn't have the federalists telling us what to do we'd have a wonderful new bridge"; the usual BS. Why on God's earth should the ROC pay for this bridge? The feds asked for it to be a toll bridge to help pay but NO say the separatists. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered, they would still have found something to be critical about the feds for anyway. I hope Harper tells them to stuff it unless they use common sense and work with them to find a less costly way to do this and any other project they want the feds to fund. It's got to stop and now is as good time as any.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Editor writes:

      I'm not really sure why it falls to Ottawa to pay for a bridge that lies completely within Quebec's borders, but apparently it does.

      Cutie003 writes:

      Why on God's earth should the ROC pay for this bridge?

      The answer I think is that the bridge spans across the St. Lawrence Seaway, a Federal property. Therefore, it is the Federal Government's responsibility to provide and maintain crossing above the Seaway through the Federal Bridge Corporation, with the standards acceptable to the Seaway.

      Delete
    2. Then it only makes sense Troy that the feds have a say in how and when it's built and if to charge tolls or not. Despite what the separatists say that is. If they feel that they can lay undisputed claim to this bridge (the separatists that is) then the ROC should not have to put one cent into it. Just another way to prove that they can live without the ROC money that they say they don't need or want but always have their hands out for. If the feds pay for it, then they should be able to claim it for Canada when quebec leaves confederation - right seppies? Just like they think they can lay claim to all federal land and buildings that are in quebec should they vote to leave Canada. Greedy, unrealistic idiots.

      Delete
    3. Let's make this as simple as possible. If this bridge were built in another Canadian province, would the federal government assume the full cost? NO. Then why should Quebec get special treatment?

      No, wait, I take that back. Quebec SHOULD get "special" treatment. As reprimand for violating Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, among other criminal actions, Quebec should not get one damn cent from the federal government towards this bridge. In fact all transfer payments from the federal side be suspended (or drastically cut) until it lifts these draconian laws that violate basic human rights. Like a parent who cuts off a child's allowance as a punishment, the same needs to be done to Quebec.

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    4. Yep Apple - we're on the same page again.

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    5. I might be wrong, but I remember reading somewhere that the bridges across bodies of water linking Canada to Us are cared by the feds. The bridges within a province are kept by the province, EXCEPT Champlain bridge, which is repaired by the feds, as part of I-dunno-which-accord. cannot remember where I read it, tho'

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    6. The Champlain Bridge was a toll bridge for a long time. I don't know though if it was fully paid for when the tolls were abolished, but considering all the maintenance that it has cost, I don't imagine there is ample funding to pay for all the maintenance for the last however many years tolls have been abolished.

      This next bridge should be tolled perpetually, unless Quebec wants to take over the maintenance. All the bridges should be tolled because of the costs of these lousy bridges that haven't lasted anywhere near as long as bridges in other countries, save for the Victoria. Even that bridge is far more delicate than it was.

      The bridges crossing the Niagara River are all toll bridges, and the one I used recently (the Whirlpool) is about as short as the bridges crossing the Lachine Canal on des Seigneurs and Charlevoix Sts., and the charge is $3.50 return (CAD or USD). Ante up, Quebec!

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    7. Forget about the tolls, Mr Sauga. Let the bridges crumble. Many would happily take a boat to Montreal before they will pay a toll. I'll just get my kayak. If it flips over, commuters can just tell their boss that they worked up a sweat while they were running to work. Bosses love hard working, dedicated people like those who exercise routinely. It will also help attract more tourists as well. Montreal can be the "Venice of Canada"

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    8. The people of Quebec need pride! They should not accept 5 billion dollar bridges that take 10 years. this is totally unacceptable.

      We need to dream big. We need a 20 billion dollar bridge built over 30 years that lasts 10 years afterwards before it falls down.

      That's the kind of proud construction project we expect.

      It's true the Victoria bridge lasts a century and was buolt in years not decades without power tools of any kind.

      The Quebec people cannot accept such work. This is un-natural. They probably had no overpaid union leaders and criminal engineering firms to guide them to make it much longer.

      Simply by taking lazy quebec workers that work from 7-3 5 days a week and goign to 24x7 with 3 shifts and lots more emplyment any project can get done in 30% of the time.

      This totally unacceptable to Quebecers however. We asked the union leaders and they said they are NOT going to be onsite at 3am in the morning to divert construction materials from the new bridge to their houses and other construction projects.

      We prefer to cause traffic jams for the next 30 years instead of serving the population or city.

      It will all need about 50 years of endless "enviromental studies" before construction can start anyway. Basically it's unlikey to happen in the lifetime of anyone reading this.

      IT's typical Quebec logic. Exactly like the new hockey forum in QC. Built it and they will come. The seppies figure they can make traffic totally unbearable with all the construction and poor bridges to force people to eventually use public transportation.

      Seppies havn;t learned yet that the stadium will be empty for decades. In the same breadth of logic they don;t realize they eill never get people into public transport as they hope.

      Better to plan for a future road network of google self driving cars then STM buses.

      google fleets of self driving cars are the future of public transport.

      Hmm seppies better start banning self driving cars now.

      We can't have self driving metro (what would the seppies driver do? Goto school and get educated?) in Quebec. We certainly can;t allow American self driving cars.

      The only important factors in any decision in Quebec is

      a} does it disadvantage anglophones more then francophones?
      b} does it cost more then necessary?
      c} is it to the advantage of a Quebec PQ insider?
      d} Can enough largesse and cash be passed around?
      e} does montreal pay for it while the hinterland benefits?

      etc


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    9. FROM ED
      We need the bridges built by a good English company, like Dominion Bridge and Engineering whose
      studies world wide not just in Quebec. The magnifisence of the Jacques cartier Bridge and the stability after all these years is what we need. The Victoria bridge is as safe as when new because the Canadian national Railways who built it kept up maintenance. The Champlain was fine until 1976 when the PQ government elected to stop painting and protecting it. The Mercier suffered the same fate. Ed

      Delete
    10. Why do the feds need to pay for a new bridge? Because the old bridge is already their's and it's falling apart. I don't think that they should pay for it alone. 40-40-20 (CA, QC, Mtl) should do it. Having a say into it from the feds is important, otherwise all the contracts will go to the wrong companies that stick their money in non-existing subcontractors and other bottomless pits.

      I'd really like to see a light rail transportation system that's fast, efficient and fail-safe. However, knowing Montreal, any attempt of suburban public transport is just a big disaster. Take the train de l'est for example: that just lacks any proper planning and is a huge waste of money for a train that, again, can hardly make it over 50km/h and will just drive twice a day during rush hour.

      @cebeuq: the metro is actually already self-driving. The operator only closes the doors and takes manual control if it needs to catch up with schedule, when turning the train around, driving it into the garage or having to deal with emergencies.

      Concerning the moving day/Canada Day sale: why are the products more expensive in Quebec, even before taxes!? As if Canada isn't already expensive enough for technology.

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  5. Editor,

    I also need to question the data of NHL avidity. There, it puts GTA with 52% avid NHL fans while Montreal at 48%. I have to question those numbers.

    In Montreal, sports fans are only served by three professional sport teams, the Canadiens, the Alouettes and the Impact. The GTA has seven, in order of their perceived popularity:

    Maple Leafs (NHL)
    Blue Jays (MLB)
    Raptors (NBA)
    TFC (MLS)
    Argonauts (CFL)
    Rock (NLL)
    Marlies (AHL)

    In addition, the Buffalo Bills of the NFL makes their annual regular-season visit to Toronto. And if we expand the GTA into GTHA (Hamilton), we have:

    Tiger-Cats (CFL)
    Bulldogs (AHL)

    So my point is that I can not see Montrealers to be less affectionate to the Habs than Torontonians to the Leafs since Montrealers do not have that many options to choose.

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    Replies
    1. Also, since when does Toronto have 10 million people? Is all of Ontario considered Toronto now? I'm not sure that Sens fans would be happy about that.

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    2. I glad you qualified your ranking of team popularity in Toronto with "perceived." If you rank those same teams by the average TV audience per game in the GTA, it goes:
      1)Leafs
      2)Argos
      3)Jays
      4)Raptors
      5)TFC
      (I've only seen those 5 teams listed - not sure where the Rock would fall, but I'd estimate it'd around TFC)

      I thought the same thing as you did when I saw MTL behind TO in terms of "avidity." Your point about there being more options in TO makes sense to me.

      Ian

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  6. LordDorchester

    Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the Feds own and manage all the bridges that cross above the St Lawrence seaway (even half of the Mercier on the south side) because we have an International agreement with the Americans (that paid for the seaway). All international agreements are Federal jurisdiction as far as I know.

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    Replies
    1. FROM ED
      The Federal government has control of the country's inland waterways. This has been since the rivers were the only roadways for transport of goods and people. The St. Lawrence and the McKenzie in the west still handle a lot of goods. The Feds have the authority to say where and when a bridge can be built and have the responsibility to see that they are maintained. The Feds kept control of the Jacques Cartier also known as the Harbour bridge, which was well constructed by Dominion Bridge Co. The Victoria Bridge was built and owned by the Canadian National Railway. Maintenance for the Champlain Bridge was left to Quebec due to an agreement with Jean Lesage who wanted the work for Quebecers. Ed

      Delete
    2. FROM ED
      The Federal government has control of the country's inland waterways. This has been since the rivers were the only roadways for transport of goods and people. The St. Lawrence and the McKenzie in the west still handle a lot of goods. The Feds have the authority to say where and when a bridge can be built and have the responsibility to see that they are maintained. The Feds kept control of the Jacques Cartier also known as the Harbour bridge, which was well constructed by Dominion Bridge Co. The Victoria Bridge was built and owned by the Canadian National Railway. Maintenance for the Champlain Bridge was left to Quebec due to an agreement with Jean Lesage who wanted the work for Quebecers. Ed

      Delete
  7. Typical English-Canadian behavior:

    http://i.imgur.com/4tTzgup.png

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @ Y.L aka Pierre Poutine,

      Poutine is gross and disgusting and you can hardly call it food. And the vast majority of Americans and Brits have never even heard of it.

      Delete
    2. "And the vast majority of Americans and Brits have never even heard of it."

      Pas encore...Mais ça viendra.

      La Russie toute entière connait la Poutine...Déjà pas mal,non?

      Delete
    3. You mean Putin, as in Vladimir Putin, as he has a terrible reputation.

      Delete
    4. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTTuesday, July 9, 2013 at 2:21:00 PM EDT

      Putin has exhibited all the indications that he is a dictator.
      Real soothing that S.R. would approve of him.
      Also funny a while back when S.R. tried to make points with weblinks to Iran's propaganda arm, presstv.com

      Delete
  8. Another letter concerning the status of the anglophones in quebec and our sad federalist francophones that do not stand up to be counted:
    http://www.montrealgazette.com/Letter+Quebec+potential+greatness+will+seize/8595016/story.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Avait-il un balais enfoncé dans l'cul lors de la séance-photo?

      :)

      Delete
    2. @cutie003

      quite a gem you found there, mate.

      "What has infuriated me the most is that there is an extremely silent majority that does not speak up against..."

      haha. infamous silent majority. "extremly" silent, according to your reference worthy angryphone. that's it mate, have the silent majority think whatever fits your fantasy. conveniently, it's not gonna reply back. but now up the ante and try responding to someone who actually said something.

      "Where are the captains of industry and the arts who travel the world and have been made to feel like laughingstocks because of Pastagate and Spoongate?"

      in your dreams, mate.

      "We live in the greatest country in the world. I know this because I have travelled it from coast to coast."

      absurd statement. wave if you don't understand why.

      "Let’s have no more ridiculous Bill 14s."

      then he forgets to explain why it's ridiculous according to him. zero value.

      "This current government needs to go — or my family will."

      haha. threats, now. this trick will work on cutie003 and others from the sam herd, but i don't think the french will be impressed.

      the dude doesn't seem very mature. i would advise he goes on a year-long journey accross the world. to europe, asia, etc. then he should write another letter.

      Delete
    3. Apparently the silent majority is always on the "good side".

      Delete
  9. I just heard that there was an oil train derailment in Quebec. Are any of the regular posters to this blog who actually live in Quebec alright?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes edward i am positive many of them are alright. thanks for caring.

      Delete
    2. I'm alright. Thank you Mr Cunningham.

      Delete
    3. It's a terrible accident.

      If the train derailment happened in another province S.R would be laughing about it, sick idiot that he is. He joked about the Alberta floods.

      Delete
  10. You know what's really great about joining Facebook groups? There are people there that are fighting back and you can block idiots that you don't want to read. What a great feature!

    ReplyDelete
  11. http://fairwhistleblower.ca/content/quebec-most-corrupt-province

    It hurts more when Leger/Leger tells Quebec. They NEVER lie ;-)

    ""
    When asked about their perceptions of corruption in Quebec, 72% of Quebecers say they believe that politicians are corrupt. This places Quebec 1st in Canada and 22nd in the world according to the Global Corruption Perception Index. This is one of the findings of a survey covering 86 countries, conducted by Leger Marketing and its international network WIN for Transparency International.
    """

    Seems there is massive justification for calling Quebec the most corrupt province. 72% of the population of Quebec even agree's with the statement.

    Of course our politicians in Quebec are goign to deny they are corrupt an dpass a bill claiming they arn;t corrupt. That's what corrupt politicians do, deny, deny deny.

    With 72% of the poulations saying Quebec is corrupt it seems even some PQ insiders seem to know the truth about Quebec.

    ReplyDelete
  12. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTTuesday, July 9, 2013 at 2:14:00 PM EDT

    EDITOR:
    Reference your "Moving Day Sale" pamphlet as well as your "Most mismanaged province" link.
    Old news. I pointed those out in a comment last week...

    The story about Briere: so true. He flatly turned down Montreal in 2007; his (quebecoise) wife even told the media that Montreal did not have high quality english private schools at the time...
    Bergevin is an idiot for signing Briere. It is widely believed that Briere could be mostly injured next season or will under play due to ills. Bergevin is also a liar when he said:
    1. Build the team by draft
    2. Need players with more size
    Just received delivery of my car in Hamburg. What a nice city!

    ReplyDelete
  13. True Hockey fans, I know it blows about the whole Coyote thing, but you must know this...NEVER GIVE UP AT ALL! Where there's a way, there's a will.

    This thing is far from over and we can end it long before five years are up by reuniting millions and working on the Coyotes downfall instead of whining and doing nothing.

    First, not everything has been approved, and the Coyote owners have until August 5th to get everything approved or else!

    Despite what the Goldwater Institute said recently. there is one thing that would get them to go after them anyway...

    Money.

    Donation money that is. With billions of us true hockey fans out there, we can each spare a ton of money to donate to Goldwater.

    Here's a link (to copy and paste) below:

    http://goldwaterinstitute.org/

    In the upper right corner is a link where you can donate money to Goldwater in order to stop the Coyote thing RIGHT NOW instead of waiting five years. Make sure you tell Goldwater that they did a great job stopping Hulsizer a couple of years ago and that the current deal is no different than the one out there right now. I'm already gathering money up to send there way.

    Also, don't forget about:

    http://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-downgrades-Glendale-AZs-GO-rating-to-A2-senior-excise--PR_261198

    These guys have downgraded Glendale's bond rate before (as mentioned in the article at the link above) and they can certainly do it again! Please contact Moody's like I plan on doing and show them your support for the continuing of Glendale's bonds being downgraded.

    And finally:

    https://twitter.com/ReverendMaupin

    This man is trying to start a movement in order to stop this horrible Phoenix Coyote deal once and for all. Please show him your support and help him anyway you can.

    Copy and paste this message to other websites as often and frequent as possible. Together we can end this boondoggle and get the Coyotes into Canada where they belong!

    ReplyDelete