Charbonneau Crime Inquiry touching some raw nerves
In a rambling testimony given over many days, Ken Pereira testified that he confronted his bosses over irregularities, including the overstated expenses claimed by FTQ Construction ex-boss Jocelyn Dupuis who charged $125,000 in dubious expenses, including $30,000 in one swanky Montreal restaurant in just one month.
When Pereira went to the head of the entire FTQ union with proof of the phony expense scheme, he was advised not to make waves and then claimed he was offered $300,000 to keep quiet.
He went on to tell the commission about the incestuous relationship between the union and construction entrepreneurs and even made connections to biker gangs and the mafia.
In one of the more riveting stories, he told the commission about an incident at the Bell Centre in Montreal during a boxing gala.
First, some background.
Back in March, construction boss Giuseppe (Joe) Borsellino, owner of Garnier Construction was hauled kicking and screaming before the commission, giving testimony that was evasive to be generous, ridiculous to be fair. Read a hilarious account.
Borsellino is an important player in the Montreal construction industry, a competitor of Tony Accurso, but not quite in his league.
Readers, when two guys break into your home or office, not to rob you, but rather to beat you up, it is to send a message. If the attackers wanted Borsellino dead, they'd have put two bullets in his head."And he had no clear explanation for why three men showed up at his offices in Laval in July 2009 and beat him so severely that he ended up in surgery...
...The beating incident in 2009 seemed to be of particular interest to Justice France Charbonneau, who pushed for answers about what could have triggered such a violent episode. It took seven hours to surgically repair the damage done to Borsellino's face by the men who pushed their way into his office."
It is impossible that Borsellino didn't know why he was beaten, the attackers surely let him know exactly what the message was and who was sending it.
And so back to the story.....
Mr Pereira, testified that Bernard Girard (ex-VP of 77,000 member strong FTQ-Construction union) attended a boxing gala a the Bell Centre in Montreal with Jimmy Accurso, son of the infamous construction magnate. At a certain point, Jimmy headed upstairs to his father's loge to get a bottle of booze. Jimmy preferred the floor seats for boxing, rather than the loge, high up in the rafters.
The loge had been lent out for the evening to Jocelyn Dupuis (the same FTQ Construction union boss with the phony expenses)
Jimmy flipped his lid when upon entering his father's loge, he espied Borsellino, a direct competitor of his father.
Accurso took exception that Dupuis disrespected his father's generosity by inviting a competitor to the loge and when the exchange between himself and Jocelyn Dupuis got heated, three Hells Angels, also invited by Dupuis to the loge, intervened on Dupuis' behalf.
Pushing and shoving ensued and if not for Girard's intervention, Jimmy was on the road to a solid beating, this according to Pereira.
Two weeks later, thugs showed up to Borselinos office and beat the crap out of him....hmmmm.
To top off the story, on Wednesday morning last week, Perereira himself 'slipped and fell' when leaving his home on his way to testify. The extent of his concussion is unknown and the commission suspended hearing until he can return. Hmmm......
For those who believe that the Charbonneau commission is reviewing history, nothing could be less true, it is an unfolding saga.
Now the guy who Pereira went to about the phony expenses, is the big boss of the entire FTQ union, Michel Arsenault.The FTQ is Quebec's largest and most powerful union with 500,000 members, or 44% of unionized Quebecers.
Arsenault is fighting tooth and nail to have wiretap recordings of himself and cohorts excluded from being played before the commission based on his right to privacy.
These recordings were made by police in an investigation into union corruption a couple of years ago.
The investigation ended when police gave the tapes to Crown prosecutors, believing that there was enough evidence of malfeasance to warrant charges being laid.
However, the prosecutors disagreed and chose not to indict and the matter was dropped, but the tapes were turned over to the commission and are probably quite damaging.
In a desperate attempt to have the tapes declared off limits, Arsenault and the union are going to court....stay tuned.
Allegations that Laval ex-mayor offered cash to candidateAnd ex Laval
You've got to admit that he's got brass cojones."The disgraced ex-mayor once known as the King of Laval has cast a dark shadow over the city’s municipal election, with fresh allegations supported by a secret recording that he offered cash to one candidate and delivered a thinly veiled threat against another.
In the midst of the new allegations against Gilles Vaillancourt, the mayor who reigned over Laval for 23 years before his downfall, a campaign staffer who helped blow the whistle on Mr. Vaillancourt was beaten on the side of a road by two men. He was not seriously injured in the Monday night attack.
Earlier Monday, candidate and former Vaillancourt ally on council, Claire Le Bel, went public to Radio-Canada with her recording of a meeting with Mr. Vaillancourt in August where the former mayor suggested he could secretly deliver shady cash donors to help fund her campaign. She and her children have been under police guard since she went public.
Fellow mayoral candidate Marc Demers, a former Laval police investigator and long-time enemy of Mr. Vaillancourt, said he went to police Tuesday to complain that Mr. Vaillancourt was also recorded telling Ms. Le Bel that Mr. Demers would have his legs broken." Link
With all the millions he is alleged to have stashed in the Caribbean and considering the jail time he's potentially looking at, it's a testament to his fortitude that he's sticking around and still working the room like he never left.
If I was in his position and at his age, 72, I'd be looking at a country without an extradition treaty with Canada, somewhere warm, where the locals could be paid to look the other way..... Otro tequila por favor!
And the hits just keep coming.....
Michael Applebaum corruption allegations run deep
Investigators with the province's anti-corruption unit say former mayor Michael Applebaum is at the center of an alleged system of corruption much broader than first thought.
According to documents obtained by La Presse, UPAC's investigation focused on multiple real estate projects in the Cote des Neiges -- NDG borough.
Applebaum was arrested in June in connection with two projects, the NDG Sports Centre and a condo project near Mount Royal.
The projects allegedly involved zoning changes and bribes worth tens of thousands of dollars that transpired between 2006 and 2011
He was charged with 14 offences, including conspiracy, fraud, breach of trust and corruption in municipal affairs.
The new documents reveal the alleged corruption goes back to 2002 and continues up to last year. Read more
Quebec cop who specialized in biker gangs now accused of helping them
"Quebec's latest corruption scandal has reached into the heart of law enforcement, with a longtime organized-crime investigator accused of colluding with the criminals he'd been watching.
Benoit Roberge was the Montreal police force's leading expert on biker gangs, having investigated their activity and testified at trials to put them away. His spouse, meanwhile, still works as a prosecutor specializing in organized crime.
Now Roberge is under arrest.
He is accused of selling sensitive information about ongoing police investigations to biker gangs and he now faces four charges, including two counts of gangsterism.
On Saturday, he was arrested by fellow police officers. When he was stopped he was allegedly in the company of an individual linked to the Hells Angels crime gang.
Roberge appeared in court on Monday on four charges: one count of obstructing justice, one count of breach of trust and the two counts related to gangsterism. Link
Quebec intergovernmental minster's 'crocodile tears'
It reminds of Quebec's intergovernmental minister Alexandre Cloutier's complaint that Quebec is underrepresented on the Supreme Court.
The newest appointment, that of Marc Nadon from Quebec, is being held up because a Toronto lawyer has claimed that the appointee isn't qualified under the law, even though the court has received an opinion from a Supreme Court judge that he is.
While the mess is sorted out, Nadon will sit it out, leaving Cloutier fuming that Quebec is short-changed and under-represented.
But hold on just a sec.
Quebec is guaranteed three of the nine spots, or one third of the seats, even though its population is only 23.6% of the Canadian total.
Even without Judge Nadon sitting, Quebec will still have two of the eight seats, or 25%.
It's Quebec mathematics.
By the way, Cloutier told reporters that if only Harper had taken the PQs advice on who to appoint, the mess could have been averted. Link{fr}
Andre Boisclair becoming a PQ liability
You might recall that Boisclair
The awarding of a new contract by a government minister during an election campaign is seen as unethical and in this case particularly offensive because Boisclair knew that according to the polls the PQ would lose the election convincingly and he'd no longer be minister.
The fact that he left his job in New York, indicates that the PQ wanted him out of the firing line, but if every politician stepped aside because of a lawsuit, there'd be few left to govern.
"The government has not explained why it granted Boisclair’s request for what appears to be an indefinite, paid leave of absence in Montreal during his lawsuit, which could take several years to decide.But the ex-delegate-general to New York hasn't faded from the limelight and continues to embarrass the PQ as more damaging revelations about his term as Premier coming to light.
In 1993, sovereignist leaders Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard sued for defamation over a financial newsletter comparing their nationalism to that of Adolf Hitler.
That case wasn’t settled until 12 years later. In the meantime, first Parizeau, then Bouchard became premier. If they could run the whole provincial government during a lawsuit, why can’t Boisclair even run its New York office?" Read more
The latest is that Boisclair accepted illegal help from the FTQ union during a provincial election, a no-no according to election law. Link{fr}
The allegation comes a year too late, as the statute of limitations has run out on these type of offenses.
Still, Boisclair has become an embarrassment as he is still collecting his $170,000 salary while being re-assigned to 'other' duties in Quebec.
Nice work if you can get it......
Charter of Values: Much ado about nothing
Executive Director of the Quebec Association of health and social services institutions (AQESSS), Diane Lavallée, Quebec asked the government to exempt the 230,000 health workers from part of the Charter of Quebec values.
"The wearing of religious symbols is no problem in the network and we are concerned that their prohibition will lead to difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, in addition to creating unhealthy tension where there was none before ," Ms. Lavallée said at a press conference.
AQESSS executives surveyed its 125 health facilities about the charter between the 19th and 25th of September. The results are unequivocal: 100% say they have no problem with the wearing of religious symbols. They also reported that they didn't receive a single complaint in this regard , over the past two years. Yet nearly half of the institutions include among their staff, those who wear such ostentatious signs . In addition, 97 % say that these signs don't pose any difficulty in relationships with customers. Link{fr}
The logic of Jean-François Lisée
The PQ minister in charge of Montreal is so peeved that all the major candidates for mayor of Montreal have come out solidly against the Charter of Values, that he has asked then not to discuss their positions in public. Link{fr}I'm not kidding.
He asked the candidates to emulate the late Jean Drapeau who as mayor of Montreal, never pronounced publicly his opposition to Bill 101, reminding the candidates that the Charter is a provincial matter, intimating that they had no dog in the fight.
But two of the candidates Denis Coderre and Mélanie Joly have already gone so far as to say that as mayor, they would launch a judicial challenge, something that annoyed Liseé to no end.
He reminded the candidates that many people in Montreal support the proposed Charter, but since there is no viable candidate supporting the Charter, their voices cannot be heard.
And so, according to his logic, it is illegitimate for the new mayor to attack the Charter.
And with that our minister was off to China on a mission, God only knows why.
PQ buying more jobs.
"On Monday, Pauline Marois doled out close to $10 million to Ubisoft Entertainment. On Friday, she gave $1.5 million to Warner Bros. Games. And throughout the week, she played political action figure, fending off opponents of her Charter of Quebec Values.
So when the premier boasted Friday about how Quebec subsidies and tax breaks have helped build a world-class video-game industry here that employs 8,000 people in well-paid jobs, I couldn’t help but ask: Are video games now a “Quebec value”? Read a wry accountI caught Pauline's speech about the announced gift to Warner Bros. and had a chuckle as La Marois actually referred to the company as "Warner Bross."
Yup, apparently Pauline doesn't know that 'bros.' is short for 'brothers' in English and it seems that none of her aides warned her about the pronunciation.
The bigger question is, who never heard of "Warner Brothers?'
You don't need French to hear the gaff at the beginning of the video and again at 0:20 secs.
Attention Pauline 'secs' ='seconds'
And who knew this secret before?
Clever or insulting?
This is how Bulk Barn deals with English in Quebec...
By the by, Bulk Barn still seemed to have muddled it up. The French version of the sign reads '63¢', while the English sign underneath reads '.63'
It should be vice-versa....Hmmmm...
Bits'n Pieces
If you read French , head over to Kijiji for this story written in charming street French about a stolen bike...it's precious Link{fr}
********************
Read: Watchmaker has No Time for Language Police
He's now decided to pack Quebec in and move to Ontario. Read the story
********************
Students from France, unlike other foreign countries, benefit from the right to pay the same low tuition as Quebecers.
In other words, Quebec taxpayers pony up 83% of the real cost of the education of the estimated 10,000 students from France studying in Quebec.
The students also benefit from free Medicare while here.
Sheesh... good work if you can get it!
********************
Here's a video promoting the new SSJB app that allows users to rat out those businesses that disrespect French.
Check out the big bad Anglo, who is actually played by a French actor who speaks English with an accent....hmmmmm
You can download the app HERE
I can imagine the loads of fun you can have with it, but I'm not saying....
********************
Quebec is in the news in Israel
The Jeruselem Post has weighed in on Quebec's Charter of Values
Read:
Quebec’s disgraceful ‘Values Charter’ .....Ouch!
Quebec’s disgraceful ‘Values Charter’ .....Ouch!
...and in HAARETZ
Will rising nationalism renew Montreal’s Jewish exodus?
********************
11¢ out of every Quebec tax dollar is going to service Quebec's massive debt, the highest ratio of any Canadian province. LinkHow many pennies out of each dollar does Alberta spend to service its debt?.....0¢
********************
Mastercard forgets not all Habs fans speak French.
Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens do not like each other one bit, and Mastercard is looking to cash in on this priceless rivalry.
The credit card company’s latest social media campaign pits the fans against each other.....
...There is one tiny little problem: The video for Habs fans was only posted in French. The entirety of anglophone Canadiens fans were ignored by the credit card giant. Instead of heckling the Leafs in the comments, English-speaking fans were stuck asking Mastercard to release an English-language video. YouTubers are not known for being subtle and, instead of slightly mean-spirited anti-Leaf comments, the space below the YouTube video almost erupted into a French vs. English language debate. Link to story
Watch the French only Habs video on YouTube, but don't miss the comments below it.
********************
"Coca-Cola has cancelled a Canadian promotion that paired randomly generated English and French words inside bottle caps after an Edmonton woman got one that said “You Retard.” " Link
Quebecers, as well as North Koreans barred from National Geographic photo contest!
