Sportsnet's Roger Millions- Is It Live or Memorex?

Hmmm.........

Gaffe Costs Quebec Gov $400 Million a Year

With all the publicity concerning the mammoth loss of almost 40 billion dollars by Quebec's Caise de Depot, it isn't surprising that another fiscal blunder has largely gone unnoticed. It seems that a simple accounting mistake has cost the Quebec government a small fortune.

Successfully operating a province in Canada is a bit like paying your taxes. You've got to arrange your affairs to take maximum advantages of the governing tax policies.
It seems that the Quebec government committed a monumental mistake, one that continues to cost the province hundreds of millions of dollars each year, in equalization payments.

A simple accounting change has triggered the 'Law of Unintended Consequences" to the detriment of Quebec taxpayers.
It's quite simple. Last year the government, in an effort to balance it's budget, asked Hydro Quebec to remit a higher portion of it's profits directly to government. Usually, Hydro keeps a portion of it's 3.5 billion annual profit to finance new projects.
The utility was told to remit more money to the government and told to borrow, if needed, funds for expansion. It was technically, a neutral transaction, as the government is the sole shareholder of Hydro-Quebec, it just meant that Hydro would become a borrower in place of the Quebec government.

What the Quebec bureaucrats didn't realize, is that due to changes in the formula used by Ottawa to calculate equalization payments (introduced by Ottawa in 2007) , the change had the effect of making Quebec seem richer and thus triggered a reduction in equalization payments.(Equalization payments are subsidy's that the Federal government pays to poorer provinces,)

According to Gérard Bélanger et Jean-Thomas Bernard, two economic professors at the Université Laval, the measure triggered a loss of over 400 million dollars in compensation, PER YEAR!

To date, the Quebec government has no plans to change this accounting practice. ....grrrr..

Jewish General Hospital's 'Chutzpah'

I received a solicitation letter from the Jewish General Hospital and was about to toss it when I was struck by the pitch, printed on the outside of the envelope.

"The other hospital sent me home to die.
The JGH saved my life."

I was, to say the least, a bit surprised at the nervy statement.
My next thought was -

What the heck is the name of the other hospital? ....I certainly don't want to go there!

Porter Airlines Ad Gaffe

I don't think it's nitpicking to comment on today's full-page advertisement by Porter Airlines in today's Globe & Mail.

It would seem that when one places an advertisement that costs tens of thousands of dollars, it would make sense to proof the final copy.

The ad announces expanded service to Toronto and features an airfare of $79.

Problem is, the ad doesn't say where the flights originate.

The ad was in the Montreal version of the paper so I might assume it means that Montreal is the embarkation point, but then again........

Click on the picture to enlarge

Oliphant Inquiry Bordering on the Absurd

More proof yesterday, that the Oliphant Inquiry is going nowhere, slowly.

The testimony by Fred Doucet, a key Mulroney fart-catcher was comical if not sad.

Doing his best impression of Sgt. Shultz, Mr Doucet couldn't remember a thing and even failed to recall the name of his secretary, leaving the commission's lead lawyer seething.

So far the commission has uncovered nothing new and should probably fast forward to Mulroney's testimony, if only for the entertainment value. The public has long ago made up it's mind on Mulroney's honesty and whether he took the under the table payments in regard to Airbus, planes, tanks, pasta or the proverbial player to be named later, is strictly academic.

Mr. Doucet's testimony, or lack thereof, serves only to cement the public opinion that Mulroney, Schreiber et al are one nasty gang of crooks.

"Two Years Less a Day" - Vol. 1

'Two years less a day' is perhaps the most prescribed prison sentence in the country.
A sentence of two years or more means that the criminal must serve the time in a federal prison.
Sentences smaller than two years less a day are administered by the provinces and are subject to much more flexible and lenient dispositions.
Judges adjudicate with this 2 year threshold clearly in mind and it sometimes leads to some pretty disturbing sentences.
Generally speaking, those who are sentenced to 2y-1D should consider themselves somewhat lucky, they usually deserve a lot more time.

Vicious assaults Nets Man Zero Jail Time
Peter Niedzielski says he has no idea what possessed him to attack three women in the Snowdon métro station in Montreal. One of the victims spent two weeks in coma and suffered permanent brain damage and facial disfigurement. Speaking in his own defence, the 31-year-old defendant told the court- "that people should let bygones be bygones"- because as he claimed, he's turned his life around since his drug-fueled rampage.
In pleading for no jail time, his lawyer,Vincent Montminy told Quebec Court that "Going to jail can't erase the pain of the victim."Montreal Gazette
Although the prosecution asked for a five year sentence, the judge gave him the proverbial '2 years less a day' and then ordered him to serve his sentence outside of prison. Link(in French)

4 Million dollar Fraud Nets Thief Zero Jail Time
I guess stealing from a bank is not regarded as much of a crime in Quebec.
Josie Cioffi, a manger at a downtown Royal Bank branch in Montreal engineered a clever fraud whereby she lent money to phony companies that she had set up herself. She managed to defraud the bank out of 4 million dollars before being found out. She was found guilty in Quebec court and the crown prosecutor recommended a five year prison term.
The Judge saw it differently and gave her a sentence of 2 years, less a day.
But the kicker is that the Judge Jean-Pierre Boyer, allowed her to serve her sentence under house arrest. She is however, allowed to leave her home for work or to go to medical appointments.
Oh yes, she also got 180 hours of community service. Link (in French)

Memories of Ben's Deli - R.I.P

Ben's deli, a Montreal landmark, finally succumbed to the wrecking ball, to make way for an office tower. The Montreal institution on Metcalfe and Maisonneuve was opened by Ben Kravitz, over a 100 years ago, when he immigrated to Montreal from Latvia. It was a Montreal landmark up until the seventies, when it started to falter.

The classically styled deli was a late night hangout for musicians, singers, actors, comedians and various other bohemians in the great era of Montreal nightclubs, back in the forties and fifties. The walls are adorned with signed pictures of those visiting artists.

There were some who wanted to preserve the building, but it was not to be. It is sad that nobody saved the corner entrance (pictured on the left) with the famous BENS sign over the door. That would have been swell and a very doable project.

I ate there as a child, but like so many others, drifted away from the restaurant as it failed to modernize.
The last time I was there, was about twenty ago when I brought my young son along, to introduce him to a bit of Montreal history.

The decor was still there, kitschy and familiar. We sat at an ancient formica and chrome table and took in the wonderful atmosphere.

It was too bad that the food sucked badly.

Our smoked meat 'special', served on traditional Melmac plates, consisted of a smoked meat sandwich that was tough and rubbery, accompanied by coleslaw, fries and a pickle, that tasted as if prepared an assembly line. Like so many childhood memories that turn out differently than we remember, it was sadly disappointing.

As we left the restaurant, I said goodbye to an elderly and frail, Irving Kravitz, who had adopted the habit of sitting by the front door, biding adieu to clients, as they left. I knew I'd never be back.
The family blames a strike by employees for the demise of the restaurant, but the truth is, the restaurant had been going downhill for years and had long ago been eclipsed by a newer Montreal institution, the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen (or 'Schwartz's', as it is more familiarly known), on St. Lawrence Boulevard, which had taken on the role that it still maintains, Montreal's premier smoked meat joint.
Just the same, it's a bit sad to see the end of Bens deli.

Here is a fond photo retrospective of Bens.




Picture credit to Julep69. See more here

Spring Arrives in Quebec

Hard to believe that it's was 27 degrees on Saturday in Montreal.

Here's proof that Spring has finally arrived in southern Quebec...


The Old Port comes alive... the terraces are full!



Shorts prevail on Ste. Catherine Street.



The convertibles....



and the caleches emerge......




The Habs are eliminated.... again



But the surest sign that Spring has arrived......



Wait for it....



Keep going..........

motorcycle cops are back....ouch!

Montreal Airport Green Project Insult to the Enviornment

Headline:
Airports in Montreal and Vancouver will take part in a $14-million pilot project involving hydrogen-powered vehicles that will be used to ferry passengers and move luggage and equipment.LINK

I don't think that officials see the irony in the choice of the airport for a environmental test project.

Running a 'green' project at the airport is akin to a slaughterhouse converting it's cafeteria to a vegetarian menu.

When it comes to the environment, airplanes are that grandaddy of polluters. Per passenger mile, air travel is 3 times more polluting than cars and 7 times more polluting than buses.
The airport project that will convert vehicles over to hydrogen, will save less greenhouse gas in a year than is emitted by just one round trip trans-Atlantic flight by a 747.

Wouldn't it be infinitely easier to just cancel just 1 of the over 100,000 annual flights that go in an out of the airport and save the 14 million dollar cost?

This project is another example of our obsession with nonsensical and empty-gesture environmental projects that have zero lasting impact.

Quebec Joins Margarine Big Leagues

I received quite a jolt a breakfast yesterday as I opened up a brand new tub of my favorite Becel margarine.
Lo and behold my margarine was yellow!

Yup, margarine sold in Quebec has been uncolored for the last twenty years because of a law that forbid the practice of adding yellow die to the product. The prohibition came as a result of pressure brought to bear by the dairy industry,
who feared that Quebeckers might be fooled into buying margarine instead of butter.

If you think the industry wasn't serious about the ban, you'd be wrong. The issue has been subject to expensive litigation between the producers of margarine and the dairy association. Until now the dairy association has prevailed and beaten back all attacks.

A few years ago Wal-Mart was subject to a raid by food inspectors after an industry complaint and had $200 worth of yellow margarine carted. Quel horreur!

Last summer, the Quebec cabinet finally ruled on the weighty matter and decided that after twenty years, Quebeckers could finally be trusted to recognize the difference between products.

Congratulations to the government on this bold and innovative initiative!

Habs Coaches Disrespect National Anthem

After the Game 3 booing of the US national anthem, Bob Gainey made a special appeal for fans to be more respectful.

“I feel like there’s a confusion there with our fans,” general manager Bob Gainey told the Canadian Press on Tuesday.
“They feel like booing the anthem is supporting our team, in that the anthem represents the Boston team. And I think if they could separate those two things, then we could respect the anthem of the United States of America and they could still participate loudly in whatever way they want to disrupt the Bruins.”

I've always been bothered by the fact that the Canadiens coaching staff themselves, disrespect the national anthems at each home game, but somehow never wrote about it.

Gainey's statement, meant as damage control and to placate an outraged American press is somewhat hypocritical.

At the start of each home game at the Bell Centre, 21,000 plus fans, as well as all the players, officials, vendors and the opposition coaches stand at attention as the national anthems are played.

The only people missing are.... Bob Gainey, Pat Jarvis and Kirk Muller, the Montreal Canadiens coaching staff.

Where are they?..... In the dressing room.

It seems that they are too important to endure the trial of the national anthems. As the last notes are struck and the crowd roars in excited anticipation of the opening faceoff, the three coaches, like royalty waiting to make an entrance, make there way out from the corridor and take their places behind the bench. This happens every single home game, without exception. It is a ritual.

It isn't that big a deal, but I'd suggest that Gainey take his own advice before admonishing fans about respect.

Racist Anti-Anglo Book Hits Bookstore

This week, the thoroughly racist anglo-bashing book "ANGLAID" by Michel Brule, made its appearances in bookstores across the province.

For your reading pleasure, here is a brief extract that I translated as best as I could. Enjoy....if you can stomach it;

"Like millions of people, I succumbed to the powerful attraction of English. Over time, I realized that the genius of the language and it's Anglo-American culture is based on a race to the lowest common denominator. Beyond a decadent civilization characterized by a pervasive and omnipresent cinema and superficial music, equally pervasive, I realized that there was something worse attached to the language and culture: intolerance.

This intransigence is evidenced by centuries of incessant wars, and unequalled racism, expressed in slogans such as Ku Klux Klan: "White Power", "Speak white" or " A good Indian is a dead Indian," a formula that has led to the extermination of 40 million people. If the Germans are ashamed of their Nazi past, the English have glorified Amherst, who waged the first biological warfare, Monckton, a practitioner of ethnic cleansing, and Kitchener, who invented concentration camps.

To top it all, Anglophones are ethnocentric and narcissistic in the extreme: they watch only their own films, read only their own books, listen only to their own music and eat almost only their own food - I dare not call it for food.

The skeptics will say that the French, for example, were the same, when France controlled more or less the world. This is wrong, the French, despite their undeniable arrogance, were very open to the world. It is no exaggeration to say that the English are the most ethnocentric people in the history of humanity, nothing less.

I made a revolutionary breakthrough which could explain the superiority complex of anglophones.
Is it be possible that this complex is inherent in language itself? I think so.

In fact, the English language is a unique case in linguistics. In English, the "I" is written with a capital letter. Around the world, where the speaker is French, Portuguese or German- the 'you' is placed on a pedestal, but in English the "I" is placed on the pedestal. This relationship between the almighty "I" and the 'you' smacks of subordination and subjection.

The English language is a hopelessly devoted to imperialism, and the leadership of the negative Anglo-American culture, drives the entire world into decadence and war. Continuing to make English the universal language can only lead us to a dead end. It is time to move on!"

Richard Martineau of Le Journal de Montreal was one of the few people to take the author to task. In Tuesday's paper he wrote; LINK

"Francophone Quebeckers are always ready to climb the walls and rip their shirts when an anglophone criticises their culture.

They scream racism, intolerance and xenophobia...
But when a francophone drags the English through the mud, we can hear a pin drop....

Is anti-English racism more acceptable than anti-French racism?"

Guy Lafleur in Court While Mulroney Laughs

It's a sad commentary on the Canadian justice system, that while Guy Lafleur is prosecuted for lying under oath, a much bigger fish, Brian Mulroney is given a pass, for doing essentially, the same thing.

Today, Guy Lafleur is standing trial, charged with giving false testimony, concerning his son's violation of bail conditions.

As anyone responsible for a deeply troubled or sick child knows, it is a situation that is all-consuming and debilitating for a parent. There's little doubt that Mark Lafleur was out of control, dealing with drug and rage issues that led to multiple charges, including kidnapping and assault.
While out on bail, Guy Lafleur was charged with keeping an eye out on his son, making sure that he respected a curfew while keeping his son away from drugs and alcohol.
The crown charges that Lafleur drove his son to a hotel in order for him to meet his girlfriend for an overnight tryst and then lied about it in sworn testimony.

“What was important for me was that he respect his curfew and not use drugs or alcohol,” Lafleur said in court, at his trial. “Whether it was at our place or a hotel, it didn’t matter.”- Guy Lafleur

I can only imagine the battle that Mr. Lafleur waged to keep his out-of-control son on track. If he lied to keep his son out of jail for the minor offense, he should likely be forgiven his transgression, made in difficult and emotional times and out of love for a child. He didn't exactly lie about a murder. At any rate, Mr. Lafleur's vengeful treatment by prosecutors was so harsh, his very public arrest so humiliating, that it should serve as punishment enough.

Mr Mulroney is a horse of a different colour, a consummate liar and manipulator, a man who has scoffed at the justice system and who certainly deserves a comeuppance, yet our timid and reluctant justice system is just too plain scared of his power to do anything about it. Having seen what tangling with Mulroney has done to the careers of RCMP officers and Justice Department employees in the past, it seems that those who should be acting, are just plain gun-shy.

As Mulroney was leaving the office of Prime Minister back in 1993, accusations of corruption swirled about him, fueled largely by charges made in a book, 'On the Take: Crime, Corruption and Greed in the Mulroney Years" written by Stevie Cameron, a Canadian investigative reporter.

The RCMP opened an investigation that looked into allegations that Mulroney had squirrelled away bribe money in a Swiss bank account. It was alleged that a German businessman, Karlheinz Schreiber, had paid Mulroney off to to insure that Air Canada purchase Airbus aircraft.
The amateurish investigation by the RCMP included a letter to Swiss authorities making these charges and requesting information about the alleged account that Mulroney was supposed to own.
Everyone but RCMP knew that the Swiss would rather eat their children then reveal this type of information and when they stonewalled, the investigation died.
When the contents of the RCMP letter became public, Mulroney sued the government for 50 million dollar in a defamation of character lawsuit.
During the legal proceedings, Mulroney testified under oath that he while he knew Mr. Schreiber, he had no dealings with him.

Here is what Mulroney said on April 17, 1996 while being examined under oath in relation to his lawsuit;

QUESTION. "Did you maintain contact with Mr. Schreiber after you ceased being Prime Minister?"

Mulroney: "Well, from time to time, not very often. When he was going through Montreal, he would give me a call. We would have a cup of coffee, I think, once or twice." Mulroney elaborated, "when he's on his way to Montreal, he called me and asked me and I say perhaps once or twice, if I could come to a cup . . have a cup of coffee, with him at a hotel. I think I had one in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel with him. I had one in the coffee bar at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel."

Lacking hard evidence, the government eventually settled the lawsuit for about of 2 million dollars in Mr. Mulroney's favour.

Years later, facing mounting evidence, Mr. Mulroney admitted that he did indeed have a business relationship with Mr.Schreiber and that he had accepted, by his own admission $225,000 from Mr Schreiber in late 1993 and early 1994 (Mr Schreiber claims that the amount was $300,000). The money was paid in cash and wasn't declared as income to Revenue Canada until six years later when the story started to unravel. Mr. Mulroney went to Revenue Canada, made a confession and paid the taxes and penalities related to this undeclared income.

By his own admission, Mr. Mulroney lied under oath about the sordid affair. That Mr.Mulroney could sue the government based on such a blatant lie is a testament to his arrogance and moxie.

If Mr. Mulroney can convince the Oliphant inquiry that his dealings with Schreiber were kosher, good for him. The public has already come to it's own conclusions about his honesty.

But it's time that the justice system summon up some courage and act to punish Mr. Mulroney for lying under oath and wrangling money out of the government under false pretenses.

Otherwise how can we in good faith look Mr. Lafleur in the eye?

Montreal Gazette Writers are Amateurs

"I wish the Montreal Gazette would hire some competent writers instead of the lazy minded corps of liberal hacks that they employ.

I implore them (as well as you, gentle reader) to read this article from the Globe and Mail by Konrad Yakabuski, one of the best writers in Canada, to see what real newspaper reporting is about.

"Quebeckers should be worried"
by Konrad Yakabuski

If you don't feel a bit ill about living in Quebec after reading the article, you're a stronger person than me.

If you don't see the qualitative difference between this article and the pap turned out by the Gazette, I'd recommend that you add US Magazine to your reading list.

Montreal Can't Compete on Formula 1 Level

Watching this week's Formula 1 race from China reminded me why Montreal is no longer able to compete as a venue, irrespective of the fact that the race here was one of the most popular on the racing calendar.

Take a look at the picture above of the beautiful Shanghai International Circuit, which is the most expensive Formula One circuit, costing upwards of $US240 million. (Soon, a new track in Abu Dhabi will far outspend that number).

It seems that certain emerging economies have decided to invest in Formula 1 in order to showcase their new economic clout and to make a statement that they have arrived into the big leagues. The races held in these countries lose millions of dollars each year for organizers, but that doesn't seem to matter at all.
While the economies of these nations have been hammered badly by the world economic downturn and the fall in oil prices, it doesn't seem to make a difference, the facilities have already been built and paid for and the venues enjoy long-term contracts with F1.

Here an aerial view of the magnificent facility in Bahrain;

and the one in Singapore.



But the grandaddy of them all is this Abu Dhabi facility called the Yas Marina Circuit. It's scheduled to open later this year and is rumored to cost over 1.5 billion US dollars!


It may be true that the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal looks minor league compared to the above, but it does offer a cosmopolitan western city to host the event, something these new venues cannot provide.


Montreal's only hope of hosting a race again depends on the pressure brought to bear by the racing teams and their advertising sponsors, that the racing schedule include a return to North America. The caché of Formula 1 racing has suffered badly by the loss of the Canadian and French Grand Prixs.

Even though Montreal can never compete on an economic level, there are hopeful signs that racing will return. Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1's mercurial head honcho may be forced to grant a race in Montreal even if it means accepting much less money than from the other promoters.

At any rate, the city should stand firm in it's negotiations. They should be mindful of one of Bernie Ecclestone's favourite quotes;

"You can have anything you like, as long as you pay too much for it"

McDonalds Set to Whack Canadian Competitor

In a brazen marketing attack, American fast food giant McDonald's is taking on a Canadian coffee icon, Tim Hortons.

From April 20 until May 3, the Golden Arches will be offering its premium roast coffee for free.

Yup.... FOR FREE!!!!

The free coffee will be available between 5 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. every morning, with no other purchase necessary.
WOW!

The promotion aims to divert a percentage of the regular traffic lined up at the approximately 3,000 Tim Hortons across Canada towards the 1,400 McDonald's.

Will Canadians stand firm and resist the attack on a Canadian institution?

.........Not a chance!

Free coffee is free coffee!

Throw in a free McSomething and we'll give you our kids!

See the original story here.

Let's Hope Court Overturns FTQ Election Conviction

The largest of Quebec's labour unions, the FTQ (Quebec Federation of Labour) is appealing a court decision that has fined them for illegally contravening electoral law, in the provincial election campaign of 2003.

It isn't often (never) that I support their positions. The union, while not as radical as in the past, still represents a sovereignist/socialist view of Quebec.

That being said, the right of the union to take a political position and it's right to inform it's members and the general public of that position, should remain sacrosanct.

The Quebec Election Act puts controls on who may spend money in an election campaign and does so (according to them) in the interest of 'transparency' and to eliminate 'outside' interference. Political parties and their candidates are the sole entities entitled to raise and spend money in an election campaign and must do so according to strict limits placed upon them by the election act.

Under the law, it is illegal for a private citizen, a company or any organization to spend money in an election campaign. It's effect is rather chilling and clearly anti-democratic.

It is this part of the law, sections 413, 415 and 420, that the union is attacking as unconstitutional under the Canadian Charter of Rights and the Quebec Charter of Rights. It seems likely that the union will prevail.

The part of the law that forbids third party spending is inspired in part, by the Referendum Act of 1980.
Back then, as a prelude to the upcoming referendum on Quebec sovereignty, the Parti Quebecois passed a law that mandated that an official committee be set up for both the YES and NO sides and that no spending outside these committees be permitted. Furthermore, the funding would be equal for both sides and would be provided by the government. The law was enacted, not so much in the name of fairness, but rather to make sure that the federal government couldn't unduly influence Quebec voters.

In 1995, on the eve of the second referendum the sovereignist government set the spending limit of 5 million dollars for both the YES and NO committees.

During the referendum, a shadowy group called 'Option Canada' (funded largely by the federal government), intervened both financially and organizationally in the referendum. In the dying days of the campaign they organized a massive unity rally and bussed in thousands of people from outside the province in a show of federalist support. They were also involved in other assorted election shenanigans, including an effort that accelerated citizenship for new immigrants so that they could vote in the referendum.

Months later, when these actions became known, the sovereignist side went apoplectic, claiming that the referendum was 'stolen.' The No side was accused of illegally spending up to 5 million dollars. The Director General of Elections, Pierre F. Côté, filed 20 criminal charges of illegal expenditures against Option Canada.

While this was going on, the referendum law itself, became the subject of a legal challenge by Robert Libman, the then leader of the Equality Party (a small federalist provincial party). The case made it's way all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where in 1997, the court ruled that the law was too restrictive. All charges against Option Canada were subsequently dropped.

With history and precedent on their side, let's hope that the FTQ wins their appeal.

Restricting public debate and comment by third parties in either an election or a referendum is not in the public interest. It enforces the unacceptable ideal, that only 'official' positions may be heard.

Whether we agree or disagree with the message of the FTQ, we need to defend their right to speak out publicly, on their own behalf.

If we don't defend their right to do, we will surely lose ours.

Why I Learned To Hate Aeroplan

Image via Wikipedia

Aeroplan is a travel reward program, formerly owned by Air Canada, up until it was sold off in an effort to raise cash in troubled times.
The program now runs independently, but is still closely identified with Air Canada.

Ever since the sale, I believe that Aeroplan has gone badly downhill, to the point where I wouldn't recommend membership to anyone, even for free.

That being my said, it was with great scepticism that I read the announcement by Aeroplan/Air Canada that they were making an additional 250,000 airline seats available to members, in the coming year. Link

An hour long search on the web-site confirmed my suspicions that nothing much has changed.

I've been a member of Aeroplan for over twenty years and until it's spin off from Air Canada, I had always been satisfied and in fact, adored the program. It offered an excellent level of service and the availability of reward flights at reasonable point levels was very gratifying.

Since my job in back in the day, required me to be on a plane twice a week, it made sense to remain loyal to Air Canada, racking up reward points that were truly valuable.

My wife and I would fly to Miami or Fort Lauderdale at a combined cost of 50,000 points. The flights were easy enough to book and were always nonstop, about three hours flying time from Montreal. You didn't have to book months in advance and the choices available then, make today's offerings look like table scraps.

Try to book that same reward today at Aeroplan and you'll find that it's well nigh impossible.

A search by myself yesterday (even with the 250,000 new seats) for flights to those same destinations and ranging up to ten months in advance provided a choice of unattractive flights, on precious few dates, the majority, not worth taking, even for free.

Dates were extremely limited and none of the flights were non-stop or direct. All required transfers via Toronto or Ottawa and no trip took less than six hours, most averaging between seven and eight hours.
In fact, one of the available itineraries required an overnight hotel stay and took an amazing 18 hours of travel time to complete!

Aeroplan has also introduced measures that reduce the value of your points by creating something called "Extra Access Flight Rewards" whereby the better flight options are offered at significantly more points, sometimes more than double!

What does Aeroplan say about these seats"

"They allow you to redeem extra miles to get more access to the flights you really want. These seats are beyond the original 3.5 million seats available for Aeroplan Members, so they are often offered at higher mileage levels, based on demand and market value. Get the flights you want, when you want them."

Like all other affinity programs, Aeroplan makes distinctions between membership types and those people at the top echelon are granted better options and rewards. For those of us who are not 'super-duper-elite-platinum-titanium' members, the pickings are decidedly slim.

Aeroplan's revamped website is also a step backward and is maddeningly slow and difficult to use. If you're a Mac user, you are dutifully informed that they can't be bothered to support the operating system because 'Aeroplan members are 90% PC users,' (For Quebec anglos, this is a painfully familiar scenario.)
As most Mac users can confirm, this access problem has practically disappeared from the the Internet and Aeroplan remains one of the last dinosaurs not to support multiple platforms and browsers.

I heartily suggest that if you spend over 10K a year on your credit card, you get a travel reward card from one of the big banks.
The cards usually cost around a $100 dollars a year, but offer significant travel advantages. Typically, they offer signing bonus' of up to twenty thousand points. That means that you automatically qualify for a short hop flight and you can earn a ticket to say, Florida, by spending as little a five thousand dollars on the card. The beauty of these programs is that the airline ticket is purchased for you, in the open market, from any airline and for any time, subject only to airline availability.

For a great website to compare which credit travel reward program best suits you, try this- creditcards.ca

Another great resource is- points.com, where you can track all your reward points in multiple programs and learn everything you need to know about them. You can also trade points with others!

The Great Panhandler Debate

When it comes to panhandlers, everybody has an opinion. Some people always give money and some people never give them a dime.

Gone are the days of the offensive squeegee punks, today's panhandlers are polite and respectful, even if you don't give them anything. It's as if they went to the special panhandling school of charm.
They are mindful how they dress, not in rags, but in clothing that gives the appearance of need. They all display that same cardboard sign, with a handwritten message of that screams of desperation.

I'm generally not impressed. There's a urban myth out there that says they make hundreds of dollars a day....Dunno.

Me, I fall on the side of the 'GETTA JOB!' crowd, those who give nothing. I'm also no fan of the indigent young punks and old rubbies that make up the majority of those who extort money at strategic intersections.

However, this un-typical panhandler, pictured above, got my attention.
She didn't fit the usual profile and her message on the sign was compelling.

"I have 2 Kids
No Work
No Money for Food and Diapers
Help Me! God Bless!"

My usually cold heart thawed momentary and I gave her a Toonie.

She was dutifully respectful, bowed and offered me a 'Gawd bless you'.

You know, it made me feel pretty good. Sort of superior, in a perverse way.

A kilometer later, I turned into the Blue Bonnets shopping centre was struck by the many 'HELP WANTED" signs that propagated the site.

...and I thought back to the panhandler's sign:

"I Don't Have Work"

Grrr.....I want my two bucks back!!!!!

Sale Of Canadiens Is Bad News For Fans

Question: How does a buyer justify paying top dollar for a business that is already at the top end of it's revenue arc?

The Montreal Canadiens are generating about as much profit as they can, under the present circumstances and there's a distinct possibility that team revenues will stabilize or diminish, given the team's on-ice performance and the sluggish economy.

How much more than $4.50 can you expect fans to pay for a bottle of water?

Corporate boxes are threatened by shareholder demands for frugality and the government's own agencies (Hydro Quebec, Loto Quebec.) have recently come under fire for owning these elitist loges, used mostly by senior management and their families.
While ticket prices can rise nominally, any large increase (which would still be paid by loyal fans) would lead to a sullying of the stellar reputation of the team, a key ingredient in the Canadiens financial success. The advertising world and it's revenues are also on a downward track.

So if a new owner pays Gillett top dollar for the team, where will he find revenues to make the deal profitable?

If the selling price is as high as is rumoured, the new owner will make no more than by putting his money into a bank certificate of deposit.

Today's Globe And Mail had a story that hints at the ominous possibility that the team, in a bid to raise revenues, might create a private cable network to telecast Canadiens games, one that would charge users a fee.
The private network route hasn't been largely successful in other markets, (it almost ruined the Chicago Blackhawks) but just might work in Quebec.

If the team could sell subscriptions to private residences and compliment it by selling more expensive subscriptions to bars and restaurants, it's conceivable that the team could raise revenues by an incredible $100-$150 million dollars!

Let's do the math;
Start with a reasonable subscription fee of a $100 a year. Divided into 12 monthly payments, it'd be less that 10 bucks a month and works out to about $1.15 a game, a bargain to any real hockey fan and well within the budget of most Quebeckers.
It isn't inconceivable that the team could sell a million subscriptions to a hockey-mad province, likely more. There's also a large and loyal Canadiens fan base across North America, people who'd also be willing to pay.
This could bring in at least 100 million dollars.

Because of the disappearance of public broadcast, bars and restaurants would jump to carry the Canadiens games. They'd be charged much higher fees, perhaps up to $10,000 a year, which may seem high, but not unreasonable. It works out to about $100 a game, which is a real bargain, if it successfully fills empty restaurant and bar seats. Failing to buy a subscription would put a these business' in a very dis-favourable competitive position.
With just 5,000 bars across the province participating, it could bring in an additional 50 million dollars to the club.
Games could also be offered on a pay-per-view basis to hotels and private homes and at say, $7.95 a pop.

Of course the team would have to let the RDS contract expire and lose the related revenue, but would more than make up the money by continuing to sell TV ads on it's own broadcast. By having it's own network the Canadiens could also fill the air with Canadiens related programming twelve months a year and that would serve to strengthen the brand and increase revenues.

It's hard to figure out the effect of running a private network (aside from the subscription fee,) not knowing the value of the RDS contract, the production costs and the related ad revenue, but it must be positive otherwise RDS wouldn't pay for the rights.

The Canadiens could also set up a ticket reselling site, a la Ticketmaster's "TicketsNow" which is basically a scalping site. They could demand fees for transferring season tickets or impose annual seat license fees on season tickets.

All in all, the sale of the Canadiens doesn't auger well for fans.

The very best scenario is that the team be purchased by the Province of Quebec's pension arm, the Caisse de Depot, which would be satisfied with making a 10% return on it's investment, something no entrepreneur would accept.

Quebec News of the Weird- Volume 02

College Student Needs Economic Lessons

The Concordia University student union in Montreal, is reeling from a scandal that saw a lot of money disappear from it's treasury.
The $500,000 deficit occurred between 2005 and 2007 and was blamed on a former accountant.
According to VP finance Andre Leroy;

"..the deficit was not a loss, but rather consisted mostly of unpaid bills and taxes. What happens is that you go into the next year with liabilities,... stuff you still have to pay off."

Huh? Somebody better repeat 'Accounting 101.'

Gatineau Father's Punishment is Reversed by Court
A divorced father who had custody of his 12 year old daughter, refused her permission to go on a year-end school trip, because she had been surfing forbidden web-sites on the Internet.
The girl, along with the non-custodial mother, sued the father in court and won the right for the girl to go on the trip.
The judgement was upheld on appeal. Link

Coalition contre la Répression et les Abus Policiers

The acronym of a new organization that opposes Montreal Police 'abuse' is,
wait for it......;

C.R.A.P.

It's website address in www.lacrap.org/

Alleged Terrorist Just Exercising Free Speech

Unable to come up with a more viable defence, Said Namouh, a Moroccan immigrant charged with promoting terrorism, claimed he was just exercising his right to free speech, when he called for people to hurt other people in the name of religious conviction.
The judge seemed wholly unimpressed. Link

TV Show Overloads Telephone System

Last Sunday, a record 2.8 million people watched the the finale of the Quebec television show, "Star Acadamie"(a Quebec version of American Idol.) To put the number of viewers in perspective, the American Idol finale in 2006, had 36 million viewers, which meant that about 1 out of every 9 Americans was watching. The Star Acadamie finale was so popular, that about 1 out of every 2½ Quebeckers watched the show. The related telephone voting was so heavy that it overloaded the telephone system in many areas throughout the province. In some places there was even a delay for 9-1-1 service.

Gaspe Newspaper Runs Out Of News
I guess not much must be happening in the Gaspé village of Matane. This was front page in in the local newspaper, Voix de Matane.

"Le prix du litre d'essence ordinaire a diminué d'un cent, passant de 93,4 cents à 92,4 cents, ici à la station-service Esso Le Cristal, sur l'avenue du Phare Ouest"

"A liter of regular gas went down by one cent to 92.4 cents, from 93.4, here at the `Esso Le Cristal gas station on Phare avenue, West.

Crime & Punishment-The Canadian Way

Alice English, a 55-year-old grandmother who worked as a guard in Montreal's Bordeaux jail was convicted last May for smuggling drugs into the prison.

After her arrest, in a four hour interview with Quebec police, she gave a very detailed account the crime. She admitted that she had brought in various contraband items, including crack cocaine and cell phones, claiming that she was coerced into smuggling the items by inmates who threatened her family and not for the $1000 she was paid.

At trial, she completely repudiated her videotaped confession and maintained that she had been badgered by police into making a false statements.

Nobody at trial, believed her, not the judge, not the prosecutor and not even her own lawyer, who called her story "hard to believe."

Both the crown and defence suggested that a five and a half year sentence was appropriate and Quebec Court Judge Patrick Healy agreed, convicting her on four counts of trafficking in drugs and one of conspiracy to traffic.
She was then packed off to jail.

Now for rub.

She was recently granted parole and sent to a halfway house, after serving less than one year.
Yup, eleven months.

It seems that in Canada, under the right circumstances, a five a half year prison sentence can be purged in less than a year. Really!

I always thought (foolishly) that when you applied for parole, you had to have served at least one third of your sentence, behaved well in jail and taken ownership and responsibility for your crime.

Remember Roger Latimer, the Saskatchewan farmer who killed his daughter because she was suffering excruciating pain due to her cerebral palsy. He wouldn't admit to the parole board that the mercy-killing was wrong, that he was remorseful and that he regretted his actions. Because of this, his release was held up.

Alice English stills maintains her innocence today and now claims she was not aware of what was inside the bag she smuggled into prison. She has maintained this fiction throughout her trial and subsequent incarceration. English also claims that although she worked as a guard for sixteen years, this was the first time she ever smuggled anything into prison. Sure....
She has variously told stories that she was 'set up' by others and that she was 'testing' the system.

How she was granted parole under these conditions begs an explanation.

The incredibly generous parole offered to Canadian prisoners has not gone unnoticed.
Recently an American judge made it a condition that the Canadian women convicted for drowning her son in Lake Champlain, be obliged to do her time in the USA. He stated that he opposed repatriation based on the lenient parole system in Canada.

One of the motivating reasons behind David Radler's plea bargain and subsequent testimony in the trial of Conrad Black was the condition that he be transferred to a Canadian jail. Mr. Radler is already free after serving about a year of his 29 month sentence. How lovely.

Canadian prison officials are proud to remind us that their primary goal is rehabilitation.

Most Canadians would probably agree that the primary function of incarceration is punishment.

Perhaps we need to change the old saying -

"Do the crime- Do the time"

to reflect the Canadian reality;

"Do the Crime - Do very little time"

Sovereignist Web Site Protesting English- Has English Only Ads

The nationalist web site AmeriQuebec.net ran an article about a demonstration held in front of the Immigration and Refugee board. The Mouvement Montréal français (MMF) and the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal (SSJB) were protesting the fact that the board had ruled that certain evidence, in a certain trial, didn't need to be translated into French (the case is actually more complicated.)

In demanding vigilance in defending and safeguarding the French language, it seems AmeriQuebec, doesn't include itself.


Three out of the four ads that appear on the same page as the article, are strictly in English.

Whaat!! Yep....ENGLISH ONLY!!!!!!

Strangely, two of the ads are promoting emigration to the United States. Wonderful!

I know that the ads are auto generated, but perhaps they should take their own advice and make a better effort to have their own website frenchfried frenchified.

Otherwise, shut up and stop giving out gratuitous advice.

You must admit, the whole thing is sweetly ironic.

AmeriQuebec, HEAL THYSELF!

Father's-4-Justice and Guy Lafleur Railroaded By Prosecutors

Benoit Leroux and Gilles Dumas are two members of Father's-4 -Justice, a political action group dedicated to fighting the legal and political system, in relation to the systematic denial of equal parenting rights for men, in divorce situations. The two were recently convicted of mischief and conspiracy as a result of a publicity stunt they pulled back in May 2005.
Leroux, wearing a 'Robin' costume (as in Batman & Robin), climbed atop the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal and unfurled a banner demanding parental equality. His partner in crime, Dumas, served as his liaison on the ground. Traffic was held up for hours, as police shut down the bridge.

F4J is a support group for fathers, unjustly denied parental rights. Started in the UK, it sprouted chapters in the Netherlands and Canada in 2004, and in the USA and Italy in 2005.
Stymied in the courts and legislatures, the 'Justice league,' resorts to highly visual stunts to bring attention to their cause. Dressed up in superhero costumes, they climb buildings and bridges and unfurl protest banners, causing disturbances that invariably garner publicity.


Guy Lafleur is an ex-hockey superstar who played for the Montreal Canadiens. Long after his career ended, he still remains a highly popular and recognizable celebrity in Quebec. He is also the father of a troubled son, Mark, who's problems with drugs led to his arrest and conviction on more than a dozen charges, including uttering death threats, forcible confinement and assault.
Like any good father, Mr. Lafleur stood by his son and tried to see him through the ordeal.
While free on bail, Mark broke conditions and crown prosecutors claim that his father, Guy helped him do so. They are charging Mr. Lafleur for lying about it in court.

What you may ask, do Benoit Leroux, Gilles Dumas and Guy Lafleur have in common?
Not much, it would seem, but there is an important connection.

All three men are being pursued by a vengeful justice system, one that wants to punish them, not only for the alleged crime that they committed, but because their 'crime' is perceived as an attack on the justice system.

In the case of Mr. Lafleur, prosecutors were outraged that he allegedly helped his son break bail conditions and then lied about it in court. They took personal offence that they were being mocked and decided to strike back.

They took the extraordinary measure of issuing an arrest warrant, instead of a simple summons. Mr. Lafleur was forced to come to the police station and was arrested like a common criminal, when ordinarily, his lawyer would have been telephoned and been asked to bring in his client at an appointed time. The prosecutors proceeded with the showy arrest knowing full well that Mr. Lafleur wasn't exactly a flight risk. The whole procedure was staged to maximize his humiliation as punishment for crossing them in court.

Had Mr. Lafleur committed a similar, but a less personally offensive crime, it would have taken months to proceed to a charge (if any) and then the sickeningly slow pace of justice would ultimately have lead to the charges being dropped or the inevitable plea-down.

A word of warning to prosecutors. If they prefer charges that would entitle Mr. Lafleur to a jury trial, they will be in for a big surprise. Their harsh and cruel treatment of an icon, one who was desperately trying to help his son, has not played out well in the public. It's most unlikely that any jury in Quebec will convict him.

In the case of Benoit Leroux and Gilles Dumas, it was preordained that the justice system would treat them harshly. Had they been protesting in favour of gay rights, a native or women's cause, the case would have long ago been dropped or plead down to a misdemeanour.

But they were protesting against a biased court system and that's what did them in. Prosecutors would have none of that and an example would have to be made.

Considering, that all that the two did was to delay traffic, was a 'conspiracy' charge really appropriate?
It's true that lots of people were inconvenienced, but that's what protest is all about.

In May 2003, three hundred city of Montreal blue collar workers surrounded city hall with heavy machinery and blocked access to the whole neighborhood, in protest against lagging contract negotiations. Nothing, not even ambulances could get through the blockade, for hours.

Was one participant arrested or charged? No.
Did union organizers ever face justice? No.

Why not? Police had plenty of opportunity to make arrests, yet they chose not to.
The protest was obviously well organized and prepared in advance, so why didn't prosecutors charge the higher ups who planned the event, with 'conspiracy'?

We've all been inconvenienced by peaceful protests and wildcat strikes.
Students demonstrations, union disruptions, taxis, truckers and farmers who block roads to make their grievances known...etc. It's all part of life in a modern society, nobody ever gets charged or goes to jail.

So why were Benoit Leroux and Gilles Dumas treated differently? Why were they made to suffer when every one else is given a pass?

It seems that you can protest against just about anything with immunity, but if you protest against the justice system, expect prosecutors to take notice and expect the full weight of the law to come down on you.

The lesson is, don't embarrass or attack the justice system. Prosecutors will defend their turf. They will use their discretionary power to ruthlessly punish anyone who defies them or who attacks their integrity or otherwise makes them look foolish.

When that happens, you can be sure that the punishment, will most definitely, not fit the crime.

While both these cases don't rise to the level of the famous Chicago Seven trial, (where in 1969, a biased American judge harshly and unfairly treated the accused because they were mocking him and the judicial system) it's important that the public take a stand against prosecutorial excess.

Prosecutors need to be sent a message;

Don't make it personal, it isn't fair and we will not stand for it.