CDN-NDG mayor Sue Montgomery has been charged with multiple ethics violations by Quebec’s Municipal Commission. Some details are given here, but as has been true throughout this story, there’s a strong sense of an unrevealed drama that journalists either can’t or won’t report.
Also, as with many pre-pandemic story lines, there’s also a strong taste of “who the hell cares” about it.
The city will shortly be opening three new homeless shelters as well as new day centres in parks. If this seems like a lot, remember that the homeless now have to be sheltered individually, not bunked in together as they usually are.
CTV looked into how the Douglas Hospital has had to help its patients face the extra stresses of a pandemic, on top of whatever demons they already cope with.
I see completely conflicting advice on wearing a mask if you have to go out. During the 1 pm press conference, quoted here, Horacio Arruda said it couldn’t hurt, but don’t let a mask make you feel invincible, and keep washing your hands.
Current list of confirmed cases by borough and suburb.
Did it really take a global virus pandemic to make us (society, the community) care about homeless people enough to give them proper, private homes?
Maybe we have been sick for a while with a much worse virus than COVID-19.
Oh, I don’t think this proves suddenly everyone cares about homeless people, it just proves that everyone is scared that if homeless people are around, outside, they will infect others.
(I do hope that this changes our long-term plans for homelessness — giving housing helps, and it’s also the right thing.)
jeather, what I was getting at is that our new generalized precarity might inspire people to give up on the “Culture of Punishment” that we have been living under for centuries. Virtually every minority or person in trouble is punished, as if this can improve them.
Oh, I get it, I just am more pessimistic about whether we will move in that direction after this is over.
A homeless man has died after testing positive for COVID-19. His actual age is not given, but he’s described as elderly. But in another story about a different homeless man suspected of being positive, it turned out he was not.
There’s been one death and eleven more confirmed cases at a CHSLD in Lasalle.
Radio-Canada reports on how traditional funeral rites in the three Abrahamic religions are now impossible.
The Journal de Montréal speaks to a man who is living in his car on quarantine because he got back from a trip after a breakup, and has nowhere to live.
Read xkcd on pathogen resistance especially the cursor popup.
The article on the homeless man mentions another reason not to restrict cigarettes: when supply is limited, people share them.
Thanks for the laugh, Kate.
Alison, or an alternative way to look at it… (as a thought experiment, not saying I’m for/against)
The CDC’s worst case estimate is that 2 million could die in the USA from COVID. To prevent that, we self-inflict mass unemployment, limitations of civil liberties, etc., etc. Think of the lives it will save! How could we do less?!
The CDC also says 0.5 million Americans die from cigarettes *each* year. To prevent that, we should make them totally illegal. Think of the lives it will save! How could we do less?!
MarcG 19:59 on 2020-03-31 Permalink
I miss posts like this
walkerp 20:46 on 2020-03-31 Permalink
Damn, they are really going after her hard. Please somebody suss out the back story here!
Jack 14:00 on 2020-04-01 Permalink
“…including harassment, lack of respect and failure to maintain a harassment-free work environment.”
This can mean something as simple as saying “…do your job…” to a unionized civil servant.
Can anyone find out if there has been more than these three cases? Sue Montgomery, Giuliana Fumagalli and Tamara Thermitus.
Something more is going on here.
Ian 08:23 on 2020-04-02 Permalink
It does seem to have an air of familiarity to it, and I find it interesting that it always seems to be women getting hung out to dry…
Even if Projet isn’t trying to allow “business as usual” to the extent of allowing corruption to flourish, this kind of behaviour certainly gives that impression. Since we can safely assume every administration before them was on the take, it would serve Projet well to be more careful about their optics, to say the least.
I have always said that I vote for Projet because they are the only party that isn’t obviously on the take, but I certainly don’t trust them unconditionally any more.
Mark Côté 16:21 on 2020-04-02 Permalink
“I have always said that I vote for Projet because they are the only party that isn’t obviously on the take, but I certainly don’t trust them unconditionally any more.”
Same, and even though I’ve long believed that our system doesn’t let real progressive change get too far, I’m still disappointed (yet again). So hard not to let the disillusionment overwhelm me.