CTV is clutching its head over the municipal form telling you whether you’re registered to vote. The five-panel fold is a little excessive, it’s addressed to Occupant and your name is printed in small print on the top right corner.
Apparently people have been going to line up to register who have no need to do so.
A man stabbed earlier this week near the Old Brewery Mission has died of his injuries, making him the 24th homicide of the year.
Valérie Plante wants a vaccination mandate at city council but it won’t be voted on till the end of the year.
Speaking of mayoral candidates, Denis Coderre has a health strategy mostly about the homeless, and not really adding much to what the city is already doing. He’s also blaming Projet for the STM being in a financial squeeze, of course not acknowledging that this is because it lost half its ticket revenue for a year and a half.
As mentioned in last week’s media, the woman who stabbed her two daughters in April 2020 has been definitively declared not criminally responsible. The media are not putting “alleged” so I assume this means it’s legally agreed she was indeed the perpetrator. The unnamed woman will be held in a psychiatric unit until she is judged not to be dangerous, and she can’t communicate with her ex-partner or their surviving daughter.
The outbound LHL tunnel will be closed all weekend and there are various other traffic headaches and nightmares going on.
La Presse’s Isabelle Ducas asks how many of the city’s 1.1 million eligible voters will actually get out and vote on November 7, and hazards a guess fewer than half of us will go to the trouble.
Even when city hall was starting to be revealed as corrupt under Tremblay, only 39.4% of voters came out in 2009 – and put Tremblay back into the mayoral seat.
Elections Montreal is hoping that by having four solid voting days – a weekend of advance polls on October 30 and 31 followed by a weekend of regular polls November 6 and 7 – it can persuade a few more people to cast a ballot.
There are restrictions on voting by mail, unlike the federal election, which may lower the numbers a bit.
Balarama Holness has received death threats which he has reported to police. If you want to see the tweet, it’s reproduced in the Metro article, and it’s not bleeped, so expect nastiness.
Anglo media have, by and large, reported the story but not shown us the actual wording – although what the point is, of reporting a story like this but not including a publicly posted message that’s key to the story, I do not know. La Presse doesn’t embed the tweet, but at least gives us a link.
Incidentally, the offensive tweet is signed Jos.Montferand [sic].
I’m sure that’s an email address that has gotten a lot of email in the past 24 hours.
It’s odd, his ethnic origin never even came to my mind at all, until I saw that tweet. And he’s not an immigrant, he was born and raised here in Montreal. But then, even if you family came here in the 1760s… some people still think you are an immigrant if your first language isn’t French. (As if a child can choose their mother tongue).
@Ephraim
The ethnic hatred is usually polite and genteel, such as telling people who have one parent who immigrated as a child that they speak good French even though they aren’t really Quebecois. (An example I saw this year in a profile published in La Presse)
Does politeness and genteelness make it better somehow?
The number of “real Quebecois” who are absolutely shocked that my family has been here generations longer than theirs. This is my periodic reminder that the Montreal Jewish community is anglophone because the French/Catholic school system wouldn’t let us in, while the English/Protestant one did, only semi begrudgingly.
jeather, I’ve spoken to Italian-Montrealers – Catholics – whose grandparents were told by the nuns at the French school to take their kids to the English school, they didn’t want them there. So they grew up with parents who were educated in English and ended up on the anglo side themselves.
This didn’t happen to all Italian-Montrealers. My neighbour who died at age 100 earlier this year spoke Italian and French but no English, as does his widow, who still lives down the street.
It was pointed out on Reddit that the offending tweet has so many French language errors that it may not have been a “real Quebecois” person who wrote it.
I wouldn’t assume that a mentally disturbed person who threatens a public figure in a province where 50% of people are functionally illiterate will have strong language skills.
MarcG – Not disagreeing with you, but where do you get the 50% figure from?
My parents are part of those Italians that grew up in the Anglo school system. They did their best to make sure I was educated in both languages, as they understood that being fluent in as many languages as possible would be beneficial to me in the future. So, I went to grade school in French and high school in an Anglo school with a French immersion program (plus 11 years of Italian school on weekends). I hated it growing up, but I’m thankful now that my parents forced me to do it.
I have some cousins that grew up further east and were completely in the francophone system. Their mother tongue is French and they speak English like regular francophone Montrealers do; that is to say, it’s understandable, but it’s obvious that they struggle with English a little. (I have to say that the younger generation is much better than their parents, thanks to all the YouTube they consume) My francophone family and most of their friends on Facebook used to make my eyes hurt with their terrible spelling in French. It looked pretty much like that racist fellow’s tweet.
About the rate of illiteracy in Quebec, 53% of Quebecers are functionally illiterate or worse:
https://fondationalphabetisation.org/en/illiteracy/about-illiteracy/false-beliefs/
To be fair, it seems like the ROC is about the same.
Any data to back up your spurious claim MarcG? We’re all waiting…
Helpful map of literacy rates in Quebec: https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/640182/quel-est-le-degre-de-litteratie-de-votre-region.
” * Overall, Canada earns a “C” grade on inadequate literacy skills in the latest international comparison study.
Forty-eight per cent of Canadian adults have inadequate literacy skills—a significant increase from a decade ago.
No province earns above a “C” grade for inadequate literacy skills ”
https://conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/education/adlt-lowlit.aspx
@Tim: I assumed that dhomas’ link would satisfy.
Re illiteracy: it’s difficult to establish firmly because the criteria are variable. But while doing census work I encountered people who seemed relieved to have me read them the form and take down their details, because they had found it difficult or impossible to parse the thing themselves. However, people don’t like to admit outright that they can’t read.
I think a lot of people could pass a very simple literacy test, but present them with a complicated form, with all kinds of bits and pieces and “if this does not apply, skip to section 3” type stuff, they get nervous and lost.
I did talk to one older Québécois man who simply admitted that he couldn’t read, said he had been waiting for his son to help him with the form, but his son was busy. This man had left school around grade 6, at which point many kids can read comfortably, but possibly one reason he left was because he couldn’t.
Of course, in some cases, people may simply not be able to see very well. We tend to forget that vision tests and eyeglasses are excluded from socialized medicine here.
The Le Devoir article has a link to a pdf of the executive summary of the study and it is fascinating.
One metric for literacy I often see is is to be able to understand the instructions on a medication, and there is an excellent old joke about a big tough but illiterate person asking about where his pill goes, but no way I’m repeating it here.
The CMM says it wants to protect the remaining natural areas around the metropolitan areas, in accordance with the PMAD, a document that has mostly been more honoured in the breach than the observance. Let’s hope it’s not just talk.
Let’s hope. Is the Technoparc wetlands officially protected under their mandate, or other? I remember the REM was repairing a sinkhole that they had caused by tunneling.
Meezly, I’m not sure. I will see if I can find out, but it won’t be today.
I think the sinkhole was in fact a puncture wound which drained what is left of that wetland.
A man was arrested earlier this month driving the wrong way on a downtown street, with an expired licence and with a firearm hidden in the car. What’s a “fusil de calibre .12”? There are photos of it, but the article doesn’t make it clear whether this is a completely illegal weapon. In any case, it was illegal for the man at the wheel because he was under a lifetime ban for owning guns.
It’s a 12 gauge shotgun and that version with a pistol like grip would not be designed for hunting, but for close quarters against people.
Thank you both. I’ve never even touched a gun, so it’s nice to have the information!
JdeM makes a mistake in calling it “caliber .12.” Shotguns are usually measured by “gauge” not caliber. Gauge is a weird and archaic measurement of the inner diameter of the barrel that has to do with how much a lead ball of that size would weigh. Typical gauges for shotguns are 12 and 20, with 16 and 10 being less common (the lower the number the bigger the barrel diameter). 12 gauge is the most common. Note that it is “12” not “.12.”
Rifle and pistol barrels on the other hand are typically measured in “caliber,” which is a straightforward diameter measurement in inches or millimetres. When inches are used it is always fractions of an inch. So that 44 Magnum you’re looking at is actually a .44 magnum because the bullet is .44 of an inch in diameter. In this case, the lower the number the smaller the bullet, so a “22” (actually a .22) is smaller than a 38 (.38). When measured in millimeters it’s always a whole number, such as the ubiquitous 9mm.
All that to say, people who aren’t familiar with firearms will often make the mistake of borrowing the “point” from .22/.38/.45 etc. caliber and applying it erroneously to shotgun gauges (e.g., .12 instead of the correct 12). So JdeM makes two mistakes by calling a 12-gauge a “.12 caliber.”
…and that is more than any of you ever wanted to know about the topic. 🙂
Also, as to the question of whether or not that shotgun is restricted or illegal, dwgs is right that the pistol-grip style (and lack of a shoulder stock) makes this essentially an assault or “combat” shotgun, not a hunting one. I’m not sure if the lack of a shoulder stock alone is enough to make it illegal. However, long guns that are shorter than 26 inches (660mm) are illegal (the classic sawed-off shotgun). If this shotgun is less than 26 inches, then yes, it’s illegal.
Also, the list of prohibited shotguns includes ones that more or less look like this one but don’t mention this one specifically.
My understanding is that transporting a gun requires it to be inoperable and/or in a locked box as well?
I learned more than I ever thought I would about guns today. J’vais me coucher moins niaiseux ce soir.
@jeather, it needs to be inoperable and/or locked in the trunk, while being transported.
A quarter of city workers make $100,000 or more annually, a cohort that’s doubled since five years ago. And the number making upwards of $200,000 has tripled over the same period. La Presse got the data from an access to information request.
In some cases, the city needs to pay high salaries because people in some roles could make as much or more in the private sector. But, without much explanation, there’s an indication that a few police officers are earning big money, but the SPVM won’t say why. Are these cops getting danger pay for undertaking risky activities? We won’t be told.
It’s overtime. All the traffic shifts are double pay and billed to MTQ or the city. Those are staffed by officers on their days off so as not to diminish the number of officers on the road. Hence 200% pay + transport.
David’s right. Not all cops regularly volunteer for OT shifts, so the ones that do can significantly raise their compensation.
Historically government workers were paid a discount as they have greater job security than private sector workers.
and gold plated pensions, most of the time less stressful and performance oriented work environments.
Sports and recreational facilities are unevenly distributed around the city, with the wealthier boroughs, not surprisingly, having more and better installations.
Can it be pure coincidence that the areas with the most gang activity are the ones with the least, and shabbiest, facilities?
Radio-Canada looks at Jean-Talon Hospital and the people who squeeze more effort out of its workers, pushing them to give up vacation time, come in on weekends, anything to provide more staffing hours.
Saw it, to literally shame people, in a career where their primary rationale for becoming a Nurse was empathy…. is brutal. Imagine doing this with lawyers or accountants, they’d just say F…ck off !
mare 22:56 on 2021-10-15 Permalink
I did almost that. It’s so badly designed. What I wrote on Twitter: “I can’t be the only one who feared for a few panicked *minutes* that I wasn’t registered as a voter after receiving a letter addressed to “the occupants”. Only after I read both sides of the letter I noticed my name in tiny type at the top right of the page.
Very bad design.”
dhomas 07:56 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
I went to check on the online portal to see if I was registered because my envelope said “À l’occupant”. I found it odd that I wouldn’t be registered, but the site confirmed that I was:
https://elections.montreal.ca/en/check-your-registration-on-the-voters-list/
Kate 10:04 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
dhomas, is your name not on the paper they sent, at the right of the address?
At least they could have printed people’s names in a larger size, maybe in bold type.
Kevin 10:50 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
I did like dhomas because I never spotted my name on the letter.
It was only after reading this article that I looked at the pamphlet again and spotted my name.
Shitty, shitty design.
dhomas 10:57 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
Same as Kevin. I saw “À l’occupant” and kinda freaked. I read the rest of the pamphlet to see how to verify/register and never saw my name on the letter, though it might be there. I’d have to check when I get home.
Nick D. 12:37 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
Same here. I saw « à l’occupant » and so didn’t notice my name hidden away on the right (and not laid out in a way you’d expect). Plus I moved a year ago so it was kind of half expected that I’d need to do something. I went to the office and they pointed out my name on the right.
Kate 12:44 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
We’re doing some useful feedback here on usability. Anyone mind if I summarize this thread in an email to Elections Montreal?
GC 19:25 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
I had been out of town, so I only just looked at mine. It is terrible. I was eventually able to find my name, printed tiny in one corner, but I might not have even looked that hard for it if I hadn’t read this thread. Who thought this was a good design???
MarcG 20:06 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
Another example of bad or total lack of quality assurance. They could have given these to 20 people and asked them “Is it clear that you are or are not registered to vote?” and fixed it before printing millions of them and having to deal with the fallout. I had exactly the experience described by mare and would appreciate it if you contacted Elections Montreal about it.
Kate 20:30 on 2021-10-16 Permalink
I have emailed Elections Montreal and given them hell.
MarcG, they really needed to test these, and included some older people, people with poor vision and people whose first language is neither French nor English. (I told them so.)
dhomas 14:11 on 2021-10-17 Permalink
Thanks for taking action, Kate. Hopefully, these letters will be better designed in 4 years’ time.