The new federal policy on official languages was to provide new funding for Quebec anglo institutions, but this is not popular and the CAQ wants the money to go toward teaching us blokes how to parley‑voo. I mean, there’s simply no excuse.
Updates from April, 2023 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
A teenage boy has been arrested after Israeli flags were stolen from a school in DDO, and set on fire.
shawn
Right and the Hebrew Foundation School is an integral part of the Beth Tikvah congregation.
shawn
I’m from that community. So a Palestinian kid or supporter tears down the flag of the state of Israel, and the Montreal police are investigating it as a possible hate crime against Jews. That’s what we’re looking at? Hooboy is my final word on it.
jeather
It’s so complicated. Yom Ha’atzmaut is of course actually a holiday about Israel, not a Jewish holiday, but in general (I am not sure about this specific case, the details of which I have not followed), destroying Israeli flags in North America isn’t about the very valid hatred of their government/policies, it’s about antisemitism.
denpanosekai
omg keep that garbage conflict to the middle-east
Kate
jeather, even if the perpetrator is Palestinian, rather than, say, an angry skinhead?
jeather
Are the flags at the Israeli embassy or at a synagogue or religious school? I mean I do think that burning flags is, as a rule, a reasonable political protest, and I also think that teens are, well, teens. But for all the problems it causes, the Israeli flag is also the symbol of Judaism, and when you’re doing it to a religious institution . . . Sure, you can find examples where it really is about the government’s actions, but honestly I think it’s a high bar to argue that the action isn’t antisemitic in North America or Europe.
steph
Can Israel ever be separated from Judaism? In some places in the world, Jews are even considered a distinct race.
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Kate
Taylor C. Noakes considers city hall’s transit priorities and doubts that they make sense.
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Kate
Tenants in a Little Italy building have been evicted to make tourist accommodations on a stretch of the Main where short‑term rentals are not allowed, but there’s a loophole because the commercial zoning allows for hotels.
Daniel
Oof, this is very close to us so it hits home. I like what one of the people the reporter talked to said:
“I’m not going to say (short-term rentals) are the most important thing in why housing is so expensive, but it’s one of the factors, and unlike all these other things, it’s a solvable problem. I think we should solve our solvable problems and then we can worry about the ones that are kind of unsolvable.”
Ephraim
I wonder if the city is ready to enforce the hotel rules, because they are SIGNIFICANTLY different… and of course 100% commercial. Enforce the rules and make the landlord really pay for this
Meezly
Is this something the borough has jurisdiction over, or would they, yet again, have to appeal to provincial powers?
Ephraim
Good question, I would think that the city has jurisdiction over the zoning
Kate
As keeps coming up, jurisdiction is meaningless if there’s no enforcement.
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Kate
There was a veritable festival of vehicle arsons overnight, with eight vehicles plus a schoolbus going up in smoke in three locations.
Tim S. 20:29 on 2023-04-27 Permalink
My kids have a combined 10 years in EMSB/CSSDM schools, and in that time they have had 3 born in Quebec francophone French teachers. I look forward to the day when Drainville or Plamondon or anyone really decides to quit politics and devote themselves to teaching French to immigrants.
Tim S. 20:32 on 2023-04-27 Permalink
EMSB immersion, I should specify.
Tim 22:09 on 2023-04-27 Permalink
It is very abnormal for a retired Federal Court justice to come out against a bill like C-13: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/john-ivison-canada-on-path-to-open-hostility-between-anglophones-francophones
shawn 10:17 on 2023-04-28 Permalink
Yes that gave me pause as well. I’ve been so focused on C-13 here I didn’t realize the impact in the RoC.
Chris 18:19 on 2023-04-28 Permalink
The article talks about bilingualism a lot… We Montrealers may think of bilingualism as common, but in English Canada (ie not Quebec & NB), very few people are bilingual, and it’s falling. The highest is 14%. What is to be done about that? In actual practice, bilingualism just means francos learning English.
Article also says “…namely the failure to consider the merit argument that he says trumps language rights…”. The merit system is not fashionable these days. Nowadays, we have gender quotas, preferences for ‘diversity’, etc. Not surprising to see minority linguistic preferentials added in.
Kate 23:07 on 2023-04-28 Permalink
In Montreal, multilingualism is common. So many people who speak English and French and have one or more other languages in their back pocket – and don’t make a big deal of it.
Chris 23:54 on 2023-04-28 Permalink
True, but the article was about French and English.
CE 00:02 on 2023-04-29 Permalink
@Chris, I guess you’ve never been to many parts of Ontario where there are almost as many French speakers as there are English speakers here in Quebec.