The Lockbit gang attacked Montreal’s underground infrastructure on August 3, demanding a ransom of $2 million. The city refused to pay. While it seems the crooks may have stolen some files, so far no serious consequences have ensued.
Updates from August, 2023 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
Incidents of shooting are down 38% this year in Montreal, compared to 2021 and 2022.
Taking a historical view, I suspect the surge in those two years will retrospectively be blamed on the general social upheaval caused by the pandemic and its privations. But it’s a complex matter.
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Kate
Quebec Superior Court says it can hear a challenge to Mary Simon as Governor‑General of Canada because she can’t speak French.
Meantime, the PQ’s Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is introducing a bill that would allow the publication of documents concerning the funding of the “no” side in the 1995 Quebec referendum. The PQ knows that there’s an issue on the other side of this story – the matter of the rejected ballots (yes, that’s from 2000), but Plamondon knows those ballots were destroyed (2008) so no case can be made now.
Can we agree that both sides verged on playing dirty? What would Plamondon get now, if he could show that the “no” side bent the rules? Was there anything wrong in people coming here from the ROC to cheer on the “no” side?
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Kate
The city is adding another $3 million to the fund meant to help groups buy and maintain buildings where they can offer social services.
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Kate
A review of the new insectarium building goes into some detail and has some nice photos but doesn’t address the recent issue of overheating from sun beating on the huge windows.
Orr
We were certainly “sensorially disconnected” in the dark areas and wondered when the exhibits would start and then we passed the exit, underwhelmed.
There’s nothing wrong with well-lit exhibits in well-lit rooms, imo, although the Insectarium designers/architects apparently disagree.
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Kate
The MUHC attempted to sign deals with unionized workers without going via their union, but the Quebec labour tribunal has told them they can’t do that.
Joey
Seems like more of a molehill than a mountain – the MUHC was seconding a couple of employees to the health ministry and didn’t consult the union first (the hospital also maintained that the CBA did not apply since it allegedly did not include provisions for the secondment of personnel). I suspect that the administrative judge was right to tell the employer that it must always consult the union, but this is hardly a case of major overreach or skirting a collective agreement.
Kate
Sometimes things like this are attempted to see what they can get away with.
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Kate
There was a major robbery at MELS movie studio in June, $700,000 worth of equipment having been taken in a fraudulent rental. MELS now belongs to TVA.
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Kate
Two thirds of SPVM police will make more than $100,000 in 2022 – and yes, I know that article is truncated, but I can’t find an alternate version. Also note that this was before their recent big raise.
Spi
I suspect if you break out the the ludicrous amount of overtime that they gladly signup for the percentage isn’t nearly as high.
Kate
Doesn’t matter if they’re making it from overtime, they’re still making it, and the system lets them do it.
mare
Being a cop is a very dangerous job, almost as dangerous as that of a taxi driver or garbage collector (*US figures, Quebec cops might encounter slightly less risk from firearms). Paying them well might also lower their temptation for corruption.
They also can only retire after 25 years of duty and their pension is based on their salary, not their overtime pay. So many have to take another job after retirement to be able to pay the mortgage of their house and cottage, the loans for their cars, and holiday travel budget. It’s not all that rosy being a cop, there’s a reason the force has a hard time to fill the extra positions that were created in past years. Especially recruiting minorities is hard, because they can make much more money in other sectors, like warehousing, roofing and construction.Blork
$100,000 used to be a very high income, but not anymore. Now it’s just on the high side of “pretty good.” Depending on the source you check, at least 11% of Canadians have an income in excess of $100k. I know a nurse who was making more than $100k from doing lots of overtime, and that was more than a decade ago.
It’s a dangerous job (as mare points out) and if they’re putting in the (over)time for it, why is this a problem?
Bearing in mind that if a 40-year-old cop wants to make an income comparable to a desk-bound 26-year-old software developer, you either pay them well or they will turn to outsourcing (private copping on the side) or corruption.
thomas
The police profession isn’t as dangerous as many might think. It doesn’t even make the top 10 in terms of hazardous jobs, standing alongside professions like electricians and automotive mechanics. What elevates their compensation is not just the salary itself but the exceptional job security and a generous pension plan. For instance, the average police officer in Montreal retires at the age of 53 with a pension of roughly $60k, fully indexed to inflation.
Ephraim
You know what would make policing less hazardous? Bodycams. They have been shown to de-esculate a lot of situations
Joey
Can’t hire enough cops but we also have to use cops to manually control traffic lights on construction sites. So, priorities.
Josh
I can’t tell whether there’s some sarcasm in mare’s comment – the bit about mortgages on their house *and* cottage, multiple cars and holiday travel budget seems in contrast to much of the rest of it!
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