Updates from December, 2023 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Kate 23:11 on 2023-12-03 Permalink | Reply  

    Michel C. Auger notes how the CAQ government finds it convenient to attack the anglo community whenever it finds its ratings slipping.

    Toula Drimonis looks at the posturing of the Bloc’s Mario Beaulieu against anglos.

    And this week, a last-minute amendment to the CAQ’s massive health revolution bill means they can revoke a hospital’s bilingual status by fiat.

     
    • carswell 09:37 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

      Auger notes that the bill is so massive that Dubé didn’t even know the amendment was there and, after congratulating the opposition for bringing it to his attention (!), has announced it will be withdrawn. He also lauded the change as proof that our democracy works.

      In addition to constituting further proof that, as far as the CAQ and other ethnonationalists are concerned, anglo rights are not sacrosanct, are there to be chipped away at, Dubé’s reform is a huge, unwieldy mess almost certain to add new layers of bureaucracy and make the current situation worse. Unless Legault loses big in the next election, I suspect Quebec will have a fully fledged two-tier healthcare system that’s great for the elite and not so great for everyone else before the decade is out.

    • steph 10:49 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

      Better start sowing arm bands with capitol A’s to identify ourselves.

    • qatzelok 13:45 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

      Most political parties use “scapegoats” to get their numbers up. It’s a sad reality in democratic societies where the voting population (the numbers) has only a superficial understanding of political strategies or big-picture economics.

      Canadian children are born with a $100,000 government debt… because their parents and grandparents allowed this to happen (and continue to let happen) – perhaps Canadian adults of the last few generations were tricked (by their own deep state) into surrendering their offspring to debt slavery?

    • Kate 17:45 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

      What are you wibbling about, qatzelok?

    • qatzelok 18:10 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

      Kate, I am suggesting that scapegoating is a common tactic among political parties that use polling data to play the numbers game… rather than having an actual reason to be in politics (a platform, a social program, etc.)

      Just before his latest victory, a journalist asked Legault why he was running again. It was an excellent question for many of our politicians.

    • JaneyB 18:37 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

      Debt slavery? I and 37 million others co-own hospitals, highways, water and sewage systems, schools, universities, libraries, concert halls, public utilities, a vast web of social services, a zillion acres of wilderness, and an army with all the equipment. That’s a pretty great deal for 100k, especially since I and my descendants will kick it forward for future generations to (never) pay.

    • Kate 21:46 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

      What she said!

    • qatzelok 09:27 on 2023-12-05 Permalink

      That list that JaneyB provided… is of infrastructure that is being sold off all over the West… to pay for debts.

    • Tim 10:43 on 2023-12-05 Permalink

      JaneyB, the debt that qatzelok is referring to is the debt that exists today. This is indeed a debt burden that is being left for future generations. We have not paid our share. Technically, a lot of things that you list are not truly owned because of the debt. Kind of like a home owner does not really own their home until their mortgage is paid off.

      Governments have made the decision to collectively kick the mortgage responsibilities down the road to future generations. We are not leaving much of a legacy. qatzelok is also correct that infrastructure is being sold off (and lost forever) for shortsighted, one time cash grabs.

    • Kate 11:30 on 2023-12-05 Permalink

      Tim, a home owner does not really own their home, ever. If they stop paying their property tax, it will stop belonging to them soon enough.

      Property ownership is a legal fiction.

      So, in a sense, is government debt. We can’t think of it the way we think about e.g. the balance on our credit card. We’ve been encouraged to think of it that way by conservative politicians but it’s more like JaneyB’s reply.

    • carswell 11:51 on 2023-12-05 Permalink

      While JaneyB makes some good points, the kicking of the debt can to future generations does come at a cost: interest on all that debt. In 2022-2023, that cost was 7.3% of Quebec government revenues or, to put it another way, the combined Quebec and federal interest payments alone cost $2,110 per person. (Figures taken from a Fraser Institute report, gulp, but appear to be based on provincial and federal government data.)

    • Tim 15:22 on 2023-12-05 Permalink

      Somebody who pays of their mortgage clearly owns their home. This does not mean that there are no future expenses. It is very true that the power of the state can be wielded to take possession of a home in cases where property taxes are not paid. That said, it would probably be an option of the last resort but even then the property owner would receive all the proceeds from the sale minus the taxes owed. There are also deferral programs to avoid this outcome. Here is one that was proposed for Montreal: https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/plante-administration-open-to-property-tax-deferral-for-low-income-seniors

      I am not advocating for zero debt on the books for government. Sometimes it is advantageous. I do think it’s a mistake to think that the growing debt at all levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal) is a nothing burger. At some point, measures will be needed to get the debt under control.

  • Kate 20:56 on 2023-12-03 Permalink | Reply  

    Food banks are seeing their highest demand ever as even people who can afford food are turning away from meat to less costly victuals.

     
    • Kate 14:58 on 2023-12-03 Permalink | Reply  

      Recently we had this brief thread about traffic cones, drivers and cyclists. There was some commenting on moving cones to interfere with traffic, then Ian said “I’m sure you gentlemen would be outraged if somebody started moving cones into the bike paths.”

      In response to Ian’s comment, someone called @CycleFunMtl on X first posted “Commenter makes his threat to boobytrap bike paths sound like “I’m just making a joke.” Joke is not funny at all.”

      I told them it was clearly not a threat, just a counterpoint in a conversation. I thought it was over.

      Today they are back with “I have a policy of zero tolerance for bullying, threats of harm or violence, or thuggish comments. Interesting that it appears you do not.”

      I replied “Nobody has threatened any harm or violence on my blog. Please get a grip.”

      Now they are citing the UN Declaration of Human Rights at me and more.

      I guess there’s no way to convince this person that no threat was intended to anybody. It’s just odd to see someone going off like this – especially since this blog has generally been pro‑cycling since the beginning.

      …Oh, now it’s parallels to domestic violence. Blocked!

       
      • CE 16:01 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

        Sounds like you’re dealing with a textbook Chronically Online Person. Maybe he or she needs to get outside and go for a nice long bike ride.

      • DisgruntledGoat 16:50 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

        There’s still some grass about for CycleFun to touch, definitely

      • Ian 17:24 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

        Considering it was Orr saying he was moving cones I don’t see why there’s a finger pointing at me but hey, sounds like a fun dude.

      • Kate 17:31 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

        Ah, but he wasn’t “threatening” cyclists!

      • Ian 17:38 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

        Ah well, considering the same guy posted on Xitter that his friend getting a ticket for riding his bike no hands is a “war on cyclists” on the part of the SPVM, I guess nuance and culpability are not his strong suits.

      • CE 21:19 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

        Is it common for Twitter users to tweet this much? This guy must have 200 posts a day!

      • GC 23:35 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

        CE, I was also amazed at the sheer quantity of tweets. I was trying to just scroll back through their content, to the kerfuffle, and there were SO MANY tweets. Who has that much time? Did Trump even tweet that many times a day?

      • Ian 09:10 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

        Rage-farming clicktrolls never sleep 😉

    • Kate 11:52 on 2023-12-03 Permalink | Reply  

      An exhibit at the Botanical Garden has been cancelled because of falling glass panels in the greenhouses. This isn’t recent: the most recent crash was in June, and the complex has seen a couple of glass panels fall every year since 2017. Greenhouses have been condemned as unsafe, and this has meant that some plants are left to die.

       
      • Kate 11:31 on 2023-12-03 Permalink | Reply  

        The OCPM report on how to handle development around Bridge-Bonaventure emphasizes affordable housing and public access. Linda Gyulai mentions the scandal around the OCPM expenses, but doesn’t suggest that the Office’s studies or reports have been called into question because the top dogs liked a junket.

         
        • Kate 10:54 on 2023-12-03 Permalink | Reply  

          Daniel Langlois, known here for Softimage and the creation of the now defunct culture palace Excentris on the Main, was found dead in a burnt‑out car in Dominica along with his partner.

          Update: Praise in La Presse from director François Girard, who had visited Langlois recently, and other quotes from people who knew him.

           
          • Meezly 11:52 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

            I heard more details from a former colleague and have not been able to verify from news sources yet, but apparently, a neighbour in Dominica had been trying to block Langlois from getting road access to a spring to use as a water source, and the court ruled in favour of Langlois. Shortly after, he and his wife were found murdered. The neighboring landowner and an American hitman were arrested as they tried to leave the island.

            My former colleague’s also from Jonquiere, in fact, many folks in the Montreal tech industry hail from that region, and Langlois was an admired and well-known fellow. It’s possible that my colleague got his info from those who knew Langlois personally.

          • Kate 11:53 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

            Interesting. Thank you, Meezly.

            The news articles here mention that Langlois was trying to establish a sustainable resort, so the use of the spring water may have been for something bigger than his own house. Not that it excuses violence, but you can see how it might anger people if a wealthy Canadian muscled in and made free with resources.

          • dhomas 12:11 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

            This is quite sad. Softimage was huge in its day. I hadn’t heard about his more recent endeavours, but they too sound commendable.

          • Meezly 12:13 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

            I’m withholding any judgement out of respect of those who maybe grieving, but I heard that the resort took a long time to build because Langlois was determined to use local people to construct and staff the resort. If the skills were lacking, the people would get training. So for a rich white guy, it sounded like he was fairly integrated in the local community. It’s possible that the neighbour is the real rich whitel a-hole in this, if what I heard is true. I mean, the guy hired a hitman and resorted to murder!

          • Kate 13:02 on 2023-12-03 Permalink

            You are fair-minded, Meezly!

          • walkerp 10:29 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

            From today’s article in La Presse

            Trois personnes ont été arrêtées dès samedi par la police locale relativement à ce qui est officiellement un double homicide. L’enquêteur au dossier, George Theophile, a confirmé à La Presse que l’une d’elles est Jonathan Lehrer, un homme d’affaires américain de 57 ans, qui possédait le domaine voisin de celui de Daniel Langlois.

            Most wealthy landowners on these Caribbean islands are going to be white and usually expats.

          • Kate 10:39 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

            Yep. La Presse’s headline says right out that they were killed by a hitman.

          • Meezly 11:20 on 2023-12-04 Permalink

            Jesus, that neighbour was unhinged. He’d harass or chase down anyone who were simply using the public road to get to/from the resort, part of the road cut through his estate. He even blocked off the road a number of times, at least once with burning logs!

        • Kate 10:33 on 2023-12-03 Permalink | Reply  

          A man shot dead in Laval on Saturday night was identified as Marc Issa El‑Khoury, tried for the killing of a Hells in Ontario last year, but cleared, although three other men in the trial were convicted.

           
          c
          Compose new post
          j
          Next post/Next comment
          k
          Previous post/Previous comment
          r
          Reply
          e
          Edit
          o
          Show/Hide comments
          t
          Go to top
          l
          Go to login
          h
          Show/Hide help
          shift + esc
          Cancel