CAQ’s brewing scandal over charging to see a government minister continues, with grieving parents of a woman who died in a car crash told to pay $200 to meet Geneviève Guilbault for two minutes each to talk about drunk driving laws. I wonder whether an aide stands by with a stopwatch. Guilbault denies all knowledge of the pay‑per‑view policy.
Friday, the party is offering to pay the couple back. I’m afraid that particular political horse has already fled the barn.
The onetime far right leader who stormed Vice’s Montreal office in 2018 has seen his conditional discharge reversed by the Court of Appeal, leaving him with a criminal record.
Mayor Plante says the CAQ plan to hike tuition fees for out‑of‑province students directly attacks Montreal but the premier says this is because she doesn’t want to defend French.
François Legault said in the National Assembly that it was such a shame kids find English words cool. Cue Nelson Muntz “ha ha!” from CTV.
Well, that’s predictable at least. With the CAQ, everything is that French is under attack, and there is no situation in which French will not be under attack. They have the perfect foil for their culture war. They will happily destroy Quebec’s internstional reputation topreserve and fortify their own power.
Heaven forbid they shoud ever actually get down to improving the province and its cities in any meaningful way when there’s a forever war against the outsiders on tap.
It’s pathetically obvious at a distance, but this is the tactic of demagogues the world over, especially ethnonationalists.
Though he occasionally slips up, Legualt has long used “nous” and “Quebec nation” with two meanings: an inclusive one when talking to people outside Quebec, usually in English, and the restrictive Jacques Parizeau one when talking to franco Quebecers. But this is the first time I recall him lumping a Québécois(e) de souche in the not-nous category. Apparently, populism and political expediency trump all.
Anyway, if you had any doubts about cosmopolitan Montreal now being the official boogeyman of nationalists and PKP lackeys, you can lay them to rest. Even if you’re a genetically correct francophone, being associated with the city makes you “one of them,” impure and ignorable.
Montreal is such a vibrant place, a city that punches way above its weight (compare it with US cities of approximately the same size, like Phoenix or Dallas), a fact I’ve always attributed to its being a fundamentally bicultural and increasingly multicultural city, albeit one in which French, by general agreement, dominates. In their quest to install a monolingual monoculture (to paraphrase Blanchet), Legault, Blanchet, MBC and company want to destroy what makes Montreal special.
The SQDC is closing its branch on Plaza St‑Hubert, the first time any branch of the government‑owned monopoly is being closed. The SQDC says it’s a business decision based on the lease and various other mumbly excuses; the union thinks it’s revenge for workers having unionized and struck for better terms a year and a half ago.
It’s true that the store was one of the bigger focuses of the labour dispute. That was partly due to its prominence – for quite a while *the* store for that big part of city – and resulting popularity (haven’t seen traffic figures ever and don’t know if traffic returned to normal after the strike). I wonder how many of the laid-off employees are active in or leaders of the union and/or strike.
While the store’s disappearance won’t leave as big a hole as it would have four years ago, the other nearby stores aren’t really that nearby (Jarry metro, Mont Royal metro, St. Lawrence/Laurier, Promenade Masson, Acadie metro). Also, given the difficulty the SQDC has finding on-island locations that comply with the ridiculously strict criteria the CAQ imposed when they took power, it seems odd the SQDC would readily give up such a centrally located one. Clear as mud, which makes the official explanation sound more than a little suspicious.
I do find it odd that the SDQC wasn’t union by default considering that the SAQ is CSN.
Even with the CSN, it takes ages to negotiate a work contract.
Élise Gravel, whose kids’ books are well regarded here both in English and French, is seeing her books removed from one library’s shelves because her views on Gaza, expressed on X, are being called antisemitic. Gravel has received death threats. She makes some statements on Instagram.
Update: I was afraid this post would turn into a scrum, but I still felt the story about Élise Gravel merited attention.
Death threats and harassment are obviously completely unacceptable. But the library pushback is reasonable (and the books are still on the shelves, they’re just not on display). She has obsessively devoted her instagram to inflammatory, dehumanizing claims, many inaccurate, and some explicitly antisemitic, occasionally offering half-apologies and then doubling down further. She has refused to engage with members of the Jewish community who have reached out, including librarians that repeatedly asked for a conversation. Jewish kids here have been repeatedly targeted in the last few months. That’s very real, and she’s contributing to it far more than she is to Middle East policy. Claiming you’re not antisemitic does not absolve you of the harm you’re doing–it’s just gaslighting.
Supporting genocide isn`t cool. Gazan children have been repeatedly killed in the last few months.
Stop throwing around the antisemtic lable on anyone who disagrees with Israel.
As someone who follows Gravel from way before the renewed hostilities in Gaza, I haven’t seen a single post that could be reasonably called ‘explicitly antisemitic’. I’ve seen a ton of post against the Israeli government and their actions, but that’s not the same thing, at all, as anti-semitism.
She posted that “Israel has the largest skin bank in the World, harvested from Palestinians.” Then she reposted it with a caveat as “a claim that hasn’t been proven”-far from acknowledging what it is, a vicious lie, a blood libel, and one of the oldest antisemitic tropes that exists: the accusation that Jews take body parts from non-Jews to use in nefarious ways. This is indeed explicitly antisemitic, and the comments–dozens! still up!–are worse. She’s still using her platform to spotlight an old antisemitic lie, and creating an opportunity for tons of people to amplify it.
“I stand firmly against any form of discrimination and racism, including antisemitism,” the post goes on to read. “The Israeli government does not represent the views of every Jew on the planet. Criticizing the state of Israel is not antisemitic.”
That seems like a pretty clear and unambiguous statement. Frankly, the only people that I’ve heard that conflate Israel with all Jews are a) shills for Israel or b) anti-semites.
Also, trying to hide alleged crimes by crying blood libel sure is convenient. This is not the yelling at clouds of some random jew-hating crank, th4ere is very good evidence of skin an organ harvesting in Israel.
—
A controversial Israeli television investigation in 2014 included confessions from high-ranking officials that skin was taken from the bodies of dead Palestinians and African workers to treat Israelis, such as soldiers with burn injuries.
In it, the director of the Israeli Skin Bank revealed the country’s reserve of “human skin” reached 17 square meters – a huge number relative to Israel’s population.
Israel is thought to be the biggest hub for the illegal global trade in human organs, according to a 2008 investigation by the American CNN network.
Euro-Med Monitor claimed Israel is one of the “world’s biggest hubs for the illegal trade of human organs under the pretext of ‘security deterrence’”.
It urged the country to abide by “international law” and reiterated the “necessity of respecting and protecting the bodies of the dead during armed conflicts.”
The 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, which Israel has not ratified, requires combatants to respect the dignity of the dead, including preventing despoiling, mutilation, or any disrespectful treatment of their bodies.
—
https://www.euronews.com/2023/11/27/israel-stealing-organs-from-bodies-in-gaza-alleges-human-right-group
If you don’t know who Euronews is, via Wikipedia:
In 1992, following the Persian Gulf War, during which CNN’s position as the preeminent source of 24-hour news programming was cemented, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) proposed a channel to present information from a counterpart European perspective… Euronews SA was founded by a consortium of ten EBU members (national public broadcasters)
For God’s sake. Saying that you are against antisemitism does not absolve you of spreading antisemitism. And repeating false, incendiary, harmful claims do not make them true. This is an old, debunked story from 2009 about the 80s and 90s that metastasized and spread–and continues to spread–a lot of harm. It’s indefensible. And classically antisemitic. Ian, you just contributed to it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Aftonbladet_Israel_controversy
There are police cars in front of every Jewish school in this city. I know a little kid who just got asked if she has horns. Another who came home complaining about Hitler jokes at school. Criticizing Israel is not antisemitic. Spreading lies that have been used to provoke violence against Jews is indeed antisemitic.
The link you cited admits they actually did this.
The link says a forensic pathologist did not seek informed consent from both Palestinians and Israelis in the 90s and was removed from their post. So no, it does not.
Exactly.
AMF, Are facts anti-semitic? Is Yehuda Hiss anti-semitic now?
I live in a Hasidic neighbourhood. Ever wonder what they think of Israel? Are they antisemitic too?
There are shuls & schools all over my neighbourhood, and there aren’t police cars parked in front of them.
Also worth noting, the article I quoted is not from the 80s or 90s, it is current news from November of last year, specifically stating “Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said on Sunday it had “concerns” about possible organ theft from Palestinian corpses, following reports by medical professionals in Gaza who examined some bodies after they were released by Israel.”
Nice attempt at deflection, but please try to read your own sources even if you won’t read those of others.
Ah yes, the “no true Scotsman” gambit.
Not just some rando forensic pathologist, either, but the chief pathologist at the L. Greenberg National Institute of Forensic Medicine. Not exactly the “This is an old, debunked story from 2009 about the 80s and 90s” scenario you painted for us.
I didn’t know her name before today but I’ve seen her work around quite a bit. So sad that she has received death threats for being anti-war.
Yes, still not a fact.
Sorry Kate. I didn’t mean to turn your blog into a platform for blood libel.
“Sorry Kate. I didn’t mean to turn your blog into a platform for blood libel.”
How offensive to the other participants in this thread and how insulting to the blog’s readers and operator. And, no, AMF isn’t sorry — it’s just a rhetorical device to lead to a barb. Combine all that with being an obvious shill who feigns reasonableness until called out. They deserve to be ignored if not outright banned.
@AMF You can keep detracting the subject talking about how blood libel is anti-semetic, ignoring the genocide being commited. You’re not fooling anyone.
A case of measles has been noted in town, the piece saying the person had just visited Africa. Measles has been rising again in Europe and could circulate again here, with families refusing to vaccinate.
Measles is airborne like COVID so the same simple clean air protections we’ve put in place for that virus (N95s, air quality monitoring, filtration and ventilation in schools, hospitals and offices) will ensure this doesn’t get out of hand.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases! R0 of 12 to 14. The original thought was that COVID was R0 of 2.2 to 2.7 but it’s actually 5.7 (delta variant). Measles, Chicken Pox and Mumps are so contagious that you need over 90% vaccination rates to have herd immunity.
If someone with Measles walks through a room with 100 people who are vaccinated, 1 to 2 might still get it. If they walk through a room with 100 people who are unvaccinated… they all will likely get it. Hospitalization is 1 in 4, death is 1 per thousand. Long term complications are also high.
Ephraim, what if you had measles as a little kid, like me? Still immune?
@Kate – It’s in the area of presumptive… you are “probably” immune. Of course, even of those vaccinated, it’s only 97% effective, hence the reason that 1 in a 100 will leave with measles, even if vaccinated.
A few years ago, I was at the travel clinic to update my vaccinations. I got a Polio booster because I was going to Africa. And I checked my Tetanus and Hepatitis vaccinations. I asked about the MMR because I’m in the group that is presumptive (last of the Boomers, first of the Gen-Xers.) And she said it was $5. I gladly paid the $5, since it serves as a booster if I had received it.
Incidentally the first thing they do, if you may have been exposed to measles is… give you a booster shot. The body has a much better chance of fighting it, that way. Travel clinic is the place to get this. Most people forget that they need to redo their Tetanus ever 10 years anyway, same with diptheria, now usually given as the TDAP. Not all vaccines are for life. They think the Hep B is lifelong, but Hep A is 10 years. Yellow fever before 2016 is 10 years, but now is considered lifelong.
Looking through my archives I see that measles has been mentioned in local media several times over the last few years, but individual cases have never resulted in the outbreak feared by public health.
No need to go to a travel clinic for most vaccines – you can get all public health vaccines at any pharmacy, though you may need to book in advance as some are unlikely to be on hand at any given moment. You might also have to pay if you’re ineligible for the publicly funded program (e.g., if you are aged 50-80 but are not immunosuppressed, you can access the Shingles vaccine but it won’t be reimbursed), but that would be the case in any clinical setting, no just the pharmacy. That being said, a travel clinic might be warranted if you’re not sure or if you’re an edge case.
The most recent outbreak in Quebec was in 2011, at more than 700 cases. At the time it was the largest measles epidemic in North America since 2001.
https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/207/6/990/898747
Thank you, Kevin. I don’t think I was aware of that one.
Answering Kate’s Q – When I was a kid (I may be older than you), there were no vaccines against measles – you caught it, you were sick for a few days (most people), you were immune thereafter – same for mumps and chickenpox. I don’t know enough to be able to say that being infected as a child gives better protection, but I suspect that’s the case. Adult infections with ‘childhood diseases’ are generally more serious. Like Ephraim says, vaccination as an adult is a booster, so do it – whether or not you had measles as a kid.
Tee Owe, when I checked recently with a nurse practitioner about immunizations, I was given a tetanus shot because I hadn’t had one in ages, but she said the policy was that if you’d never had an MMR vaccination (which I hadn’t, having also been around before they existed), the assumption was you’d either have had those diseases, or been exposed enough to develop immunity. So I didn’t get one.
I don’t remember mumps being around at all when I was a kid, although I had measles and chicken pox. Rubella I’m not sure about.
Kate – I had mumps too, consider myself immune – my ex-wife had mumps as an adult, way worse than what I experienced as a kid. I too consider myself immune to measles but with all of these reports about increasing incidence I will ask my doctor – better safe than sorry.
Part of the reason people stayed immune, probably, is that they were around measles and chicken pox etc, so the immunity didn’t wane. That doesn’t mean you’re not immune anymore, though. They can do a blood titer if they have to — I was in a group that got just one shot, so when I needed proof of 2 for school they offered titer or a booster.
They no longer suggest Diphtheria-tetanus every decade, just once at 50.
Tee Owe
“I don’t know enough to be able to say that being infected as a child gives better protection, but I suspect that’s the case.”
No, there is no evidence of this whatsoever.
Diseases make you sick and repeated exposure makes you worse.
The adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” doesn’t apply to biology.
I’m not a science person but I’ve read a lot and my understanding is that these things can all be true:
It is always better to not be infected by a virus at all (what Kevin said)
If a vaccine is available it is better to get a vaccine vs getting infected (what everyone says)
If you are unfortunately infected and are lucky enough not to die, the infection could provide better protection against future infections compared to a vaccine. (what Tee Owe said)
Unfortunately the 3rd point has been used to justify the forced-infection Covid policy by twisting it into “infections are mostly harmless and actually beneficial”, which nullifies the first 2 points.
Interesting. As Gen-X and from Manitoba, MMR was actually compulsory to attend school (itself compulsory). This is still the case. Measles is just insanely contagious. Still, the Rubella part sometimes didn’t take perfectly for my cohort so screening was standard as a young adult. Chickenpox had no vaccine so everyone got it. I’ve had boosters for MMR and DPT since then because, why not.
Guy Grenier, second in command of the OCPM, has been fired following the expenses scandal.
CBC piece says the SPVM could use more money to get into genetic investigations to crack cold cases.
Totally agree. Not just cold cases, but active ones. An acquaintance’s husband was murdered in BC a couple of years ago and even though they had DNA evidence, but they have not caught the killer because of the stupidest reason – there was a huge backlog in DNA testing. Imagine having the technology to solve heinous crimes but not having the resources to do it. I’m sure it’s not just BC. Maybe prioritize DNA testing and creating a national database over gun squads?
Again a case of jurisdiction. It might be best that all code cases be handed off to the SQ or even the RCMP where they may be able to get and depend on larger resources and allocations based on their specializations. Does it make sense to have cold case detectives at the city level, province level and national level? The same as with IT detectives. The SPVM is more boots on the ground than a specialized group. They don’t have enough technology or technological background to do it. When you have the warrant for arrest… the SPVM are your people, but following GEDMATCH and DNA?
According to this article, yes. To summarize:
Both Longueuil police and the SQ have used new forensic methods to recently solve a cold murder case and a recent sexual assault and murder case respectively.
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) created a cold case unit in the spring of 2019 which now has eight investigators. Since the 1980s, there are hundreds of unsolved murders on its books.
Most recently, Montreal worked with Ontario Provincial Police to help solve the murder of Jewell Parchman Langford, a woman from Tennessee who disappeared in Montreal in 1975.
In 2019, Toronto police partnered with Othram, a private lab in Houston, Texas to build a suspect profile from preserved DNA evidence. This allowed genealogists to create a family tree that eventually led investigators to Calvin Hoover, who had died in 2015.
As you can see, there’s collaboration between police forces at city, province, national, even international level to investigate cold cases. And due to the sheer number of cold cases, it doesn’t make sense to hand them all off to provincial or federal police, esp. if the cold cases were localized within the city. So the article makes a case that advanced genetic testing would be hugely beneficial to all levels of police.
All genetic testing does is give investigators a lead to follow when other avenues have dried up. Once police have zeroed in on a suspect, they still need to use traditional techniques, the boots on the ground approach, as you said, to connect that suspect to the crime.
I’ve uploaded my DNA to a genealogy site and have wondered how I’d feel if cops contacted me with something like “What can you tell us about this second cousin of yours?” Because after the genetic and genealogical inquiries, they still have to locate someone via their relatives.
(I have no idea where my second cousins are, and have never met any of them. For that matter, I’m vague on most of my first cousins by now.)
Call me a crazy radical but I kind of feel like maybe the SPVM already has a grossly inflated budget.
Maybe the problem here is that DNA testing is being spread across too many agencies without any federal oversight – including the oversight of the rights and freedoms of citizens from being in cop DNA surveillance databases.
Yeah, I know no cop agency will ever be framing things within a civilian rights perspective but we at least have a better chance of transparency, consistency, and answerability with a national agency. The SPVM can’t even be trusted to not racially profile BIPOC folks in nice cars, now we’re going to expect them to become privacy-respecting forensic DNA supersleuths?
From what I understand, these genetic techniques are far cheaper than paying the salaries of a cold-case officer squad. Theoretically they could solve more cases by paying fewer officers and diverting that money to the firms and labs that build genetic profiles. But we all know that’s not how it works.
I’m pro defund the police, and it’s really a matter of how the funds are allocated. I feel there is too much money going into anti-gun crime instead of using it towards improving forensic technology.
DNA databases requires people to opt in or consent to have their information used in police searches. Like a fingerprint, you’d have to commit a crime to have your biodata in the system. I’m sure back in the day people were having hissy fits about finger print databases, and now it’s an accepted method of tracking criminals.
And there is no super-sleuthing involved when it comes to collecting DNA, just common sense and organizational skills to collect it, tag it and send it off to the lab. Perhaps your skepticism is based on fear rather than reasoning.
Six fires broke out overnight. CBC says four have been judged arson, while TVA describes three criminal fires in 90 minutes, with a separate item on a house fire in Lachine.
Later, a fifth fire, at a mechanic’s garage in Montreal East, was called suspicious and will also be investigated.
Tim S. 09:26 on 2024-02-09 Permalink
“I wonder whether an aide stands by with a stopwatch.” Quite probably. Maybe not an actual stopwatch but it will be someone’s job to keep the line flowing.