The Supreme Court has refused to hear Frank Zampino’s attempt to avoid trial for fraud, breach of trust and municipal corruption, so he and his co‑defendants will be seen in court starting next January.
Rulings and counter-rulings have delayed trial on these questions that are already more than a decade old.
The riding office of Marc Miller, MP for Ville‑Marie–Le Sud‑Ouest‑Île‑des‑Sœurs and minister for immigration, refugees and citizenship, at street level in a building facing Lionel‑Groulx metro, was vandalized overnight. The words “Marc Miller child killer” are visible in spray paint on the window. Pro‑Palestinian militants are accused, but no one has been arrested. Radio‑Canada goes on to list other incidents blamed on the same elements.
The photo of Lisa Montgomery in the RadioCan article is excellent.
I live nearby; it’s been spray painted a number of times since last October. The child-killer thing specifically isn’t new.
I wonder if they think he’s Jewish.
There’s nothing on Wikipedia or his official page about any religion or cultural background.
He’s Protestant. (Let’s be real about the likelihood of a non-Christian studyng at Brebeuf in the 80s, we could have made an educated guess.)
It’s about his vocal stance re:Israel in the context of the current conflict. Miller and Housefather have been notably vocal. They have a close relationship politically, stemming from sticking up for Quebec anglos federally.
True enough, jeather.
I generally am pro radical protests, but this kind of destruction is just gross. Ethically and tactically, it is a failure. What is the end goal of the people doing this?
See, at some point, this crosses the line from protest to terrorism. Valid protest is putting up a sign, walking with a sign, showing you disagree. But when you get to breaking windows, getting into the office and leaving veiled threats… it’s not protest. And you wonder why we are crossing this line and if foreign governments (Russia, Iran or even Qatar) are involved. We live in a civilized world, we should be able to protest civilly, without having to resort to such tactics.
Stories about the homeless are not going to go away. This week a downtown daycare found a homeless man asleep in their little playground.
Also, some Chinatown residents have created an association to demand more help from all levels of government over the problems caused by a prevalence of homeless people in the area. Fo Niemi has been brought in to add oomph.
(I was charmed by this cite from Phil Chu: “Excuse my language — it’s going to heck…”)
Why is CRAAR involved on behalf of the newly created residents’ association? I don’t really understand the racial angle on this, given the makeup of the resident homeowners and their association.
I don’t know whether it’s CRARR doing this or Fo Niemi as an individual. Maybe he’s even a resident himself.
Here’s a more detailed report from the Gazette on the association, although it doesn’t answer your question about the reason for Niemi’s involvement.
I assume CRARR is involved because Chinatown, while not exclusively Chinese, is still a neighbourhood that is rooted in a minority ethnic group. If it is not getting the attention/services/support it requires, there is likely some (unconscious?) bias at work.
Good point, Joey.
The Guardian profiles a new computer game called Été which involves painting scenes of Montreal in summer. What, no zombies?
La Medusa, a pizzeria on Drummond, was firebombed early Thursday, and TVA mentions a cluster of pizzerias that have sustained arson attacks this week, with pizza places in Blainville and St‑Eustache also targets, although they don’t delve into whether anything else links them.
Neither of these reports mentions, which you can see in the Radio‑Canada photo, that La Medusa is directly next door to fire station 25.
This obscure media source lists the many pizzerias in Quebec that have sustained arson attacks over the last year and a half.
A few years back there was a similar spate of attacks on pizza joints in the Niagara region. Turns out that some of the owners weren’t buying their mozzarella from the right supplier. I’m not joking.
I know you’re not. The mob has always exerted control over pizza ingredients here.
Which is why Pizza Hut used to have a sign saying that they were “corporate” and had no control over the suppliers that were chosen.
I’ve always heard that but it makes me wonder about the recent spate of new pizzerias serving various different styles at different price points. Is a politically-engaged business like Pizza Bouquet (queer-friendly, pro-Palestine) getting their goods from a mobbed-up supplier? Are Moccione or Elena, when they’re trendy spots run by well-known chefs? Where is Stella buying their fior di latte, chèvre and gorgonzola? Is there some kind of artisanal cheesemonger affiliated with the mafia?
I don’t doubt there are restaurants who do business with the mafia either by choice or under duress, but I just wonder how extensive it really is.
My understanding, which might not be correct, is that such places are offered a choice to either use a specific supplier, or to pay for the privilege of using a different supplier.
And what’s stopping them from calling the police? It’s not like this is Serpico-era New York.
DeWolf, seriously? You’ve been here a while. I’m surprised you have to ask that question.
Are you saying the police are on the take from the mafia? Or that they would ignore or cover up accounts of businesses being extorted?
All I’m saying is I find it hard to believe that *every single pizzeria in the city* is being shaken down in some elaborate mafia system that tells everyone what cheese to use. It sounds like an urban legend.
As I’ve said before when we’ve discussed firebombings, I think it’s much more likely that they’re the result of business owners dealing with loansharks, or more specific and localized instance of intimidating or harassment, than some kind of vast conspiracy that “everybody knows” exists but for which there isn’t any on-the-record evidence.
There’s more than an urban legend, DW. Google for the history of the Cotroni and Violi clans, or indeed the history of cheese in this town. I agree nobody can fairly make blanket statements about all pepperoni or all mozzarella being mobbed up, but there’s persistent evidence of shady goings‑on in the pizza supply business.
You need to talk to more people in the food & booze businesses. Everyone pays protection. Often to more than one racket. Sometimes the police will show up to a bar night after night to inspect the bathrooms and look around then mysteriously stop doing that. It’s so peculiar. One might think they were running their own racket or something. Of course if a place mysteriously caatches on fire that’s a totally different thing with maybe a local protection thing or a specific supplier.
Loansharks aren’t the issue. It’s the protection racket. And no, it’s not a myth. And yes, of course every single person paying protection denies it, the fear is part of the racket.
And the cops have no interest in small-time thuggery like protection “incentives” for a single restaurant. Investigating, compiling evidence, prosecuting, etc. for something as slippery as a fella making an offer you cannot refuse is a huge resource suck with very little payoff. Even if they got a conviction it would be a slap on the wrist and then the pizza joint would be fire bombed anyway. (I’m not talking about a major investigation at a higher level; I mean if one lone restaurant decided to go to the cops.)
No, the cops have more important things to do. After all, those traffic lights aren’t going to change by themselves!
Don’t describe the cops as just traffic help, they do other things too! For instance they are often busy stopping non-white people in a definitely not systematically racist way.
And certainly not systemically because systemic racism doesn’t exist according to them.
bob 20:28 on 2024-07-18 Permalink
Countdown to dismissal on the basis of his not being tried in a reasonable time…
Kate 21:30 on 2024-07-18 Permalink
I was wondering why the Jordan ruling hadn’t kicked in.
Kevin 21:54 on 2024-07-18 Permalink
Because the charges were stayed by a judge who ruled some evidence was inadmissable. The challenge over that has taken six years and went to SCOC, so now the case goes ahead as if the clock was reset.
Kate 07:52 on 2024-07-19 Permalink
Ah. Thanks, Kevin.