A new centre will focus on the various Black communities of Montreal; a reader recently asked what was being done with the old École des beaux-arts building on Sherbrooke, and this is the answer.
Updates from February, 2025 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
A social worker who stole money from homeless people has been disbarred for five years – but who gave Patrick Girard control over helpless people’s money, given his previous record of convictions for theft, breaking and entering and bank fraud?
Blork
Social workers, and people with similar jobs helping and treating the less fortunate, often come from the underbelly of society themselves. How often do we hear about small-time drug dealers or petty criminals that have straightened themselves out and end up working in the community as outreach or social workers, or in prisons as doing various therapeutic work? It’s a great indication of how restorative justice and giving people real opportunities to slay their demons can result in positive turns and outcomes.
And then there’s this guy.
He has a criminal record, and probably was able to use his knowledge of the system to get himself integrated into the world of social work. A familiar story, but in this case look at what he did with his opportunity. It’s disgusting and I’m surprised his suspension is only five years and not permanent.
That said, who am I (who are we) to judge, based on one article?
Maybe he’s a sociopath who really and permanently does not give AF about other people and will always be an opportunist preying on whatever vulnerabilities he can find in people or systems. Or maybe he’s someone on a slippery path (as are many people recovering from addiction or abuse and whatnot) and his otherwise successful reintegration into society as a useful cog in a broken wheel was somehow interrupted by something and down he slipped.
Sorry, been watching too many bad crime shows on Netflix. (Seriously, Netflix original programming is sooooo bad!)
Kate
OK, it’s one article. Judgment comes easy.
Leela
Hey I know Patrick he was my teacher I don’t think he is a sociopath but I cannot understand why he do it
Kate
Some people will steal when under pressure – because they gamble, or are in debt to scary people, or are buying drugs. And some people are simply unable to keep their paws off other people’s stuff. There’s no explanation in the CTV article about the man’s motives, so I’m just saying.
Blork
BTW, my hard-blowing comment wasn’t directed at you, Kate, or anyone else. It started as me giving a blanket condemnation of the guy but then mellowed into a soliloquy on the nature of bias and judgment when we are not fully informed of the facts of a case. Kids these days…
Anonyme
Pour ma part il m’a bully au secondaire et avant. Il a continué de se moquer dans la vie adulte ensuite, a de gros problèmes de consommation et ça ne s’est probablement jamais réglé. Il devrait aller réfléchir en prison quelques années…
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Kate
We’re having a bad flu season, with the highest case count since highest since 2014‑15 – but it isn’t a scary new strain in circulation.
CE
I just got over something that felt a lot like the flu (although I caught it overseas). It wasn’t nice but cleared up pretty quickly.
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Kate
As McGill comes to grips with falling revenue and possible layoffs, some are pleading for the reinstatement of floor fellows – older students who lived in student residences to help guide first‑timers. The university discontinued the role last year to save money. Two students have died at McGill since the beginning of the academic year and some feel that the new students need more immediate support than a phone line.
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Kate
A new census of the homeless will be done this April. Volunteers are being recruited now.
Nicholas 20:14 on 2025-02-11 Permalink
Wow, thanks for the quick answer!
Kate 18:24 on 2025-02-12 Permalink
The info happened by, I just hooked it in.