908...Selecting Out In Montreal

Louise Harel, who is one of the two major candidates in the November 1st Montreal mayoralty election, the other being two time mayor Gérald Tremblay, has decided that she is not comfortable enough in the language of 12 per cent of the population of Montreal, English, and the language preferred by the 20 per cent of the city that are cheerfully referred to as allophones, English, so she will not debate Mayor Tremblay on CTV Montreal.

The Montreal Gazette rolls with that news on its front page this morning informing all that the half-hour debate would have taken place Oct. 25, a week before the Nov. 1 vote, and Ms. Harel, a former Parti Quebecois minister, had been offered any combination of simultaneous translation. Not good enough.

Ms. Harel was the minister of municipal affairs who forced amalgamation in communities like Hull/Aylmer/Gatineau and in Montreal and and her track record indicates that she doesn't listen to others' opinions unless they agree with her.

She has selected out the 12 per cent anglo vote and the 20 per cent allophone vote but is crushing the incumbent among the 68 per cent of Montrealers who are francophones.

WFDS

675...Breaking Into Jail

Not done often but it has now been done. Tuesday night in Gatineau, the town across the river from Ottawa, a city well known for cheap beer, strippers and cheap beer, a 20 year old man showed up at the Hull detachment on De La Carriere looking for a place to spend the night.

The sergeant on duty explained the Gatineau police are not hoteliers and referred him to community resources.

Not good enough for buddy; he left the station and proceeded to smash the windows of the station. Problem solved re sleeping indoors: the cops arrested the fool for vandalism and he appeared in court Wednesday.

Only in La Belle Province where the unthinkable happens on a regular basis.

WFDS

358...Liquor Stores In Ontario Set To Strike

I live on the border, a 30 minute round trip from the liquor store in La Belle Ville de Gatineau [secteur Hull] so this doesn't really affect me but if you live in the centre of the province and you are friendly with Prince Igor, Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker, you may want to make your way to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario today because tonight, at midnight, they are going to be struck.

The issue, amazingly, is money. More to the point the Union wants less part time, lower paid workers and more full time employees who get more money and more benefits.

If the 6 or 7 thousand workers strike 800 managers will attempt to take up the slack which won't be easy going into this triple holiday [Jean Baptiste, Canada Day, July 4th] period.

WFDS