montreal city weblog

More Jones victims speak up

2009-07-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

As victims speak up, a more detailed picture is coming into focus of decamped investment counsellor Earl Jones and the missing millions.

Success of Place des festivals

2009-07-12T09:58:00.001-04:00

Toronto view of the success of the Place des festivals as the 30th jazz fest draws to a close this evening.

Party to celebrate Turcot struggle

2009-07-12T09:57:00.000-04:00

There's a party this evening to celebrate the Turcot struggle: it was supposed to be held yesterday but was moved because of yesterday's big storms.

NYT on our standing wave

2009-07-11T22:29:00.002-04:00

The New York Times looks at the standing river wave off Habitat 67 and the folks who surf it. More here on water-related activities around town this summer.

Arturo Gatti found dead in Brazil

2009-07-11T22:03:00.000-04:00

Arturo Gatti, a boxer who grew up here, has been found dead in Brazil under suspicious circumstances. He was 37 and had retired fairly recently from the ring.

Feds split Montreal family

2009-07-11T21:57:00.000-04:00

The federal government is splitting up a family in Park Ex, sending the parents back to Pakistan and letting the kids (2 adults and a 5-year-old) stay here – at least for now.

Heavy rain causes usual mess

2009-07-11T21:51:00.000-04:00

Today's heavy rains have snarled traffic and flooded basements all over town.

Fantasia fest: notes and recommendations

2009-07-11T12:57:00.001-04:00

Recommendations for the Fantasia festival, which runs till the end of the month.

Another Montreal North rep folds

2009-07-11T11:34:00.000-04:00

Montreal North councillor James Infantino follows the borough mayor into retirement from politics, as the old guard in the borough leave it to its problems.

(Slightly) better schedule for Zoofest

2009-07-11T11:16:00.000-04:00

I've been told that Without Annette has sorted out the Zoofest program and made it more linear, but the links still go to the official site with the browser resizing and funny noises.

(I'd like a word with whoever propagates the idea that it's zany fun to have a Flash website where the user has to make an effort to locate basic information.)

Jones sees assets frozen

2009-07-11T10:48:00.000-04:00

The assets of Earl Jones, decamped from his West Island office, have been frozen, although if he really was running a Ponzi scheme there won't be much to freeze. He's said to have been responsible for between $30 and $50 million, much of it the nest eggs of little old ladies.

Construction sites impede downtown traffic

2009-07-11T10:14:00.000-04:00

It's not exactly news that construction sites are complicating downtown traffic and stretching out into the suburbs. Where I've been working, on Chabanel, they're digging up and remaking the median, although what really needs work is the patched and uneven sidewalks that make walking a constant adventure for the ankles.

Obit for saviour of Old Montreal

2009-07-11T10:07:00.000-04:00

Interesting obit for architect Sandy van Ginkel whose influence kept an autoroute from cutting through rue Saint-Paul.

Zoofest and its annoying site

2009-07-10T16:16:00.003-04:00

I'm being quite distinctly nagged to promote Just For Laughs' new festival Zoofest – but wait, don't click on that link unless you enjoy having your browser resized and then make "funny" noises. It's not easy to find linear information about the schedule either, but my impression is that this new fest is designed to take over the cultural territory pioneered by the Fringe. I'm not a Fringe freak but I tend to distrust the chronic Rozon urge to put all the cultural eggs in one basket and sit on it themselves.

Locals fight cop shop enlargement

2009-07-10T15:19:00.001-04:00

Local folks are against the impending enlargement of the police station that already takes a bite out of Jarry Park's green space. The Coalition des amis du parc Jarry has more on the issue.

Investment guy goes incommunicado

2009-07-10T14:33:00.002-04:00

A West Island investment guy seems to have vanished off the radar with the savings of a fair number of folks hanging in the balance.

Bike rental guys hate the Bixi

2009-07-10T14:27:00.000-04:00

The owner of a bike rental business in the Old Port resents the Bixi and has succeeded in getting the city to move a Bixi station away from his store.

Used batteries become hot potato

2009-07-10T14:23:00.000-04:00

Eco-Centres are now refusing to accept used batteries from businesses that collect them, even though only a small number of people can be bothered to recycle them at all.

Grand Prix loss cuts hotel business

2009-07-10T14:18:00.001-04:00

The loss of the Grand Prix has cut into hotel business here although it's difficult to know how much the recession is also to blame. The taxi business is hurting even worse.

Certified spam-free blog is back

2009-07-10T14:07:00.003-04:00

As you can see, my blog is now back, having been deemed not a spam blog.

Blogger has locked this blog

2009-07-09T23:06:00.001-04:00

Blogger has locked this blog on suspicion of spamming, so I will not be able to make any new postings until this is sorted out. I am only able to post this message by editing over an existing posting (which I'll put up again later). Sorry about this – if it's not resolved quickly, I'll take a few days' break and redo the blog in Wordpress.

On ne le lit pas

2009-07-09T18:09:00.001-04:00

Effective union poster caught my eye on Chabanel Street.

Len Dobbin dies at jazz club

2009-07-09T13:33:00.002-04:00

Longtime jazz maven Len Dobbin fell ill at Upstairs jazz club last night, and died later in hospital. One of the city's proponents of the genre, it's strangely fitting he died in the midst of the festival. Obit from the Gazette.

Ozone plant to disinfect sewage

2009-07-09T08:43:00.002-04:00

All three levels of government are kicking in a total of $150 million to build an ozone treatment plant for the city's sewage, sparing everyone downriver from dealing with our dreck. La Presse catches a subtly funny remark by new municipal affairs minister Laurent Lessard: the plant will process 2.5 million cubic meters of water a day – as much as Thetford Mines uses daily. The minister used to be mayor of that major metropolis and I foresee Thetford Mines becoming a standard unit of urban activity.

Shell may close Montreal refinery

2009-07-09T08:34:00.001-04:00

Shell is considering closing its Montreal refinery, news big enough to make Bloomberg. 500 people work there.