City in brief, Nov. 15

Liberals, PQ, ADQ…and now, CAQ
François Legault officially launched his new provincial political party, Coalition Avenir Quebec, on Nov. 14 after months of speculation. Legault made the announcement in Quebec City after spending months touring the province consulting Quebecers on political issues. For now, improving the economy and education system will the CAQ’s priority, not sovereignty said Legault. A former provincial education minister, Legault has expressed the desire to demolish Quebec’s CEGEP system, slamming the schools as a good place “to learn how to smoke drugs and drop out.”

What we have here is a failure to communicate
The McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association (MUNACA) has announced that talks “are being suspended” between the union and McGill’s administration, The Gazette reported. According to a press release sent by MUNACA on Saturday, talks are breaking off because “parties are too far apart” on the subject of wages. The topic is one of the driving forces which led MUNACA to go on strike. The union represents around 3,000 support staff at the university and has been on strike since the beginning of the fall semester.

Winter is coming for Occupy MTL
The City of Montreal has asked occupiers to stop preparing their camps for the winter months. CBC News reported that the protesters occupying Victoria Square have been fortifying their tents using wooden frames to block out the wind. The city says the structures are potential fire hazards. Demonstrators said that the city is trying to shut down their movement by giving them a “lift camp or die” ultimatum. A spokesperson from the city denounced these claims, saying that protesters are free to continue protesting and that the rules against building these structures are safety precautions. Similar confrontations between city officials and Occupy protesters are happening across Canada as the country prepares for winter.

Mouldy apartments force tenants out
Tenants were ordered to leave their rented homes on Stuart Avenue in Park Extension last Thursday after city inspectors deemed the mould-filled apartment building unsafe for tenants to live in. Claudio Di Giambattista, the building’s landlord, has been in the news before for recurring safety concerns regarding the status of his apartments. According to CTV, Di Giambattista has said that “tenants who do not pay rent” are to blame for why the apartments fall into such disrepair. The evicted residents are now staying at the YMCA on Tupper Street as a temporary measure.

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