In Brief: New bylaw, Revenu Quebec strike, and Kavanaugh

Graphic by @spooky_soda

City in brief

An intoxicated man was run over in Louisville—100 km from Montreal—on Friday night. He had been found 25 minutes earlier walking by the side of the road by Sûreté Québec officers, who allowed him to keep walking. Quebec’s provincial police launched an investigation into the incident, according to the Montreal Gazette.

A new bylaw will ban all domestic wood burning fireplaces or appliances that emit over 2.5 grams per hour of fine particulates, according to Global News. Fines can go up to $2,000 if the bylaw is not respected. Fireplaces that are over 10 years old are likely to emit more than the allowed limit of particulates. The new bylaw that took effect on Oct. 1 is part of the city’s plan to fight the smog problem.

On Friday night, Montreal police found a missing 80-year-old man. The man was reported missing a little over 24 hours after having left his residence in Park Extension. He left without any money and was found in the Outremont area, according to TVA.

Montreal mayor, Valérie Plante, announced on Monday that the city is looking for a new General Inspector to oversee contracting processes. The last General Inspector, Denis Gallant, left his position early in the summer and was replaced by Bridgitte Bishop. However, her interim position ends in February, according to La Presse.

Nation in brief

Revenu Québec workers were on strike this weekend for the second time this year after hitting a wall in their contract negotiations. They have been without a collective agreement since March 2015. Union members held strikes across Quebec, including in Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Montreal, Rimouski, Saguenay, Gatineau and Quebec City, according to the Montreal Gazette.

A judge in Alberta sentenced a middle-man for fentanyl trafficking to 11 years in jail. Cameron O’Lynn Parranto possessed around a half-million doses of the deadly drug, according to the Calgary Sun. Fentanyl is the “most illegal drug” on the market, according to the Judge.

According to Statistics Canada, the nation’s real gross domestic product grew by 0.2 per cent in July. It is the strongest growth since November 2017.

British Columbia will only have one cannabis store open its doors on Oct. 17, according to the Toronto Star. Other cannabis retailers won’t be opening until later in the month, as well as a potential online cannabis store, so that all British Columbians will have access to recreational cannabis.

Following the release of Manitoba’s latest financial statement, the province’s auditor general, Norm Ricard, issued a qualified opinion which expresses concern, according to CBC. It is the first qualified opinion for the province since 2007. The auditor concluded the financial statement does not comply with generally accepted accounting principles, and it reveals a deficit of $695 million for 2017-18.

World in brief

Brett Kavanaugh will be investigated by the FBI following U.S. President Donald Trump’s orders in response to sexual assault allegations made against the judge. The investigation will hold up the Supreme Court nominee’s confirmation, and the Senate vote has been delayed. The FBI has one week to investigate, according to CNN.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake sent a tsunami onto Indonesian island Sulawesi, leaving 384 people dead and 500 people missing. The tsunami climbed to two metres high on Saturday, and destroyed homes and buildings, according to The Weather Network.

On Saturday, Egyptian human rights activist Amal Fathy was fined and sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly spreading fake news in a video, according to Al Jazeera. The video in question was posted in May and shows her calling out the Egyptian government for neglecting women’s protection against sexual harassment.

An Air Niugini plane crashed into a Pacific lagoon in Micronesia on Friday with only one passenger reported missing, according to The New York Times. Local boats rushed to the plane to help the 47 remaining passengers and crew members evacuate. The cause of the crash remains unclear.

A seal slapped a New Zealand kayaker in the face with an octopus, according to ABC News. The 23 year-old caught the incident on video, which has now started circulating around the world.

Women in Brazil gathered in the streets to express their opposition to the country’s far-right presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, on Saturday, according to Le Monde. The Facebook group, Women United Against Bolsonaro, has gone viral and so has its hashtag, #EleNao, or #NotHim.

Graphic by @spooky_soda.

Related Posts