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City in Brief

450, meet 579

Some residents who call “the 450” home will be getting a new area code. The ever-growing demand for new telephone numbers means the 450 will also be the 579 now. The Telecommunications Alliance of Quebec announced the new area code last Tuesday – but don’t start a rivalry yet. The 438 Montreal area code was introduced in November 2006, and it still isn’t exactly “prevalent.” The Alliance said the new area code will come into use after August 2010, and will fill the demand created by increasing needs for wireless services, and Internet and IP telephony.

Mayor’s promises

Mayor Gérald Tremblay unveiled his platform for the upcoming municipal election. Each of his promises concerned transit in Montreal – many of which were repeated from the 20-year transportation plan Montreal adopted in 2007. At his news conference, Tremblay talked again about extending the metro, building a shuttle tram between the airport and downtown, and building more bike paths. Many of these ambitious projects will have trouble getting off the ground until any Montreal mayor can get Quebec City to fork over some cash.

Blast off

Cirque de Soliel founder Guy Laliberté became the first Canadian space tourist last week. After paying $35 million, Laliberté was granted a spot on board a Russian spaceship where he and two astronauts headed to the International Space Station. The ship arrived at the ISS – the largest artificial satellite – last Friday. Laliberté planned to spend 12 days in space. The astronauts he arrived with, 51-year-old American Jeffrey Williams and 37-year-old Russian Maxim Surayev plan to stay in orbit for 169 days.

Quebec not sued

Survivors and families of victims killed in the 2006 de la Concorde overpass collapse had until last week to file a civil suit against the province. None decided to file a claim, CBC reported. Five people were killed and another six injured when the Laval overpass collapsed, smashing to the road below. An inquiry found the collapse was due to a number of reasons including poor design and inadequate building materials. Families received some compensation from Quebec’s no-fault insurance board.

It comes, it goes

Montreal’s hopes of hosting a Formula 1 race in 2010 are once again, dwindling. Chief executive of Formula 1 Bernie Ecclestone gave organizers 10 days to decide whether they want to host the event, according to media reports. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve did not see any F1 action in 2009, but it was thought a spot on the 2010 calendar was guaranteed. Ecclestone said no agreement has been reached yet.

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Nation in Brief

Nova Scotia Bishop Arrested

Raymond Lahey, a Roman Catholic bishop in the Antigonish parish, was charged last week with possessing and importing child pornography. Lahey was arrested when his computer was confiscated by Canada Border Services Agency upon re-entering Canada. Further examination found child pornography on his computer and a warrant for his arrest was put out on Wednesday, Lahey turned himself in the following day. He has resigned from his position as bishop for the parish, and is currently out on bail awaiting trial.

Olympic Politics

Opposition MPs were not impressed with the Canadian Olympic team’s new logo. They said it is too similar to the Conservative party’s insignia, and accused them of politicizing the Games. The crest Canadians will be wearing in Vancouver in February has a black arrow shaped in a ‘C’ with a red maple leaf in the middle, all on a white background. The Conservative’s logo, also on a white background, is a stylized, blue ‘C’ with a red maple leaf in the middle. The federal government has said it had no part in designing the the new logo, developed by the Hudson’s Bay Co.

Tiger Mauls Moron

A Siberian tiger put a man in the hospital on Monday, after the man climbed over the outside perimeter fence of the Calgary Zoo. He was not in the same cage as the tiger, but close enough that the tiger was able to reach through his cage and grab hold of the man’s arm. The man had snuck into the zoo with a friend in the early hours of the morning. Security guards were present but did not notice the men entering the zoo. The tiger, Vitali, remains on exhibit. Police are investigating whether alcohol was a factor.

Democracy Lives

The mayor of Paradise, N.L. was selected last week by picking a name out of a recycling bin. The returning officer resorted to the draw after a recount of votes found the two candidates had earned an equal number of votes. Ralph Wiseman, the incumbent, reclaimed his position, disappointing Kurtis Coombs, 19, who had originally been declared the winner by a count of three votes. After Wiseman requested a recount, it was found that the two candidates were tied. According to Newfoundland’s Municipal Election Act, a draw is used to determine the winner of an election, should voting result in a tie.

Harper Plays Arts Gala

Prime Minister Stephen Harper surprised guests at an Ottawa gala Saturday night by performing a rendition of the Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends.” Harper played piano and sang in front of a crowd at the National Arts Centre, with the Celtic band Herringbone and renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma on backup. The stunned crowd of 2,300 gave Harper a standing ovation after the performance. The gala was being held to raise money for the National Youth and Education Trust.

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World in Brief

Talk about irony

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s parents were both Jewish, according to London’s Daily Telegraph. The Telegraph examined an enlarged photo of Ahmadinejad holding up his passport, which they say shows he came from a Jewish family with the last name Sabourjian. While Tehran has not confirmed the report, it could mean he is eligible for Israeli citizenship. Ahmadinejad is often best known internationally for his denial of the Holocaust, and frequent questioning of Israel’s right to exist. Another British paper, the Guardian, has challenged the veracity of the report.

Lecherous Letterman

David Letterman, the veteran host of “The Late Show” on CBS, revealed Thursday on his show that he had been the target of blackmail attempts after having had sexual relationships with several of his staff members. Letterman, who married his longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko in March, said he was forced to go to the police after a CBS producer, Joe Halderman, found out about the relationships and threatened to reveal them to the public unless Letterman gave him $2 million. Letterman gave him a fake cheque before having him arrested. Halderman faces charges of grand larceny.

Earthquake Hits Sumatra

The Indonesian island of Sumatra was devastated by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake Wednesday. On Friday, the UN pegged the death toll at 1,100, but that number is expected to rise. The devastation has set off a humanitarian crisis in Indonesia and neighbouring areas, as rescue workers race to free survivors from trapped buildings and provide food, shelter and clean water. Indonesia is located at the juncture of several tectonic plates, making it particularly prone to earthquakes, including the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake which killed over 200,000.

Socialists Win in Greece

Socialists won a huge victory in Greece Sunday, ousting the conservative New Democracy party led by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. The Panhellenic Socialist Movement, led by George Papandreou, received 44 per cent of the popular vote, enough to give them a majority in Greece’s 300-seat parliament. The New Democracy party lost popularity with voters over its handling of the worldwide economic crisis. The election reverses a recent trend in European elections of strong conservative gains, most recently with Angela Merkel winning re-election in Germany.

Mile-High Clubbing
Passengers on an Air India flight were horrified to see an in-flight brawl involving the pilots who were supposed to be flying the plane. The fight on Air India flight 884 began when one of the pilots allegedly sexually harassed a stewardess. A male steward came to the aid of the stewardess, and a fistfight broke out between the two flight attendants and the pilot and co-pilot. Both pilots have been suspended pending an investigation.

Vision Montréal candidate Brenda Paris has a resumé that reads like a political veteran’s; she currently sits as chair of the Ethnic and Social Diversity Committee on the Société de transport de Montréal’s board of directors. Previously, she was the coordinator of student development at Dawson College, executive director of the Montréal Black Community Resource Centre and deeply involved in the national women’s movement.
Now, drawing on her past experience, Paris says she’s coming at her bid to be mayor of the Cotes-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grace borough as “a grassroots community organizer.”
“I want to involve people in the consultation process that leads to development,” says Paris. “Especially students, who have bright new ideas.”
She says that too often projects are begun without adequate research and planning, almost always resulting in wasted funds.
As an example, she said the bicycle paths that were recently marked off on streets in the Loyola district are confusing and dangerous.
“You can’t encourage people to use bicycles and then give them paths that are not safe,” says Paris.
Furthermore, she thinks the paths meander throughout the area when they should more strategically connect with main arteries.
Mistakes like this, she says, cost a lot of money to fix.
“We’re really learning from what is being done now,” says Paris, alluding to the current municipal government. “We want to piggyback on the good things and change, with our own vision, the things that can be done better.”
Denise Dussault is Vision Montréal’s candidate for the Peter-McGill district, home to Concordia’s Sir George Williams Campus. The practised lawyer and former candidate for the Liberal Party of Québec says she too wants to include students in city planning.
Of special interest to her are foreign students, who she considers a “huge asset.” She said they can become networking possibilities if “strong links” are made with them before they leave Quebec.
Dussault also feels strongly about increasing voter turnout this election. For the last municipal election, only 35 per cent of eligible Montrealers voted, and that number was even lower among students.
“If you don’t express yourself now, when you have the power to do so through voting,” she says, “then it’s hard to complain about those who were elected without you.”

A former Concordia Student Union politician is suing Concordia’s health plan provider and the company’s owner for defamation. Steven Rosenshein claims that Lev Bukhman, who owns Alliance pour la santé étudiante au Québec – the company that provides Concordia’s student health and dental plan – attacked Rosenshein’s reputation “for the sole purpose of discrediting the CSU executive that would dare not renew ASEQ’s contract.”
Last February, Bukhman sent an open letter to CSU and university officials as well as campus media, alleging the CSU was acting in bad faith towards him and his company.
In the letter he also accused Rosenshein of asking him for a $25,000 kickback, which would have allegedly gone to fund the Unity slate during the Spring 2008 CSU elections. Because he refused to pay the kickback, the CSU cancelled their health plan contract with ASEQ, according to Bukhman. Instead, the CSU signed a plan with the Canadian Federation of Students-Services, through their “National Student Health Network.” That decision has since been reversed and the CSU has re-signed with ASEQ.
According to Rosenshein’s statement of claim filed with the Quebec Superior Court, Bukhman “decided to defame Rosenshein as part of a larger plan to discredit the 2008 – 2009 CSU executive and to try and influence” Concordia student politics, in an effort to remain the CSU’s insurance brokers. Rosenshein is seeking $130,000 in damages and legal fees.
Rosenshein had a long, and sometimes controversial career with the CSU, serving as council chair, VP communications and as a councillor. During his council term he came under fire for sitting as a representative for independent students despite not being an independent student, which is forbidden under CSU rules.
Bukhman claimed that Rosenshein asked for the bribe on March 6, 2008, after a speech by Al Sharpton at Concordia. While Rosenshein’s claim acknowledges the two talked about money that evening, he claims that he was asking Bukhman about a $12,500 donation he said Bukhman had promised the CSU.
According to the statement of claim, Rosenshein was worried “as the next year would bring in new executives who might not know about the donation.”
While Bukhman’s letter claimed Rosenshein had acted as campaign manager for the Unity slate during the Spring 2007 elections, according to Rosenshein’s claim, he “barely involved himself with the CSU campaign, in any case the campaign itself was uneventful,” as Unity ran unopposed.
The statement also claims that “Rosenshein never intended or tried to influence the the 2008 – 2009 executive to sever its ties with ASEQ.”
While he does admit that he questioned the renewal of the contract, other councillors also shared his concerns. He also denies taking any action on issue beyond asking questions at council meetings.
Rosenshein is claiming the allegations were more damaging because he was an employee of the Canadian Federation of Students-Quebec at the time Bukhman made them.
Rosenshein is seeking for $75,000 for damage to his reputation and $25,000 for punitive and exemplary damages, as well as $30,000 to cover his legal fees.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
The case, which was filed in April, is still in the discovery phase, in which the two parties can gather evidence and question witnesses. Rosenshein has until Oct. 14 to finish discovery. If the case does make it to trial, a court date would still be months away.
Requests for comment from Lev Bukhman and to Rosenshein, through his lawyer, were not returned by press time.

Despite the pouring rain, a long line of students, faculty, and guests formed outside the Hall building last Monday. They were waiting to hear Wangari Maathai speak about her life as an environmentalist, and the 30 years she spent fighting for basic rights and freedoms.
The long line of soaking wet people, many of whom had been waiting in line for over an hour, curled around the downtown building, and stretched up Mackay St. But for such a unique opportunity, not a single person seemed to mind.
In 2004, Maathai became the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. “Critics wondered if a ‘tree planter’ could really be a peace maker,” she said. When Maathai found out she won the prize, she reportedly went for a walk and planted a tree as a token of her gratitude.
Walking on stage to a standing ovation from a full auditorium, Maathai made her way toward the podium with her arms opened wide.
Throughout the lecture, Maathai emphasized the need for human cooperation when it comes to stopping wars and saving the environment. “I was happy to participate in the development of our country,” Maathai said about Kenya, which gained independence in December 1963. “We were trying to fight off a government that was trying to prevent us from helping the environment,” she said.
But Maathai persisted, creating two campaigns – The Green Belt Movement and the Billion Tree Campaign. Both are ongoing battles that Maathai continues to fight. In September, the Billion Tree Campaign reached its goal of planting 7 billion trees by the end of 2009. The mandate of the Green Belt Movement is to get communities around the world working together to protect the environment.
Maathai ended the conference with a notion of hope. “No matter how many others are discouraging us, we keep at it. And we do the best we can.”
The conference was in association with the Concordia Student Union, Arts and Science Federation of Associations, Concordia University, Sustainability Action Fund, the Concordia Council on Student Life and Yves Rocher.