Tag: city in brief

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.

ASFA SGM date set
The Arts and Science Federation of Associations will be holding its special general assembly on Nov. 3 in H-110 in order for its membership to vote on a strike. The meeting will happen just days before the Nov. 10 demonstration against tuition hikes takes place in Montreal. ASFA president Alex Gordon said on Monday that for the vote on the strike to be valid, the federation will need to reach quorum, which is 2.5 per cent of its membership, meaning roughly 450 students. ASFA will also be holding an information session on the 7th floor of the Hall building on Oct. 27 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to bring its membership up to speed on the anti-tuition hikes campaign. 

ConU looks for a new VP
President Frederick Lowy has asked the ConU community for feedback in selecting a new vice-president of research and graduate studies. Students and staff can make recommendations and describe their ideal candidate in an online survey hosted by Laverne Smith & Associates Inc. The same Canadian firm was used to collect information regarding the search for a ConU president, a position that Lowy is filling on an interim basis. Louise Dandurand is Concordia’s current VP of research and graduate studies. She will retire in December 2011. The deadline for submitting feedback is Oct. 28.

You don’t have to go home but you can’t strike here
More limitations have been placed on where McGill University’s striking support staff are allowed to demonstrate. CTV reported that the university returned to court last week to file another injunction after support staff set up their picket lines outside the Glen Yards construction site, the future location of the MUHC super hospital. They are now prohibited from protesting at the homes or workplaces of school administrators, as well as banned from McGill’s downtown and MacDonald campuses. The 1,700 MUNACA members have been on strike for well over a month, demanding better pay and benefits.

Signing in solidarity
A petition calling for McGill University to allow its professors to teach classes off campus to avoid crossing picket lines has collected 284 signatures. Entitled “We are McGill,” the petition asks that faculty members and students be allowed to respect their striking co-workers. This is a response to an earlier incident in which a McGill professor was threatened with suspension and was reproached in a communiqué sent out by McGill provost Anthony Masi and vice-principal Michael Di Grappa after the university discovered that she had begun holding her literature classes at home and in nearby cafes.

Senate moves forward with proposed reform
Concordia’s Senate passed a motion on Oct. 7 mandating their academic planning and priorities committee to review the recommendations made by the external governance review committee which pertain to Senate. The APPC would then present a report to Senate at their November meeting in which they would recommend ways to go about implementing the EGRC reforms. Senate had previously endorsed the spirit of the ERGC recommendations at their meeting in September.

Fake Peter Kruyt accounts pop up on Twitter
A Twitter account claiming to be Board of Governors chair Peter Kruyt was shut down last week, but another has popped up in its place. Concordia reported the face account to Twitter within 24 hours of the account being brought to their attention, according to university spokesperson Chris Mota. A second account has been active since Oct. 2 under the handle Peter_Kruyt and currently has 34 followers. The accounts were created following the Board of Governors meeting on Sept. 28, when it was criticized by student leaders for reducing student representation on the governing body. Mota said the rumours that the university is considering legal action against the account creator are unfounded.

Ottawa to replace crumbling Champlain Bridge
The federal government announced last Wednesday that it plans to replace the Champlain Bridge within the next 10 years. The Gazette reported that the $5 billion new bridge will likely be funded by a toll system charging the tens of thousands of drivers who use the Champlain daily to travel between the city and the South Shore. Despite studies indicating that the 49-year-old bridge is deteriorating and would collapse in event of a major earthquake, federal Transport Minister Denis Lebel maintains it is safe to drive on. Lebel could not say when construction of the new structure is slated to start.

There goes the student vote
Coalition for the Future of Quebec co-founder François Legault sparked debate last week after publicly criticizing Quebec’s CEGEP system as a great place “to learn how to smoke drugs and drop out” at a Q&A session on the South Shore. According to CTV Montreal, the former Parti Québécois cabinet minister‘s comments incited reactions from CEGEP administrators, staff and students, who pointed out that CEGEP helps students make educated decisions regarding their career paths and better prepares them for university studies. Legault has shown interest in forming a political party and eventually running for premier of Quebec.

Con U: The search for the next president is on
Concordia University is soliciting input in their search for the next president. In an email sent to the Concordia community, Board of Governors chair Peter Kruyt asks that members fill out a questionnaire online with their suggestions as to the most suitable person for the role.
Members of the community have until Sept. 16 to give their feedback. The last Concordia president, Judith Woodsworth, exited under suspicious circumstances. Former president Frederick Lowy has been filling the position on an interim basis since January 2011.

McGill non-academic workers prepare to strike
Around 1,700 non-academic workers at McGill University are set to go on strike as of Sept. 1 as students return to classes. If labour negotiations lag this week, McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association, which represents staff members like lab technicians and library assistants, is prepared to strike over disagreements related to their wage scale and benefits plan, as well as for the premiums they are paid for evenings and weekend work. The Montreal Gazette reported that MUNACA president Kevin Whittaker also objected to the university slashing its contribution to retirees’ dental and medical plans, all while renovating the administration building at a cost of $2 million. Michael Di Grappa, vice-principal of administration and finance for McGill, countered that the renovations were needed, and included the removal of asbestos. He added that the university has a contingency plan.

“Wiki Took Montreal” on Sunday
The Canadian version of Wikipedia’s media library, Wikimedia Commons, called for Internet users and amateur photographers to submit their photos of Montreal to fill its pages last week. The Montreal Mirror reported that Wikimedia Commons Canada sponsored a photographic scavenger hunt entitled “Wiki Takes Montreal” which took place on Sunday. The event sent amateur photographers around the city with a list of targets to shoot, in an effort to give exposure to lesser known parts of the city. For those who missed Sunday’s race, Wikimedia Commons does accept pictures year-round.