Crime stats down again- July 18, 2008 Canadian crime stats are down and Montreal's stats fell more than any other major city, a drop of 14 percent from 2006 to 2007 in theft and violent crime. But people still don't feel safe. I think there are reasons for this that aren't mentioned: one is that our population is, on average, getting older, and older people tend to be more nervous and feel more vulnerable. Another is xenophobia (see yesterday's entry on how none of Quebec's 10 most wanted criminals are white francophones). But a...http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/crime-stats-down-again.html The water surrounding us is in better shape- July 18, 2008 As islanders we're naturally concerned with the water surrounding us, and the good news is that most of the natural watercourses around us were in better shape in 2007 than in previous years, continuing a trend of improvement, although samples are inevitably still tainted with some bacteria considering that three million people live on this archipelago. The Lachine Canal is apparently in fine shape, which is a nice turnaround from the years when it was a sump.http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/water-surrounding-us-is-in-better-shape.html Lord & Taylor buys The Bay- July 18, 2008 A little fuss about the arrival of American chain Lord & Taylor in Canada mentions the decline and extinction of Canadian icons Eaton's and Simpson's but doesn't take into account the notable success of Simons, for example.http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/lord-taylor-buys-bay.html Cleanliness law infringes worker rights: court- July 18, 2008 Ville-Marie's year-old law requiring citizens to clean the area around their properties – a law that, in effect, forced ordinary people to do unpaid work – is found to infringe on the rights of blue-collar workers to do that work for pay.http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/cleanliness-law-infringes-worker-rights.html Glimpse of the Centre d'Histoire- July 18, 2008 A glimpse of the Centre d'histoire de Montréal down on Place d'Youville. (At first I thought the headline implied it had closed! But it hasn't.)http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/glimpse-of-centre-dhistoire.html Rima Elkouri on one hour in Montreal- July 17, 2008 Rima Elkouri has thoughts on how to impress a visitor who only has one hour in Montreal. (Depending on their tastes, I might take them to Schwartz's or to Notre-Dame, myself.) Another La Presse writer offers a spirited debunking of the underground city as tourist attraction.http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/rima-elkouri-on-one-hour-in-montreal.html Two big gay events for this summer- July 17, 2008 There are two gay pride events planned this summer: DiversCité at the end of this month, and a parade in mid-August. gay.com gives a list of places and events to check out.http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/two-big-gay-events-for-this-summer.html US TV show to hunt for murder suspect- July 17, 2008 An American TV show is to get involved in the hunt for a Montreal murder suspect presumed to be on the lam in the United States. He's Harinder Singh Cheema, shown here on Quebec's "10 Most Wanted Criminals" site, sought for the murder of his wife and abandonment of their two kids.(The Quebec site shows nine men and one woman. Six are black, three of them of Haitian origin, two Jamaicans, and one Somali. There's a Latino, a Greek, an Anglo biker gang guy, and Cheema, who's of Indian citizenship..http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/us-tv-show-to-hunt-for-murder-suspect.html Villeneuve to drive in NASCAR here- July 17, 2008 Jacques Villeneuve is to drive in the local NASCAR race on August 2.http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/villeneuve-to-drive-in-nascar-here.html CHUM must turn bill collector- July 17, 2008 The CHUM, which has a temporary new boss, has to track down delinquents that don't pay up, either non-residents who take off on their hospital bills, or Quebecers who refuse to pay for hospital extras. It's a phenomenon repeated in other local hospitals too.http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/07/chum-must-turn-bill-collector.html |