Aylmer, Quebec news

• Less than 1% of Quebec's international trade is with Saudi Arabia

  06-08-2018 23:22 via montrealgazette.com
  Even before Saudi Arabia decided to freeze new trade deals with Canada, trade with the ultraconservative kingdom accounted for a tiny fraction of Quebec’s imports and exports.
  Exports from Quebec to Saudi Arabia accounted for just over 0.16 per cent of the $85 billion-worth of merchandise Quebec exported worldwide during the 12-month period that ended on June 30, 2018, according to data from Statistics Canada.
  While imports from Saudi Arabia during that period were $60 million higher
  
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• Saudi trolls support Quebec's independence amidst conflict with Canada

  06-08-2018 23:18 via montrealgazette.com
  The issue of Quebec’s sovereignty has reared its head again amidst political quarrel — albeit not between the province and Ottawa, but between Canada and Saudi Arabia. 
  Saudi troll accounts took to Twitter Monday with messages supporting Quebec’s separation from the rest of country, sometimes accompanied by images of the Quebec City flag rather than the fleur-de-lis. The tweets, occasionally directed towards Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland or Canadian news media
  
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• Revenu Québec employees to strike this weekend

  06-08-2018 23:13 via montrealgazette.com
  Approximately 4,600 Revenu Québec employees will be on strike this weekend, pushing for salary increases.
  The strikers, which include accountants, financial management officers and analysts, are represented by the Syndicat des professionels du gouvernment du Québec. Their last collective agreement expired on March 31, 2015.
  Because the work stoppage is taking place over a weekend, only a handful of the 4,600 employees will be actively on strike. It will likely be those who audit re
  
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• Wet shelter's controlled drinking could save lives: homeless advocates

  06-08-2018 22:44 via montrealgazette.com
  Robert Vaughn says it’s a miracle he survived on the streets of Montreal for so many years.
  By the time he landed in rehab, in 2015, his drinking had nearly killed him a handful of times. It wasn’t unusual for Vaughn’s friends to see him carted off in an ambulance without any guarantee he’d ever return.
  At Vaughn’s lowest point, he woke up in a hospital bed where a doctor informed him his heart had stopped beating the night before.
  “It’s hard to explain
  
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• Canadiens' Jonathan Drouin vows to be better prepared for central role

  06-08-2018 20:59 via montrealgazette.com
  Jonathan Drouin said he’s certain what position he’ll be playing when the Canadiens open their season on Oct. 3 in Toronto.
  “It looks that way for sure,” Drouin replied when asked whether he would be playing centre. “I don’t make those decisions, but that’s where I played last year and I feel comfortable coming in this year and knowing that I’m playing centre.”
  There have been times when general manager Marc Bergevin and coach Claude Julien h
  
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• Quebec road-race 'winner' — clocked at 232 km/h — arrested in Nova Scotia

  06-08-2018 20:58 via montrealgazette.com
  A 19-year-old Quebecer arrested Saturday in Nova Scotia in the aftermath of a local road race was clocked at the highest speed ever recorded locally on radar, police say.
  The RCMP say the driver’s peak speed — before his arrest, ticketing and vehicle confiscation — was 232 kilometres per hour in a 110 km/hr speed zone.
  The incident occurred around noon near Thomson Station, about 50 kilometres east of the New Brunswick border. An RCMP patrol car noticed two vehicles that appear
  
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• Lise Ravary: Anglos, it's time to get over the 1995 Quebec referendum

  06-08-2018 20:02 via montrealgazette.com
  I’ll never forget how I felt on Oct. 30, 1995 while the votes in the second referendum on sovereignty were being counted. Things were looking bad for those of us who wished to see Canada prosper as one country with three nations, French, English and Indigenous.
  At the time, I was editor in chief of Air Canada’s enRoute magazine, possibly the most fun I have had in a job. I could not help to wonder whether Air Canada would move out of Montreal in the event of a Yes vote.
  It was No, by
  
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• Update: Severe thunderstorm watch added to Montreal's heat warning

  06-08-2018 19:37 via montrealgazette.com
  Environment Canada maintained its heat warning for the Montreal area Monday, and added a severe thunderstorm watch in the early afternoon.
  The federal agency had predicted daytime highs near 30 C and humidex values near 40 C — it reached those temperatures by noon Monday.
  It warned storms could blow in with gusts, large hail and heavy rain in the afternoon and evening. The storm watch covered Montreal, Châteauguay, Laval and Longueuil and came with the agency’s standard message
  
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• Opinion: Canada deserves credit for speaking out on Saudi abuses

  06-08-2018 19:36 via montrealgazette.com
  I am proud of Canada for challenging Saudi Arabia in the matter of Raif Badawi and his sister, Samar Badawi, and I hope the rest of the Western world will stand with us as well. As a Canadian Muslim imam, I believe it is essential that we make our voice heard for basic human rights. Yes, Saudi Arabia has the two holy Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina, but in this case, it is Canada that is fulfilling the golden principle given by the Holy Qur’an of “standing firm in justice, ev
  
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• At least 13 died on the road during Quebec's 2018 construction holiday

  06-08-2018 17:54 via montrealgazette.com
  At least 13 persons died in automobile accidents on highways patrolled by the Sûreté du Québec during the two-week construction holiday, the provincial force announced on Monday.
  The death toll is six fewer than during the 2017 holiday period. The SQ says at least five of this year’s deaths were caused by distracted driving while two others were attributed to impaired driving.
  The provincial force carried out more than 15,000 police operations over the two-week period b
  
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• Quebec 'winner' of road race — clocked at 232 km/h — arrested in Nova Scotia

  06-08-2018 16:49 via montrealgazette.com
  A 19-year-old Quebecer arrested Saturday in Nova Scotia in the aftermath of a local road race was clocked at the highest speed ever recorded locally on radar, police say.
  The RCMP say the driver’s peak speed — before his arrest, ticketing and vehicle confiscation — was 232 kilometres per hour in a 110 km/hr speed zone.
  The incident occurred around noon near Thomson Station, about 50 kilometres east of the New Brunswick border. An RCMP patrol car noticed two vehicles that appear
  
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• Celebrated chef Joël Robuchon was 'awestruck' by Montreal cuisine

  06-08-2018 16:03 via montrealgazette.com
  Joël Robuchon, a master chef who shook up the stuffy world of French haute cuisine by wowing palates with the delights of the simple mashed potato and giving diners a peek at the kitchen, has died. He was 73.
  A spokeswoman for Robuchon confirmed his death, with French TV station BFM and newspaper Le Figaro reporting that he died in Geneva on Monday from cancer, citing his entourage.
  Robucon’s culinary concepts were exported around the world, notably with the controversial establishmen
  
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• Montreal police seek Île-Bizard man missing since Saturday

  06-08-2018 15:02 via montrealgazette.com
  Montreal police have turned to the public for help in finding 26-year-old Philip Zwanenburg, who left his home in Île-Bizard borough Saturday at 12 p.m. and he hasn’t been seen since.
  Zwanenburg’s family and investigators are concerned for his safety since he has made suicidal statements. When last seen, he was wearing worn-out blue pants and black sneakers with green florescent markings. He also had a Dutch national soccer team jersey in his possession.
  Zwanenburg is known to
  
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• While you were sleeping: Gym attacker banned and pop star gets snubbed

  06-08-2018 14:43 via montrealgazette.com
  Montreal gym bans man who attacked weightlifter for being too loud
  A member of a Montreal-area gym who hit another member for making too much noise while powerlifting has been barred from the facility.
  As well, a staff member has been suspended in connection with the incident, said Craig Johnson, head of operations for Buzzfit gyms, on Sunday evening.
  A video of the incident, posted on a YouTube channel on Thursday evening, received more than 944,000 views by Sunday evening.Nineteen-year-old Cha
  
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• Heat warning maintained for Montreal's back-to-work Monday

  06-08-2018 14:33 via montrealgazette.com
  Environment Canada maintained its heat warning for the Montreal area Monday, just as more than 150,000 Quebecers return from the province’s two-week construction holiday.
  The federal agency is predicting daytime highs near 30 C and humidex values near 40 C.
  No matter what line of work you’re returning to, remember to drink plenty of water even before you feel thirsty and try to stay in a cool place.
  Monday’s forecast also calls for a mix or sun and cloud with a 40-per-cent chan
  
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• Celebrated chef Joel Robuchon was 'awestruck' by Montreal cuisine

  06-08-2018 14:11 via montrealgazette.com
  Joel Robuchon, a master chef who shook up the stuffy world of French haute cuisine by wowing palates with the delights of the simple mashed potato and giving diners a peek at the kitchen, has died. He was 73.
  A spokeswoman for Robuchon confirmed his death, with French TV station BFM and newspaper Le Figaro reporting that he died in Geneva on Monday from cancer, citing his entourage.
  Robucon’s culinary concepts were exported around the world, notably with the controversial establishment of&
  
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• Aimia CEO opens door to Aeroplan deal with Air Canada-led group

  06-08-2018 13:54 via montrealgazette.com
  Aimia Inc. is leaving the door open to reaching an agreement with the Air Canada-led group that sought to acquire the company’s Aeroplan rewards program, seeking a sweetened offer from the airline.
  Aimia said late Thursday it wants at least C$450 million ($347 million) for Aeroplan after the Air Canada group boosted its bid to C$325 million from an initial proposal of C$250 million. The lower offers don’t reflect “the value of the Aeroplan business to members and stakeholders,&
  
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• Two dead in motorcycle crash in Lanaudière region

  06-08-2018 13:32 via montrealgazette.com
   A man and woman in their 20s died Sunday night after the motorcycle they were riding crashed into a ditch near Saint-Côme in the Lanaudière region.
  The incident occurred around 10 p.m., when the male driver of the motorcycle apparently lost control of the vehicle at the intersection of Highways 347 and 343.
  The cause of the accident has yet to be determined.
  
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• Montreal weather: Partly cloudy and hot with a risk of boomers

  06-08-2018 13:30 via montrealgazette.com
  A mix of sun and cloud with 40-per-cent chance of showers in the morning and early in the afternoon.
  There is a risk of thunderstorms in the morning and afternoon with the wind becoming southwest 20 km/h, gusting to 40 in the morning.
  According to Environment Canada, today is forecasted to reach 31 Celsius with a suffocating Humidex of 40 and a UV index of 8, or very high.
  Tonight: Mainly cloudy with 60-per-cent chance of showers and a risk of thunderstorms early in the evening. Low 21.
  Don&rsqu
  
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• Korf: Moving on means remembering both happy and painful times

  06-08-2018 13:00 via montrealgazette.com
  The older I get the more I realize how little I know or understand. Maybe this is wisdom.
  I believe that it is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. I have learned a lot over the years. One of the things I have learned to do is to let go and move on. As someone who doesn’t give up easily, and will try every last possible option and then some, this is probably one of the hardest lessons I have learned.
  One of the things that is hard about letting go is that the past has form
  
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• Life Stories: Holocaust survivor Minna Aspler built a new life here

  06-08-2018 12:00 via montrealgazette.com
  “You would think she hadn’t gone through the experiences that she had gone through,” said Carl Aspler of his mother, Minna, who died in June at the age of 100.
  “She was active, sociable, engaging.”
  Minna grew up in Warsaw, Poland, in the early 20th century and had a fairly normal upbringing until the Second World War broke out when she was 19. The Germans quickly invaded and occupied the city, confiscating her father’s textile business. The family, along with
  
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• Hundreds of Hells Angels expected in St-Hyacinthe this week

  06-08-2018 12:00 via montrealgazette.com
  Anywhere between five and seven hundred people tied to the Hells Angels are expected to roll into St-Hyacinthe this week for what could turn out to be the biker gang’s largest gathering in Canada.
  The annual get-together, which the gang calls their Canada Run, is traditionally a peaceful event that some bikers have even brought their children to. But the police believe the Canada Run serves as a way for the Hells Angels, considered to be the most powerful criminal organization in Quebec, t
  
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• T'Cha Dunlevy: Osheaga 2018 wraps with 'no regrets'

  06-08-2018 04:55 via montrealgazette.com
  Nick Farkas and Jacques Aubé were happy men on Sunday afternoon. The 13th Osheaga Music and Arts Festival was another one for the books, boasting sellout crowds of 45,000 attendees for each of its three days, and further cementing its status as one of the essential stops of summer in Montreal.
  “It’s an event that’s unique, maybe even one of the city’s gems,” said Aubé, CEO of Evenko, the promoter that puts on Osheaga. If he does say so himself; but it&
  
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• Rogers Cup: Rebecca Marino optimistic despite losing in qualifying

  06-08-2018 01:41 via montrealgazette.com
  Rebecca Marino came up short in her bid to earn a spot in the main draw of the Rogers Cup Canadian Open women’s tennis championships, but she found reasons to be optimistic after losing to China’s Qiang Wang 7-5, 6-4 in the final round of qualifying Sunday.
  “I felt I had that match on my racquet,” said the 27-year-old Vancouver native who is now based in Montreal. “I didn’t think she won it — well, obviously she won — but I think I lost the match.
  
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• Two families united by show of courage during the Holocaust

  06-08-2018 00:18 via montrealgazette.com
  Growing up in a Jewish family in Montreal, Suzie Epelbaum-Lazar would sing Dutch Christmas songs. Living in the Netherlands, Marco Blum’s mother would always talk about the young Jewish girl with whom she shared a bed during the war.
  Last week, the two met to trade notes about the act of heroism during the Holocaust that marked both their families.
  When she was 12 years old, Epelbaum-Lazar’s mother, Esther Vomberg, spent three years from 1942 to 1945 living with Blum’s grandpar
  
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• Jack Todd: Regardless of Manziel, the Als remain amateurishly bad

  06-08-2018 00:17 via montrealgazette.com
  In August 2013, the legendary Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo went down with a concussion in a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
  Calvillo would never play again. Five years later, the Als still haven’t found a quarterback. It began with former GM Jim Popp, who spent five years developing Adrian McPherson as Calvillo’s successor only to cut him loose in February 2013, seven months before Calvillo went down.
  This year — seven games, six losses and four quarterback
  
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