Aylmer, Quebec news

• Québec solidaire advocates for a biomass policy

  31-08-2018 23:37 via montrealgazette.com
  In its desire to reduce Quebec’s dependence on fossil fuels, Québec solidaire intends to develop a biomass policy to better exploit forest and agricultural residues.
  The measure is a cornerstone of the party’s “Economic Transition Plan,” unveiled Friday in Mont-Laurier, in the Upper Laurentians.
  The biomass policy would be funded by the Fonds vert and the Plan global d’efficacité énergétique.
  “To enable Quebec to get away from fossi
  
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• Obituary: Former newspaper publisher George MacLaren loved politics, cared about Quebec's English community

  31-08-2018 22:59 via montrealgazette.com
  George MacLaren, the Sherbrooke newspaper publisher who was part of an effort to launch another daily paper in Montreal in 1987, has died,
  MacLaren died Thursday morning surrounded by his family at his home at Mahone Bay, N.S. He had a medically assisted death after fighting liver cancer.
  He was 79.
  MacLaren had been living there in retirement after a long career as a lawyer, newspaper publisher, defender of Quebec’s English-speaking community and friend and advisor to some of the most pow
  
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• Quebec election: CAQ considers extra security for threatened candidate

  31-08-2018 22:19 via montrealgazette.com
  After threatening images of him appeared on a CEGEP campus, CAQ candidate and former police spokesperson Ian Lafrenière may get additional security as he campaigns to represent Vachon, a riding on Montreal’s South Shore.
  La Presse reported Friday that posters depicting graffiti of Lafrenière with a bullet in his head had been posted, and then taken down, at the CEGEP de St-Jérôme.
  When Lafrenière met with Coalition Avenir Québec leader Fra
  
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• Quebec election: Liberals to hike monthly payments for handicapped

  31-08-2018 21:35 via montrealgazette.com
  SHERBROOKE — Quebec Liberal leader Philippe Couillard pledged on Friday to increase financial aid and offer more access to health-care and lodging services for handicapped Quebecers and their families.
  At present, 34,000 handicapped children receive payments of $2,300 a year. If elected, the Liberals will increase annual payments for 10,000 of those children deemed to be more seriously handicapped to $5,900 annually.
  An additional 2,000 children in the province who are designated as severe
  
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• 'Huge honour,' P.K. Subban says of being selected for video game cover

  31-08-2018 21:26 via montrealgazette.com
  P.K. Subban said he has one big goal in his career and that, of course, is winning the Stanley Cup.
  The defenceman has come close, reaching the Eastern Conference final twice with the Canadiens and then helping the Nashville Predators to the 2017 final where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
  In the meantime, Subban is collecting honours like the Norris Trophy, multiple All-Star Game appearances and, most recently, a spot on the cover of EA Sports’ best-selling video game,
  
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• Buchignani: Ferrari seeks to restore order at Italian Grand Prix

  31-08-2018 20:47 via montrealgazette.com
  Here’s something you seldom see in sports: The guy in first place worried about catching the guy in second.
  And yet, check out this headline, attributed to Lewis Hamilton, over an online story by the Reuters news agency: “We’ve got to improve to try and catch Ferrari.”
  Seems like a strange thing for Hamilton to say from his privileged perch atop the Formula One drivers’ standings going into this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
  To be precise, Hamilton holds a 17-
  
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• After loss to TFC, Impact look to rebound against East-leading Red Bulls

  31-08-2018 20:11 via montrealgazette.com
  Even after a humbling loss in Toronto, Montreal Impact fullback Daniel Lovitz is eager to face the Eastern Conference-leading New York Red Bulls.
  The Impact (10-14-3) play host to the Red Bulls (17-6-4) on Saturday night at Saputo Stadium (7:30 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690) looking to strengthen their grip on the conference’s sixth and final playoff spot.
  Montreal is coming off a 3-1 defeat last week to rival TFC and now faces a New York squad that is unbeaten in its last six games. A 1
  
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• Quebec election: Family of dairy farmers nervously watch NAFTA talks

  31-08-2018 20:03 via montrealgazette.com
  SAINTE-MARIE-MADELEINE — It seems more than a little absurd that a backroom meeting in Washington, D.C. could decide the fate of Jean-Philippe Jodin’s family farm some 972 kilometres north.
  Jodin’s ancestors settled in the lowlands east of Montreal in the late 1800s, getting by on grain, livestock and the pillar of Quebec’s agricultural sector: dairy.
  Five generations later, Jodin and his cousin run the very same farm on a plot of land that sprawls into a chain of tall gr
  
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• What the Puck: Pacioretty drama another example of Habs' dysfunction

  31-08-2018 19:39 via montrealgazette.com
  Training camp hasn’t even started and already the Montreal Canadiens are the laughingstock of the National Hockey League and, make no mistake, this state of affairs is entirely due to Marc Bergevin.
  Well actually it’s a little more complicated than that because there is another chap involved in this disaster — Geoff Molson. I understand that the Canadiens’ president is not ready to fire his general manager and that would be an unmitigated disaster only weeks before the st
  
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• Montreal dance’s big hitters pick themselves up for the fall season

  31-08-2018 19:21 via montrealgazette.com
  Two Montreal legends figure in the fall dance season, with revivals of works by Marie Chouinard and Louise Lecavalier. There’s also a wealth of up-and-coming and established local talent, plus work from artists as far afield as South Africa, Germany and England. So let’s step lively and see what’s happening up to and during the first snowfalls.
  First out of the gate is the 16th edition of the Festival Quartiers Danses, which again takes place in and around Place des Arts a
  
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• Macpherson: Non-franco votes up for grabs? Only Liberals are grabbing

  31-08-2018 19:21 via montrealgazette.com
  There’s still a month to go until the Oct. 1 Quebec election. Voters may not start following the campaign closely until the first of the three televised leaders’ debates, in two weeks. And many may not make up their minds until just before they vote.
  But at this point, it looks as though the revolt of non-francophone voters against the Liberal Party that some people might have expected (hoped for?) isn’t happening.
  This election was supposed to be an opportunity for non-francop
  
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• Opinion: Needed, a healthier climate in Quebec health institutions

  31-08-2018 19:13 via montrealgazette.com
  Why have so many of my patients working in health care in the Montreal area experienced a disturbing level of emotional distress? Their stories are compelling and illustrate how deeply our health-care professionals and non-professionals have been affected by outgoing Health Minister Gaétan Barrette’s Bill 10 administrative reform.
  A nurse working in a large chronic-care hospital broke down sobbing during her visit to my office. Her stress was palpable. She bemoaned the extra shifts
  
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• Drake is still Canada's rap king, but has he lost his sting?

  31-08-2018 18:15 via montrealgazette.com
  In June, Drake scored his eighth consecutive No. 1 album on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with the release of Scorpion. From that album, the Canadian rapper has also topped the singles chart three times, and he is Spotify’s most-streamed artist, with 61.5 million monthly plays. On the surface, it appears his star wattage is as bright as ever as he approaches a decade on the charts. (His mixtape output goes back to 2006.)
  When Drake hits the Bell Centre with Atlantan trio Migos on Tuesday an
  
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• Bill Zacharkiw's Wines of the Week: Aug. 31, 2018

  31-08-2018 18:00 via montrealgazette.com
  Every week, Bill Zacharkiw identifies his top wine picks available at the SAQ, and offers ideas for food pairings.
  Under $15 
  The Curator 2017, Western Cape, A.A. Badenhorst, South Africa red, $13, SAQ # 12819435. For an inexpensive wine, you get some good torque here. The fruit has a sun-baked feel, verging on raisins, but with an underlying freshness and sour cherry note that keeps it from getting heavy. Nice spicy finish. So good for the price, it sells out fast. Grape varieties: cinsaul
  
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• Bill Zacharkiw: What information should be on wine labels?

  31-08-2018 18:00 via montrealgazette.com
  I was checking out my local SAQ recently and came across an Australian wine from the Angove Family winery. Aside from the fact that the wine was made with carignan, one of my favourite grapes, what struck me was the information on the front label.Yes, it was colourful, which might turn off the classicists. But it included everything you would want to know about the wine: the grape used, the region, descriptors as to how the wine tastes.I have long been an advocate for more informative wine label
  
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• Video: Beyond the Plate with Montreal chef Antonio Park

  31-08-2018 17:55 via montrealgazette.com
  In the fifth instalment of the Beyond the Plate series, host Heidi Small speaks with local chef Antonio Park about rebuilding his flagship restaurants, Park and Lavanderia, after a devastating fire. He also discusses how his heritage influences his cooking and life.
  Park’s Korean and South American background made him passionate about understanding a food’s culture before delving into its cooking. However, “you don’t have to understand the culture to m
  
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• Kent Nagano says his final OSM seasons will remain 'full of surprises'

  31-08-2018 17:52 via montrealgazette.com
  Ockeghem. At last.
  Judging by the OSM archives, the music of this Flemish master of the 15th century has never been performed under the auspices of the orchestra, possibly for the good reason that it is entirely vocal.
  Yet Kent Nagano — surely the brainiest of OSM music directors — proudly mentioned Ockeghem when asked about the composers we might expect to hear in his valedictory year as music director.
  That would be 2019-20, the season after the one that starts on Thursday, Sept. 6
  
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• Five Quebec City teens face child porn charges after photos shared

  31-08-2018 17:39 via montrealgazette.com
  Charges will be brought against five of seven students at a Quebec City private school who are alleged to have exchanged explicit photos of three young girls, the province’s office of criminal prosecutions (DPCP) announced on Friday.
  The DPCP made the decision after assessing evidence compiled by Quebec City police.
  The five teens, all students at the Séminaire des Pères Maristes, will face charges of luring, extortion, possession and distribution of child pornography and mak
  
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• Canadiens who must improve: Jonathan Drouin gets reset at centre

  31-08-2018 17:39 via montrealgazette.com
  After missing the playoffs by a country mile last season, it’s obvious the Canadiens must be better in 2018-19. And the burden of improvement will fall heavily on some players more than others. This is the third in a series of five stories on players who could hold the key to a turnaround.
  Jonathan Drouin’s first year as a Canadien fell short of expectations, but the 23-year-old believes that he’s in a position to turn things around this season. And that position is centre.
  The
  
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• The Right Chemistry: Sugary soft drinks shouldn't become a habit

  31-08-2018 17:30 via montrealgazette.com
  A swig of cola tastes just right with a slice of pizza, and a smoked meat sandwich goes down nicely with a black cherry soda. I’ll admit to an occasional such indulgence. But for many, having a soft drink is not a rare treat, it’s a daily habit. And it is not without consequence. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been associated with an increased risk of obesity, cavities, diabetes and heart disease. Although the evidence isn’t conclusive — it rarely is in
  
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• Quebec election: NAFTA talks positioned as a door for sovereignty

  31-08-2018 17:27 via montrealgazette.com
  “Vive l’indépendance du Québec!”
  Manon Massé delivered that line with a wink and a smile Friday as she prepared to meet with dairy farmers over the future of supply management in Canada.
  One of the sticking points in negotiations for a new version of the North American Free Trade Agreement could deliver a blow to the province’s dairy industry. The United States wants Canada to do away with supply management — a policy that bolsters 120,000 jobs
  
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• Quebec election: Legault clear on NAFTA, not time to 'play politics'

  31-08-2018 17:09 via montrealgazette.com
  Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault was on the defensive Friday morning, after being absent from a press conference in Longueuil where the province’s three other political party leaders expressed their support for Quebec farmers.
  Supply management is important, Legault said Friday morning in Chicoutimi, but so is providing high-speed internet to remote communities across the province.
  “They’re both important. We are clear on supply management. We said
  
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• Quebec election: CAQ pledges $400M for province-wide internet access

  31-08-2018 16:23 via montrealgazette.com
  As his political adversaries spent Friday morning reiterating their support for supply management at a press conference in Longueuil, Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault, campaigning in the Saguenay region, renewed his pledge of a high-speed internet and broadband cellular network covering all of the province by 2022 should his party form the next government.
  The CAQ reckons it will cost $400 million to provide the services to all Quebecers, estimating that at the momen
  
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• Restaurant review: Pigor's young talents are in fine balance

  31-08-2018 16:19 via montrealgazette.com
  Restaurant Pigor
  ★★★ out of ★★★★
  $$$
  Address: 3780 Wellington St., Verdun (Near LaSalle Blvd.)
  Phone: 514-907-0816
  Website: restaurantpigor.com
  Open: Tues.-Thurs. 6 to 10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 6 to 11 p.m.
  Wheelchair access: One step at the door
  Licensed: Yes
  Reservations: Essential
  Cards: All major
  Vegetarian-friendly: Not especially
  Parking: On surrounding streets
  Price range: Cold and warm plates $14-$20; hot plates $23-$30; desserts $10.
  Res
  
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• Quebec election: Couillard, Lisée and Massé join to support farmers

  31-08-2018 15:27 via montrealgazette.com
  LONGUEUIL — In the heat of their provincial election campaign, leaders of Quebec’s main political parties came together with the province’s farmers at a news conference in Longueuil Friday morning, calling on the federal government to defend the supply management system as last-minute trade talks with the United States come to a head.
  Incumbent premier Philippe Couillard joined Parti Québécois Leader Jean-François Lisée and Québec solidaire sp
  
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• While you were sleeping: Deadly bike boroughs and shady crowdfunds

  31-08-2018 15:18 via montrealgazette.com
  Cyclists have higher risk of being killed in Montreal’s central boroughs
  Despite being a bike-friendly neighbourhood, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie has proven to be the most deadly for cyclists in Montreal.
  More than 20 per cent of all cycling deaths in Montreal during the last 12 years have occurred in the borough, data from provincial and municipal public bodies shows.
  Ten cyclists have died after accidents with vehicles in the borough between 2006 and 2017, according to numbers from t
  
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• MUHC drafting contingency plans after Saudi medical-residents crisis

  31-08-2018 12:00 via montrealgazette.com
  The reversal this week by Saudi Arabia of its decision to withdraw its medical residents from Canadian hospitals is being welcomed by the McGill University Health Centre, but the MUHC is busy devising contingency plans in the event of another flare-up in relations between Canada and the Arab state over its human-rights record.
  The Saudi kingdom informed about 1,100 of its medical residents that they will be able to continue their training assignments in Canada until they can arrange alternative
  
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• Montreal weather: Sunny all day

  31-08-2018 12:00 via montrealgazette.com
  Sunny with winds blowing northeast at 20 km/h, becoming southeast at 20 km/h around noon.
  Environment Canada predicts a high of 24 Celsius, a Humidex of 28 and a UV index of 7 or high.
  Tonight: Clear, becoming partly cloudy after midnight. Winds becoming southeast at 20 km/h overnight, and a low of 17 C.
  Don’t forget to submit your photos of Montreal via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by tagging them with #ThisMtl. We’ll feature one per day right here in the morning f
  
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• Montreal real estate: How close are you to your ideal home?

  31-08-2018 12:00 via montrealgazette.com
  For one person, the ideal home is a four-bedroom house with a sunny and bright eat-in kitchen, a media room, a double garage and a large yard with a swimming pool where the kids can splash around all summer. For another, it could be a small but smartly designed condo steps away from restaurants and shops with a killer view and a swanky lounge.
  Or maybe you’d prefer a bungalow in the country with room to keep horses, or a cottage on a lake with a dock for your boat. Maybe your ideal is more
  
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• Gridlock at Atwater and René-Lévesque is real, but who is responsible?

  31-08-2018 12:00 via montrealgazette.com
  One of Montreal’s most congested intersections due to ongoing construction isn’t indicated on the city’s Info-Travaux website and hasn’t elicited so much as a tweet on the city’s social media account that’s dedicated to warning of traffic delays and road closures caused by fires, gas leaks and infrastructure work.
  And yet the gridlock at Atwater Ave. and René-Lévesque Blvd. W. is real, as this week’s return of Montreal police officers
  
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• Quebec elections: Couillard changes tune about united NAFTA front

  31-08-2018 04:27 via montrealgazette.com
  LAC-MÉGANTIC — After proclaiming that he would sign a joint letter, but never stand publicly with his opponents to show a united front in support of supply management protection of the province’s farmers, Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard suddenly changed his tune Thursday night.
  His party said Couillard would attend a meeting at the Quebec farmers’ union headquarters in Longueuil Friday morning with Parti Québécois Leader Jean-Francois Lisée an
  
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• P.K. Subban admits to having one regret about his Canadiens tenure

  31-08-2018 03:30 via montrealgazette.com
  The first thing that strikes you about P.K. Subban is his positivity.
  There he was Thursday night at his gala fundraising dinner at the Old Port, looking oh-so-dandy with his big, black cowboy hat and a neat checkered jacket, talking about how important it is to him to continue to maintain his pledge to the Montreal Children’s Hospital to raise $10 million for them.
  He also talked about what life has been like since he was traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the Nashville Predators in the
  
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• Quebec election: PQ leader Lisée stands by embattled Michelle Blanc

  31-08-2018 03:14 via montrealgazette.com
  It was the day from hell. And then it got worse.
  Late Thursday afternoon, Parti Québécois candidate Michelle Blanc — already in hot water for suggesting one of her critics is a pedophile — confirmed that she used the N-word in a social media post.
  In a since-deleted tweet, written before she was a candidate for public office, Blanc referred to a Bell customer service representative using a racial slur. Blanc, who is a transgender woman, wrote that the Bell employee refe
  
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• Traffic update: Turcot the hot spot this weekend

  31-08-2018 02:24 via montrealgazette.com
  Turcot InterchangeNuns’ Island sector
  Highway 15 northbound will be completely closed between Exit 58 and the entrance to Highway 10 eastbound at Gaétan-Laberge Blvd. between 11 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Tuesday.
  De La Vérendrye sector
  Highway 15 northbound will be closed between Exit 62 and the entrance to the Décarie Expressway at Édouard-Montpetit Blvd. between 11 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Tuesday.
  The ramp from Highway 15 northbound to Highway 20 westbou
  
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• Return of Stefan Logan could inject some explosiveness into Als lineup

  31-08-2018 01:51 via montrealgazette.com
  OTTAWA — While John Bowman constantly jokes about his age, making it sound like he’s preparing for his arrival in a seniors’ residence, Stefan Logan happily flashes his birth certificate around as a badge of honour.
  The Alouettes’ diminutive return specialist has no problem proclaiming himself to be the team’s oldest player.
  “People always worry about how old I am. I know how old I am; I’m 37 years old,” Logan stated. “At the end of the day,
  
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• Quebec election blog Aug. 30: Plot twist — it's not the Liberals on the defensive

  31-08-2018 01:22 via montrealgazette.com
  This was the Montreal Gazette’s live blog on the Quebec provincial election for Thursday, Aug. 30.7 p.m.: That’s a wrap
  I’ll be back live-blogging the campaign on Monday.6:55 p.m.: Plot twist
  Raise your hand if you expected the Liberals, in power for most of the past 15 years, to be on the defensive at the start of the campaign.
  Well, it has not turned out that way.
  Today, Liberal leader Philippe Couillard was talking issues (health care and NAFTA)
  Meanwhile…
  PQ Leader J
  
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• Cyclists have higher risk of being killed in Montreal's central boroughs

  31-08-2018 01:15 via montrealgazette.com
  Despite being a bike-friendly neighbourhood, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie has proven to be the most deadly for cyclists in Montreal.
  More than 20 per cent of all cycling deaths in Montreal during the last 12 years have occurred in the borough, data from provincial and municipal public bodies shows.
  Ten cyclists have died after accidents with vehicles in the borough between 2006 and 2017, according to numbers from the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec and t
  
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• Quebec election: 'Forgotten' caregivers hoping for campaign promises

  31-08-2018 00:24 via montrealgazette.com
  Denise Coderre was on a mission. She woke early last Sunday morning and, together with her sister Louise, drove to a community centre in Bois-des-Filion to meet Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault.
  Looking to make sure she didn’t miss her chance, she got there 45 minutes early. But then she found out there was a last-minute change to the day’s campaign schedule. So Coderre, 60, got back in her car and rushed over to Terrebonne instead.
  She stood by
  
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• Quebec elections: Ethical issues become a test of Legault's leadership

  31-08-2018 00:13 via montrealgazette.com
  QUEBEC — They were supposed to be squeaky clean.
  As the campaign leading to the Oct. 1 general election wraps up a first week, the Coalition Avenir Québec campaign find itself bucking some serious turbulence on the question of ethics and integrity. Worse, the wounds are self-inflicted.
  The Parti Québécois and Liberals had their own problems this past week in the form of candidates saying stupid things on social media and being forced to walk the plank, but fumbles by t
  
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• Montreal First Nations summit: Reconciliation needs to go beyond words

  31-08-2018 00:02 via montrealgazette.com
  Quebec municipalities and First Nations want to pursue concrete solutions for issues like job creation and housing, representatives said during the first summit of its kind on Thursday in Montreal.
  The Summit of First Nations and Municipalities on Reconciliation brought together about 50 mayors from across Quebec — including Régis Labeaume of Quebec City and Valérie Plante of Montreal — along with the presidents of Quebec’s two municipality associations and more t
  
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• Quebec election: Embattled PQ candidate Michelle Blanc used racial slur

  31-08-2018 00:00 via montrealgazette.com
  Michelle Blanc’s day from hell just got much worse.
  The Parti Québécois candidate, already in hot water for suggesting one of her critics is a pedophile, used the N-word in a social media post.
  In a since-deleted tweet, Blanc referred to a Bell customer service representative using a racial slur. Blanc, who is a transgender woman, wrote that the Bell employee referred to her as “mister” because her voice sounds masculine.
  “My response, your voice sounds Afri
  
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