Aylmer, Quebec news

• Sex assaults on autistic girl: Window washer gets 78-month jail term

  15-10-2018 23:46 via montrealgazette.com
  A window washer from Notre-Dame-de-Grâce who sexually assaulted a severely autistic girl over a period of six years while working inside her family’s home was sentenced to a 78-month prison term on Monday.
  Erik Branz’s face turned red and he fixed his gaze downward as Quebec Court Judge Nathalie Fafard sentenced him for a series of crimes she characterized as “disturbing and shocking.”
  In 2017, the Montreal police began to investigate Branz, now 47, after two of his
  
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• Stu Cowan: Tomas Plekanec earns high praise from Canadiens teammates

  15-10-2018 23:40 via montrealgazette.com
  It’s thanks to Tomas Plekanec that Victor Mete now feels guilty any time he eats a french fry.
  After being selected by the Canadiens in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Mete showed up at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard for his first evaluation camp. Plekanec, who was spending the summer in Montreal, arrived one day and took seven or eight of the new Canadiens prospects out for lunch at the nearby Quartier DIX30.
  “He ordered a bunch of food for all of us and
  
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• Man who helped manufacture illegal firearms in LaSalle facing possible 4-year sentence

  15-10-2018 23:25 via montrealgazette.com
  A man who helped manufacture many illegal semi-automatic firearms at a factory in LaSalle faces the possibility of a four-year prison term for his crimes.
  Daniel Spain, 51, appeared before Quebec Court Judge Mélanie Hébert at the Montreal courthouse on Monday for what was supposed to be the start of sentence arguments in his case. Instead, his lawyer, Joseph Elfassy, filed a motion arguing that the three-year mandatory minimum sentence he client already faces is unconstitutional.
  H
  
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• Allison Hanes: Let's kickstart a transportation revolution in Quebec

  15-10-2018 23:24 via montrealgazette.com
  News that the planet is hurtling toward climate catastrophe faster and sooner than expected arrives at an auspicious time for Quebec.
  Here we are, with a brand new government, a booming economy and brimming public coffers. Here we are with vast reserves of hydro power and transportation as a significant source of our toxic emissions.
  To be sure, Quebec faces tremendous challenges in doing its part to mitigate the impact of devastating global warming, which the International Panel on Climate Chan
  
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• Watch: Take an up-close look at beluga whales in Hudson Bay

  15-10-2018 23:23 via montrealgazette.com
  Every year, tens of thousands of beluga whales come to frolic and mate in Hudson Bay. Take an up-close look as some belugas greet whale watchers off the coast of Churchill, Manitoba.
  Related
  Quebec study shows belugas increasingly infected with feline parasite
  
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• 'National tribute' to be held for pioneering Quebec feminist Lise Payette

  15-10-2018 23:14 via montrealgazette.com
  The provincial government announced Monday it will hold a “national tribute” this month to the memory of Lise Payette, the former Parti Québécois cabinet minister, feminist and writer who died Sept. 5 at the age of 87.
  Those who wish to offer their sympathies to Payette’s family and sign a book of condolences can do so on Oct. 20 from 8:30 a.m. until noon at Montreal city hall at 245 Notre-Dame St. E.
  Then, at 3 p.m., the provincial government will hold a tribute
  
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• Weather alert: Strong winds Monday night

  15-10-2018 21:56 via montrealgazette.com
  Environment Canada has issued a “special weather statement” for  the Châteauguay—La Prairie area, the Laval area, the Longueuil—Varennes area, the Montreal Island area, the lower Laurentians and much of the rest of the province.
  It says wind gusts of up to gusting up to 80 km/h will affect these areas beginning Monday night.
  “These very strong winds are capable of bringing down tree limbs,” the forecaster says.
  
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• Think you're a better driver when you're high? NOT!

  15-10-2018 21:34 via montrealgazette.com
  Smoking marijuana increases the risk of crashing the car for young drivers even five hours after inhaling, a new study has determined.
  The McGill University research study found that performance declined significantly for things like reaction time as much as five hours after smoking one joint. Driving performance deteriorated when the subjects were exposed to road distractions.
  Using a driving simulator, researchers tested the abilities of 18-to-24-year-olds who identified themselves as occasion
  
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• Cannabis will be legal, but please be sober as judges, murder-trial jurors told

  15-10-2018 21:15 via montrealgazette.com
  A Quebec Superior Court judge has asked seven women and five men selected as the jury to hear a murder trial at the Montreal courthouse to avoid partaking in cannabis even if its recreational use will become legal on Wednesday.
  “It is a new reality we are facing,” Justice Hélène Di Salvo said Monday morning as the trial of Sébastien Grenon, 35, was set to begin. Grenon is charged with the first-degree murder of Benoît Denis, who was killed May 13, 2010, in
  
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• STM takes a ride down memory lane with Opus card

  15-10-2018 20:56 via montrealgazette.com
  The day after a massive sale of vintage bus and métro items in Montreal, the Société de transport de Montréal took the opportunity Monday to highlight some impressive numbers regarding the Opus card, the transit pass that is celebrating its 10th birthday this year:More than 10 million Opus cards have been issued over the last decade.
  More than 5.5 billion Opus scans have been registered.
  More than one million Opus cards are used each month.
  Each weekday, the Opus
  
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• Montreal lawyer suspended for role in defrauding elderly woman

  15-10-2018 20:39 via montrealgazette.com
  A lawyer has been suspended for 18 months for his role in defrauding an 89-year-old woman between 2013 and 2014, according to a judgment recently made public by the Quebec bar’s disciplinary council.
  Charles Gelber, who has been practising law for more than 30 years in the province, pleaded guilty to nine complaints of breaching the code of ethics and the professional code of conduct for members of the Quebec bar.
  The complaints stem from Gelber’s role in using falsified informa
  
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• Canadiens Game Day: Tomas Plekanec set to play in his 1,000th NHL game

  15-10-2018 20:32 via montrealgazette.com
  Canadiens Game Day is a new feature this season in which we will follow the Habs during every home game from the morning skate in Brossard through the post-game interviews at the Bell Centre, updating throughout the day with all the news, quotes, notes and opinion you’re looking for:
  Tomas Plekanec will play in his 1,000th NHL regular-season game when the Canadiens face the Detroit Red Wings Monday night at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).
  The 35-year-old centre, who
  
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• Blue Jays to mark 50th anniversary of Expos with two games at Big O

  15-10-2018 20:22 via montrealgazette.com
  TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays will close out their 2019 pre-season schedule with a pair of games in Montreal against the Milwaukee Brewers.
  It will mark the sixth straight year that the Blue Jays have played exhibition games at Olympic Stadium, the former home of the Expos, who departed for Washington after the 2004 season to become the Nationals.
  The games are scheduled for March 25 and 26, event promoter Evenko said Monday in a release.
  “Montreal is a city with great baseball his
  
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• Lise Ravary: On being a liberal conservative contrarian

  15-10-2018 20:18 via montrealgazette.com
  A first edition of John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty sits permanently by my computer, along with Political Liberalism by American philosopher John Rawls, who best theorized modern liberalism. My third desktop intellectual companion is British philosopher Sir Roger Scruton, whose essay The Meaning of Conservatism made me realize years ago that this liberal was also a conservative, albeit one of the traditional variety.
  Nothing to do with free market conservatives, or the heartless fanatics who
  
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• Quebec's remaining Liberal MNAs to be sworn in as opposition politicians

  15-10-2018 19:31 via montrealgazette.com
  QUEBEC — Reduced in number but with enough of a stable to form the official opposition, the 29 remaining Liberal MNAs will be sworn in Monday at the National Assembly.
  The ceremony, in the red room of the legislature, kicks off around 2 p.m.
  Each MNA is called by name and they then take an oath to the Quebec people and Queen Elizabeth. The ceremony is presided over by the secretary-general of the legislature, Michel Bonsaint.
  In all, 29 will be sworn in including the new interim leader, Mo
  
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• Quebec election campaign posters must be gone by 12:01 a.m. Wednesday

  15-10-2018 18:33 via montrealgazette.com
  If the faces of François Legault, Philippe Couillard, Jean-François Lisée, Manon Massé or any other provincial election candidate remains within your field of vision by 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, it will be against the law.
  Quebec’s Election Act stipulates that “all election posters and billboards must be removed not later than 15 days after polling day,” and if the campaign publicity remains posted after that deadline, the municipality where the poster i
  
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• Shots fired, man found dead in apartment near Monkland Village in N.D.G.

  15-10-2018 18:31 via montrealgazette.com
  A Décarie Blvd. apartment block became the site of Montreal’s 22nd homicide of the year Monday, just one day after an attempted murder outside the same building.
  The murder was recorded after police were called to the apartment block, near Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Ave., around 8:45 a.m. after bullet holes were noticed in the door of one of the apartment units.
  Behind that door police found the victim, who had apparently been gunned down through the door and left for dead. Investiga
  
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• Opinion: Making Quebec a 'have' province is a worthy goal

  15-10-2018 17:49 via montrealgazette.com
  Quebec voters opted for a new direction when they elected the Coalition Avenir Québec into power Oct. 1. One objective of the new majority government when it takes office this week will be to end the province’s dependence on the federal equalization program. On the campaign trail, CAQ leader and premier-designate François Legault committed to this as a long-term goal.
  Equalization, often a touch point for heated rhetoric and regional tension, is a federal program that di
  
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• You shouldn't drive even 5 hours after smoking cannabis, study suggests

  15-10-2018 17:32 via montrealgazette.com
  Smoking marijuana increases the risk of crashing the car for young drivers even five hours after inhaling, a new study has determined.
  The McGill University research study found that performance declined significantly for things like reaction time as much as five hours after smoking one joint. Driving performance deteriorated when the subjects were exposed to road distractions.
  Using a driving simulator, researchers tested the abilities of 18-to-24-year-olds who identified themselves as occasion
  
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• Raffi rides his baby beluga to Montreal in April

  15-10-2018 16:34 via montrealgazette.com
  Legendary children’s entertainer Raffi will perform at Théâtre Maisonneuve of Place des Arts on Sunday, April 7 at 1 p.m.
  Tickets start at $41.05 and go on sale Friday, Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. via Place des Arts (514-842-2112; placedesarts.com). VIP tickets cost $89.55 and include an after-show meet and greet.
  All concertgoers must have a ticket, including infants.
  Every pair of tickets includes the choice of a digital download or CD of Baby Beluga, The Best of Raffi or the si
  
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• Montreal anti-radicalization centre's future in doubt as funding is cut

  15-10-2018 16:02 via montrealgazette.com
  A Montreal-based centre for the prevention of radicalization is facing major financial difficulties, with some employees not being paid for weeks, La Presse reported on Monday.
  The news site quotes Richard Filion, chair of the board of the Centre de prévention de la radicalisation menant à la violence (CPRMV), confirming that the financial situation is dire and that he is working to ensure its operations continue.
  The report says employees said their salaries were unpaid for sever
  
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• While you were sleeping: A royal baby, and a Doritos-loving pig

  15-10-2018 14:35 via montrealgazette.com
  Here’s what happened while you were having nightmares about the start of the workweek.
  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, are expecting a child in the spring, Kensington Palace said Monday.
  The announcement came as the royal couple arrived in Sydney at the start of a 16-day visit to Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
  “Their royal highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are d
  
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• Woman in critical condition after being struck by car on Guy St.

  15-10-2018 14:34 via montrealgazette.com
  Montreal police are investigating an accident Monday morning at a downtown intersection that left a woman with life threatening injuries.
  The incident occurred a little before 6:40 a.m. at the corner of Guy and Notre Dame Sts. Police say that as a motorist travelling west on Notre Dame turned to head south, he struck a woman who was crossing Guy.
  The driver is being questioned by police and accident reconstruction experts have been deployed at the scene. The investigation has forced the closure
  
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• Quebecers dominate Pumpkinfest with their giant gourds

  15-10-2018 14:30 via montrealgazette.com
  WELLINGTON — Whoever said size doesn’t matter has likely never been to the Prince Edward County Pumpkinfest.
  Now in it’s 22nd year, organizers continue to marvel at the ever-swelling crowds and number of giant pumpkin and other vegetable entrants.President of the Prince Edward County Pumkin growers Association John Vincent said while there is plenty to do on the weekend in Wellington, the masses still want to see the giant pumpkins.
  “The parade is really something and the
  
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• Good news for Bombardier: Buying a second-hand luxury jet is getting harder

  15-10-2018 13:25 via montrealgazette.com
  Buying a used business jet is getting harder — and that’s a sign of a long-awaited shift in the market for luxury planes.
  Only a dozen or so pre-owned Falcon 7X planes are on the market now, down from about 35 a year and a half ago, says Steve Varsano, an aircraft broker in London. When a client wanted to buy the Dassault Aviation SA model, the tightening market pushed him to bid sight-unseen on a plane in India.
  Going that far afield would have been unheard-of until recently, so he
  
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• Suzanne Korf: A new look for a timeless vision

  15-10-2018 13:24 via montrealgazette.com
  Steve Jobs said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Soon I will celebrate 12 amazing years of working at the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and I hope you will allow me the privilege of paying tribute to this gift in my life.
  Last week, the Foundation launched its new logo. This event took place at the hospital,
  
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• Montreal weather: Grey and wet amid falling leaves

  15-10-2018 12:30 via montrealgazette.com
  Becoming cloudy in the morning, then periods of rain.
  Wind becoming south at 20 km/h in the morning.
  Environment Canada is calling for a high of 11 and the UV index will be 2, or low.
  Tonight: Showers and windy with a low of 5.
  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 file. Today’s photo was posted on Instagram by @ilya_nasa.
  I like a cat b
  
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• Pot for pets: Owners hoping for more access to cannabis products

  15-10-2018 12:00 via montrealgazette.com
  “I felt like I was being a deviant parent,” says Heather Johnson, recalling the time she first added CBD or cannabidiol oil — a compound found in the cannabis plant — to her cat Mandarin’s treats.
  Mandarin, a rescue cat, licks her forelegs when she gets anxious. That tends to happen when Johnson leaves town, or when she has house guests. Two years ago, the licking got so bad that Mandarin developed bald spots. When changing the cat’s diet didn’t help, Jo
  
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• Allison Hanes: Will pot legalization live up to the hype?

  15-10-2018 12:00 via montrealgazette.com
  Ready or not, cannabis will become legal for recreational use across Canada at one minute past midnight Wednesday.
  The end of prohibition is nigh and it has been a long time coming.
  Various court challenges, medical marijuana exemptions, and failed attempts in the early aughts to decriminalize possession of small amounts of weed for personal use have slowly been ebbing away at restrictions on pot. Public attitudes toward its consumption have shifted. Since being elected in 2015, Prime Minis
  
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• MLK play The Mountaintop hits peak of Montreal English Theatre Awards

  15-10-2018 05:00 via montrealgazette.com
  The Mountaintop, Katori Hall’s imagining of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on Earth, was the undisputed Everest of this year’s METAs: the Black Theatre Workshop and Neptune Theatre co-production peaked with four awards. Tristan D. Lalla and Letitia Brookes each took home a lead acting trophy, while Eo Sharp won for her set design of an otherworldly motel. The production also won the climactic award of the evening, namely for Outstanding PACT Production.
  There were several
  
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• #ICYMI: Body image and métro junk, other news

  15-10-2018 04:30 via montrealgazette.com
  In Case You Missed It (#ICYMI) is a daily feature highlighting news in and around Montreal.
  Quebec singer-songwriter Coeur de pirate has opened up about having body dysmorphic disorder, to encourage fans to take charge of their mental health. BDD is a preoccupation with an imagined defect in one’s physical appearance — for example, a pimple no one else can see, or the perception that one’s nose is too big and requires plastic surgery. In an Instagram po
  
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• STM garage sale of vintage bus and métro items draws huge crowd

  15-10-2018 02:36 via montrealgazette.com
  For many Montrealers, the sound of coins dropping into a fare box or the sight of an original smurf-blue-and-white métro car brings back memories of past commutes and long hours on the road.
  And on Sunday, hundreds of vintage lovers and history buffs lined up outside a soon-to-be-closed bus garage in the city to bing home a piece of transit history.
  Early customers waited in line for hours for a chance to buy transit-related items including station platform signs, métro seats and b
  
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• Québec solidaire hopes to stand out in opposition

  15-10-2018 02:36 via montrealgazette.com
  As they did during the campaign, Manon Massé and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois will be splitting duties at the head of Québec solidaire, and the pair said they will have to stand out in the midst of an opposition in disarray.
  Massé will assume the role as the leader of the party, while Nadeau-Dubois will be the house leader in the National Assembly.
  The party’s first task will be to ask for official party status. That title comes with privileges in the National Assembly,
  
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• Les Canadiennes open season with win and loss against Calgary

  15-10-2018 02:34 via montrealgazette.com
  Les Canadiennes had to settle for a split in their season-opening weekend series against the Canadian Women’s Hockey League rival, the Calgary Inferno.
  A third-period goal by Sarah Lefort gave Les Canadiennes a 2-1 victory at Place Bell on Saturday. The game was played after the Laval Rocket-Binghamton game. Rookie Maude Gélinas opened the scoring for the home side while U.S. Olympic gold medalist Brianna Decker scored for Calgary.
  The Inferno bounced back for a 3-1 win Sunday in a
  
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• St-Jérôme firefighters honoured for attempted rescue of kayaker

  15-10-2018 02:18 via montrealgazette.com
  St-Jérôme firefighters Stéphan Dufour and Benoit Vézina received the Cross of Courage for risking their lives while attempting to save a kayaker last year.
  They were among 65 firefighters honoured by Quebec’s ministry of public security in a ceremony in Quebec City on Saturday as part of the province’s annual firefighters’ recognition day.
  Dufour and Vézina were part of the squad’s boat rescue team on May 30, 2017, responding to a ca
  
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• Centaur's Choir Boy, Segal's Once: two plays, many great songs

  15-10-2018 01:16 via montrealgazette.com
  Centaur Theatre and Segal Centre both launch their fall season with shows crammed with musical goodies, but neither of them are musicals in the obvious sense.
  Centaur’s Choir Boy, written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, is set in an English-style prep school for African-American boys in Obama-era Chicago. It’s a multi-layered coming-of-age story enriched by spirituals and gospel songs, all beautifully sung a cappella and imaginatively arranged by Floydd Ricketts.
  McCraney previously wrote
  
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• Dunlevy: Post-SLĀV and Kanata, let's talk about cultural appropriation

  15-10-2018 00:24 via montrealgazette.com
  The dust may have settled on SLĀV and Kanata, but there are still lessons to learn from the outcry surrounding Robert Lepage’s controversial stage productions that engulfed the Quebec cultural scene this past summer.
  So hope the organizers of Cause or Consequence: Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Hegemony, a talk being held at Concordia University on Monday evening.
  The discussion is an opportunity to continue the conversation, according to Rahul Varma, whose Teesri Duniya Theatre c
  
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