Transparency in Governent (means we can 'Clearly' see they are Thieves

Move over Mulroney, Harper is about to challenge for your title of 'worst PM Ever of Canada'
I have faith in Brian remaining the worst, ( when you have a book pointed at you named On the Take , then you certainly have an advantage.......lol
 but Stevie boy's Nose is growing quicker than Pinochio's.................in this case though Stevie is the puppet master (puppeteer if you will) pulling all the strings and manipulating his staff, and his appointees................ahhh !   Stevie baby, your hands must be deep in the cookie jar too, we just don't know how deep yet.  How about next election we change this 'transparent' govt.


                                    

                                             (photo found on internet at this address: some may find interesting stories here,check it out if you like            http://thewe.cc/weplanet/news/americas/canada/elections-through-fraud-notes.html

                         Steve basically a tyrant and self serving dictator, who doesn't seem to believe in free speech........................Wake Up Canada & Let's get rid of this guy soon .
         Yes Mr Mulroney your title is being challenged.......... geez what is it with Conservative parties, not content to help Canadians but rather themselves, this seems to go back to Dief (remember the Avro Arrow, hmmmmmm. then Mulroney ,now Stevie boy's regime.) None of these people did anything to help Canadians but sure did a lot to help their friends both in & outside of Canada not to mention Themselves.
       

Snouts Cut Out of Public Trough (maybe)

                                        Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau  the 3 amigos....lol
Well will the feeding frenzie be over ? or at least slowed up, Maybe it seems the blatant abusers of public money spending are soon to be cut off........(Unless you can conveniently get on a med-leave & continue to collect) I wonder when the present day govt of Canada will get the balls to just oust the culprits. Imagine a job where you can be handed a golden goose job, abuse the crap out of it & cannot be fired by the guy that appointed you. Nope all you have to do is say I will sit as an independent (code for keep making out the chq's to me & don't forget the perks too) but Hey force me out & I may have to take a sick leave.........lol  These guys in power (the Mulroney replacements) are almost as bad (possibly worse ,when we find out the real behind the scenes deals) than the party led by the main character in that aptly named book "ON the TAKE" by Stevie Cameron .in case you forgot who the character on the cover was ,here's a picture of Stevie Camerons  great book.........(imho)   

Now we have the (arguably) the same party in power, certainly named the same (same friends too it seems) but his protégé manages to follow the same crooked path appointing sympathizers when possible hiring others in his office,(while he sneaks out of the country (to do a deal as 'great' as the Freed Trade Deal ) Remember Free Trade where the free part is replaced by 'fees' at the border.
 Anyway have a read of the article in today's Montreal Gazette.

We've seen this snout before:   

http://verdunconnections.blogspot.ca/2013/06/fat-f-slob-still-feeding-at-public.html

OTTAWA — The Senate took an unprecedented step Thursday by moving to suspend three embattled senators without pay — even though none has been formally charged with wrongdoing and one expects to take a medical leave.

The RCMP are investigating allegations of misspending against senators Mike Duffy, Patrick Brazeau and Pamela Wallin.
The government Senate leader, Claude Carignan, told the Senate Thursday afternoon that all three should be suspended without pay due to “gross negligence” in their use of taxpayer dollars.
Whenever a final vote happens, a simple majority would be needed to approve the proposals to suspend the three without pay. The Tories hold a majority in the Senate, and one Liberal senator suggested the Tories will “fold” and vote to suspend Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau — three former Conservatives — and try to deflect attention away from the scandal in the Senate that was the focus of debate in the House of Commons.
But there was a hint that some senators felt they would be setting a dangerous precedent for three of its own who face no criminal charges related to their Senate spending, and at a time when the auditor general is poring through the expenses of every member of the upper chamber to root out any wrongdoing.
“This is an extraordinary measure brought in at a time with the government who are seeking public favour because they’re down in the polls — it’s the popular thing to do,” said Liberal Sen. George Baker. “It’s the unpopular thing to say what I’m saying. … To have a motion so worded is not fair, it’s not fair.”
None of the three faces charges from the Mounties, but their colleagues in the Senate are to vote on whether they should be removed from the red chamber until the end of the parliamentary session, an undefined period of time that could end in the fall of 2015 when the next federal election is scheduled. A positive vote would also bar them from spending any Senate dollars, and could affect their pensions.
“This is not about the criminal investigation,” said Sen. Vern White, a former police chief. “Every organization I’ve been in has an internal system that sanctions people as well. That’s what this is about.”
Under Senate rules, the upper chamber can take whatever actions it needs to protect itself, even if it means withdrawing the parliamentary privileges of its members.
“We are members of a parliamentary body, and there’s a lot of responsibility … for every individual member,” said Tory Sen. Pierre Claude Nolin, a lawyer by trade. “There’s a code of conduct, there’s an attitude that needs to be maintained to not provoke disrepute of the institution.”
Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau were not in the chamber Thursday, as the Senate returned for a new session from prorogation, but the motions to suspend all three were introduced.
The Senate will debate all three motions next Tuesday at the earliest. It’s unclear when a final vote will take place.
Carignan argued the suspensions should be made to protect the dignity of the Senate, and the public trust in the chamber, which has taken a beating over revelations of misspending and ethical lapses by some of its members. In this case, the three senators facing suspension were all appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Speaking to reporters outside the chamber, Carignan said it didn’t matter that the three were former Conservatives; he said the sanctions would be considered for any senator caught grossly violating Senate spending rules.
“It’s not a question of money, it’s a question of gross misconduct,” Carignan said. “It’s very severe sanctions, but I think it’s appropriate in this case.”
The Liberals in the Senate will discuss the proposals in detail Tuesday morning, but their leader on Thursday suggested all three should be punished.
“As I said at the very beginning, further sanctions are necessary,” said Liberal Senate leader James Cowan. “I don’t think it’s enough that when you get caught abusing rules and you claim money inappropriately, I don’t think it’s enough to simply pay the money back.”
All three will have a chance to make their case before the Senate next week. However, Brazeau is unlikely to attend due to a recent medical episode that saw police called to a Gatineau, Que., home and Brazeau taken to hospital. Duffy, too, is questionable after telling the Senate on Thursday morning that he was taking a medical leave of absence, a move that would normally allow him to continue receiving his $135,200 annual salary.
Carignan said that wouldn’t affect the move to suspend Duffy without pay.
“He will have the opportunity to come Tuesday to explain why he (should) not have the sanctions against him,” Carignan said. “He could explain his case Tuesday. If he has a medical problem, we will see Tuesday.”
In a letter Thursday morning to the Senate speaker, the former Conservative said he had suffered unstable angina this past summer while in Prince Edward Island, which he represents in the Senate. Duffy said his doctor in Ottawa has recommended further treatment and suggested he stay off work.
The RCMP are investigating a payment of $90,000 made by Harper’s former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, to Duffy to cover his housing expenses. Wright resigned over the affair.
Duffy had open-heart surgery in 2006, but in his letter says not all of the problems were fixed at that time and that it had been expected he would need surgery again at a later date.
Normally, a senator on medical leave continues to collect his or her salary.
Duffy has also come under scrutiny after the RCMP recently alleged he billed the Senate for $65,000 to pay a friend who provided “no tangible work” in return, even after Senate finance officials raised concerns.
jpress@postmedia.com

Le Gros Bill celebrates 60 Years With Montreal (Story in today's Montreal Gazette)

 

MONTREAL — The smiles of three men light up the wood-panelled Montreal Forum office.
On the left is Canadiens general manager Frank Selke, a canary having been a meal for this satisfied cat.
On the right is head coach Dick Irvin, flashing the sign of victory that soon would come for the club on a great many nights.
And seated at Selke’s desk in the early Saturday afternoon of Oct. 3, 1953, beaming, about to put pen to the contract in front of him, backdropped by a large wall calendar, the Canadiens’ 1945-46 team photo and a glossy picture of a leggy figure skater, is Jean Béliveau.
Ending was a team’s lengthy courtship of the brilliant, hard-to-get centreman, this 22-year-old cornerstone of the senior league’s Quebec Aces finally lured to Montreal.
Beginning was an illustrious Hall of Fame-bound Canadiens career that would see Béliveau win 10 Stanley Cups as a player — five consecutively from 1956-60, five more from 1965 to his retirement in 1971 — and then another seven as a Habs vice-president.
Sixty years ago Wednesday, with three signatures, Béliveau was embraced by a hockey family, forming a bond that’s just 102 days younger than his marriage to Élise, his soulmate.
“It was always my dream to play for Canadiens, even for the two or three years I didn’t want to sign,” Béliveau said Tuesday. “Now it’s been 60 years?”
And he laughed.
“Maybe I wasn’t looking that far ahead that day.”
This diamond anniversary is yet another reminder of how Le Gros Bill is synonymous with elegance and grace and leadership both in hockey and beyond the game, living every step of his life in the public eye and never putting so much as one toe out of place.
If he’s among us a little less now, not in his Bell Centre seat for every home game and not attending the endless functions to which he’s still invited, it’s because he’s finally putting himself first, taking his days a little easier since cancer and two strokes have slowed his gait.
“I ran around for 60 years,” Béliveau joked. “And more.
“I liked all of it, but I had to slow down. I’m not 60 any more. I’m 82. It’s about time.”
Of course, Béliveau’s gentle retreat from the spotlight has done nothing to diminish his place in the Canadiens family, his heart in many ways still the pulse and the conscience of the franchise.
Few are Canadiens fans of a certain age who don’t have their own special Béliveau story — of meeting him at a banquet, in an airport, a mall, on the street. Each tale is shared with stars in the storyteller’s eyes.
In this world of “too good to be true,” Béliveau is as good as advertised, and better than that. He has this gift: if you speak to him for a half a minute in a packed room, he makes you feel that the two of you are alone for that 30 seconds.
The Canadiens’ 1950s pursuit of Béliveau was a soap opera of the highest order. He had Quebec City in his palm, as well paid as NHL stars Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe, and he felt a profound loyalty to the Aces and the generous community that treated him as royalty, showering him with affection and gifts.

Béliveau’s NHL negotiation rights belonged to the Canadiens, for whom he knew in his heart he would one day play. While he spurned their offers several times, remaining with the Aces, he attended Habs training camp every fall in the early 1950s and had a few tryouts, tantalizing management and fans with his powerful stride, smooth stickhandling and rugged presence.
His NHL debut, on Dec. 16, 1950 at the Forum against the New York Rangers, saw Béliveau named the first star for his nine shots on goal. He scored in his second game a year later, then dazzled in a three-game call-up in December 1952, scoring five times before returning to coach Punch Imlach’s Aces.
The mating dance was growing comical. Béliveau recalled in his 1994 autobiography, My Life In Hockey, that the Toronto Star even ran a “Wanted” poster:
“Jean Béliveau. Age 20. 6’2”. 195 lbs. Wanted by Canadiens to play NHL hockey. Reward $15,000 a season … and he turns it down.”
A French newspaper ran a similar poster-type notice a few months later, but Béliveau recalls he had grown to 6-foot-3, 205 pounds for the francophone market.
His signing in Montreal was inevitable when the Quebec Senior league, an amateur circuit, was turned pro. Finally, on Oct. 3, 1953, Béliveau put his name on three copies of a contract that would pay him salary and bonuses of $105,000 for five years, the richest NHL pact to that time.
His long relationship with Molson Breweries had been in the works for some time, broadcaster/columnist/brewery executive Zotique Lespérance having paid regular visits to Quebec.
“Mr. Lespérance would drop by the Colisée and tell me, ‘If you ever come to Canadiens, come see us at the brewery,’ ” Béliveau said.
He would meet with Senator Hartland Molson, four years later the Canadiens president, in the summer of 1953, “and the Senator and I shook hands. That was my contract with Molson’s,” Béliveau said.
He would work with the brewery’s sales promotion department for the next 18 years, eventually named a vice-president and board member.
It was six weeks after Béliveau joined Molson’s that he signed with the Canadiens, the team’s dogged pursuit finally landing their prize.
The Gazette of Monday, Oct. 5, reported Béliveau’s signing on the third page of its Sports section, behind two pages of World Series coverage, 12 paragraphs accompanied by a photo of Selke over his new star’s shoulder.
It began:
“Jean Béliveau, sensational hockey rookie, Saturday signed a five-year contract with Montreal Canadiens, a contract termed by Managing Director Frank Selke ‘the highest contract ever given any player — highest by a city block.’ ”
The story went on to say that a “long conference” a day earlier had failed to produce a deal:
“No reason for the youngster’s hesitancy was given but the presence at Saturday’s conference of a financial adviser, on Béliveau’s behalf, and an expert on income tax regulations indicated Béliveau was figuring closely on how much he would have left after the government got through with him. …

“Saturday’s conference dragged on and for a time it was reported there was only a 50-50 chance of Béliveau signing and becoming eligible to play for Canadiens against the NHL all-stars (that night).
“Finally at 1:05 p.m., Selke walked from his office and told newspapermen and photographers: ‘Well, you haven’t waited in vain.’ All rushed into the office, and Béliveau, smiling, picked up a pen and signed three sets of the contract.
“Selke described the signing as ‘the biggest moment of my career in hockey,’ ” the story continued, “and said he was pleased that the ‘highest contract’ to any player had been given ‘a French-Canadian boy from Victoriaville.’
“He also said that in the five years he had known Béliveau and during the many conferences at which he tried to get the youngster to sign, ‘Neither of us has ever made a crack about the other and Béliveau has always been courteous and considerate.’ ”
Béliveau joined his new team hours after signing, playing that night in the NHL’s seventh All-Star Game that pitted the Canadiens, the defending Stanley Cup champions, against a team of NHL stars. Béliveau assisted on Maurice Richard’s power-play goal in the Canadiens’ 3-1 loss, the Rocket poking the rebound of a Béliveau blast behind goaler Terry Sawchuk.
Dirk Irvin Jr., the celebrated broadcaster and author, remembers his Canadiens coaching father “going easy” on the young rookie when he finally signed, the centreman having arrived three months after his marriage to Élise Couture.
“Jean reported (to the team) fat,” Irvin recalled. “But before long, Dad gave it to him. Jean wore a rubber shirt so he’d sweat off the extra weight. But what impressed my dad was that Jean never complained. He ever said a word.”
“I didn’t wear that shirt every day,” Béliveau clarified, chuckling. “It makes you weak.”
Which wasn’t an adjective often used to describe him. Béliveau would score 507 goals and add 712 assists in his 1,125 NHL games, all with the Canadiens, scoring 79 and assisting on 97 more in his 162 playoff games.
He won the NHL’s 1955-56 Art Ross and Hart trophies as the league’s top points-getter and most valuable player, respectively; the inaugural Conn Smythe in 1964 as MVP of the playoffs; and twice had the NHL’s top goal and assist totals.
On Thursday, 60 years to the day that he joined the Canadiens family, Jean Béliveau says his only plan is to sit in his South Shore condominium, put his feet up and look out at Montreal far below.
How fitting that this city will be at Le Gros Bill’s feet, precisely where it’s been for the past six decades.
dstubbs@montrealgazette.com

? Montreal Landmark Disappears Overnight ( what ? it wasn't even there when I left Montreal)

Wow ,Place Ville Marie,  The O'gilvies Flour (later Five Roses Farine ) sign , Ben's Deli, The Montreal Forum, the Milk Can on the Rooftop,  etc  etc ..these were Montreal Landmarks.........but alas! I must be getting old-(er) this Montreal Gazettte article about the Euro Deli Disappearing 'overnight' after 31 years seams odd to me.........it was never there till years after many of us left.
However it is history for our newer (non-boomer) generations & they too now see what it's like to lose what they consider a landmark........perhaps we just take comfort in things we think should never disappear......(like the Elmhurst/Sealtest 3D, 2 head Cow Sign.....now that's a landmark) -lol
                                                         

             Here is the Gazette article : on the disappearance of a Montreal 'landmark'

MONTREAL — After 31 years in business, St-Laurent Blvd. landmark Euro Deli closed suddenly last week.
Disappointed regulars walked by every few minutes Tuesday afternoon, peering through the window into the darkened, empty restaurant.
“I went there often. Everybody went there often. They were always packed, they had amazing food and I’m going to miss their tortellini a whole lot,” said Glenn Castanheira, manager of the Société de développement du boulevard Saint-Laurent.
“Many of us have beautiful memories of Euro Deli,” he said.
“It was a place you could go and run into people you know. It’s been an institution on the Main for decades, and it’s a real loss,” said Alex Norris, city councillor for the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.
Both Norris and Castanheira said they thought the restaurant had been doing well, and seemed to have steady business.
“We have absolutely no idea what caused the closing of the restaurant,” Castanheira said.
Euro Deli owner Vincent Scanzano was not available to comment on Tuesday.
In the empty restaurant on Tuesday afternoon, building owner Aleksander Jevremovic sat at the table where seven years before, he had signed the building’s ownership papers.
Listening to a leaking tap and watching disappointed regulars tug on the locked doors, he said business has been tough in the neighbourhood.
“Everything is closed, everything’s for rent,” said Jevremovic.
“Everything has changed. We have less money, and everything is more expensive.”
Businesses on the street are still recovering after over two years of construction chaos that started in 2007 and dragged on for months as the street was dug up, paved over and dug up again.
When city crews packed up the last orange cones, the boulevard had wider sidewalks, improved plumbing, fresh asphalt and new granite benches.
Customers scared off by many months of impossible parking, loud noise and redirected bus routes are just starting to come back.
“The harm was done, but we’re getting over it. In general, this year has been very good. Things are coming up, finally. Consumers are changing their habits,” Castanheira said.
But after surviving the street excavation, merchants say they’re being buried under tax hikes.
“The city doesn’t do anything to help. They shouldn’t have raised the taxes so much,” Jevremovic said.
Since he bought the three-storey building in 2006, he said, his property taxes have more than doubled, from $18,000 to $41,000 per year.
“If you raise my taxes by $2,000 a month, do you think I’ll have $2,000 less in my pocket? No. I’m going to have to ask for $1,000 extra from my tenants on this side and that side,” he said.
As his taxes have continued to increase, Jevremovic said he hasn’t seen any significant improvements in the city’s services on the street.
“They’ve done nothing for the street. Normally when you pay more you should get something for that,” he said.
The Euro Deli isn’t alone, Castanheira said.
“Many, many, many of those buildings have seen their taxes double. We have some tenants here who are paying tens of thousands of dollars in taxes,” he said.

“(Business) is the same, but costs are up,” said Hassan Nassereddine, who is part-owner of a pizza restaurant on St-Laurent Blvd., a few doors down from the Euro Deli.
“Property tax, business tax, (goods and services tax), tax for employees, and the cost of food is up. $9.75 for a kilo of cheese — it just went up the other day,” he said.
The introduction of pay parking above Prince Arthur St., and what he called overzealous ticketing of his customers were also scaring away business.
“I had a guy come in the other day — he bought two slices and it cost him 60 bucks. I heated the slices up, two, three minutes, and he got a $52 ticket,” Nassereddine said.
“Look down the street — for rent, for rent, for rent,” he said.
“Half of Prince Arthur closed,” said Charlie, who owns a shish taouk place on St-Laurent Blvd.
Jevremovic is out next month’s rent—$5,000, including the $1,000 per month business tax—and said the restaurant was short last month as well.
“Life is hard. I’m not going to chase after them for (the missing rent),” he said.
He’s not worried about the other tenants—offices for the Aveda salon next door, and two apartments—but Jevremovic said he’s not sure about the empty ground floor.
He’ll either look for a new tenant, or try to open his own business, the landlord said.
If Jevremovic does rent the space, he’ll likely try to lease to a franchise, which he can be sure won’t disappear on the first of the month.
“I don’t think an independent can make it,” he said.
Most businesses on St-Laurent Blvd. are still family-owned, and losing one is painful, Castanheira said.
“Small, independent businesses are one of the luxuries we have on St-Laurent.
“It’s not like a Tim Horton’s closing. There’s a family there, there’s a house, a pension fund,” Castanheira said.
“It’s a tough business. Some people make it, some people don’t. Maybe they didn’t realize how much people appreciated them.”
rsparks@montrealgazette.com

60 Years of Photo Journalism a book about Ted Grant -written by Thelma Fayle (one of our ex-pat Montrealers)

A local (Montreal/Verdun) gal Thelma Fayle ,accomplished in many areas,and published in many venues,has her 1st book launching ,she gets to share the many talents of TED GRANT , a great Canadian Photo Journalist & both of them are decent nice human beings ( I'm biased , as I know both of them) but as a Montrealer I thought I would share this new poster: listing the dates at UVIC for the start of the book launch & of course showing one of the many great photos that Ted Grant was able to capture throughout his life so far..............as soon as you see it ,you will have that "Ah Ha " moment I Remember that photo...........and you will probably want to see &.no less recognize many of the photos taken by him over the years......(and believe me; there are 100's of thousands of them) If you have a chance get to see them, many of which are in this book.

 

          "[Thelma Fayle] shows us how a kind, determined, generous, and brilliant man has made one of the greatest contributions to our history through the lens of his camera" 

Joe Clark and Maureen McTeer

 

Enjoy the book .........& its' many photos.

 Cheers ! HF&RV ~ LesF

 

 

ps: this post is a continuation or update from a previous post :

http://verdunconnections.blogspot.ca/2013/06/from-montrealers-point-of-view.html

"EVOLUTION" -----------We've Come a Long Way Baby............or Have We ?

A great cartoon as seen in a local Victoria newspaper, I think we can all relate to this.

                                    
                                                             
                                                               ...................Nuff  said...........   lol ! Cheers.

Happy Birthday Leonard Cohen 79 on the 21st of Sept.............

today is Montrealer Leonard Cohen's 70th birthday...Cheers Mr. Cohen & thanks for the music.& all the years of entertainment.
 

            This was the crowd at Valencia a few years ago welcoming Lenoard back to the stage after a brief setback,........they sang Happy Birthday to him en masse. Cool stuff.