Montreal Sued Over Park Project, Status Of Syria's Honorary Consul In Montreal Revoked, Protests Over New Criminal Code In Indonesia

Ahmad Moujtahed

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LOCAL

Three developers are suing the city of Montreal, the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough, and Mayor Valerie Plante over the proposed Great Western Park, a 3,000-hectare urban park in the West Island.

The developers say that the park project has destroyed 14 years of their efforts and investment. They had plans to turn 360 hectares in western Pierrefonds into a new residential neighbourhood called Cap Nature Pierrefonds Ouest. The project was set to include 5,500 housing units, schools, daycares and sports fields, according to CBC news.

The developers are seeking $175 million in damages. A spokesperson for the City of Montreal said the city would not comment on the lawsuit, but it intends to go ahead with the park project. 

NATIONAL

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has revoked the status of Syria's honorary consul in Montreal. In a statement on Twitter, Freeland said she has ordered Global Affairs officials to rescind its earlier approval of Waseem Ramli as Syria’s consul.

The move follows outrage over Ramli’s appointment. Ramli is known for his outspoken support for Syrian President Bashar Assad. In a social media post, he described the White Helmet humanitarian organization as terrorists.

Many members of the Syrian community in Montreal have voiced their concerns over Ramli’s appointment as honorary consul. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says it is “outrageous” that Ottawa has allowed a sympathizer of Syrian President to become that country’s honorary consul in Montreal.

INTERNATIONAL

Thousands of protesters, many of which were students, took to the streets in cities across Indonesia demonstrating over a proposed new criminal code.

The new criminal code states that sex before marriage would be criminalised and could result in a one-year prison term while abortion could lead to a four-year prison term if there were no circumstances of a medical emergency. 

The new bill also proposes that insulting the president, vice president, religion, state institutions and symbols such as the flag and national anthem would be illegal. The bill was initially scheduled for a vote early this week, however Indonesian President Widodo postponed the vote stating that the new laws needed more consideration.