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If a second entrance to the Vendome metro station is added, then Quebec should pay the entire cost says the borough of NDG-Cote-des-Neiges.

According to the Gazette, the entrance is a requirement if an added link from the station to the new MUHC superhospital is built.

Borough mayor Lionel Perez and city councilor Marvin Rotrand said that hospitals need a direct link with public transit. Also, based on the clientele, the entrance would need to be universally accessible for those with reduced mobility.

They plan to present a motion to the Quebec government on February 4th urging them to pay the bill which is in the $70-$75 million dollar range.

In a press release issued by the STM, Vendome metro station is currently at near capacity. When the hospital opens in 2015, users are expected to rise by 36 per cent reaching just under 15 million annually.

By: Trowbridge Estate

   Greek metro workers have refused to go back to work for the sixth consecutive day due to recent pay cuts, leaving Athens in massive traffic jams.

   Workers at the state-run city bus, tram systems and trolley all joined in on the strike. Workers claim that their new salaries would not be enough to cover their cost of living and therefore do not see any reason to return to work.

    The Metro worker’s union have stated that it will not back down, despite Monday night’s court ruling, which allows the government to force strikers back to work through emergency powers.

     The strike has made some commuters unhappy, as many who have also seen their incomes cut find it difficult to show sympathy. The strike has also caused numerous people to arrive to work late.

     New austerity measures have been approved by the Parliament last month, for Greece to continue to receive 240 billion euros of bailout funds. Eurozone finance ministers have also agreed that a loan installment worth 9.2 billion euros will also be paid out to Greece after the European Financial Stability Facility approves it.  Most of this money will be used for recapitalizing the banks.

Not everyone is impressed with Canada's role in protecting the environment.

According to the CBC, the federal government is being criticized by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society for not being motivated enough in reserving marine areas for ecological protection. 

The group wanted Ottawa to have by the end of 2012, a total of 12 protected sites.

CPAWS released a report on Monday stating that even though their goal was not met, the steps to make it a reality are moving far too slowly.

So far, protected sites include St. Anns Bank, the Hecate Strait glass sponge reefs, the southern Strait of Georgia, and the Scott Islands off the coast of British Columbia. 

CPAWS leaders say that in areas still waiting to be protected like the Bay of Fundy and the Arctic Ocean's Lancaster Sound, industrial activity continues that is harmful to marine life. 

Flickr photo: hpwiggy