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News December 21st 2012
Produced by Erica Bridgeman
Hosted by Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Stories written by Isabella Sasaki, Catlin Spencer, Hannah Besseau, Alex Masse
Quebec reaffirms stance on provincial long-gun registry
In the wake of President Barack Obama’s call for stronger gun control in the U.S., Quebec is reaffirming its stance for long gun registry in the province.
On September 10, a court decision saved Quebec’s registry data from being destroyed along with the rest of Canada’s, after Ottawa abolished its gun registry system.
According to The Gazette, the Quebec Government has no intention of backing out of its fight to create a provincial registry.
Quebec’s public security minister, Stephane Bergeron, wants to introduce a bill next year that would accomplish the goal.
By using the data saved from the federal government, Bergeron said that provincial police would contact the registry about 664 times a day to determine the proper registration of weapons at addresses they have been called to.
According to Bergeron, Quebec is the only jurisdiction left in Canada where people still have to register long guns.
The case will be held before the Quebec Court of Appeal in March.
Flickr Photo by: formatted_dad
STORY WRITTEN BY: CATLIN SPENCER
Deficit continues to grow at the MUHC
The MUHC has some explaining to do.
According to the Gazette, the growing deficit for the McGill University Health Centre's fiscal year reached $115 million dollars after an irregular payment schedule was uncovered.
According to a government-commissioned report, employees who worked for over six hundred thousand hours for the McGill University Health Centre were actually paid for almost nine hundred thousand hours.
A report made by Dr. Michel Baron, the former dean of medicine at the Université de Sherbrooke, says that excessive labour costs is one of the main causes of the deficit of the MUHC.
Baron also said that none of the work hours was authorized in the MUHC’s budgets. And paying for the non-authorized work-hours will add over thirty million dollars to the MUHC’s deficit.
Flickr Photo by: davehuehn
STORY WRITTEN BY: ISABELLA SASAKI
Meteorologist gets axed for racial tirade
A meteorologist in Louisiana has been fired for suspected racist reasons.
Rhonda Lee was a meteorologist for television station KTBS. The station has stated she was fired due to violating a station policy for responding to criticism from viewers over comments on her hair.
Lee responded to the comment on the station's facebook stating that she quote "is very proud of my african american ancestry which includes my hair" and that she is "very proud of who i am and the standard of beauty i display. women come in all shapes and sizes, nationalities and levels ofbeauty. showing little girls being comfortable is my contributuion to society".
According to Democracy Now, Lee has stated that the station has no policy that indicates any restriction on replying to comments on facebook and that it the station maintained a very ambiguous stance on it.
KTBS has stated that an email was sent out to all employees however Lee contests this and offers that by not engaging in discussing the racist viewer comments, the station is subject to endorsing them.
Lee currently remains unemployed but hopeful light has been shed on this situation.
STORY WRITTEN BY: HANNAH BESSEAU
Egyptian Election Official Resigns During Controversial Referendum
One of Egypt’s top election officials has resigned in the midst of Egypt’s ongoing constitutional referendum.
In a letter to Egypt’s election committee, which was also printed in several Egyptian newspapers, Zaghloul el-Balshi attributed his resignation to a “sudden health crisis.” El-Balshi’s announcement followed the first round of voting on Egypt’s proposed constitution.
According to Al-Jazeera, some critics are claiming that the resignation was prompted by allegations of irregularities.
Several Egyptian rights groups have called for a repeat of last Saturday’s voting, citing a lack of judicial supervision and other violations.
Egyptian law requires voting to be supervised by judges, many of whom have boycotted the referendum.
Egyptians are strongly divided over the proposed constitution, which is expected to pass after a second round of voting on Saturday.
STORY WRITTEN BY: ALEX MASSE
View from the Venue - Propagandhi
View from the Venue had some one-on-one time with David "The Beaver" Guillas of Propagandhi after playing a packed Metropolis back in September. Beaver talks about finding a collaborative spirit within the band during the making of Failed States, the evolution of Propagandhi and the factors that shaped his outlook as a musician. Check out the interview below, and learn more about Propagandhi and Failed Sates by visiting their website.
December 20th, 2012
Read by: Catlin Spencer
Written by: Patrick Miller, Alyssa Tremblay, Hannah Besseau and Chloe Deneumoustier
Produced by: Alyssa Tremblay
Protest blocks highways
The 401 was blocked Wednesday by over one thousand people as part of the Idle No More movement. This is one of many highway blocks over the past few weeks from the movement.
According to Ifpress.com, the movement has been rumbling for years, but what was the last straw was the omnibus budject bill C-45 which contains changes to the Indian act that some Idle No More organizers, as well as people in indigenous communities, have called “discriminatory and racist”.
It looks like much more is to come from the Idle no more movement. Chief Theresa Spenc is no eight days in to a hunger strike and is determined to continue until she can speak with Canada’s leaders.
In addition to highway protests, flashmobs and protests on legislative steps have been occurring. Some have compared the Idle no more movement to sharing similarities with occupy. A demonstration has been planned for Friday at Cabot square in Montreal.
STORY WRITTEN BY: HANNAH BESSEAU
Montreal’s English hospital system slammed for financial mismanagement
The Globe and Mail announces the findings of a financial report for Montreal’s English hospital system. The report, commissioned by the provincial government over cost concerns within the health organization, does not yield a very positive impression.
One of the findings is an even greater deficit than previously known, now possibly $115 million dollars, due to 900,000 hours of unaccounted overtime and financial mismanagement.
The report also calls out the hospital for some strange and hazardous land transactions. As one of these transactions, The Globe and Mail describes a vacant apartment building next to Montreal General Hospital: the building wasn’t purchased through the hospital network, but instead tied through companies responsible for the hospital’s IT systems and two other numbered companies, and leased back to give the hospital effective ownership. The deal fell apart when a zoning change was not approved—leading to an estimated $40 million in losses.
The Health Minister has reported these transactions to Quebec’s anti-corruption task force, “Operation Hammer”, the same force that charged employees of the company SNC-Lavalin in November for defrauding MUHC.
STORY WRITTEN BY: PATRICK MILLER
Obama promises tougher measures on gun control
US President Barrack Obama announced that he intends to implement harsher gun laws in the coming year.
According to CBC News, the president made the announcement following the school shooting last week in Connecticut that claimed 26 lives.
Obama is demanding concrete proposals from congress and hoping to make progress early next year.
Vice-President Joe Biden, a long-time gun-control advocate, will lead a team faced with the task of proposing stricter gun laws.
The president visited the community of Newtown Connecticut on Sunday, speaking at an interfaith vigil for the victims.
Obama promised action and no more delays.
The visit marked the fourth time the President has had to comfort a community that fell victim to a mass shooting.
Flickr Photo by: Downing Street
STORY WRITTEN BY: Chloe Deneumoustier
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