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December 17th, 2012
Hosted & Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Stories by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi, Alyssa Tremblay & Aisha Samu
Shooting in U.S. elementary schools sparks new arguments for tighter gun control
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut last Friday has resurfaced new talks on tighter gun control in the U.S. and Canada.
According to CBC News, gun control advocates from both countries voiced their opinions on why action must be taken sooner rather than later. Quebec Premier Pauline Marois who was in New York at the time of the shooting expressed her opinion that gun control must be tightened in the U.S.
Her government has proposed to create a gun-registry with the Quebec data from the the former federal long-gun registry which was destroyed earlier this year. Ottawa is in the process of appealing that decision.
Friday's shooting has sparked calls for tighter gun control measures in both countries, with some advocates saying Canada's gun laws have weakened over the past decade.
Death toll passes 1000 after typhoon hits Philippines
The death toll continues to rise after Typhoon Bopha smashed into the southern Phillippines two weeks ago.
According to BBC News, 1020 people are confirmed to have died in the storm. Civil Defence Chief Benito Ramos saqid that with 850 people still unaccounted for, the death is expected to continue rising.
Bodies continue to be located under fallen debris and logs. Many of the missing are fisherman that went out to sea that day the storm hit on December 4th. Bopha left thousand homeless and causes major damage to infrastructure and properties.
This is the second major typhoon to hit the Phillippines in consecutive years after Typhoon Washi left 1300 people dead last year.
Flickr Photo by: annamatic3000
Revised financial report, troublesome for MUHC
New reports reveal more serious financial problems at the McGill University Health Centre.
According to the Montreal Gazette, the MUHC expects to be at least 53 million dollars in deficit in 2013.
That’s more than double the amount disclosed at their annual general meeting on Dec. 3, which tallied the MUHC’s operating deficit at 29.3 million dollars.
The health network is responding by examining its expenses with an internal audit of its own, according to a staff-wide email from MUHC executive director Norman Rinfret.
The Montreal Gazette also reported that the MUHC plans to reduce primary and secondary care services in an attempt to cut costs.
The deficit is one of several financial troubles plaguing the MUHC.
A committee set up by the Quebec government in September is expected to release a report on the MUHC’s finances this week.
The committee was charged with determining whether or not the MUHC was defrauded over a 2011 real-estate transaction.
The MUHC has also been implication in the Charbonneau Commission’s investigations.
Documents unearthed in polices raids on MUHC offices in September led to the arrest of Pierre Duhaime.
Duhaime is former CEO of SNC-Lavalin, the construction company contacted to design and build the billion dollar superhospital.
He now faces charges for defrauding the MUHC.
Flickr Photo by: VincciWincci
STORY WRITTEN BY: ALYSSA TREMBLAY
Marijuana to be treated like medicine by Health Canada
Health Canada has proposed to treat medicinal marijuana like a medicine with production and distribution going commercial.
The Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes Regulations will make it easier for patients to access the product and help curb illegal activity.
According to CBC News, under the proposed system, licensed grow-ops could provide medicinal marijuana to those with a prescription from their doctor.
The new regulations will no longer allow individuals to grow their own marijuana.
Currently patients who require medicinal marijuana have to apply for a permit from the government.
The Montreal-based Medical Cannabis Society advised Health Canada on the proposal.
The public will be able to weigh in on the changes through Health Canada’s website.
The proposed regulations are to come into force next spring.
Bill C-377 approved
On Tuesday night, the House of Commons narrowly approved a controversial private members’ bill introduced by Conservative MP Russ Hiebert.
The bill would require labour unions to disclose extensive financial information to the Canada Revenue Agency, which would then post the information online. Many Conservatives defended the bill, claiming that the unions’ tax-exempt status justifies greater transparency.
Unions and opposition MPs have characterized the bill as an attack on organized labour. Critics have noted that the bill singles out labour unions while ignoring other tax-exempt institutions.
Others have argued that the bill violates Candians’ constitutional right to freedom of association. Meanwhile, Federal Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart has raised concerns about the large volume of private information that would be published under the new law.
Conservative MP Brent Rathberger took the unusual step of publically criticizing the bill. Rathberge
was one of five Conservative MPs to vote against the measure, which passed by twelve-vote margin.
Flickr Photo by: Marcio Cabral de Moura
STORY WRITTEN BY: ALEX MASSE
Turcotte's release reason for new law, says minister
A new law introduced by the federal government could make mentally ill defendants remain in custody for a longer time.
According to CBC News, Federal Heritage Minister James Moore and Conservative senator Pierre-Hughes Boisvenu said that the legislation could be adopted in 2013.
This suggestion comes on the heels of former doctor Guy Turcotte being released from the Pinel institute. The Quebec Mental Health Assessment Commission said that Turcotte has made enough progress to secure his release.
Turcotte ex-wife, Isabelle Gaston,has expressed her fear upon hearing the news. He must stay at least five-hundred metres away from her at all times. Failure to comply with the sentence could land Turcotte in prison.
Guy Turcotte killed his two children in February two-thousand-nine and then tried to kill himself. He avoided prison time when a jury found he wasn’t criminally responsible for the murders.
News December 14th 2012
Produced and Hosted by Erica Bridgeman
Stories writen by Carlos Spiridigliozzi, Alex Masse and Saturn De Los Angeles
Balacade - Malaise Era
Sometimes an album can trigger a memory of a time in your life, mostly likely because you incessantly listened to it. Other times, albums can sound familiar upon first listen, bring back a flood of memories even though you've never heard the songs. This is exactly what Balacade's new release Malaise Era offers. When I first listened to the album it took back back to the summer of 2004, when Grandaddy's Sumday and Dios' self-titled album were the soundtrack of evenings spent with friends around a campfire.
Balacade is the project of Victoria, B.C. musician Andrew Reynolds, who has been recording folk songs for the past five years. He has released three albums, and has regularly appeared on compilations of Victoria record label Old Life.
The album opens with the electronic folk track “L.A. 3600”, a song which eerily sounds like the Silly Kissers, and is an odd fit with the rest of the album. In no way is it bad, it just doesn't blend well with the other somber, lo-fi songs.
A highlight of Malaise Era is the song “Marigold”. It is obvious that Reynolds wears his musical influences on his sleeve, since the song heavily draws from Grandaddy's sound. Using group harmonies, a simple electric guitar riff, organ, and the consistent chugging of a shaker, the song is a beautiful track that is unfortunately more suited to warm summer nights. The familiar feeling I got when listening to the album once again reared its head with the last song. The album closes with “Isn't It A Pity”, which is a George Harrison cover from the 1970 release All Things Must Pass. Reynolds uses samples from the original recording, and sings Harrison's lyrics. The song is performed slower than the original, and Reynolds incorporates the sound of an old vinyl record popping – two elements which give the song a strange, other-worldly sound.
Despite the depressing name, Malaise Era is an excellent lo-fi album worth checking out. Even though Reynolds draws influence from albums released almost a decade ago, there is a timelessness to Balacade's sound.
FINAL MARK: A
The Birthday Massacre + William Control @ Katakombes
Oh Katakombes... how I love you. It's easily one of my favorite venues in this city, and perhaps one of the best that I've ever been to. So, I'm always super happy when I get to see shows there (most recently, Derelict). This time, the show was decisively not metal though, and featured William Control and Toronto's The Birthday Massacre.
Let me start out by saying that, full disclosure, I didn't want to see either of these bands perform. I was under the impression that Aesthetic Perfection, who I find much more interesting was going to be opening, but they got booked to do shows in Europe, so I went to see these two.
First up was William Control, a band consisting of a bassist and a singer... and I guess a computer too, because without that band member, there wouldn't be much going on.
Now, let me be clear, that sounds like a complaint, but it isn't. My complaint is that aside from doing a bunch of microphone spinning, the lead singer did nothing but sing, which isn't a problem if there are other things going on on stage. Really, it was like performing at its absolute laziest. There were keyboard parts, there were vocals with effects, all of which came through ye ol' laptop. Honestly, it's not hard to play a keyboard for a few notes or to throw an effect pedal on your microphone. There was even a part that the lead singer was LIP SYNCING with. Lazy. Honestly, the bassist should go join a real band, which I think he desperately wants to do.
Next, and finally, was the Birthday Massacre. Truth be told, the music from this band has not been something I generally look forward to when I see that they have an album coming out. Most of their works have been kind of boring, but this last effort, Hide and Seek, was actually somewhat interesting, so I decided to go see what a live show from them would offer.
Honestly, it was kind of what I should have expected. All of their newer material caught my ear and made me pay attention, while their older stuff made my mind wander to basically anything else in the room. It wasn't that it was bad, just uninteresting.
I kind of feel for The Birthday Massacre because they really are a band without a place. Not heavy enough to be Evanescence, not light enough to appeal to fans of Florence and the Machine, and not catchy enough to get the attention of anyone who likes Metric. They kind of exist as their own entity, which for music is kind of perfect if you're an entity that has something unique to bring to the table. I will say though, that their keyboardist should be raking in money since he's the only thing that gives this band somewhat of an identity, and for that I give him a lot of props.
Leaving the show, I guess I had fun, but I'm not sure if I'd care to do it again, and if I did, I'd only go to see the Birthday Massacre. If nothing else, I would get to go to Katakombes. Oh Katakombes... how I love you.
--Andrew Wixq hosts Grade A Explosives, Sundays 4-6pm
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