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a, Art, Arts & Entertainment

Venice in all its glory

by Sydney Cameron on

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The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is showcasing their interdisciplinary exhibit, Splendore a Venezia, exploring the interplay of visual art, music, and political culture in the Venetian Republic between the early 16th century and the fall of the Serenissima. The museum investigates these overlaps, exhibiting a diverse collection of work:  prints, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, original period instruments, and early music texts.

Although music plays in the background of the exhibit, viewers are encouraged to use complimentary audio guides, available via portable music players and headphones. Many pieces are paired with a specific track number designed to accompany your interpretation. This intimate experience provides greater understanding with regard to theme and time period of the artwork.

“At the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, it is now equally impossible to see without listening, to listen without seeing,” remarks Museum Director and Chief Curator Nathalie Bondil. Matched with François Filiatrault, musicologist for the event, these combined talents have ensured the success of Splendore a Venezia.

Difficult to imitate, the culture of Venice is authentically depicted here. There are three major themes explored in the exhibit, each aesthetically organized. The first is titled “Art and Music in the Public Sphere,” focusing on the influence of art in religion and politics. Some major features include items such as the “Corno-Ducale,” a crown worn on official occasions by the Doges of Venice (translated as ‘Duke’).  This section looks at ceremonies and processions, with the inclusion of many period instruments that have never before been exhibited in North America.

The second theme revolves around “Art and Music in the Private Realm.”  During this time, music was the art of the courtier and educated class; nobles were often depicted with instruments or were in the process of composing. The pieces in this section celebrate Venetian musicians, concerts, and street performances of the 17th and 18th century and include “The Concert” by Titian, on loan from the Palatine Gallery in Florence. Also featured is an authentic Venetian gondola, crafted in the late 20th century by Pietro Amadi, comprised of various woods and metals, and inscribed with the phrase “In Barca Vien Con Mi” (Embark With Me).

The third and final theme focuses on “Art, Music and Mythology,” detailing the world’s first public opera house, Il Teatro Nouvo di San Cassiano,  which opened in 1637 in Venice. This section focuses on mythology in Italian Renaissance paintings, showcasing a heritage marked by allegory, myths, and symbols. A beautiful pastel portrait of the great soprano Fuastina Bordini is part of this section, along with other drawings by Count Antino Marie Zenetti that have never been exhibited in North America.

There were 61 contributors to the exhibit worldwide, including the MMFA, the New York Public Library, and the Louvre, to name a few. The MMFA’s publishing department has issued a full color exhibition catalogue in English and French featuring essays by leading international experts in Venetian art, culture, and music. Bourgie Hall, the MMFA’s fine concert venue, will also be producing a series of 20 concerts which will explore five centuries of Venetian music.

Splendore a Venezia provides a fresh perspective on history; capturing the full scope of the two golden ages in Venetian art and entertainment, this exhibit is classic and informative. Don’t miss the opportunity to catch a glimpse of this key period in art history.

Splendore a Venezia exhibits at the MMFA from Oct. 12, 2013 to Jan. 19, 2014. Tickets are $10.44.

a, Student Life

Rebel finds kitchen at Prato Pizzeria; poutine packs major punch

by Marlee Vinegar on

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The man behind Fidel Gastro, a Toronto street food experience company, held a pop-up restaurant event at Prato Pizzeria on St-Laurent last Friday. Between serving foodies and the occasional exclamations of his catch phrase ‘Ole,’ Matt Basile took the time to speak to the Tribune about street food, making it in business, and giving in to your professional appetite.

Basile didn’t always dream of becoming a culinary sensation. He started off working as a copywriter in Toronto. Cooking was something he did with his family and to make a little money on the side. When he realized he wasn’t doing what he really enjoyed, Basile gave notice that he would be leaving his job at his marketing firm in order to pursue his passion for food. According to Basile, listening to Steve Jobs’  commencement address to Standford University on YouTube consolidated his new outlook.

“It was so much aligned to what I had just done moments earlier that it was like Steve Jobs was talking to me directly,” Basile said. “You know, people aren’t meant to be task-doers; they’re meant to carve their own way. That’s the human spirit—do your own thing.“

Basile has certainly trod his own path. In addition to doing pop-up food events, where he takes over a restaurant for a night to serve up his own food, Basile sells street-fare from his food truck, Priscilla, and runs his restaurant Lisa Marie in Toronto. These ventures are featured on Travel and Escape network’s television show Rebel Without a Kitchen, which he hosts.

Looking for a last-minute destination to pop-up in, a stop in the Belle Province was a no-brainer for Basile. One need look no further than the food trucks parked outside Leacock to realize that the street food movement has hit Montreal with full force.

“I’m not from here, but I definitely have a huge love for this city,” Basile said. “I [thought], how do we do something in such a short amount of time and still [do] Montreal justice?”

For his Friday night menu, he prepared two variations of Montreal-inspired poutine—if they can even be called that. The first dish incorporated Schwartz’s smoked meat into the classic Quebecois meal. Though smoked meat-topped poutine certainly isn’t unheard of, Basile made the Montreal experience his own by topping it off with Dijon honey sauce instead of the traditional gravy.

The second was a marinara poutine made with delicious local cheese curds and marinara sauce prepared by him and Prato’s owner, Rosa. It simultaneously delivered the standard Italian-style tomato, basil, and cheese trio and satisfied any late night poutine cravings.

“Smoked meat, poutine, pizzerias—these are all things that are near and dear to everyone’s hearts, so all I [had] to do [was] put the Fidel Gastro twist on it,” Basile said.

That “Fidel Gastro twist” is what Basile does best.

“Whether it’s in my restaurant or in my truck, or on a table in Montreal, in order to really make an impact in the food industry, you just always have to be different,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”

Although Basile’s job comes with reality television-esque drama, like issues with his deep fryer and Prato’s power on Friday, he said he feels incredibly fortunate to be where he is today.

“I love my job and I love doing it every day,” he said. “I’m very blessed in that sense.”

a, Sports

From the Cheap Seats: Fenway in October

by Elie Waitzer on

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I’d like to say that I lost control of my body—that it wasn’t me in there. How could I be screaming my voice hoarse along with 38,029 New Englanders, high-fiving the stranger standing a row behind me, whipping my t-shirt above my head as David Ortiz lifted a booming game-tying grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning?

It couldn’t have been me because I have hated the Boston Red Sox ever since I attended my first game at the Rogers  Centre in 2006.

It is with a sense of disbelief, then, that I sift through my memories of attending Game 2 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park this past weekend. I’m remembering myself at the beginning of the game. There’s no cap on my head; I’m in a sea of Red Sox red as I stand out in a dull brown flannel that can’t be mistaken for any major league colour; I don’t clap (or boo) when the home lineup is introduced. I don’t sing along to a foreign national anthem.

When I came into the opportunity to go to Boston to take in some post-season baseball for the Thanksgiving weekend, I didn’t hesitate to seize it.  As a lifelong Blue Jays fan born a few years too late, I had never seen baseball played past September in real life.  I had not even been to a stadium beyond the Rogers Centre, much less an open-air stadium like Fenway, steeped in a century of myth and lore. I buried my deep-rooted loyalties and got on the eight hour Greyhound to Beantown.

________________________

Sunday night: Pushed up against the door of a crammed Boston subway car, the first “Go Sox!” cheers bubble up out of the crowd as Kenmore station is announced.  As I step onto the Fenway concourse, all of Boston—all of New England—seems to be crowded around me. I push past a horde of scalpers who look and sound like they just stepped off the set of The Departed. “Sahx tickets heeah!”  As soon as I pass through the gate into the concession area, the history is palpable. The smell of hot dogs and chowder wafts through the green underbelly of the stadium. The attack on my senses is overpowering.

The anxiety doesn’t hit me until a roar erupts from the crowd around 10 minutes before the game even begins—across town, Tom Brady of the New England Patrots had just thrown a game-winning touchdown pass with five seconds left. Who was I going to cheer for? I had no compelling reason to risk rooting for the visitors, the Detroit Tigers, but I sure as hell wasn’t cheering for Boston.  Eating away at me though was this thought: would I be able to resist the infectious euphoria of the Fenway crowd if something—something like a walk-off—happened?

Luckily, there wasn’t much to worry about through the first seven innings, as Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer completely dominated to the tune of one earned run, striking out 13 players along the way. I did not cheer for any of the five runs Detroit scored. I just stood there as silent as the rest of the crowd, hoping against the hopes of everyone in the stadium that the next few innings would be just as uneventful.

Then something happened.

After a quick first out, Detroit reliever Jose Veras allowed a double to rookie Will Middlebrooks. Fans around me started to turn their caps inside out—the universally recognized ‘rally cap’—and before I had time to think, the bases were loaded. Bottom of the eighth, two outs, with David Ortiz—Big Papi—taking slow, measured steps to the plate. What happened next could only be described as inevitable. Unstoppable.

The temperature had dropped a few degrees over the course of the game, and I could see thousands of little clouds puffing out around me as the crowd began a deafening chant: “Papi! Papi! Papi!” Standing next to me, my brother’s friend—a lifelong Red Sox fan—turned to me and said, “This is Fenway.  This is Fenway.”  Then, on the first pitch of his at-bat, Ortiz belted a line drive just past the outstretched glove of right fielder Torii Hunter. I surged to my feet and jumped; the breath from my cheers condensed with everyone else’s in the cold October air.

In my mind, there is no guilt or conflict.  It was a primal reaction. There was no moment in which I decided to do it—it just happened. Who knows if it will ever happen again, but I’ll never forget the night that I cheered for the Boston Red Sox.

a, Student Life

Birks Reading Room proves good things come in small packages

by Erica Friesen on

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Best known for its quiet, intimate atmosphere and its no-shoes policy, the Birks Reading Room is one of the smallest libraries on campus. Located on the second floor of the Birks Building, the reading room currently holds approximately 20,000 items from the Religious Studies’ collection including texts on biblical studies, comparative religions, modern theology, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

History

Although the building itself was built in 1930, the Religious Studies collection started almost two decades before the reading room even existed. The collection dates from 1912, when the Joint Board of Theological Colleges was established in affiliation with McGill. Participants of this foundation made their library resources available to the university, and this trend continued with groups that were later associated with McGill such as the Montreal Diocesan Theological College and the United Theological College. The Birks Reading Room housed the entire collection for the Faculty of Religious Studies until most of its holdings were relocated to McLennan Library in 1996.

In 1994, the Faculty of Religious Studies faced an uncertain future, when then-principal Bernard Shapiro proposed that McGill only support faculties capable of generating the revenues required to sustain themselves. According to Allan Youster, the library clerk who runs Birks Reading Room during opening hours, this tentative situation meant that the library was in poor condition when he was assigned to its care in 2000.

“It was dirty, the floor was coming apart, and it was dark, so people never came,” he said. “I started cleaning just because I had nothing to do, and slowly people started coming. It was quiet, and people like quiet.”

After seeing the renewed interest in the library, Youster said the university refurbished the lighting and power in the library, and also invested $70,000 to redo the floors.

Resources

Although Birks isn’t known for its resources, it still offers the essentials. Besides taking out books from the collection, you can use one of three available computers.

With only 40 chairs, however, the library can get quite busy during midterm and exam season. If you’re wondering how likely you are to find a seat, look out for a “library full” sign on the door at the busiest times of year.

 

Atmosphere

For many students, the draw of Birks Reading Room is the atmosphere. From the bay windows with stained glass insets to the high ceilings and wooden furniture, the library feels a world away from the steel bookshelves of McLennan. Altogether, it’s a cozy, intimate atmosphere that is hard to come by at McGill.

“Most universities—especially ones in financial trouble—don’t keep spaces like this,” Youster said. “People come here when they’ve done their research and they need a place to read and write, because it’s quiet and a place to think. A lot of people from other faculties also come here because no one knows them here, so they can write without being bothered.”

Part of this atmosphere is the policy that Birks is perhaps best known for: shoes off at the door. According to Youster, this does more than just protect the expensive hardwood floors from unnecessary wear.

“It also adds to the ambiance because there’s no noise,” he said. “When people walk in [shoes] it makes noise and disturbs the atmosphere; but if people take their shoes off, right off the bat, it’s quiet, it’s clean, it just helps.”

Something special

Set off from the main study area, the stacks of books that hold the collection are designed to encourage a comfortable atmosphere conducive to browsing. Chairs scattered throughout these stacks make it possible for students to sit and browse through the collection, rather than just retrieving individual books.

“I’m not keen on things like compact shelving—they’re interesting for storage, but […] the sense of browsing is gone,” Youster said. “Here we encourage that. Have a seat, look around—you have your one call number for one book, but there’s so much beside it. Who knows what you’ll find?”

 

a, Opinion

Quebec plays politics with education

by Mohamad Makkaoui on

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The Quebec provincial government, currently led by the Parti-Quebecois (PQ), has ordered Quebec school boards to make $100 million in budget cuts over the next two years. This is the latest development in what has become a relentless back and forth between provincial policy makers and school officials. It is also another big blow to the province’s public educational institutions.

Earlier this year, Pauline Marois’ PQ government announced a two-year plan to cut funding to all public school boards by $200 million. School boards across the province responded by raising school taxes on residents some by as much as 30 per cent. Today the PQ have adjusted their stance. According to Minister of Education Marie Malavoy, the inflated taxes are “unacceptable.” The provincial government is now demanding school boards reduce taxes to their original rate in exchange for reducing the cuts from $200 million to $100 million. However, this still leaves the schools with a significant overall funding reduction. Josée Bouchard, head of the francophone Quebec Federation of School Boards, insists that the government’s demands cannot be met without degrading the quality of education delivered, and cutting services to students.

Ever since Marois and the PQ were elected in September of last year, their agenda has come under frequent criticism. Take last month, when thousands took to the streets of Montreal to protest the proposed Charter of Values. The ‘charter of secular values,’ ironically legislated under a crucifix at the National Assembly in Quebec City, highlighted a familiar case of ethnocentric hypocrisy from provincial government officials. The motives behind Premier Marois’ actions are questionable to say the least. There have been plenty of rumours going around Quebec of an upcoming provincial election, and there are few better ways to gain valuable votes from parents of a million-strong student body than to lower their taxes. This announcement, along with last Monday’s aptly timed four-year ‘jobs plan’ costing upwards of $2 billion, all point to the likelihood of an upcoming election.

Rather than playing politics at the expense of our children, the Ministry of Education should look inwards to reduce the deficit. In ‘Busting Bureaucracy to Reclaim Our Schools,’ a study by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, Prof. Stephen B. Lawton notes that the Quebec Ministry of Education has 5,000 administrators to oversee the education of a million students, while the entire country of Denmark—first place in the UN’s Education Index—has only 50 administrators to oversee the same amount of students. Maybe this suggests that the fat can be trimmed elsewhere. Or, instead of targeting our childrens’ education to balance the budget, maybe obsolete public organizations such as the ‘Office Quebecois de la Langue Française’ should be the ones to take the hit considering the redundant nature of its tasks, as well as its $19 million annual budget.

Regardless of the motives behind the government’s thoughtless approach to balancing the budget, this flip-flop points to a serious lack of direction. The government imposed $200 million in budget cuts earlier this year, only to back down from that decision merely a few months later. Did they not expect the school boards to retaliate to the regulations the way they did? More than anything, this behaviour shows that even our so-called ‘leaders’ do not have a clue as to how this is going to be settled. Unfortunately, the students will be the ones who suffer.

a, Student Life

Butternut squash puff pastry tart

by Alessandra Hechanova, on

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Makes 12 slices

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

Egg wash (1 egg and 1 tsp water)

1 butternut squash (medium)

1tbsp olive oil

¼ cup honey

Dash of chili flakes

2 tbsp water

10-12 sage leaves

Dash of salt

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375oF and line baking sheet with parchment paper

2. Roll out sheet of thawed frozen puff pastry and transfer to baking sheet

3. Prepare egg wash and lightly brush over pastry

4. Slice squash into 1cm rounds and arrange over pastry

5. Bake for approximately 10 minutes

6. Brush squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt

7. Continue to bake for 25-30 minutes or until a golden brown

8. Boil honey, chili flakes, and water in saucepan until thickened

9. Drizzle honey mixture onto pastry

10. Fry sage leaves in a oil until crispy

11. Cut into squares.

 

 

a, Sports

10 things you didn’t know about hockey

by Anthony Snell on

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1. This year marks a new era in the NHL. As part of the league’s conference realignment, the Winnipeg Jets are back in the Western Conference after a 17-year absence, and the Detroit Red Wings moved to the Eastern Conference after a 20-year stint in the West.

2. There are also new rules in the NHL introducing hybrid icing and restricting the size of goalie pads. These are designed to increase scoring and player safety. In addition, players are now being penalized for taking off their helmets when fighting, as concerns about brain injuries have increased. Last year’s most penalized team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as the perennially tough Philadelphia Flyers will have to adjust to the new rules if they want to succeed.

3. The average NHL player travels at over 20 mph in most game situations. The fastest players often top-out above 30 mph on a daily basis. To give some perspective, Usain Bolt has never sprinted above 27.79 mph. But if you think that’s fast, just wait till you hear how fast the …

4. … World Record for hardest slap shot is. The rocket shot clocked in at an astounding 114.13 mph and occurred at the 2012 KHL All Star Game Skills competition in Latvia. The hardest shot ever recorded in the NHL came off Boston Bruin Zdeno Chara’s 108.8 mph shot. He also happens to be the tallest NHLer, standing 6 feet and 9 inches tall …

5. … In contrast, current Caroline Hurricanes left winger Nathan Gerbe holds the honour of shortest active player in the NHL. The Michigan native stands at 5’5”, which hasn’t held him back from scrapping with the local giant, Chara, himself. Gerbe also holds the distinction of having scored two goals in five seconds against the New York Islanders, proving that size doesn’t matter

6. Since 2008, the NHL has held outdoor games every season. Teams have faced off at Fenway Park (Boston), Ralph Wilson Stadium (Buffalo), Wrigley Field (Chicago), Heinz Field (Pittsburgh), and Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia). These Winter Classic games routinely draw crowds of upwards of 40,000 fans willing to brave the elements to enjoy their favourite sport in its purest form. But that doesn’t compare to the crowd that showed up for…

7. … The Big Chill at the Big House. On Dec. 11th 2010, Michigan took on rival Michigan State in the NCAA in what is considered the largest attended hockey game in history. Over 110,000 fans were at the game and saw current New York Rangers winger Carl Hagelin score two powerplay goals to lead Michigan to a convincing 5-0 victory over the Spartans.

8. In June, the Stanley Cup will be handed out for the 86th time in the NHL era. 2004-2005 was the only season Lord Stanley was not awarded, as the season was cancelled due to the player lockout. Weighing in at 35 pounds, the Stanley Cup is one of the heaviest and most recognizable trophies in all of sports and was once hoisted by…

9.  McGill alumnus Mike Babcock in 2008 when he coached the Detroit Red Wings all the way to the Stanley Cup. Babcock was not the first former Redmen to win the Cup, as Lester Patrick guided the New York Rangers to glory in 1933. In 2010, Babcock won gold with Team Canada in Vancouver, finally bringing Olympic hockey gold back to Canada. In high-pressure games, Babcock is often seen sporting his lucky McGill tie behind the bench.

10. Canadians make up 52.6 per cent of all players in the NHL, which includes about 363 players on current NHL active rosters.Twenty-eight out of the 58 rookies in the league this year are Canadian. Roughly 600,000 males register with Hockey Canada every year. Taking age into consideration, a young Canadian male’s chances of playing at least one NHL game are one in 4,100.

 

a, Creative

Thanksgiving in Quebec City

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a, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Preaching from the choir: The Zolas explore their musical evolution

by Sara Marjanovic on

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When I called to interview Zachary Gray of The Zolas, he was in a line deciding on a pastry to buy in Toronto. Since September, after stops in Toronto and Hamburg, Germany, they’ve been on a Canada-wide tour. Now, Zolas is embarking on a 30-day tour with Ottawa’s Hollerado and Toronto’s Pup, reaching Montreal on Oct. 18th. Gray and his band mate, Tom Dobrzanski, first met in the British Columbia Boys’ Choir before forming Lotus Child and, eventually, The Zolas together.

“Our chemistry has always been a pretty classic duo where one person is a very detailed thinker and one person is a big picture thinker and that’s sort of how we are. Tom has a mind-boggling detailed mind,” Gray explained. To elaborate on this idea, he felt it was necessary to identify Tom’s spirit animal as a dog.

As for himself: “I’m not a detailed person—although I’m working on that. I’m more of someone who just knows how they want something to feel. So together that’s how we approach things. I would write the big brushstrokes, and he would fill the details. But that’s always changing. [.…] Now it’s a lot more of an orgy of a bunch of talented people.”

Based in Vancouver, BC, The Zolas’ music is best characterized as indie piano-pop. Last year, they released their second album, Ancient Mars, after their debut album, Tic Toc Tic, achieved praise in 2009.

“We had been listening to a lot of The Kinks, and they have a very organic sound. It sounds just like a band in a room kicking the s*** out of their songs. And that’s what we wanted for Tic Toc Tic [.…] For the second album, we wanted the opposite of that. We wanted to create a false atmosphere—aesthetics that wouldn’t normally exist that sound very interesting in your headphones, but nothing that you can produce right away with a four-piece band. We’ve been listening to a lot more produced music like Gorillaz and Beck and Spoon, and we wanted to sound like that.”

Gray has a personal attachment to the Montreal stop on his tour: his mother grew up in the city, and “Local Swan” is written from the perspective of his brother, a Concordia fine arts graduate and roommate of singer-songwriter Sean Nicholas Savage.

“We’re going to be really happy to be there—especially in Montreal [.…] Canada is a very charming country, but in a lot of ways, there are only three proper cities, and Montreal is sort of the biggest jewel in that crown, so playing in Montreal is always a fun thing and an honour.”

As excited as they are to perform in Montreal, they are equally excited about spending time in the van. Normally, the band spends their tour downtime watching cover videos of their songs, but this time, they plan to develop new skills. Gray will spend the month studying to speak Spanish fluently, while bass player James Younger is planning to make electronic beats with a digital audio workstation.

Gray offered some advice to aspiring musicians: “be the best at what you’re doing. Don’t think about the industry [.…] Don’t think about the business—just think about being the best at what you’re doing.”

He appears to be taking his own words to heart.

“We’ve always had high-minded ideas of what we’re going to do and never followed through, but this time, we’re following through. Mark my words, McGill Tribune.” Words marked.

This Friday, extend a “hola” to Zach, witness Tom’s inner Husky, and be entwined in the Zola’s out-of-this-world musical atmosphere.

The Zolas can be seen on Oct. 18th at the Cabaret du Mile End. Tickets are $29.

a, News

Meet your mayoral candidates

on

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Election day in Montreal is just around the corner, with the McGill-hosted English language mayoral debate on Oct. 22. and the mayoral election date set for Nov. 3. Although there are 12 candidates in total, the Tribune offers profiles of a few of the frontrunners, their backgrounds, and their platforms, to give you a better understanding of the people you can vote for when you show up at the polls.

Can I vote?

You are eligible to vote in the municipal election if you fulfill the following criteria:

1. You are 18 years old or older before or on the day of Election Day on Sunday, Nov. 3

2. You are a Canadian citizen, and have been a resident of Quebec since March 1, 2013

3. You have been a resident of Montreal since Sept. 1, 2013

 


Denis Coderre

Founder of the Équipe Denis Coderre pour Montréal, Coderre was a Member of Parliament (MP) under the Liberal Party for six terms, from 1997 to 2013, representing the Montreal riding of Bourassa.

Under the Jean Chrétien administration, Coderre was appointed Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, and established the World Anti-Doping Agency based in Montreal, which aims to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against doping drugs in sports and has been adopted by more than 600 sports organizations worldwide.

Under Prime Minister Paul Martin, Coderre was appointed Minister of Immigration, where he oversaw the implementation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in 2002, which outlines the guidelines for foreign residents immigrating to Canada. In 2009, he became the Quebec Lieutenant under the Liberal Party—acting as an adviser and spokesperson on issues directly related to Quebec.

Platform highlights:

>> Create an inspector general position to oversee the investigation and punishment of municipal officials to combat corruption

>> Increase  public transportation (expand the metro, create 50 kilometers of cycling paths, and extend reserved bus roads)

>> Implement an intelligent transport system designed to make transport more accessible, cleaner, and less carbon intensive

>> Develop, strengthen, and retain the culture of Montreal neighbourhoods, through means such as the appointment of an Economic Development Commissioner to enhance culture and the development of the entertainment district, Quartier des Spectacles.

 

Richard Bergeron

Mayoral candidate of the Projet Montreal party, Bergeron is currently a city councillor representing the Jeanne-Mance district of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.  In this position, Bergeron has been proactive in preserving city green spaces, developing transportation in ways such as furthering a plan to build a tramway, and improving snow removal. In 2000, Bergeron became head of strategic analysis for l’Agence métropolitaine de transport, or the Metropolitan Transport Agency (AMT). He was former president of the real-estate union Fédération des cooperatives d’habitation de l’ile de Montreal. The union’s goal is to provide the housing cooperative with services such as education and management services, political representation, and development and support services for cooperative entrepreneurship.

Platform highlights:

>> Implement sustainable transportation (expand three of the existing metro lines, expand bike paths, increase the number of pedestrian-only streets, reduce vehicle traffic by adding bridge tolls, and reduce the number of parking spots)

>> Renew democracy and fight corruption

>> Improve housing

>> Develop Montreal’s economic prosperity

>> Improve quality of life and culture through projects such as increasing green spaces and river access, and capitalizing on Montreal’s francophone and cosmopolitan nature

 

Michel Brûlé

Brûlé is well known in the Quebec media world as a publisher, author, and singer, and is the leader of the Intégrité  Montréal. He has founded several publishing companies, including Éditions les Intouchables, which focuses on the publication of children’s books. He is the second largest publisher in Quebec in terms of sales, and has also written articles for many Quebec newspapers, including La Presse, Journal de Montréal, and Métro.

Considered a sovereigntist, Brûlé has stated that he does not anticipate receiving many votes from Montreal’s English-speaking population. He has also made a series of controversial statements, including “English is not a beautiful language,” as well as calling Americans “uncultured imbeciles.” In 2009, Brûlé released a book titled Anglaid, which describes the imperialism and ethnocentrism of the English world’s culture.

Platform highlights:

>> Reduce the number of elected municipal officials from 103 to 31

>> Increase focus on art and culture in public places

>> Establish free public transit for the elderly and parents with young children

 

Marcel Côté

A career economist and politician, Côté heads the Coalition Montréal. He was a founding partner of SECOR, a strategic management consulting firm, where he worked until it was acquired in 2012 by KPMG, one of the world’s largest professional services companies. Côté currently sits on the Board of Directors for Osisko Mining, and has previously sat on the Boards of ING Bank of Canada and Intact Financial. He also chaired the board of directors for the Montreal YMCA, and was on the board of directors for the Foundations of the YMCA of Quebec. Additionally,  Côté held the position of economic adviser for Premier Robert Bourassa from 1986 to 1988.

Platform highlights:

>> Construct 2,000 new houses and condos plus 15,000 social housing units over the next five years to keep young families in the city

>> Increase the amount of green spaces

>> Fight corruption by hiring an ethics commissioner and simplifying the City charter, ensuring open public governance by allowing party members to vote freely rather than enforce party discipline, and promoting civic innovation

>> Appoint an internal committee to deal directly with construction firms charged with collusion

>> Freeze house taxes to the level of inflation

>> Improve public transit; not by building new projects but by investing in maintaining what currently exists

>> Reconfigure the city’s executive committee structure and decision-making process

 

Mélanie Joly

At only 34 years old, Joly is by far the youngest of the mayoral candidates and the leader of the le Vrai changement pour Montréal. She received her law degree at Université de Montréal and received her master’s degree in European Law at the Oxford University. From 2000 to 2009, Joly worked at two Montreal law firms, Stikeman Elliott and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, practicing primarily in commercial, civil,  and administrative law. From 2009 to 2013, Joly worked as associate director of the Montreal office of the international communications agency Cohn &  Wolfe.  During the Liberal Party Leadership election, Joly was the Trudeau campaign’s chief-organizer for Quebec.

Platform highlights:

>> Create 130 km of rapid bus service

>> Establish Transparency by making all political decisions, official documents, and infrastructure contracts accessible to the public for free online

>> Add new green spaces throughout the city

>> Develop low-cost housing to allow 30,000 families to affordably move into the city

>> Increase city and commercial arteries to improve the city’s ambiance and strengthen the city’s economy (extend store hours, make Saint Catherine Street a pedestrian-only street, and improve cooperation between nightlife and the community)

>> Fight social exclusion and isolation, particularly for Montreal’s homeless population

>> Improve and simplify operations for businesses

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