News

The time for secrets could be over soon in Montreal politics.

In a report by the Gazette, a former Montreal city councilor told the paper on Thursday that legal transparency at Montreal city hall should be a priority to the provincial government.

Richard Théorêt says that legislating transparency at the municipal level will bring an end or deal a blow to possible corruption and collusion.

Host: Catlin Spencer

Stories by: Alyssa Tremblay, Chloe Deneumoustier. Aisha Samu & Daniel Rowe

Produced by: Jenna Monney-Lupert

It’s the prison that simply will not be closed.

Guantanamo bay prison remains open four years after president Barack Obama said he would close it.

The news that the prison would not be closed has led 24 devastated prisoners to go on a hunger strike.

It is an effort to get the prison back in the media.

Eight lost so many pounds that doctors were led to force-feed them liquid nutrients through tubes.

The Atikamekw of Joliette continue to face discrimination while house-hunting.

Many Natives leave their reserves and head to bigger cities in search better opportunities reports the CBC.   

Many Atikamekw travel to the city of Joliette, located an hour northeast of Montreal.

Rosalia Petiquey is a mother of three and a victim of housing discrimination.

After failing to find an apartment for her family in Joliette, Petiqueywas forced to sleep outside for days.

Petiquey eventually took an apartment with no running water in order to put a roof over her family’s head.

Canada’s finance minister, Jim Flahrety is scheduled to present the 2013-2014 federal budget on Thursday.

In anticipation, Quebec’s finance minister, Nicolas Marceau says the federal budget will not affect his.

Marceau told the Gazette he is concerned over circulating rumours that Flahrety will not renew the federal skills training program in 2014.

This could result in cuts of $116 million in funding to Emploi-Quebec.

STORY WRITTEN BY: JAMIE-LEE GORDON

A new report shows wait times for priority medical treatments have not decreased despite efforts from provincial governments.

CBC News reports while 21,000 more procedures occurred in 2012 compared to 2011, wait times remained unchanged.

The report conducted by the Canadian Institute for Health Information initially found a dramatic decrease in wait times.

Hip and knee replacements in 2012 were 15 per cent higher than in 2010, putting a strain on health systems.

Hosted by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi

Stories by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi, Jenna Monney-Lupert & Gregory Wilson

Produced by: Brendan Adams

The chaos and uncertainty continues at Montreal city hall.

According to CBC News, General Manger Guy Hebert was forced to resign from his post on Monday afternoon. He was forced to give up his post after denying he was responsible for former SPVM cheif Marc Parent's resignation earlier in the day at a press conference.

Interim mayor Michael Applebaum told the media that Hebert overstepped his bounds by asking Parent to resign. It was then revealed by an aide of the Quebec Public Security minister that Hebert did in fact try to have Parent removed from power.

It seems that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is seeing red these days.

According to CBC News, the prime minister isn' happy about Canada’s longstanding shortage of skilled workers.

Harper has been budding heads within his own government to come up with new methods to help Canadians acquire proper work-related skills in order to fill thousands of job vacancies.

The federal government gives provinces more than 2 billion a year from the employment insurance fund. 

An aquatic expert from the University of Windsor says despite new policies and thorough clean up, the Great Lakes are still in a grave state which could have a serious impact on the 40-million who live nearby.

As reported by CBC News, The Great Lakes are under several stresses induced by pharmaceutical waste and climate change that are causing algal blooms known as “blue-green” to develop in them.

Sunday’s edition of the New York Times featured an ad paid for by the government of Alberta promoting the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project.  

According to CBC News, the 30,000 dollar ad is the latest move by Alberta to push its case for the 1,800 kilometre pipeline that would bring oil form Alberta’s oil sands through the U.S. to refineries on the Gulf Coast in Texas for shipment to users all over the world. 

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Stories by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi, Alyssa Tremblay & Catlin Spencer

Produced by: Catlin Spencer