Quote of the week:

"We're going to be encouraging consumers to enter into dialogue with their grocery stores and restaurants and say, ‘I won't buy Canadian seafood until this hunt is over.'" - Pat Ragan, of the U.S. Humane Society, on Canada's renewed seal hunt.

Missing meds coverage

Project Genesis, the Côte-des-Neiges social resource, is complaining that the Charest Liberals are renegging on their promise to restore medication coverage for the poor. The program ended in 1996 and they want Charest to turn it on again. "They made very clear election promises about bringing back free medication for people on welfare and seniors who receive federal pensions, but since they've been elected they haven't made good on that promise," says community worker Jennifer Auchinleck.

She calculates that the Liberals' December policy document on medication would restore coverage to only 46,000 Quebecers on full guaranteed income supplement, rather than the 712,000 originally promised full coverage. Quebec already buys fewer cheap generic drugs than other provinces and she notes the province seems preoccupied with the financial health of the pharma industry.

"It's extremely disappointing," she says. "We find the document is more in the interest of the pharmaceutical industry than in the interest of the public." » Kristian Gravenor

FRAPRU's hustings

François Saillant, coordinator of social housing advocacy group FRAPRU, is considering what the new era of Quebec's mega-cities will hold for the province's poor and homeless. With a fresh round of municipal elections coming sometime this year, he wonders if the merged municipalities will be better equipped to deal with the housing issue. He isn't optimistic.

"Normally, the central city held the housing dossier," he says. "But with the mergers, the central cities have lost a lot of power to the suburbs. We don't know if this is going to add a new level of bureaucracy and delays."

FRAPRU being a province-wide organization, members from outside Montreal will have a say at group meetings held this week. Saillant says a non-Montreal perspective will be helpful. "A lot of the smaller towns don't even have building codes," he says. "Some of these municipalities really have to have their ears pulled to address the question." He says Laval is especially lacking in this respect.

Meanwhile, the group will be inviting Mayor Tremblay and opposition leader Pierre Bourque to a campaign debate on the issue. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Eco-help wanted

Festival City is about to get one more festival. But before you decide to book your ticket to get the hell out of town, this one won't be bringing hordes of tourists flocking to see vaguely jazzy live music or sweaty stand-up comedians. The first-ever Festival écolo, to be held in September at Parc Laurier (Laurier and Christophe-Colomb), will gather about 100 green-minded types from the non-profit, non-governmental and private sectors for a weekend of fun. They'll also test air quality on the Plateau, measuring quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and fine particulates, says organizer Daniel Bouchard.

"Right now, there's nothing available that responds to the needs that citizens express" in terms of big green celebrations, he says. "We're hoping that this will respond to those needs."

There's no doubt that air quality is increasingly becoming an issue for Montrealers. Our first smog warning of 2005 was issued in February, and more are sure to come as the weather warms up.

Bouchard is looking for volunteers to help out. Anyone interested can call 528-5152. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Theatrical anti-racism

The fun folks at Unité Théâtrale d'Interventions Loufoques (UTIL), a politicized street theatre troupe known for its costumes and colourful performances, will be taking on the issue of racism in the coming months. Next Wednesday, April 6, and again on April 20, they will be holding a discussion and workshop on the definition, history and context of racism in Quebec and the world, leading up to a May Day public performance. The discussions, says UTIL's coordinator Julie Laloire, will "be one aspect of a larger project. It's an opportunity to sensitize people about racism in Quebec."

The workshop will involve discussion and debate so "participants can be better equipped for the performance," says Laloire. While members of the troupe will be in attendance, the public is also invited to come and meet the performers.

UTIL's set of three performances will culminate on June 24, St-Jean-Baptiste Day. In the meantime, those interested in the workshops can check out the first one on April 6 at 90 de la Gauchetière E., 2nd floor, from 7 to 10 p.m. » Patrick Lejtenyi

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

14 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
April 4–April 11, 1991

On the cover: Filmmaker Robert Townsend, whose movie The Five Heartbeats tells the story of a black '60s vocal group - a Hollywood first. "If anything, this movie becomes a history lesson," he says.

• A letter signed by feminist, lesbian, anti-police-violence, "plus 30 other" groups expresses their outrage at gay columnist David Shannon, who, in the March 21 issue, criticized excessively politically correct homosexuals. His column is a "piece of bigoted amateur journalism" that, "mired in individualistic notions of an essential (read: white, male) queer identity, could have been written by a white supremacist who happens to be gay."

• The mushrooming of para-municipal corporations has some city politicians worried. They "are not accountable to city council," says opposition councillor Sam Boskey. "We see their directors for maybe an evening, sometimes for only 15 or 20 minutes. They say how marvelous they are and we give them money."

• Motörhead's 1916 is "equal parts stoopid 'n' ferocious" and "more fun than a stack of Slayer records," writes Andrew Jones.

Angel >> Nutrition for kids March being Nutrition Month in Canada, l'Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec is calling on the province and schools to improve children's knowledge about the food they eat. With child obesity a growing problem, the Order wants the education system to tell kids - from pre-school to high school - about better eating. They need it. All Quebecers, young and old, are eating worse, preferring to dine out or feast on junk food or pre-cooked meals. Two out of three kids, according to l'Institut de la statistique du Québec, aren't eating the recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables.
Insect >> Malaria Despite killing up to 1.5-million people a year - double the number of AIDS, tuberculosis, leprosy and measles combined - malaria doesn't get the coverage or global attention it deserves. Until, maybe, now. Roll Back Malaria, an organization hoping to cut malaria deaths in half by 2010, recently staged a two-day anti-malaria benefit concert in Senegal, featuring a range of musicians from icon Youssou N'Dour to Rwanda-born hearthrob Corneille. World organizations and governments are also belatedly recognizing the problem. None too soon: it's estimated 3,000 children die of malaria every day - or about one every 30 seconds.