Quote of the week:

"When James was grand chief, Steven didn't give him any respect. We haven't forgotten." - Marie Chéné, a Kanesatake band council member and supporter of defeated James Gabriel, on the newly-elected Grand Chief Steven Bonspille following elections last Sunday.

Burritos on patrol

Michael McCarron wants to feed street punks. And the 36-year-old autonomous member of Food Not Bombs, a loose network of left-wing types dedicated to giving out free hot vegetarian meals, is looking for help. His project, which essentially involves getting discarded food - mostly from grocers, but at times involving a little dumpster diving - and turning it into edible burritos to be distributed to the city's street punks, is back in action this weekend after a brief hiatus. "We use food that can't be reused for whatever reason," he says.

Along with the food, he'll be giving out pamphlets with tips on surviving on the street, including places to find shelter and how to get legal assistance. He's concentrating on street punks, he says, because, "They're the least serviced and most harassed group in the city." McCarron, who says he's lived off and on the streets for years, also hopes to be able to open an all-night drop-in centre in the fall. Anyone interested in helping out can contact him at 618-4612 or at autonomous@mutualaid.org. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Croakerless mountain

It's official: toads and frogs are officially missing from Mount Royal. A recent report commissioned by the city found that there haven't been any croaking amphibians living on or around the mountain for years - the last frog was spotted in 1989, the last toad in 1998. The report, written by veterinarian Martin Ouellet, says pollution and construction projects have contributed to the decline.

"At one point there were 13 marshes on Mount Royal," says Ouellet. "Now there's one. All the water has been drained, and this is catastrophic not just for amphibians, but also for the animals for whom they are a food source."

The mountain's popularity may have had an effect as well. "Given that there are three million visitors to the mountain each year, they are going to cause some disturbances," says Gabrielle Korn, the director of communications for Les amis de la montagne, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the mountain. "Work was done to help counter erosion, which was helpful, but sometimes these things can be detrimental to species survival."

Black wrapper offends

A gummy candy sold at Couche-Tard throughout the province has left a sour taste to those offended by its wrapper. "It features a black man with a goatee, exaggerated lips, two gold earrings, a gold or rotten tooth - it has every stereotypical feature," says local freelance journalist Nantali Indongo.

A spider sits on the guy's forehead, eight legs hanging down like dreadlocks. Indongo says that a variety of Afro-Montrealers have complained to Couche-Tard about the red Sloche Spider wrapper. A representative from the chain, which has 588 stores in Quebec, could not comment on the controversy, saying those who could answer such queries were on vacation.

Indongo has filed a complaint at the Human Rights Commission over the Sambo drawing and welcomes others to a protest she's organizing for July 6. Contact her at n_indongo@yahoo.ca. » Kristian Gravenor

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

15 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
June 27–July 5, 1990

On the cover: Local jazz pianist great Oliver Jones, appearing at the Jazz Fest, and having just played for Nelson Mandela in Montreal. "Though I've performed ‘Hymns to Freedom' for years, it took on added significance when I played the piece for Mandela," he says. "It was a moving experience for me."

• Government training programs designed to help immigrant women find jobs are at times problematic. "The government injects money into training courses, but doesn't sensitize companies to accept apprentices," says Marjorie Villefranche, of the Haitian Women's Centre.

• "What's so wonderful about the first RoboCop is how it captures the great decade of the '80s," says RoboCop 2 writer Frank Miller. "It's not the future, it's Reagan's America through satirical eyes. I was trying to do something that corresponded more with the present day. There is a sense of tightening, a stiffening of the status quo."

• "Canine cosmonaut" Slum Dog, held hostage by non-Earthling "Kikoolian commandos," escapes and chases a Kikoolian cat into a stream of toxic waste.

Angel >> Same-sex marriage Finally. It's done. Gays can officially marry. With the third and final reading of Bill C-38 on Tuesday, the federal government has put an end to years of activism, reaction, seemingly endless debate and speculation. It hasn't been easy. Activists had to encounter an initially dismissive public, hostile populist politicians, excoriation by religious fundamentalists and the slow wheels of government. The federal Liberals lost votes, MPs and Cabinet members because of its commitment to pushing through the legislation. With the adoption of C-38, Canada becomes the third country in the world, after the Netherlands and Belgium, to legalize same-sex marriage.
Insect >> Status quo radio The June 16 decision by the Canadian Radio Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to allow granting of licenses to two satellite radio services caused howls of protest from certain parts of Canada's cultural elite. Earlier this week, a coalition of nine cultural industry organizations asked the federal government to overturn the CRTC's decision. But the problem is that radio in Canada pretty much sucks, and enjoying access to alternatives - one satellite service, Sirius, plans to offer 72 channels, eight of them Canadian, and the other, the cleverly-named Canadian Satellite Radio, plans 100 channels, 70 of them music, eight of which will be Canadian - is consumer power in action.