Quote of the week

“It’s a misleading and unjust association between the Cirque and its artists, on one hand, and sex, drugs and deviant behaviour, on the other.” —Cirque du Soleil lawyer François Fontaine, on Maclean’s magazine’s lurid presentation of Montreal journalist Ian Halperin’s book on Cirque founder Guy Laliberté. Fontaine is demanding an apology and retraction.

Bil’in sues

The Palestinian West Bank village of Bil’in has been ground zero for demonstrations against expanding Israeli settlements and the so-called apartheid wall since 2005. Like so many other areas in the occupied territories, it has seen land snatched, settlements built and Palestinian olive groves demolished.

But the controversy hit Montreal when it was revealed that the companies behind the construction—called by opponents “illegal colonization and annexation of Palestinian lands”—are Green Park International and Green Mount International, both registered in Quebec. In an unusual move, the village filed a suit against the companies in Quebec Superior Court last year, saying the construction violated international law and demanding an immediate end to all building activity. The case’s first hearing happens at noon on Monday, June 22, at the Montreal courthouse (1 Notre-Dame E.).

Representing the village in court is Emily Schaeffer, an Israeli lawyer who, along with Mohamed Khatib of the village’s Popular Committee Against the Wall, have just returned from an 11-city speaking tour of Canada describing the case, making their Montreal stop on Friday, June 19, at Concordia’s Cinéma De Sève (1400 de Maisonneuve W., 7 p.m., donations encouraged).

For more information, see bilin-village.org.

PATRICK LEJTENYI

Turcot rethought

On Monday, June 15, the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal (CRE-M), a coalition of environmental and social groups, submitted its proposed Turcot rethink at public hearings with a list of 15 measures they’d like to see implemented before the provincial Transport Ministry has its way. Among them are vastly increased public transit, reserved lanes, narrowing parts of the highway, a light rail connection between downtown and the airport and, somewhat surprisingly perhaps, keeping at least a portion of the raised highway.

The provincial Transport Ministry’s current plan would have the elevated spaghetti junction razed, replaced by an urban boulevard on top of a raised berm that would cut through residential areas in St-Henri. The project has caused many residents to worry about expropriation and their health, with dubious benefits of easing traffic for almost 300,000 vehicles that use the interchange daily.

CRE-M’s André Porlier says keeping Highway 15 raised would at least allow people to travel underneath it, rather than just slice the neighbourhood into smaller pieces. “We’ll give the presentation at the [hearings] and hope that the city and province get back to us,” he says.

PATRICK LEJTENYI

Slow down, be human

François Gourd has a message for all you “maniacs” out there who keep spinning your wheels every day running the rat race of modern life, driving yourself crazy while compromising your humanity in the process: “Slow down en tabarnac.”

And for those who need guidance in this not always so simple endeavour, Gourd and his crew will once again this year be staging Slowdown Day, aka le Journée Internationale de la Lenteur, at Lafontaine Park on Sunday, June 21.

“We’ve tried to organize this slow event with the least amount of organization possible,” explains Gourd, celebrated local rabble-rouser and founder of the absurdist Neo-Rhino party. “For example, there’ll be musicians playing but there won’t be any stages or electricity. I’ll be giving a one-hour do-nothing workshop where what we’ll do is absolutely nothing, there will be a slow race, people will be knitting, painting, there will be yoga classes, tai chi and all kinds of other very slow events. It’s just our way to address the speed of humanity—which is driving itself crazy—and show people that they only need to slow down and relax.”

For full schedule information, go to lenteur.org.

CHRIS BARRY

World at Drapeau

Something you might want to schedule into your busy calendar this summer is the 2009 Week-ends du Monde event that will be taking place at Parc Jean-Drapeau from July 17–26. Always a rollicking good time, according to Parc Jean-Drapeau spokesperson François Cartier, the idea behind the annual fair “is to enable people to discover the cultural diversity of our metropolis through various activities like music, dance and cuisine. It’s really a great opportunity for people to share the cultures of their own native countries while learning about the cultures of other ethnic communities in Montreal.”

To this end, attendees will be privy to a virtual plethora of activities, ranging from a dance exhibition by the pride of Mexico’s Oaxaca region, Guelaguetza, on July 19, to the daily World Flavours exhibit, described as “a demonstration of the flavours and fine food of the world” with a culinary guide standing by to answer any questions you might have about the grub served up.

Among the ethnic groups represented at this year’s Week-ends du Monde will be members of the Turkish, Arab, Colombian, Creole, Cuban, Jamaican, Romanian, Portuguese, African and Mexican communities. Admission is free.

For more information, go to parcjeandrapeau.com.

CHRIS BARRY

Rear-view mirror

13 YEARS AGO - JUNE 20–27, 1996

On the cover: James Carter, 27, who “leads the next generation of jazz greats,” for the Jazz Fest. Infusing his music with familiar snippets of well-known melodies, such as the Jeopardy theme, Carter says, “A whole lot of that comes from cartoons. It’s called quoting…. There’s a certain degree of humour involved.”
•nappropriate Behaviour! columnist Josh Bezonsky “spotted Mark Tewkesbury on McGill College. Unfortunately, he was surrounded by corporate types so I didn’t quite get the chance to tell him how I share his love for ‘the great taste of beef.’ (But I guess only his grocer knows for sure.)”
•CD reviews: Patti Smith’s Gone Again (Disc of the week) 10/10, Beck’s Odelay 8/10, Speedy J’s G Spot 7/10 (“This might have sounded better in ’93.”)
•At the Fringe tent, Gaëtan Charlebois notices “a well-built young man, shirt open, leaning over me and telling me why I have to see his show. I am being cruised! Well, no…. It’s an act. But it’s a good act.”

Angel >>Anti-fanatic Franco outrage The chain of events leading up to Lake of Stew and Bloodshot Bill being hired, then not, then re-hired to play next Tuesday’s l’Autre St-Jean was a bizarre, maddening and only-here kerfuffle. But the almost universal revulsion francophones felt at what was considered blatant discrimination was heartening. (Security fears from one board member were the real reason, a backpedalling sponsor said on Monday.) Most francophones, unlike the handful of pinhead bigots who think contrary, recognize that anglos do indeed live here, and even like living here. Quebec nationalists are constantly reminding everyone else that Quebec is an inclusive place, so it’s good to see the hate fringe roundly and loudly rejected, tabarnac.

Insect >>More Tremblay scandals Tuesday’s La Presse popped the lid on yet another scandal to hit the Tremblay administration, this time where it lives. Literally: the paper drew links between the roofing job at city hall, the mob and allegations of extortion involving executive committee members Sammy Forcillo and Cosmo Maciocia. Tremblay flipped out and accused La Presse of both endangering an ongoing investigation by the SQ and of having knives drawn for him personally. And while Tremblay himself is untainted by any charges personally, this is just another mud pie in a long list of controversies that has plagued this administration over the years.