Parc Cinema employees speak out

With regards to the overwhelmingly positive and nostalgic press the Cinéma du Parc has been getting of late, we would like to offer a different perspective.

The Cinéma du Parc declared bankruptcy on March 26 this year, and amongst its creditors are 70 former employees. In a cover article appearing in the Mirror last week ["Damaged Rep," April 8], Matthew Hays claimed that the Cinéma du Parc was indebted to the tune of $400,000. We believe the figure is closer to $470,000, and if we add the salaries that were not accounted for in the Cinéma's statement of affairs, the figure is likely to be $500,000.

Those of us who worked there just before it closed received no warning, and furthermore, no apologies from management. We were not informed of our rights, and instead were consistently told not to keep our hopes up, because there would be no money paid for the hours we had already worked.

The Cinéma du Parc owes its employees 20 days' salary and/or our four per cent. It conveniently shut down on payday, and we were all informed by phone that we would not be receiving any cheques.

Management may be claiming to honour Parc passes at their new location, but we don't expect them to be treating their employees honourably.

We just want to set the record straight.

--A few former Parc employees

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I am writing in response to one of last week's letters, "Parc Cinéma's Sad Rep" [April 8]. As a former employee of the Parc, I would like to say that I am sorry you feel "inconvenienced" by the closing of the Cinéma, but the truth is that no one has been as inconvenienced as the 30 or so staff members from the Cinéma and our bosses.

In all the sad letters of regret about the closing of the Cinéma, in all the articles written, no one has mentioned all the people who were left unemployed with no notice. We were the ones who were really inconvenienced, and no one mentions us.

Also, to the girl who goes to school in Kingston and comes home for the weekends, let me tell you, if you and everyone else were the truly "dedicated movie-goers" you claim to be, we wouldn't have had to close down at all, because we would be rich.

--Name withheld

Saving Steven Spielberg

I am writing, not about an article, but regarding the film blurb about Saving Private Ryan by Joanne Latimer, in the film listings section of the Mirror. There are parts of this film I don't like, such as the heroic character played by Matt Damon or its American-flag-waving tendencies--Canada and other countries also participated in this historical event.

But I did some quick research about this topic after seeing the film, just to know a little more about it. I do think that films can sometimes provide a vision of the past, like some sort of a time-travel machine. I think Spielberg virtually expressed the truth of what it can be like to, for example, freeze in a boat and know that you will probably never come back home.

I took the time to read many statements from people who were there, and there is no friction between their accounts and the film. There is also a deep artistic research in the
cinematography.

So, as for Ms. Latimer's review, I just feel that her comments represent a lack of curiosity.

--Mario Guitar

The future of apartment hunting

What good is it for men and women to run around, looking for the right place to live? Why live an hour away from your place of work when you could live close to it, with as just many commodities at your service?

Here's an idea for a nice, useful project which would make downtown Montreal into a super ultra complex piece of real estate, connect all downtown buildings, and allow millions of people to live in downtown Montreal.

For this to be possible, residences would have to be mixed with shopping centres, community centres, office buildings, hospitals, sports arenas, schools and universities--all would find themselves under the same roof. The economic power of a large community could allow for the creation of affordable lodging for all in the very heart of the city.

Finding a multitude of services in your own home; going to work without leaving your place; an economy that has ample time, transportation, security and money--aren't these the real things we should look for in life, and the route for today and tomorrow?

--Christian Collard