Quote of the week:

"We always take into account what the cultural environment is on an ongoing basis." - anonymous MTV spokeswoman, explaining the decision to move Britney Spears' racy new video, "Toxic," to its late-night schedule following the Super Bowl debacle.

More Frigo Vert headaches

Paying the rent is becoming a recurring pain in the ass for local food collective Le Frigo Vert. The Concordia-based non-profit group recently signed a one-year lease extension at their current location at 2130 Mackay, but, faced with a steep rent increase and a lack of funding from the university, they're anticipating this being their last year there. They're eyeing several spots but, given their mandate and specific needs, just keeping the place up and running is turning into a constant headache. Given their fiscal realities, their current operating strategy, say their owner-operators, just won't cut it.

"It's not sustainable," says collective member Punita Bhardwha. "Some of us had to take out personal loans just to put inventory on our shelves."

One space that the collective is salivating over is Java U's choice spot on the Hall building's mezzanine. Their lease is coming up for renewal as well, but le Frigo Vert's brass don't know the details on Java U's finances - specifically, how much rent they pay. And rent is the stickler in any and all deals they make. Bhardwha says this year the monthly pricetag skyrocketed to $2,300 plus additional fees.

In the meantime, Le Frigo Vert has been trying to drum up support anywhere it can. They've started a petition, extended store hours by opening three hours earlier and are holding educational workshops. But without serious bucks, they're in trouble. "It's a pretty successful business, but the problem is rent increasing without any increase in our core funding," says Bhardwha. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Freebies for overcharged customers

Attention all Quebec shoppers! Freebies await if you keep an eagle eye on cashiers ringing up your bill. That's because retailers in la belle province - unlike those elsewhere in Canada - are forced to hand over a product gratis to any customer who notices that he's been charged higher than the posted price on an item costing $10 or less. Any overcharged item above 10 bucks immediately gets reduced by a tenner.

In spite of this policy being widely posted in stores, it still gets ignored. "Not everybody dares to demand to get an item for free. Some people are just too shy. And often cashiers don't seem to understand the law, even though it's usually posted on signs next to the cash," says Stéphanie Poulin, lawyer for Option Consommateurs. About one item in 20 is overpriced at a cash, according to a study the group conducted in August 2002. In other words, 6.5 per cent of all items sold in department stores were more expensive at the cash than on the shelf.

Items on sale were statistically more likely to end up in pricing error. The pricing law doesn't exist elsewhere in Canada, but the Retail Council of Canada is trying to get its members to voluntarily follow the policy from coast to coast. But the voluntary code has been slow to catch on. "Most grocers and a portion of pharmacies, as well as six or seven of our members, follow it," says Sharon Maloney, senior VP of the RCC. » Kristian Gravenor

Generation finance gap

Who cares about old people, anyway? This cruel question will be asked at an upcoming panel discussion at Concordia on how we as a society will be looking after our grey-haired contingent over the next three decades or so. Billed as an "intergenerational dialogue" and hosted by the university's School of Community and Public Affairs, the discussion focuses on some pretty serious numbers: for instance, while seniors over 65 make up 20 per cent of the working population today, by 2030 they'll account for 40 per cent. And as the baby boomers retire, the bills are going to get bigger.

But the question goes beyond money, says Sylvio Mihali, one of the event's organizers. "We're not only going to be discussing financing the system," he says, "but also how we are going to be assigning responsibility for the caring of our parents. And that depends on the values that we have, and how we value the family." The question is especially valid in Quebec, where birth rates are among the lowest in the continent.

The discussion will look at the problem from several different perspectives, including community perspective, youth, government and of course that of the ageing population. And while Mihali acknowledges that the discussions will be limited by a time frame and won't be able to delve too deeply into the issues, he is counting on input from the audience.

The free discussion takes place Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 2149 Mackay. » Patrick Lejtenyi

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

17 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Feb. 5-Feb. 25, 1987

On the cover: Composer Philip Glass, in Montreal touring with his Ensemble while preparing for his collaboration with filmmaker Godfrey Reggio on Powaqqatsi, his upcoming sequel to Koyaanisqatsi, which explores the meeting of technology and traditional cultures. "The difficulty when you deal with only images and music is that you tend to simplify, and we want to keep with the complexities of it," he says.

• Refugees, mostly Latin American, are overwhelming social services in Plattsburgh as many illegal aliens flee a new, tough U.S. immigration law. Many of them "have run out of money and have nowhere to go. They come to us," says the director of the Plattsburgh Community Crisis Centre. "They carry all their belongings in one small suitcase and they're not used to this cold."

• Even though most political thrillers, "despite presumably worthy ambitions," wind up being "irrelevant," the British film Defence of the Realm is applauded for "taking such a strong stand on an issue [freedom of information] which has long been in need of public debate."

Angel >> La ville en rose It shouldn't come as that big a surprise, but Montreal ranks #1 in Canada for same-sex couples, according to a new study. The Environics Research Group poll showed that one couple in 196, or .51 per cent, is same-sex. This puts us ahead of Toronto at .44 per cent and Victoria at .41 (Hamilton ranks last, at .16 per cent). Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, which commissioned the study, says the ranking is due to our liberal values and tolerance. He also notes, however, that Montreal is tops in single-parent families, divorces and, despite being among the best educated cities, we still lag behind others economically.
Insect >> Expanding Cuban economic sanctions The 40-year-old sanctions against the Caribbean communists were expanded by the U.S. Treasury Board this week, this time blocking a Montreal-based travel package wholesaler from doing business in the Land of the Free. Caribe Sol is one of 10 foreign companies that are barred from the States because they do business in Cuba, either by providing travel services or by shipping gifts to the impoverished island. While Caribe Sol apparently doesn't have any actual business in the United States, and therefore won't really be affected by the legislation (unless it decides to expand), the restriction seems petty and vindictive.