Quote of the week:

"Bush wrote all the funniest lines. Someone asked me what I was going to do when George Bush filed a grievance to the Writers Guild asking for a credit." - Filmmaker Michael Moore on his new movie Fahrenheit 9/11, which premiered at Cannes last Monday.

McGill St. reno flap

Now that Square Victoria is revamped, city fathers are looking at renovating one of Old Montreal's main arteries, McGill - the tail-end of the Phillips-Square-Beaver-Hall-Square-Vic stretch between Ste-Catherine and de la Commune. A new project, costing upwards of $9.5-million, will bring the sidewalks, streets and sewers of McGill up to the same squeaky-clean standards as its neighbours, but who's doing it is causing a fuss.

The Quartier International de Montréal (QIM), a non-profit private organization, was given the McGill makeover mandate because they had done a decent job of fixing up the Square Victoria area and managing the hundreds of millions of dollars that it involved. This, however, has rankled two city councillors from the Ville-Marie (downtown) borough, who warn that giving the private sector a project this big poses a danger to the city's staff.

"The city has the expertise to carry out this job," says Martin Lemay, the Ville-Marie borough mayor and member of the opposition Vision Montreal party. "There's no good reason to give out this job to a third party. The city has certainly given out projects in the past, but never ones this big, and we've always remained the project managers." Lemay says he fears that the move will mean "opening the door to privatization."

Mayor Tremblay's press rep Darren Becker doesn't agree. "We've always considered the McGill project Phase III, after Square Victoria and Place Riopelle," he says. "I think it's a little alarmist to say we're opening the door to privatization. It's clearly not the intention of the administration to go down that path."

The project will be debated further. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Brain bank beckons

If you're looking for a novel activity or somewhere to bring a goth on a first date, we recommend a visit to the house of 1,000 cold and frozen brains that are kept in a special "brain bank" in Verdun. Those with a healthy or unhealthy curiosity for the macabre or, more respectably, who want to learn more about the scientific quest to wipe out madness, should note that the Douglas Hospital is tossing open usually locked doors in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its research centre. Sixty scientists and 140 post-grad students are continuing the Douglas's mission to cure dreaded conditions from Alzheimer's to bulimia. "They try to find out what causes mental illness and how we can better cure and prevent it," says Stephanie Lassonde, a media rep for the Douglas.

You are invited, free, to a series of film screenings dealing with mental illness, followed by a discussion with a scientist on the plight of the sufferer, which takes place over the next three Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. A Beautiful Mind (May 26); The Hours (June 2) and Born on the Fourth of July (June 9) will be featured.

The open house takes place Saturday, June 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 6875 LaSalle Boulevard. Lassonde also wants to remind Mirror readers that the brain bank constantly needs more brains. Those wishing to volunteer their brains after they're finished with them are invited to donate by signing a consent form. For more info call 761-6131 ext. 2769. » Kristian Gravenor

Greens seek cash

Dylan Maxwell, the Green Party candidate for the Laurier riding, is in the curious position of being less recognizable than his car: the weird multi-coloured vehicle that boldly exclaims that "THIS VEHICLE RUNS ON VEGETABLE OIL." The owner of head-and-hemp shop Je L'Ai will be further pushing the message when he courts your vote.

"This is the first election where people's votes actually make a difference," he says. For every vote that he collects, he'll get $1.74 per year from the federal government. Which would mean a lot for a candidate who spent $800 on his campaign last time around but took in over 2,000 votes.

Maxwell's campaign this year will focus on getting the government to push biodiesel, and push hard, especially for public transit. "A friend recently told me that she calculated that if every municipal bus across the country switched to biodiesel, we'd achieve half our Kyoto goals," he says. He remains unimpressed with the Liberal commitment to meeting the goals of the Kyoto accord, which was ratified in the dying days of the Chrétien government.

In the meantime, the Green Party is organizing a fundraiser this Sunday, May 23, at the Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent), with music, comedy and juggling. While technically free, they are asking for a voluntary donation of $10, while a $20 donation will get you a tax receipt. The show starts at 8 p.m. » Patrick Lejtenyi

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

12 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
May 21–May 28, 1992

On the cover: A baton-wielding, uniformed man, as a series of articles looks at the state of citizens' rights in Canada in the wake of the Rodney King riots. When it comes to health, race, law enforcement, natives' rights, media, poverty, legal aid and the military, Canada, the series claims, is in bad shape.

• The Chinese Film Festival will have a fifth season, but without China's official participation. "The reason is two-fold," says programmer Michael Gilson. "They were displeased with certain films in last year's selection… [and] they didn't like what one of the guest speakers had to say." Gilson says China has been much more cautious in its participation in film fests since the Tiananmen Square massacre.

• "The fact is that I want to be seen as someone who's got an identity, who's got a heritage and who's got a sense of belonging to the country I live in," says Mandawuy Yunupingu, singer for Yothu Yindi, a mostly Australian aboriginal group. "Through the understanding of music, non-aboriginal people have access to my life."

Angel >> Morning-after pill's non-prescription status The federal government announced this week that they will move toward making the morning-after pill, an emergency contraceptive effective if taken within 72 hours after intercourse, a "behind-the-counter" drug, meaning it will be accessible without a doctor's prescription but with pharmacist consultation. The pill is only currently available prescription-free in Quebec, British Columbia and Saskatchewan (and not at all in the States, where conservatives fear its availability would promote sexual promiscuity). Women's groups across the country are applauding the move, but hope that the drug will be available over-the-counter, without consultation, and that the change in status will not shift the cost of the drug onto individual women and girls.
Insect >> Too much work The slacker generation may not be so slack after all. Over a third of workers under the age of 35 report being highly stressed due to long working hours and shouldering excessive responsibilities. But over-work, rather than boosting productivity and therefore profits, may actually be doing the opposite: according to University of Laval workplace health specialists, some three-million work days are lost in Quebec every year, costing an estimated $4-billion in productivity. Insurance rates for stress and anxiety have also shot up over the past decade. Students are also at risk, with part-time jobs, classes and homework taking up over 60 hours a week.