THE FRONT

Anti-UBBers on the march—Griffintown up all night—Blanket music—African diaspora on film

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Who benefits? The criminal milieu and organized crime.” —Thomas Jacques, of the association representing Quebec’s 1,500 striking Crown prosecu­tors, on the situation regarding the overworked, inexperienced and underpaid workforce. The National Assembly passed back to work legislation Tuesday morning.

Usage-based backlash

On Saturday, a Canada-wide Day of Action is being held by the Stop the Meter campaign, in protest of usage-based billing (UBB).

Starting at 1 p.m., organizers will meet at the corner of Guy and de Maisonneuve before fanning out across the downtown core. They’ll head east down Ste-Catherine, handing out symbolic tickets to unsuspecting laptop users, and collecting petition signatures.

“Finally, we’ll gather at Phillips Square, to collect the petitions,” says organizer Nicholas Salter.

The petitions urge the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to reverse a recent decision regarding UBB.

The CRTC is currently reviewing a ruling allowing Bell (one of the telecom giants that controls Canada’s Internet infrastructure) to charge lots more to smaller Internet service providers operat­ing on Ma Bell’s system. This would prevent small companies from offering unlimited plans or high usage caps to remain competitive. “We’re upset because increasing cost…reduces access” to the Internet, says Salter.

The CRTC is holding a public consultation process on the issue until the end of April.

Salter hopes Saturday’s petition drive will raise awareness about this issue. “The internet is an important part of a healthy democracy,” he says.

More info at openmedia.ca/local.

—ELISABETH FAURE

Griff lights up

Following a successful 2010 debut, the Griffintown Cultural Corridor group is teaming up again with the High Lights festival for Nuit Blanche (montrealenlumiere. com).

On Saturday, Feb. 26, Griffintown: Developing Culture hosts dozens of artists and performers in the heart of the neighbourhood. “We have everything, from 13 hours of spoken word to dance to art exhibits,” says organizer Judith Bauer. Live music runs the gamut from symphony to jazz to rock. Food will be available on-site.

From 3 p.m.–4 a.m., free events will be held at various Griffintown locations, such as the New City Gas building (950 Ottawa). There’s lots of outdoor fun too: Dalhousie street, a cobble­stone dead-end, has been transformed into a space featuring art installations and a disco.

This showcase is part of the Cultural Corridor’s larger mandate, to promote heritage, art and community as Griffitown becomes gentrified.

“There’s room for art, there’s room for culture, there’s room for the ‘small,’ as all of these big projects come to the neighbourhood,” says Bauer.

Bauer is glad the word is getting out: “If we leave room for culture, you have a more liveable neighbourhood—and everybody wins.”

For more information, visit corridorculturel.co.

—ELISABETH FAURE

Rock the blanket

If you’re prepared to accept that being homeless sucks at any time of year, just imagine how hard it blows in February. Forget about being hungry and disrespected by the straights all day every day, a person could actually die out in the elements this time of year—and occasionally they do. A warm blanket goes a long way when the shelters are full or you’ve taken one too many hits on the ol’ crack pipe and simply can’t summon the strength to drag your sorry ass to sanctuary.

On Friday, Feb. 25, you can make life just a little less miserable for Montreal’s homeless community by heading down to Blankfest Quebec 3 at Katacombes (1635 St-Laurent, 9 p.m.), where, for the price of one used blanket or piece of winter clothing, you’ll gain admission to check out a plethora of bands, including the Baghdaddios, Vinyl Hero and Emery Street.

“After Christmas, people tend to forget about donating to charity,” states organizer Jon Asher. “But there’s roughly 30,000 homeless people in Montreal and the shelters can’t take in everybody when it gets really cold. These people need whatever they can get to stay warm.”

All items collected will be distributed by the Old Brewery Mission.

—CHRIS BARRY

Diaspora on film

Black History Month is coming to a close, but there is still time to learn more about current black international cinema, from a variety of perspectives. From Monday, Feb. 28 to Wednesday, March 2, the first edition of the Montreal installment of the international film festival Diasporas, Cultures and Citizenship will be screening a number of movies that look at the ongoing legacy of forced exile, slavery and its cultural offshoots. In focus this year are films on Haiti, Brazil and Africa itself, says coordinator Terence Wissler.

“All the films are documentaries made by people who have dedicated their lives to studying the diaspora,” he says. The aim, says Wissler, is “to raise awareness about slavery and the influ­ence it had on culture and art.”

Each day will include round table discussions and special guests. Screenings take place at UQÀM’s Judith-Jasmin Pavilion (405 Ste-Catherine E., J-2805) on Monday, Feb. 1 from 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m., and on Tuesday, March 1 and Wednesday, March 2 at the NFB (1564 St-Denis, 5 p.m.–6:45 p.m.) with further screenings and discussions at UQÀM’s Hubert-Aquin Pavilion (400 Ste-Catherine E., rooms A-2885 and A-2860, 7:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.). For more information, and a schedule of screenings, see cidihca.org.

—PATRICK LEJTENYI

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

18 YEARS AGO – FEB. 25–MAR. 4, 1993

On the cover: A woman wearing a top hat, for the fifth annual Clubland issue. Mirror writers look back and forwards to Montreal’s nightscapes in a series of articles. Jenny Ross writes about the Nifty Fifties and the Swinging Sixties, Ian Stephens the Stinking Seventies, Lucinda Catchlove the Eighties Wave and Lynn Suderman projects forward to the Year 2050.

•                A huge reform of Quebec’s health and social services, involving some 3,000 employees, has everyone, from wonks to academics to politicians themselves, baffled. “I don’t think anyone has any idea of what is going on,” says a UdeM health administration professional.

•                J.’s We Are the Majority, Sun Ra’s Destination Unknown, Ween’s Pure Guava and the Pursuit of Happiness’s The Downward Road are all rated mediocre (two or two-and-a-half out of five).

•               A classified ad: “Plateau Henri-Julien 7 • lower, w/d connections, yard, near metro Laurier, $460 vacant.”

•                A letter-writer praises The Gazette’s strong coverage of art, architecture, books and dance. ■

ANGEL: Legal salvia divinorum The intense high of the mysterious Mexican herb makes for good YouTube videos, but it’s now too dangerous for the Harper government and its fearful yokel base. The feds are ordering Health Canada to add salvia to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act soon, making it illegal to produce, buy or sell—and thus offering yet another mar­ket for organized crime to dominate. Technically, it’s already illegal to sell it without authorization from Health Canada, as it is marketed as a natural health product, but to date authorities turned a blind eye. So stock up if you want one last easy taste of the diviner’s sage—the next time you buy it, you’re officially a criminal.


INSECT: Oral sex While usually pleasurable and satisfying, DATY and BBBJs can be hazardous to your health, according to researchers at the University of Ohio. It seems enthusiastic oral-sexists are at a much higher risk of contracting oral cancer than their more discriminating counterparts—those who have performed oral sex on six or less partners over their lifetime. The culprit is the human papilloma virus (HPV), which has been linked to cervical cancer in women. The study noted a 225 per cent increase in oral cancer cases between 1974 and 2007. Time to break out the dental dams and seriously consider a national HPV vaccination campaign.

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