ANGEL & INSECT

ANGEL: A little love for Parc Ave Still suffering from the major surgery that started what feels like forever ago (actually the latest round started in the summer of 2010), Parc Avenue is getting a bit of help from the city administration. Montreal will pump $250,000 into promoting the avenue as a shopping destination, intended to help out the merchants who have seen their customers decline, dramatically in some cases, since the project to replace water mains began. It’s a good idea, in theory, though it’s still unclear how far the quarter-mil will go—and whether this is a case of too little, too late for many small-business owners.

INSECT: Canada’s puny lobbying laws Remember Rahim Jaffer? The young, ethnic, erstwhile Conservative MP golden boy from Edmonton? The one who was disgraced last year amid allegations of drunk driving, cocaine use and partying with prostitutes? Well, he got his wrist slapped over efforts that suspiciously looked like lobbying without his being a registered lobbyist. He did get chas­tised this week, but that’s it: no jail time and no fines. With Canada’s current lobbying laws coming up for their five-year review, the federal lobbying commissioner is asking for stiffer penalties for violators. It could use a look-over. After all, the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct—which Jaffer and his business partner broke—is only as effective as it is tough.

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