Mary Soderstrom's Blog, page 106
September 11, 2012
Lots of talk to today about 9/11, but it's high time that...
Lots of talk to today about 9/11, but it's high time that we turned our attention to far more important threats--to the economy because of misplaced austerity and to our very way of life through climate change.The New York Times has a story today about the way New York, a port city from its beginnings, is going to have to fact rising seas due to melting ice caps. All other sea coast regions are going to have to do the same. For the great valley of the St. Lawrence, that may mean finding other sources for drinking water: the river has always been somewhat brackish at Quebec City but that will extend further upstream.
Because Montreal gets its drinking water from the river, an old joke around here is to call tap water being "St. Laurent frappé" or a soft drink from the river. Might become "St. Laurent salé" soon.
Photo: ducks may find their habitat affected greatly as wetlands flood.
Coming Up: NDP Section Quebec Convention Nov. 3-4
Notice to all my NDP friends:
The NDP Section Quebec biennial convention is rapidly approaching. It
will be held the weekend of November 3-4 in Montreal.
You are invited to attend the convention as a delegate from NDP
Outremont: if you would like to do so, please let us know immediately
by e-mail. Convention fees are $65 before October 1 and $80 afterward,
but you will receive an income tax credit of 75 per cent.
In order to provide an idea of what the convention entails including
its role and ground rules, NDP Outremont will hold an information
session Saturday, September 22 at 11 a.m. (the exact location will be
sent you shortly.) Propositions of resolutions for the convention will also be
discussed at this session, and if you have ideas for your own
resolutions, they will be considered then too, if they are sent before
6 p.m. Wednesday September 19 to Macha Ejova ejovama@voila.fr
At the convention you will have a chance to debate the different
resolutions as well as to meet members of the NDP from all over
Quebec.
We will communicate with the delegates during the next weeks in order
to give them more details about the convention which promises to be
very interesting.
Don't forget to reserve the weekend of November 3-4 for the convention!
Sincerely,
Communication team
The NDP Section Quebec biennial convention is rapidly approaching. It
will be held the weekend of November 3-4 in Montreal.
You are invited to attend the convention as a delegate from NDP
Outremont: if you would like to do so, please let us know immediately
by e-mail. Convention fees are $65 before October 1 and $80 afterward,
but you will receive an income tax credit of 75 per cent.
In order to provide an idea of what the convention entails including
its role and ground rules, NDP Outremont will hold an information
session Saturday, September 22 at 11 a.m. (the exact location will be
sent you shortly.) Propositions of resolutions for the convention will also be
discussed at this session, and if you have ideas for your own
resolutions, they will be considered then too, if they are sent before
6 p.m. Wednesday September 19 to Macha Ejova ejovama@voila.fr
At the convention you will have a chance to debate the different
resolutions as well as to meet members of the NDP from all over
Quebec.
We will communicate with the delegates during the next weeks in order
to give them more details about the convention which promises to be
very interesting.
Don't forget to reserve the weekend of November 3-4 for the convention!
Sincerely,
Communication team
September 10, 2012
Thomas Soderstrom Arrived Last Night...
And his maternal grandmother's head is not on blogging or politics today.
September 8, 2012
Saturday Photo: Spiders and Summer
My father used to say that big spiderwebs were a sign of oncoming fall. I have no idea if that is true,but here is an attempt at a photo of a gorgeous web and spider that I found the other morning. 
September 7, 2012
Park(ing) Day--When Parking Spaces Become Mini-Parks--Set fpr September 21, But Why Not Just Make Transit Free Then?
I've always thought the idea of closing down part of the centre of Montreal for a carless day was rather lame way to promote less realiance on cars. While providing photo ops, it did nothing to really encourage people to use public transit or--heaven forfend!--bike or walk.
But this year there'e a new idea afloat, coming from San Francisco where it's been in action for a few years. It's called Park(ing) Day, and the concept is simple: don't intefere with traffic either private or public, but take up parking places by paying the tarif and then sitting down with your lawn chairs and picnic. You get the photo ops, and don't interfere with buses or other forms environmentally friendly transit.
Montreal has some rather arcane regulations regarding the use of metered parking places. It seems you can't ordinarily use them for anything other than parking vehicles without special permission which doesn't permit the gloriously guerilla aspect of the San Francisco original. But the organizers and the city have worked out a deal where about 30 parking spaces in various neighborhoods will become mini-parks for the day. In additon there will be activities in the Old Port.
Some politicos have criticized this, saying that not shutting down streets is a mistake, that the suggested activities don't provide much. I disagree: Montreal traffic is so snarled because of road work, that I think 1) adding more snarls will only increase gas consumption and 2) unnecessarily piss off a lot of people who commute by car.
To make a real impact, however, why not offer reduce-fare or even free transit for the day?
Photo: Last year's Park(ing) Day in Munich.
But this year there'e a new idea afloat, coming from San Francisco where it's been in action for a few years. It's called Park(ing) Day, and the concept is simple: don't intefere with traffic either private or public, but take up parking places by paying the tarif and then sitting down with your lawn chairs and picnic. You get the photo ops, and don't interfere with buses or other forms environmentally friendly transit.
Montreal has some rather arcane regulations regarding the use of metered parking places. It seems you can't ordinarily use them for anything other than parking vehicles without special permission which doesn't permit the gloriously guerilla aspect of the San Francisco original. But the organizers and the city have worked out a deal where about 30 parking spaces in various neighborhoods will become mini-parks for the day. In additon there will be activities in the Old Port.
Some politicos have criticized this, saying that not shutting down streets is a mistake, that the suggested activities don't provide much. I disagree: Montreal traffic is so snarled because of road work, that I think 1) adding more snarls will only increase gas consumption and 2) unnecessarily piss off a lot of people who commute by car.
To make a real impact, however, why not offer reduce-fare or even free transit for the day?
Photo: Last year's Park(ing) Day in Munich.
September 6, 2012
September 5, 2012
Words that Make Even More Sense Now
Someone who would seem to be seriously deranged tried to get to Premier-elect Pauline Maurois. The result was one man dead and another seriously injured.
Perhaps it is time to remember what Jack Layton said in his final letter:
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."
Perhaps it is time to remember what Jack Layton said in his final letter:
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."
Big Surpise in Quebec: The Polls Were Wrong!
The turn out was very good--nearly 74 per cent--and the voters did their thing, making up their minds privately, and surprsing a lot of people.
As you probably already know, Pauline Maurois's PQ has enough seats to form a govenment--54--but the Liberals got 50, the CAQ, 19 and Quebec Solidaire, 2. That certainly wasn't the result I expected Tuesday morning. But the people, in their wisdom, have spoken.
And at least Françoise David will join Amir Khadir in Quebec City....
As you probably already know, Pauline Maurois's PQ has enough seats to form a govenment--54--but the Liberals got 50, the CAQ, 19 and Quebec Solidaire, 2. That certainly wasn't the result I expected Tuesday morning. But the people, in their wisdom, have spoken.
And at least Françoise David will join Amir Khadir in Quebec City....
September 4, 2012
No Post Today: On the Phone, Getting out the Vote
Yeah, Quebec goes to the polls, and I'm calling folks we've pointed as be on our side. So no post longer than this....[image error]
September 3, 2012
Outremont up for Graps Again? Québec Solidaire Could Pull An Upset
Liberals, 33 per cent; Québec Solidaire, 27 per cent and PQ, 23 per cent!
Been making phone calls for Édith Laperle, the Québec Solidaire candidate in my riding of Outremont. The response has been very interesting: lots of people are impressed by her and the party, but are undecided how to vote because they want to get rid of the Liberals, who've held the seat forever.
Sound familiar? It does to me, and I've been canvassing around here for an awful long time. In 2007, Thomas Mulcair, now NDP leader and leader of the Official Opposition in Ottawa, took Outremont. That federal race was the NDP's beachhead in Quebec. Provincially, the Outremont riding is not quite the same as it is provincially, but both contains the immigrant and hip neighborhoods of Côte des Neiges and Mile-End as well as the Outremont borough.
The same sort of voter who have now elected Mulcair three times is looking for a party which reflects his or her values provincially that the NDP does federally. Perhaps these people have begun to see QS as what they've been hoping for.
QS's canvassing shows Laperle doing very well, but you can never go by that. What is really wonderful is an extrapolation from polls by the independent website Votestrategique.com released yesterday, showing the split above. All those undecideds who were thinking of voting PQ ought to vote QS, and then we'd something very interesting. Can you imagine a PQ minority government with five or six QS MNAs holding the balance of power?
Been making phone calls for Édith Laperle, the Québec Solidaire candidate in my riding of Outremont. The response has been very interesting: lots of people are impressed by her and the party, but are undecided how to vote because they want to get rid of the Liberals, who've held the seat forever.
Sound familiar? It does to me, and I've been canvassing around here for an awful long time. In 2007, Thomas Mulcair, now NDP leader and leader of the Official Opposition in Ottawa, took Outremont. That federal race was the NDP's beachhead in Quebec. Provincially, the Outremont riding is not quite the same as it is provincially, but both contains the immigrant and hip neighborhoods of Côte des Neiges and Mile-End as well as the Outremont borough.
The same sort of voter who have now elected Mulcair three times is looking for a party which reflects his or her values provincially that the NDP does federally. Perhaps these people have begun to see QS as what they've been hoping for.
QS's canvassing shows Laperle doing very well, but you can never go by that. What is really wonderful is an extrapolation from polls by the independent website Votestrategique.com released yesterday, showing the split above. All those undecideds who were thinking of voting PQ ought to vote QS, and then we'd something very interesting. Can you imagine a PQ minority government with five or six QS MNAs holding the balance of power?
