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In Case You Didn’t Notice

The big story last week was the cold, and holy shit it was cold. Last Thursday morning the temperature dipped down to somewhere between -35 to -40, depending on who you listened to. That’s Winnipeg cold! It was colder in Montreal last Thursday than it was in Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Iqaluit. In fact, it was so cold that chickens were going KFC and asking to be put in the fryer! (groan) We’ll start with a few stories about the weather and see where we go from there.

Membership Has Its Privileges

For CAA Quebec last Thursday was a record-setting day due to the extreme cold. By 8 p.m. they reported taking 14000 calls, beating their previous record of 12578 calls, set in January 2011. The lion’s share of the calls was for boosts, however there were also towings, flat tires and cars that ran out of gas. Little side note, if you went out in -34 without gas in your car you, my friend, are an idiot and you know who you are.

Not My Problem

Heather McIntosh saw a city bus skid off of Rue Notre-Dame in Lachine on Tuesday morning due to very icy conditions. Being a good samaritan she called the Borough of Lachine to advise them of the condition of the road. She was informed by the Borough that the stretch of road belonged to Montreal West. She proceeded to call the Borough of Montreal West to inform them, who told her that the stretch of road belonged to the Borough of Lachine. I wonder how long it took someone to dig their head out of their asses and actually salt the road. When it is time to pay taxes do you think one borough says, “No no, don’t pay us, pay our buddies in the other borough.” I bet they figure it out pretty quick then.

Not Learning from Past Mistakes

Last Thursday morning guess who else had trouble due to the cold weather… the AMT (Agence Metropolitaine de Transport) commuter trains, surprise, surprise. Let me give you some of the list of excuses: stuck doors, frozen switches, problems with signals, the usual bunch of shit they spout every time it gets cold and they leave thousands of people standing in it. You see, we all knew the cold was coming, it is called prevention. I think they might not be allowed to listen to the news at the AMT offices, just so everything is always a surprise for them. “What it’s minus 30? Holy shit, the switches will freeze… again!”

Need a Lawyer?

Seems Montreal wasn’t the only place with winter woes. A Quebec truck driver, identified as Jean Larocque, was killed in an accident in Michigan last week. Here is the crazy part. There were 123 vehicles involved in the accident. Even worse, there were at least 2 semis involved, one carrying hazardous goods, and one carrying fireworks. How the hell do 123 people get in an accident? Doesn’t number 97 see it coming? I mean, we are talking about something that would have stretched on for quite some way no? I don’t get it. Moral of the story, slow down out there.

Last Week at a Glance:

Climbing Up the Ladder

It was announced last week that the man who stopped the Ottawa shooter, Kevin Vickers, has been named Canadian Ambassador to Ireland. Don’t get me wrong, the guy is a hero, there is no disputing that. But what are his qualifications for the job? Shouldn’t he have some sort of political background? Just asking.

Flu Clinics

Montreal has set up seven clinics to help battle this year’s crazy flu epidemic. Montreal hospital emergency rooms are bursting at the seams trying to cope and there is no end in sight. In an effort to alleviate some pressure the city has set up seven clinics that will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for patients with flu symptoms. Want my advice? Don’t touch anybody, don’t kiss anybody, don’t even closely talk with anybody. And if someone coughs near you, run for the hills (and wash your
hands obsessively). The location of the clinics can be found here

Last Word of the Week:

Margo Macgillivary has tended bar for 37 years, mainly at downtown Winnie’s. Last weekend this legendary barkeep served her last drink. What started as a temporary job for Macgillivary ended up as a lifetime hobnobbing with some of Montreal’s finest politicians, filmmakers, actors, writers and athletes. “I would always listen to my customers marveling about their travels around the world. I’d like to see some of the world too,” says Macgillivary. You can read a really great article about a really great lady here.

Got a hot news tip? Want to let us know what you think of the news? Give Ken a shout at [email protected]