Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Friday, Sept. 27.
Click on the grey icon below to hear the rundown on the stories we’re following for you today. And remember, you can listen to all of our podcasts at montrealgazette.com/montreal@themoment on iTunes and follow us on Facebook
Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Monday, Sept. 30.
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Andre Boisclair has officially announced he will sue Coalition Avenir Quebec MNA Jacques Duchesneau, his party and CAQ leader Francois Legault for libel after Duchesneau last week wondered aloud – outside of the National Assembly – whether there was a link between Boisclair’s admitted cocaine use, a construction firm with links to the Hells Angels and Boisclair’s government department awarding a subsidy of more than $2 million to the firm in 2003.
Boisclair has taken a leave from his job as Quebec’s representative in New York City and his paying his own legal bills. And his former colleagues in the PQ are challenging the CAQ to do the same – to pay their own legal defense rather than have the Quebec taxpayer underwrite the lawyers’ bills. It’s all political posturing of course. But if this was a poker game, it seems the CAQ has gone all in no matter what happens. If they lose their suit and have the taxpayers pay their legal bills, they’ll appear to have been what Premier Pauline Marois today suggested they were - political vigilantes. If they lose and pay their own legal costs, the result could be devastating not only from the point of view of credibility, but financially, as well.
How likely is it this will ever get to court and how big an effect will it have on the political currents now swirling around Quebec City, as rumours of a fall election continue to circulate? We asked that question to Gazette senior political correspondent Phil Authier. Click on the grey icon below to hear what she had to say. And remember, you can listen to all of our podcasts at montrealgazette.com/montreal@themoment and on iTunes .
Hello and welcome to montrealgazette.com and welcome to Midday. Here’s the rundown on some of the stories we’re following for you today.
The Sûreté du Québec held a press conference Monday morning to announce the arrest of a former Montreal police officer, one who had access to the highest levels of intelligence concerning gangs like the Hells Angels. Benoit Roberge played a major part of Operation Springtime 2001, the investigation that dealt a serious blow to the Hells Angels. SQ Inspector Michel Forget said Roberge was arrested on Saturday in the company of a member of an organized crime gang. The arrest was made by members of a tactical squad. Forget said Roberge is alleged to have leaked information to the Hells Angels in exchange for money. Roberge is scheduled to appear before a judge Monday afternoon.
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and Finance Minister Nicolas Marceau will unveil the Parti Québécois government’s new economic policy on Monday afternoon. The policy will include the government’s economic-development and job-creation game plan, as well as how it hopes to foster research. Speaking to the Presse Canadienne, Marceau said electrification of transport could be a particularly promising economic niche because Quebec has many “ingredients” required to promote the emergence of the sector. Reports this morning place the government’s investment in job creation will beas much as $2 billion.
A Brazilian television report that aired Sunday night said Canadian spies targeted Brazil’s Mines and Energy Ministry. The report on Globo television was based on documents leaked by former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and was the latest showing that Latin America’s biggest country has been a target for U.S., British and now Canadian spy agencies. The report said the metadata of phone calls and emails from and to the Brazilian ministry were targeted by the Communications Security Establishment Canada, or CSEC, to map the ministry’s communications, using a software program called Olympia. It didn’t indicate whether emails were read or phone calls were listened to. A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper would neither confirm nor deny the allegations when asked to respond to the report late Sunday night.
And finally, Montreal’s three leading mayoral candidates took well-oiled jabs at one another Sunday evening during an English-language debate on CTV Montreal that mixed interludes of civility with rhetoric fisticuffs. The trio — Richard Bergeron, of Projet Montréal, Denis Coderre, of Team Denis Coderre, and Marcel Côté of Coalition Montréal — agreed that the Parti Québécois government’s proposed Charter of Quebec Values had no place in the city. That stance, along with the need to rid Montreal of corruption and the value of bilingualism, formed the only common ground for the men. While they agreed that corruption scandals had hurt Montreal’s reputation and enraged taxpayers, they differed as to how bad the situation remained.
Stay with us for more on these stories and breakingnews as it happens at montrealgazette.com
It sounds like it was lifted from a movie script, but the drama that played out yesterday in a Montreal courtroom wasn’t a work of fiction. Benoit Roberge, a recently retired Montreal police detective and expert in Quebec’s criminal biker gangs, was charged with selling information to the Hells Angels, one of the groups he had apparently worked hard to bring to justice. Roberge wasn’t just an analyst – he was an active member of several of the special squads created in the wake of Quebec’s biker wars in the 1990s to combat the growing power of the gangs.
Roberge’s fate is now in the hands of the justice system. But the shock waves created by his arrest continue to be felt by that system, a system Roberge was a part of for decades. Just how destructive could those shock waves be? We asked that question to Gazette police reporter Paul Cherry who is also the author of The Biker Trials: Bringing Down the Hells Angels. Click on the grey icon below to hear what he had to say. And remember, you can listen to all of our podcasts at montrealgazette.com/montreal@themoment and on iTunes .
Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Wednesday, Oct. 9.
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Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Wednesday, Oct. 9.
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Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Thursday, Oct. 10.
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Hello and welcome to montrealgazette.com and welcome to Midday. Here’s the rundown on some of the stories we’re following for you today.
Paladin Labs Inc. shares soared more than 53 per cent Tuesday, after Endo Health Solutions Inc. offered to buy the Canadian specialty drug maker in a friendly deal valued at about $1.6 billion. On the Toronto Stock exchange, Paladin Labs (TSX:PLB) was up $29.85 or nearly 47 per cent at $93.76 while Endo (Nasdaq:ENDP) was up $11.98 U.S. or about 27 per cent to trade at $55.62 U.S. Under the deal, the Montreal-based drug developer shareholders get about 22.5 per cent of a new Irish company that will own both Paladin and Endo, plus some cash and shares of a new Canadian company. Endo’s current management team will lead the overall company and Paladin will be a separate operating company led by its current management at its headquarters in Montreal. Current shareholders of Endo will own 77.5 per cent of the Irish holding company and the rest would be owned by Paladin’s current shareholders.
The art collection that Charles Bronfman amassed for display in the offices of his family’s Claridge Inc. offices on Peel Street will be sold in a series of three auctions, starting Wednesday at Waddington’s in Toronto. The Claridge Collection, as it is called, was put together in the late 1980s for Bronfman by Franklin Silverstone, curator for both Bronfman’s collection and his homes. Silverstone spent two years visiting artists’ studios across Canada and acquired enough art to fill the 60,000 square feet of office space that Claridge occupies on three floors of Le Windsor. The purpose was to put art in all the offices, Silverstone said in an interview. “Charles insisted that ‘nothing gets stored,’ ” he said. “My mandate was to encourage artists, not to buy Group of Sevens or David Milnes,” Silverstone said. It was “to find great contemporary artists and encourage them.”
In an abrupt reversal, Michel Arsenault announced Monday he will give up both the helm of Quebec’s largest labour federation and his seat as chairman of the board of the giant Fonds de solidarité FTQ, which manages $9.3 billion in assets. “I have done nothing for which to reproach myself,” Arsenault added. As recently as last week, the two-term president of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) had been pushing full steam ahead to take on a fresh three-year mandate. But he’s now tapped Daniel Boyer, the FTQ’s secretary general — Arsenault’s right-hand man at the union central since the end of 2010 — as his candidate for the succession…A third term would have taken Arsenault past his 65th birthday, and thus beyond the preferred union retirement date, Arsenault told a snap afternoon news conference. Arsenault has been buffeted lately by many forces other than the passage of time. A powerful union umbrella organization representing more than 600,000 Quebec workers, under his stewardship the FTQ has been rocked by allegations of cronyism, the controversial activities and associates of former union head Jocelyn Dupuis, and reported links to organized crime and strong-arming by Hells Angels bikers.
And finally, Transport Canada has told its minister, Lisa Raitt, it’s gathering evidence that could lead to federal prosecution against the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway company, the carrier involved in the Lac-Megantic disaster, for allegedly failing to comply with existing safety regulations. “Transport Canada’s priority is to assess whether MMA complied with existing regulatory requirements,” said an internal briefing binder prepared for Raitt after her appointment by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in July. “Decisions around prosecution of non-compliance will be made by Public Prosecutions Service of Canada, based on the evidence collected.” The documents, marked “secret” but released to Postmedia News through access to information legislation, were heavily censored based on exemptions in the law that allow the government to protect internal advice, matters under deliberation, or third party information. But sections that were released also mentioned that Transport Canada was continuing to review whether existing transportation safety rules are adequate.
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Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Thursday Nov. 21.
Click on the grey icon below to hear the rundown on the stories we’re following for you today. And remember, you can listen to all of our podcasts at montrealgazette.com/montreal@themoment on iTunes and follow us on Facebook
Hello and welcome to montrealgazette.com and welcome to Midday. Here’s the rundown on some of the stories we’re following for you today.
Canada Post will be ending door-to-door delivery in urban areas and boosting the cost of stamps in a bid to halt a skid into financial ruin, the Crown corporation announced Wednesday. The move from door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes will be rolled out over the next five years, starting in the second half of 2014, and affect about one-third of Canadian households. The change will not affect rural households. The cost of a stamp will also jump from $0.63 to $0.85 or $1, depending on whether they are bought in packages or singly. Canada Post said it is also planning to scale down its labour force by between 6,000 and 8,000 people, though it maintains it can do so through attrition as about 15,000 employees are scheduled to retire in the coming years.
Justin Trudeau says he’s not about to curtail his unscripted, accessible approach to politics in a bid to avoid making gaffes. And he thinks Canadians will forgive him the occasional foot in the mouth because they’d rather have a genuine politician who makes mistakes than someone who never errs by robotically reciting carefully crafted talking points. “I’m reassured that, yes, even though every now and then I give a little extra fodder to my opponents to try and go after me, ultimately I’m right in trusting Canadians that they will understand that my focus is entirely on trying to serve them in the best and the realest way that I possibly can,” the Liberal leader told The Canadian Press in a year-end interview. Since taking the helm of the battered Liberal party in April, Trudeau has made his share of gaffes. Most recently, he dismayed his supporters and delighted his political adversaries by appearing to express admiration for China’s Communist dictatorship while giving a rambling and convoluted response to a question at a fundraiser for female candidates.
A bail hearing has finally been set in the case of Benoit Roberge, a retired police investigator arrested weeks ago for allegedly selling information to the Hells Angels. Represented by defence lawyer Richard Perras at a brief hearing at the Montreal courthouse on Wednesday, Roberge — who was not required to be present and remains detained at the Rivière des Prairies Detention Centre — opted for a trial by jury. It was the first time since his arrest that Roberge, 50, has been represented by the same lawyer for consecutive court dates. Perras told Quebec Court Judge Nathalie Fafard that both sides in the case are ready to proceed with a two-day bail hearing that is set to begin on Jan. 8. Perras noted that the bail hearing is expected to be “exceptionally long.” Bail hearings usually last no longer than a day and most are completed in a matter of a few hours.
And finally, a man who appeared to provide sign language interpretation on stage for Nelson Mandela’s memorial service, attended by scores of heads of state, was a “fake,” the national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa said on Wednesday. The scandal over the interpreter is another indication of bad organization of the historic memorial service at a huge soccer stadium on Tuesday. Other difficulties included public transportation breakdowns which hindered mourners from getting to the event and a faulty audio system that prevented many of the tens of thousands in the stadium from hearing the leaders’ speeches. In an apparent security failure, police did not search the first wave of crowds arriving at the stadium.
Stay with us for more on these stories and breaking news as it happens at montrealgazette.com
Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Thursday, Dec. 12.
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Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Monday, Jan. 6.
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Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Monday, Jan. 6.
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Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Wednesday, Jan. 8.
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Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Wednesday, Feb. 19.
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Hello and welcome to montrealgazette.com and welcome to Midday. Here’s the rundown on some of the stories we’re following for you today.
Lots of buzz today over a CROP survey conducted for La Presse that suggests the Liberals have taken a slight lead in overall voter intentions and is narrowing the gap with the Parti Quebecois when it comes to popularity with francophone voters. You can listen to the details on today’s montreal@themoment morning podcast.
And the outcome of Quebec’s April 7 election “will be the defining influence” on Montreal’s real estate market until 2015, with consumer confidence currently dampened by “political uncertainty,” Sotheby’s International Realty Canada said. In an outlook to be released Tuesday, Sotheby’s said Montreal buyers heading into the spring market are likely to put off their purchases until a new provincial government is chosen. Their reticence is linked to recent speculation that a Parti Québécois victory could lead to another referendum on sovereignty, Sotheby’s Canada CEO Ross McCredie said.
Meanwhile, Pauline Marois said Monday that private businesses are free to forbid their employees from wearing overt religious symbols at the workplace. The Parti Québécois leader initially tried to sidestep a question about whether Quebec’s controversial charter of values could be applied outside the public sector. But after a terse exchange with a journalist, Marois said private businesses are free to adopt hiring policies “inspired by” the proposed charter. The proposed secularism charter would prevent public sector employees from wearing ostentatious religious symbols at work.
In other news, one of the most influential members of the Hells Angels in Quebec has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. Normand (Casper) Ouimet, 44, has 18 years, three months left in prison once time already served is deducted. He must serve half of that before being eligible for parole. We’ll have more on that story later today.
In Ottawa, there’s word today that Canada will hold commemoration ceremonies May 9 for the thousands of soldiers who served in the military mission to Afghanistan. The announcement was made Tuesday morning by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, as he greeted 93 soldiers at Ottawa’s military airport hanger. They were the last to return home from the war-ravaged country. Harper said that May 9 has been designated a “National Day of Honour.” “On that day, Canada will recognize those who fought, remember those who fell and salute all those who contributed to this 10-year-mission.
And finally, police have launched an investigation after a Canada Post employee was fired this month for alleged mail theft. The action came after complaints of missing mail from homes in the area. Nine hundred homes in the Ahuntsic district have received a letter from the corporation advising them to check with their banks and financial institutions if they were expecting a statement, a new credit card or any other sensitive document.
Stay with us for more on these stories and breaking news as it happens at montrealgazette.com
Hello and welcome to The Story So Far for Tuesday, June 10. Click on the audio player below to hear the rundown on some of the stories we’re following for you today. And remember, you can listen to all of our podcasts at montrealgazette.com/montreal@themoment on iTunes and follow us on Facebook
A man alleged to be a leader in a newly resurrected version of the Rock Machine motorcycle gang was arrested Sunday and was charged Monday in Valleyfield with drug possession.
Jean-François Emard, 38, was arrested during a routine police operation. At 38, Emard was all of eight-years old-when a bloody gang war broke out between a 20th century version of the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels. By the time the shootings and bombings had stopped in 2002, more than 160 people were dead, several of them innocent bystanders, and Quebec’s police forces had finally been galvanized into recognizing the role criminal biker gangs played in Quebec’s illegal drug trade and how far they were prepared to expand it. And in the end, the Rock Machine had been declared the loser of that gang war.
But Emard has given at least two interviews to media in recent months where he has confirmed his leadership role in the motorcycle club but denied it is a rival organization to the Hells, the most powerful gang of its kind in the world. But if it isn’t positioning itself for some kind of role in the gang hierarchy, what exactly is it doing here in Quebec 12 years after apparently losing its power base? We asked that question to Gazette police reporter Paul Cherry. Click on the audio player below to hear what he had to say. And remember, you can listen to all of our podcasts at montrealgazette.com/montreal@themoment on iTunes and follow us on Facebook
A careful read of the many indictments to emerge out of Project Clemenza, the recent RCMP-led probe into the Mafia in Montreal, reveals it intersected with other major police investigations, including one that stunned a small town southwest of Montreal.
Eighty-seven charges were filed on June 12 in Project Clemenza after members of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) arrested 30 people with alleged ties to two groups the Mounties described as “very dangerous and well-structured networks aimed at controlling drug trafficking” in the Montreal area.
The investigation ran from 2010 to 2012 and the charges filed indicate CFSEU investigators found their work crossing over into ongoing investigations by other police forces.
One involved Éric Grenier, a former strip club owner from Mirabel tied to the Hells Angels who was sentenced last week, in the U.S., to a five-year prison term for trying to smuggle 20 kilograms of cocaine into Canada. While Grenier was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in cities like New York and Philadelphia, CFSEU investigators in Montreal were investigating him and five men who were ultimately arrested in Clemenza.
Another indictment shows a connection between some of the people investigated in Clemenza and at least one of the dozens of people arrested in Project Écrivisse, the Sûreté du Québec investigation into drug trafficking in the Abitibi region made famous in June when the three alleged ringleaders escaped from a detention centre by arranging to have a helicopter pick them up.
One of the more intriguing counts in Clemenza links it to Project Hachoir, the SQ’s probe into the activities of Gary Arnold, 44, a man considered to be one of the most prolific smugglers to operate in the Lac St-François region, a part of southwestern Quebec that offers many routes to the U.S. border where smugglers use the Akwasasne Reserve, next to Cornwall, Ont., as a doorway to smuggle contraband through.
On March 21, 2012, more than 250 police officers fanned out in municipalities in southwestern Quebec like Huntingdon, Godmanchester and St-Anicet to arrest Arnold and 26 other people. Officers seized nine kilograms of marijuana, 90 cases of contraband cigarettes, 35 firearms and six properties (including Arnold’s home, which was set on fire months after the Quebec government received permission to confiscate it). On the day the arrests were made, the SQ estimated Arnold’s group cheated Canada and the province of Quebec out of $26 million in lost tax revenues.
Project Hachoir revealed Arnold ran a network adept at bringing contraband cigarettes into Canada while using the same routes to smuggle Quebec-grown marijuana into the U.S. Arnold and his smugglers used cars, a school bus, boats and snowmobiles to deliver pot to Akwasasne.
Project Hachoir stunned the population of Godmanchester, a town with 1,400 residents on the U.S. border 90 kilometres southwest of Montreal, when it was revealed Godmanchester’s fire station served as a secret communications centre as smugglers used its encrypted radios and phones to co-ordinate shipments. Two of Godmanchester’s volunteer firefighters, including Arnold, were among the people arrested as well as Andrew MacDonald, the fire station’s chief.
Arnold and MacDonald are not named in Project Clemenza but three other members of Arnold’s network, including Clinton Ykema, another volunteer firefighter, are identified as non-indicted co-conspirators in a plot to export marijuana into the U.S. between Aug. 16 and Oct. 27, 2011.
The charge alleges the men worked with two brothers — Antonio and Roberto Bastone — who the RCMP described as the leaders of one of the two networks uncovered by Clemenza.
The Bastones face several charges related to the Mafia probe. The most alarming involve a man named Peter Whitmore who was kidnapped, beaten and held against his will for nine days in 2011, allegedly over a $2 million drug debt owed to the Bastones.
On July 2, a Quebec Court judge agreed to release the Bastone brothers, while their cases are pending, when both agreed to post bonds, worth $5 million each, that are attached to real estate. The cases against most of the people arrested in Clemenza return to court near the end of August.
