Quebec pouring tens of millions into pre-season hockey and fixing the Large O roof whereas taking part in hardball with academics and nurses is a complete farce.
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Because the Coalition Avenir Québec rows resolutely towards the previous, we should take a second to acknowledge the governing celebration’s heroic motion in saving Christmas.
Christmas, apparently, was in nice peril. From whom, we’re not precisely certain. Buddhists? Muslims? Zoroastrians?
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Gangs of tone-deaf atheists descending on procuring malls to sing The Little Drummer Boy off-key?
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By no means worry. Our valiant CAQ heroes had been out wielding shields and broadswords, as a result of Christmas is in danger regardless of hundreds of vacation buyers, Christmas decorations put up at taxpayer expense in cities and cities and reindeer flying blind with out Rudolph to information their sleigh tonight.
Whereas they had been saving the vacation, in fact, the CAQ authorities was merrily wrecking Christmas for tons of of hundreds of academics, college students and well being staff, whereas Premier François Legault droned on in regards to the poor kiddies and the teachings they’re lacking.
The federal government claims it could’t afford to offer crucial staff in our society a elevate that might sustain with inflation. (They already did that and extra for themselves in June, once they permitted a 30 per cent wage enhance for MNAs.)
It’s the outdated Roman bread-and-circuses formulation. Whereas grimly holding the road towards academics and nurses, Legault was taking part in Santa, sliding down a Los Angeles chimney with a present bag bearing $7 million in taxpayer funds to pay the Kings to play exhibition video games in Quebec Metropolis.
Highway to the Cup
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To the struggling staff within the Widespread Entrance, it appeared like a taunt — the political equal of a Bell Centre crowd singing na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, goodbye.
If solely we might bid goodbye to this authorities. There’s no excuse for the Kings fiasco. Legault, that avuncular bully, was taking part in his typical shell sport. “OK, we’re stiffing the academics and nurses however we’re bringing hockey to Quebec! And did you discover how we’re sticking it to anglo universities? Huh? And telling anglos they will’t get well being care in English? Can we get three cheers for scapegoating?”
Put in perspective, nevertheless, diverting public funds to the millionaires and billionaires of the NHL was small potatoes. The massive enchilada, to combine our meals metaphors, is the Olympic Stadium.
The Large O, you’ll recall, as soon as put the “boon” in “doggle.” It was a grift on steroids, a swindle, a fraud, a racket, an Olympian train in draining the general public purse into non-public pockets.
Billions squandered and what do we’ve got to point out for it? A construction that appears good from far however is way from good, a monument to 1 man’s ego that value this metropolis each its satisfaction and its monetary stability.
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When the Expos performed their final sport on the Large O on Sept. 29, 2004, that ought to have been the tip of that misbegotten stadium. Tear it down and construct instead a Museum to Folly.
As an alternative, the federal government and the company accountable for plans for the Olympic Park plans to place yet one more roof atop that pile of concrete junk, at a value starting from $250 million to zillions. (OK, we exaggerate in jest — however solely a bit.)
Why? As a result of Legault feels Quebecers ought to cease seeing one thing detrimental in regards to the Large Owe. He needs to revive its repute and rattling the price, on the belief that two negatives make a constructive.
Throughout a media scrum in October, Legault stated: “my problem with the Olympic Stadium is that we go from a detrimental image to a constructive image.”
“There are many French folks, amongst others, who need to see the Olympic Stadium once they come to Montreal. It takes a roof and we’re totally different situations.”
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Nicely gosh. If French folks need to see it, then we’re going to must ante up. Large. I’m neither an architect nor an accountant, however primarily based on lengthy expertise with the Large O and huge building initiatives on this province, I’d estimate the price of a brand new roof at $500 million with gusts to nightmare.
To be honest, a brand new roof was first permitted by the Liberal authorities of Philippe Couillard in 2017, with an estimated value of $250 million. In July of this yr, nevertheless, we realized that there’s a new impediment — the huge, oval concrete technical ring that holds the roof in place.
That ring has a fringe of 470 metres and a diameter of between 104 and 175 metres, relying on whether or not Willie Stargell can hit it with a batted ball. Tearing it down and changing the ring alone would seemingly double the price, given the same old value overruns. Extra to the purpose, the tons of of tens of millions to be spent on a brand new roof would go a good distance towards paying the public-sector staff in well being and schooling.
In fact, this authorities is so inept that it could be comical if it weren’t so dismally unhappy. Whereas a lot is required by so many, when nurses and academics are underpaid and overworked, this goes effectively past optics.
Ignore the grossly overestimated value of demolishing the Olympic Stadium. Tear it down and erect one thing helpful instead.
And pay our nurses and academics, for the love of Christmas.
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