Beyond classical Ottawa Citizen Pianist Menahem Pressler, British soprano Emma Kirkby, Quebec City orchestra Les Violons du Roy, a music crawl at the National Gallery of Canada and some classical music clowns whose YouTube videos ... and more »

Music and Beyond Festival definitely beyond classical Ottawa Citizen OTTAWA — Pianist Menahem Pressler, British soprano Emma Kirkby, Quebec City orchestra Les Violons du Roy, a music crawl at the National Gallery of Canada and some classical music clowns whose YouTube videos have been seen by millions are among ... and more »

Timelapses, urban landscapes, dramatic scores! Dominic Boudreault shot Manhattan, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, and Chicago from late 2010 to early 2011, and has created a timelapse montage with what he captured. Can you spot all of Manhattan's close-ups? Boudreault says his goal was "to show the duality between city and nature"—and we gotta say the shot at 2:45 really nails it. [ more › ]

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Five reasons why Nicklas Lidstrom won't retire after this season. Great stuff from Kevin Allen. [USA Today]

• "Not to bury the Detroit Red Wings before they're done, but is it fair to wonder whether this core has another Cup in it? They've been getting progressively further from winning it all since 2008." [Freep]

• Mike Richards on what inspirational pregame speech he'll give the Philadelphia Flyers before their potential elimination tonight in Boston: "There's no speech that is needed. … Everybody understands the situation that we're in. There's words that will be said, but there's no speech …" Braveheart, he is not. [CSN Philly]

• Sergei Bobrovsky gets his first start of the series against the Boston Bruins, and Chris Pronger is again a maybe. [Philly.com]

• The Boston Bruins on the Beat Up Old Jacket, their playoff trinket that's gaining attention. [Boston.com]

• Ryan Kennedy on Tomas Kaberle's time with the Boston Bruins: "The price Kaberle came at - specifically big prospect center Joe Colborne and a first round draft pick, plus a conditional pick - it will all be worth it if Boston wins the Stanley Cup." [THN]

• MY GAWD THAT'S J.P. DUMONT'S MUSIC! [NHL.com]

• Alain Vigneault gave Barry Trotz the gears on diving after Game 4: "I hope they are not going to complain about embellishment tonight with the number of things that happened out there on the ice, Suter having the audacity to complain after he takes that penalty and just hauls Ryan Kesler down is utterly amazing." [Examiner]

• Canada tops the U.S. in a shootout at worlds. Optimus Reim over ConkBlock. [Y!]

Down Goes Brown with signs that your second-round playoff series isn't going so well: "Instead of twirling a towel or encouraging the crowd to sing along, your anthem singer's trademark postseason move is to tie a little noose out of the microphone cord." [DGB]

• Really, any combination of Christopher Nolan's directing and the San Jose Sharks is a win in our book. [Battle of Cali]

• David Staples with an interesting examination on whether the Edmonton Oilers could be headed for relocation in three years. "Quebec City might well be held up as a possible home for the Oilers, but, as we can see, it's not as good a market, and it would also cause the biggest stink in Edmonton since Wayne Gretzky was sold if our tax dollars essentially paid for an arena in Quebec City, then our Oilers moved to that city." [Edmonton Journal]

• Media Takedown No. 1: Nucks Misconduct with a takedown on a Roy MacGregor "drive-by hit piece" in the Vancouver Canucks and Roberto Luongo. [Nucks Misconduct]

• Media Takedown No. 2: An in-depth and at times scathing review of Pierre McGuire's opinions on the Montreal Canadiens. [Eyes On the Prize]

• Chicago Native Son strikes again, adding "If you can't beat 'em, 'join 'em.'"

• JP calls for the head of Bruce Boudreau after the Washington Capitals are swept out of the postseason. [Japers' Rink]

• The Washington Capitals' forgotten goalie, Semyon Varlamov, would like to stay in the NHL rather than return to Russia. One wrinkle: The KHL teams wouldn't have to use the "foreign player" exception on him as a native, which will make him a hot commodity. [Capitals Insider]

• Baycrest senior scientist Brian Levine, a brain expert, attempts to answer the question: "Does playing in the NHL affect your brain health later in life?" [Mirtle]

• Good stuff from John Kreiser on playoff overtimes: "Unlike the last three years, when home teams did well in overtime, road clubs have had the better of play this year. Of the 20 overtime games so far, 13 have been won by the visiting team -- the most since road clubs won 13 of 21 in 1999." [NHL.com]

• The Behind The Net stat-heads breakdown home ice in the second round. [BTN]

• What a trip down memory lane this was: Remembering the minor league star-hoarding Detroit Vipers. [Winging It]

• Stay classy, New Jersey Devils. Note: This isn't cynicism. [ILWT]

• Columbus Blue Jackets blog offers its assessment of Mike Commodore: "Goodbye Commie and thanks for nothing." [The Cannon]

• Finally, Mikael Granlund (Minnesota Wild prospect) converts a shootout in Worlds that's nifty if you have your sound off and awesome with the sounds on thanks to this rather enthusiastic goal call.

The Canadian Press

Former hockey brawler Brashear says fighting in MMA a new challenge The Canadian Press ''It feels a bit like my first game in the NHL.'' Brashear only recently started training at a Quebec City gym and admits he has much to learn about a style of combat that is vastly different than trading punches on skates during a hockey game. ... and more »

Dominic Boudreault’s “The City Limits” uses beautiful time-lapse footage of Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, New York, and Chicago to show “duality between city and nature.”

Via LaughingSquid.

The beauty of nature.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I’m a sucker for beautiful nighttime cityscape time-lapse like this one shot by photographer Dominic Bodreault from late 2010 through early 2011 in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Manhattan, and Chicago. Simply gorgeous (the music by Hans Zimmer is also spot on). Take a look at weep: Hit play or go to Link [Vimeo] – via PetaPixel

QUEBEC CITY — I was in bread heaven in La Boîte à Pain, surrounded by browned-to-bursting and yeast-scented rounds, ovals, and spears of crisped, baked goodness.

Sonic Unyon Metal is extremely proud to announce the confirmed upcoming release of a live album from the almighty VOIVOD!

Late in 2009, VOIVOD released their live Tatsumaki DVD, filmed the previous fall when they toured Japan for the first time ever. To celebrate its release of the DVD, VOIVOD performed in front of a sold-out crowd on December 12th, 2009 at Club Soda in their adopted hometown of Montreal, Quebec. It was their first headlining show in the city of Montreal in more than ten years and it was celebrated in grand style. It was a fitting end to a busy year that saw them named Metal Band Of The Year at the 2010 Indie Awards in Canada. The show was recorded for posterity and is now being released as the fifteen-track Warriors Of Ice, the first official VOIVOD live album to feature original band members Denis ‘Snake’ Belanger on vocals and bassist Jean-Yves ‘Blacky’ Theriault, as well as new guitarist Dan "Chewy" Mongrain.

Set for release on June 21, 2011, Warriors Of Ice highlights the classic period of the original VOIVOD lineup as well as a few new songs, all raging with the band's notorious live energy. Containing songs from their classic albums, spanning from 1984’s War And Pain right up through 1991’s Angel Rat, as well as two songs from their 2009 Infini LP, the album is built of VOIVOD's signature songs, from "Voivod" and "Nuclear War" to "Tribal Convictions" and "Astronomy Domine." View the cover art for Warriors Of Ice -- designed by drummer Michel Langevin, a.k.a. Away, below.

Warriors Of Ice Track Listing:
01. Voivod
02. The Unknown Knows
03. The Prow
04. Ripping Headaches
05. Ravenous Medicine
06. Tribal Convictions
07. Overreaction
08. Panorama
09. Global Warning
10. Treasure Chase
11. Tornado
12. Nothingface
13. Brain Scan
14. Nuclear War
15. Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd cover)

The 15-track set captured on Warriors Of Ice is undeniably packed with VOIVOD fan favorites, making it an absolute must-have release for diehard fans and a great starting point for the uninitiated as well. This is the main set VOIVOD ravaged their audiences with on their 2010 US tour alongside Kreator, and at their headlining slot at the 2010 Scion Rock Fest.

“The City Limits” is a beautiful time-lapse video by Dominic Boudreault that shows the “duality between city and nature” in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Manhattan and Chicago. via PetaPixel Host your website or blog with Laughing Squid Web Hosting.

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Host your website or blog with Laughing Squid Web Hosting.

The Milky Way is a site many of us will never see thanks to our lives spent under the glaring lights of urban living so Dominic Boudreault turned his lens to the subject of bustling urban landscapes such as Manhattan, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City for this striking time-lapse video.

Full story at Vimeo via Gizmodo.

Cities at a glance.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

For almost a year, from late 2010 to early 2011, photographer Dominic Boudreault trekked through Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Manhattan, and Chicago, shooting these incredibly vivid images of cityscapes at night: highways, buildings lit up in the dark, streetlife, people, rivers—all with perfect exposure, and sure to stir up some emotion in your cynical, deadened soul. [Petapixel] More »

H2O Innovation to Release 2011 Q3 Financial Results and Hold a Conference Call and Webcast on Thursday, May 12, 2011 May 5, 2011 - 02:30:00 PM QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC-- - H2O Innovation Inc.

Former Habs tough guy will take on Martin Trempe in Quebec City next month

H2OÂ Innovation to release 2011 Q3 financial results and hold a conference ... Reuters (press release) Quebec City, May 5, 2011 - H2O Innovation Inc. ("H2O Innovation" or the "Company") announces that it will release its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2011 on Thursday, May 12, 2011, at approximately 8 am (Eastern Time). ... H2O Innovation to Release 2011 Q3 Financial Results and Hold a Conference Call ...Marketwire (press release) all 8 news articles »

(14 votes - 2 comments - 146 views)
From Vimeo: "I shot this timelapse montage from late 2010 through early 2011.
One year in the making.

My goal was to show the duality between city and nature.

Locations include :

- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Quebec city, Quebec, Canada
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Manhattan, New York, USA
- Chicago, Illinois, USA"

Between late 2010 and early 2011, photographer Dominic Boudreault visited Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Manhattan, and Chicago, shooting gorgeous images of the cityscapes at night using a Canon 5D Mark II. The images were then combined into this beautiful time-lapse video showing the hustle and bustle of highways, sidewalks, streets, and rivers. (via Fstoppers)

It's by no means a slam dunk, a home run or even a wrist shot to the back of the net, but two self-confessed "jock economists" at the Conference Board of Canada appear to be cautiously making the business argument for bringing the National Hockey League back to Winnipeg and Quebec City.

The outstanding design lines of the Maddock House ware created by Canadian architect Marc Boutin. Built in Calgary, Canada, the imposing wood and stone structure is home to a family of four. Featuring extensive panoramas of the Rocky Mountains and the city centre to the west, the house was designed to have the most important social spaces…

Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below !

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Modern Mountain Cottage in Quebec, by Blouin Tardif Architecture	Energy Conscious House Design by Simon Winstanley Architects

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But the voters voted for her. Is that so wrong?

When he first heard rumours that Brosseau was a unilingual anglophone with no connection to the riding and no knowledge of the agriculture and forestry issues affecting its people, he urged caution, believing it to be the dirty tricks of another opposition party. When he found out the rumours were true, he said he was crushed. “It’s humiliating for us. Extremely humiliating,” he said. “We are not idiots. We’ve been lied to.” Simard said: “We’re checking person by person right now. We’ve put our lawyers on it. There may be people who will testify by affidavit. When we have that proof we’ll ask Elections Canada to take steps to call another election.”

I recall on Monday about 5:27 pm being in the polling booth trying to make an intelligent decision. I had caught bits of local debates on cable and read a few articles. I watched the national race primarily and made a call to vote strategically for a party I never voted for before. I knew what I was doing.

I actually know where Berthierville is. When I lived in the Upper Ottawa valley, we took Quebec highway 158 as part of our travels east and always made a stop there. Pretty rural lowland by the point where a tributary meets the St. Lawrence. You can take a ferry to the other side or head up the 40 to Quebec City to take the bridge. The Subway sandwich shop is handy. Look, if there was an issue with the paperwork, that should have been handled before the vote. If there is real fraud, fine - call the cops. But saying you don't like the place of residence, or the language or the job or the absence or anything else about the person you just voted in? That's your own fault. That's what campaigns are for. Apparently the Grits, the Tories and the Bloq or the populace as a whole missed the fact that she was on the ballot. Tough luck. You lost.

CBC.ca

The end of Coyotes saga could be near Winnipeg Free Press If there is any truth to reports out of Phoenix Wednesday night, Tuesday could mark a very big day in Winnipeg's ongoing pursuit of an NHL hockey team. Maybe things finally fall apart for certain in Phoenix and Winnipeg gets the Coyotes. ... QUEBEC CITY AND WINNIPEG HAVE IMPROVED MARKET CONDITIONS FOR NHL HOCKEY, BUT ...CanadianBusiness.com Winnipeg can support an NHL team: Conference Board of CanadaiNews880.com New deal to keep Coyotes in Arizona in the worksMontreal Gazette Yahoo! Sports -Toronto Star -CANOE all 232 news articles »

In reading that article my first question is; are we to believe from reading this article that NHL is better off struggling in markets like Phoenix and Atlanta than the small Canadian markets like Quebec City and Winnipeg. Some my next question would be; are we to glean from the article that it would be a down grade if one of these two Canadian cities were able to have an NHL franchise again?

Let’s break this down further; the Phoenix Coyotes drew an unimpressive average of 12,208 fans per game this past season, this ranked the Coyotes 29th out of 30 teams. Also, the Atlanta Thrashers were a little better, but not much, as the Thrashers averaged an also unimpressive figure of 13,403 fans per game, that’s good enough for 27th out of 30 teams… If you don’t’ believe me click on the attendance number yourself and look at the numbers.

OTTAWA, May 4 /CNW/ - The market conditions in Québec City and Winnipeg have improved since National Hockey League (NHL) franchises left about 15 years ago— but both cities face additional challenges to make new NHL teams sustainable, The Conference Board of Canada concludes in its third publication on the pro sports market in Canada.

"Compared to the mid-1990s, when their respective teams departed, Quebec City and Winnipeg have higher populations and increased per capita disposable income, and Canadian franchises enjoy a loonie at parity with its U.S. counterpart. The prospective teams in both Quebec City and Winnipeg would unquestionably be in small markets, but the NHL's player salary cap would give them a chance to stay competitive with teams in larger cities," said Mario Lefebvre, Director, Centre for Municipal Studies, and co-author of The Four Market Pillars at Work: The Case of the Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets.

"Whether the overall conditions are sufficient to bring back a team to the passionate fans in either city remains debatable. Quebec City has a very small corporate presence. Winnipeg's fans would face a challenge of supporting both NHL and Canadian Football League teams. Overcoming these hurdles will require a lot of work and dedication from all stakeholders."

The Conference Board's previous publication in its Playing in the Big Leagues series identified four market factors - market size, income levels, corporate presence and a level-playing field - that help to explain why NHL teams departed from Quebec and Winnipeg in 1995 and 1996, respectively.

Both the Québec City and Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Areas now have populations over 750,000 - they both stood at roughly 680,000 in the mid-1990s. As discussed in the previous briefing in this series, Defining the Market Conditions for Success, the Conference Board estimates that the population of a market must match the potential total number of tickets sold in a season. Thus, a successful NHL franchise in Canada requires a minimum population of approximately 800,000 people. This conclusion is based on a review of the sports economics literature and the Conference Board's hypothesis on key market-based factors.

Income levels have also improved in both cities. Winnipeg moved from sixth in the 1990s to fifth in 2009, in terms of per capita income levels among Canada's nine largest cities (population wise). Québec City's per capita income ranking improved from eighth to seventh place during the same time period.

The biggest change in favour of a return of NHL teams to Canada is the evolution of a more level playing field. The Canadian dollar is now hovering around parity with its U.S. counterpart, and the Conference Board forecasts that the loonie will remain in that range for the foreseeable future. As a result, Canadian teams are no longer paying an exchange-rate premium on player salaries.

In addition, a player salary cap has been established. While the NHL could do more when it comes to revenue sharing, the salary cap gives some assistance to smaller-market franchises in competing with larger centres.

Read the full original article...

CBC citizen election blogger Claude Boucher in Quebec City reports that Quebecers are feeling a post-election hangover.

The Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques still face obstacles - especially the low number of major corporations - before an NHL franchise can prosper in either city, the Conference Board of Canada says.

Further to discussion about how Toronto's skyline stacks up against other cities around the world, this slick time-lapse video I found earlier today provides an interesting comparison of Toronto, Montreal, Chicago and New York (there's also a few shots of Quebec City). That's not really the point of the sequence — which creator Dominic Boudreault states is "to show the duality between city and nature," whatever that means — but with so many skyline shots, it's tough not to measure the cities against one another, even if the exercise is mostly just a time waster.

Unfortunately the shots of Toronto could be more plentiful (there's only three or four in total), but it's still worth a share on account of how well put together the whole thing is. According to Boudreault it took over a year to produce on account of the travel and all the processing. The score by Hans Zimmer might be a bit over the top, but I have to admit it all kind of works. If cinematic time-lapses are your type of thing, this'll make you happy.

Timelapse - The City Limits from Dominic on Vimeo.

It’s by no means a slam dunk, a home run or even a wrist shot to the back of the net, but two self-confessed “jock economists” at the Conference Board of Canada appear to be cautiously making the business argument for bringing the National Hockey League back to Winnipeg and Quebec City.

Filed under: Fighting, News

Donald Brashear will make his MMA debut on June 4 against a relatively unknown heavyweight.

According to Nic Landry of RDS, the former NHL enforcer has agreed to face Martin Trempe (0-2) in a heavyweight bout at Ringside MMA 11 in Quebec City. The fight, which will be officially announced at a press conference in Quebec City on Thursday, will mark Brashear's first pro MMA bout.

From the Jewish Journal, by David Suissa:

I’ll never forget sitting with a group of intellectuals several years ago, at the height of the messy war in Iraq, and discussing why President Bush and America had fallen so low in the esteem of the world. One great mind after another offered sophisticated analyses. My head was spinning.

Finally, someone piped up: “Everything would be different if Bush were winning the war.”

At which point a distinguished professor from Israel said: “This is brilliant! Bush’s real problem is that he’s not winning!” I sat there, slightly stunned, thinking: How can something so complicated lend itself to such an easy insight?

I reflected on that insight the other night when President Obama announced the killing of Osama bin Laden after a nearly 10-year pursuit. Here was a president who had suffered relentless criticism for his handling of foreign affairs. And now, as Jeffrey Goldberg wrote on his blog: “Our President, in the blink of an eye, has gone from a hyper-criticized, seemingly-swamped possibly-one-term leader to an American hero, a commander-in-chief who calmly oversaw the killing of the greatest mass murderer in American history.”

And why did he become a hero? Not because he made one of his inspiring speeches or announced a brilliant new policy.

He became a hero because he got a win. It’s as simple — and as complicated — as that.

We love to teach our kids that life is not about winning and losing but “how you play the game.” That may be true when you’re dealing with people of good faith. But when you’re dealing with people who are out for blood, it’s a good idea to know how to win.

Naturally, Jews and Israel have always been juicy targets for people out for blood. So, how should one deal with such aggression?

I found a wonderful answer last week in a shoe store, of all places, on trendy St. Denis Street in downtown Montreal. The French Canadian owner of the store, who has been there for 25 years, decided last year to carry a woman’s shoe line from Israel called Beautifeel. Well, wouldn’t you know it, within a few months, a vicious boycott campaign was under way against the store, led by a popular local politician, Amir Khadir.

To give you an idea of the tone of their campaign, one of the boycotters’ leaflets had an oversize image of a woman’s shoe stomping on a pile of buried naked bodies — reminiscent of those horror shots of emaciated bodies you see in Holocaust documentaries. Written on the shoe was “Beautifeel. Made in Apartheid Israel.” On top was the headline, in French, “Boycottons la boutique Le Marcheur” (“Let’s boycott the boutique Le Marcheur”).

Week after week, the boycotters recruited large and noisy crowds to hand out the leaflets and implore people not to enter Le Marcheur. Their mission was to pressure the owner, Yves Archambault, to stop carrying the Israeli shoe line so that the neighborhood would be “apartheid free.” But Archambault refused, out of principle. It didn’t seem right to him that he should be told how to run his business. His business suffered, but he held firm.

The story hardly ends there. The Jewish community in Montreal got wind of the boycott and went nuts. A “buycott” campaign was launched, and Jews from all over the city came to buy shoes at Le Marcheur. A woman bought a hundred pairs. Archambault became a local hero.

Meanwhile, creative minds went to work producing counter leaflets mocking the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement as “Boycott Derangement Syndrome,” explaining the discrimination and hypocrisy inherent in the movement. These leaflets gave people the Israeli side of the story. Archambault did his own research and found out that the Israeli shoe company (besides making great shoes!) hired women, minorities and Palestinians and treated their employees very well. The Quebec General Assembly drafted a unanimous resolution condemning the boycott and supporting the store.

And what happened to the initiator of the boycott, Amir Khadir? He went low-key and stopped coming to the demonstrations. Apparently, he concluded that the backlash might not be good for his political future.

I tell you this story not to remind you of the insidious global movement to demonize the Jewish state. That’s old hat by now. I’m telling you this story because it’s a tribute to the noble virtues of fighting back and winning.

Too often, we recoil at the idea of fighting. It leaves a bad taste in our mouth. We dread the thought of “lowering ourselves to the level of mudslinging.” We prefer notions like “engagement” and “bridge building.”

But the nasty boycotters of St. Denis Street who used Nazi imagery to malign an Israeli shoe company were not looking for engagement or bridge building. They were looking for blood — and a victory.

Faced with such aggression, how else to respond but to fight back?

Yes, in such cases, life is a zero sum game. One side wins, and the other side loses. The Jewish community of Montreal, with the support of a brave French Canadian shoe merchant, fought back ferociously and smartly against what it perceived as a grave injustice to the State of Israel. And, guess what — they won.

It’s not as dramatic as taking down bin Laden, but we’ll take it.

(h/t Max)

There’s a lot of attention given towards Mother’s Day gifts, but what MP really wants is a day of gorgeous food and gardens. To start, the team is going to attempt making crepes for Sunday breakfast. MP spent time in Quebec City during college and she still dreams about the crêperie she often visited. Thankfully, [...]

As frustrating as a couple of those calls were last night, the reason the Nashville Predators lost Game 3 was because they couldn't establish pressure consistently in the Vancouver end. Pucks didn't get chipped past the D often enough, and even when they did, the Canucks were able to retrieve them first and reverse the flow of play. With Steve Sullivan suffering a "lower body injury", what lineup changes will Barry Trotz make, and will we perhaps see some line shuffling in Game 4 tomorrow?

For now, we start off after the jump with a look at the growth of the Nashville fan base which aired on NHL Network yesterday, featuring a host of familiar faces...

Nashville Predators News

For recaps of last night's game check The View From 111, Preds On The Glass, Section 303, Hockey Night in Nashville, the Nashville City Paper, The Tennessean, and from the victorious side, Nucks Misconduct and Canucks Hockey Blog.

We Are Nashville: One Year Later | Section 303
Patten looks back on the anniversary of his famous post-flood article.

No history? No stars? No problem for the Nashville Predators- Sports Illustrated
The Preds get a little run in SI this week... thank goodness it's not SOB in a bikini.

An Uncommon Commonality | Pull My (Fang)Finger
Thought-provoking stuff here from AJ, musing on the nature of online vs. in-person interaction and how it has helped develop the community of Preds fans.

Preds On The Glass: The Uniqueness of Smashville
Ryan pens an ode to Nashville.

Preds On The Glass: POTG Wednesday News, Headlines, and Links
Buddy documents the downfall of television. I had a hunch that whole thing was just a fad.

Resilient Admirals Top Aeros In Game 3 | Admirals Roundtable
Well, at least Milwaukee took a 2-1 series lead over Houston...

Cox: Kesler scores in OT as Canucks gain edge - thestar.com
The burden of responsibility now falls upon the Nashville forwards to start producing more consistently, as the Canucks utterly foiled their attempts to get a cycle going last night.

Elvis is the ringmaster in the Predators’ circus - The Globe and Mail
You just knew that someone would interview the Elvis who hangs out in front of Bridgestone Arena on game nights!

Nashville Predators find a scorer in Joel Ward - The Tennessean
Is it a good or bad thing that Joel Ward is the Preds' leading playoff goal scorer? I'm looking at you, Patric Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn.

Nashville Predators rip hooking call - The Tennessean
You know it's a momentous occasion when David Legwand says something controversial.

Around the NHL

Pass or Fail: Canucks’ Carrie Underwood playoff anthem spoof - Puck Daddy
Meh... I'm surprised we haven't seen more of this stuff from the Nashville side.

World Championship: Day 6 Open Thread - Puck Worlds
There are a couple good matchups today, Finland vs. Czech Republic and Sweden vs. USA.

Viability of NHL in Winnipeg and Quebec backed by report - The Globe and Mail
I do wonder about Winnipeg's ability to support an NHL team over the long-haul. I have no doubt they'd sell out every game for a year or two, but what if they're uncompetitive?

Jagr rumours, next year's backup and the baby Habs playoff runs - Habs Eyes On The Prize
Speculation is running wild over what the Habs might do this summer, including a possible NHL return for Jaromir Jagr (really?).

Recap: Lightning 4, Caps 3 - Japers' Rink
Ruh roh... the #1 seed in the East is now down 3 games to none.

Beyond the points: 10 valuable NHL playoff performers - USATODAY.com
Kevin Allen gives a pat on the back to some guys who aren't filling up the scoresheet.

CBCSports.ca - Scott Gomez's future, plus 30 thoughts
Elliotte needs to get out to the Western Conference more often, but this is still good stuff.

The strength of the Canadian dollar could lure the National Hockey League back to markets it abandoned in the 1990s. But reporter Josh Rubin writes in Wednesday’s Toronto Star that success would not be guaranteed for new Canadian teams. He cites a new Conference Board of Canada study that says the small number of corporate headquarters in Quebec City and Winnipeg would be a barrier to success. The NHL left both cities in the mid-1990s. The Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Quebec Nordiques became the Colorado...

CTV.ca

Body found is dad of burned kids Montreal Gazette The property, belonging to his side of the divided family, is about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. The inferno burned Zacharie and Florence to death. Houle's body was found about noon Tuesday, Sgt. Louis-Philippe Ruel of the Sûreté du Québec ... Murder-suicide suspected in children's deathNational Post Young brothers found dead in burned pickupUPI.com Police find third body near burned pickupEdmonton Journal all 97 news articles »

from Canada News Wire, The market conditions in Québec City and Winnipeg have improved since National Hockey League (NHL) franchises left about 15 years ago— but both cities face additional challenges to make new NHL teams sustainable, The Conference Board of Canada concludes in its third publication on the pro sports market in Canada. “Compared to the mid-1990s, when their respective teams departed, Quebec City and Winnipeg have higher populations and increased per capita disposable income, and Canadian franchises enjoy a loonie at parity with its U.S. counterpart. The prospective teams in both Quebec City and Winnipeg would unquestionably be in small markets, but the NHL’s player salary cap would give them a chance to stay competitive with teams in larger cities,” said Mario Lefebvre, Director, Centre for Municipal Studies, and co-author of The Four Market Pillars at Work: The Case of the Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets. “Whether the overall conditions are sufficient to bring back a team to the passionate fans in either city remains debatable. Quebec City has a very small corporate presence. Winnipeg’s fans would face a challenge of supporting both NHL and Canadian Football League teams. Overcoming these hurdles will require a lot of work and dedication from all stakeholders.” continued

Globe and Mail

QUEBEC CITY AND WINNIPEG HAVE IMPROVED MARKET CONDITIONS FOR NHL HOCKEY, BUT ... CanadianBusiness.com By Canada NewsWire | May 04, 2011 OTTAWA, May 4 /CNW/ - The market conditions in Québec City and Winnipeg have improved since National Hockey League (NHL) franchises left about 15 years ago— but both cities face additional challenges to make new NHL ... Loonie boosts odds of NHL success in CanadaToronto Star QUEBEC CITY AND WINNIPEG HAVE IMPROVED MARKET CONDITIONS FOR NHL HOCKEY, BUT ...Canada NewsWire (press release) Viability of NHL in Winnipeg and Quebec backed by reportGlobe and Mail Toronto Sun -AZ Central.com -Arizona Republic all 136 news articles »

Globe and Mail

Loonie boosts odds of NHL success in Canada Toronto Star The NHL has rejected a report stating the Phoenix Coyotes are headed back to Winnipeg after the playoffs. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Gene J. Puskar By Josh Rubin Staff Reporter The soaring loonie makes NHL hockey a better bet in Winnipeg and Quebec City ... NHL covers its bottom line with cash from Coyotes' home townSportingNews.com Two-year battle for Phoenix Coyotes drags on in GlendaleAZ Central.com Glendale pays NHL $25 million for Coyotes lossesChicago Tribune Toronto Sun -Arizona Republic -UPI.com all 123 news articles »

Photo: Wikipedia, Public domain Deliveries Scheduled for Q3 of 2011 Canadians in 7 markets (Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Oshawa, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City) are now able to order a Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid for a pre-incentive MSRP price of C$41,545. Thanks to government rebates, in Quebec and Read the full story on TreeHugger

Via Treehugger - Photo: Wikipedia, Public domain Deliveries Scheduled for Q3 of 2011 Canadians in 7 markets (Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Oshawa, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City) a...

Guitarist Michael Romeo of North America's progressive metal masterminds SYMPHONY X was interviewed by MusikUniverse.net prior to the band's April 26, 2011 performance in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest reacts to the federal election results in Quebec City on Tuesday.

Photo: Wikipedia , Public domain Deliveries Scheduled for Q3 of 2011 Canadians in 7 markets (Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Oshawa, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City) are now able to order a Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid for a pre-incentive MSRP price of C$41,545. Thanks to government rebates, in Quebec and

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM, North America

Chevrolet VoltAge has revealed that participating dealerships in Canada are now officially taking orders for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The MSRP for Chevy's plug-in up north? It starts at C$41,545 ($43,610 U.S. at the current exchange rate). However, in Ontario, the Volt is expected to qualify for a $8,230 incentive. Likewise, in Quebec, the plug-in should be eligible for up to a $7,769 incentive. Only one trim level will be available to Canadian customers, but two optional packs add some extra items to the mix - a premium package and a rear camera/park assist package

Here's the Volt's tentative Canadian rollout schedule:

• The Volt will initially be available to retail customers in the marketing areas for Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Oshawa, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City in the third quarter of this year.
• Within twelve months of the retail launch, the Volt will be available at dealerships nationwide.
• If you're interested in ordering a Volt, you can locate a participating dealer on Chevy.com and contact them to place your order.

U.S. customers, General Motors hasn't forgotten about you and reassures everyone that Volts will be delivered to all 50 states by the the end of 2011.



Photos copyright (C)2011 Zach Bowman / AOL

[Source: Chevrolet VoltAge, General Motors]

Continue reading 2012 Chevy Volt priced at C$41,545 in Canada; dealers taking orders now

2012 Chevy Volt priced at C$41,545 in Canada; dealers taking orders now originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 03 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canada's Conservative Party swept into the majority in yesterday's national elections.

Canadian voters have radically redrawn the country’s political landscape, handing the Conservative Party its long-sought majority in an election that decimated the Bloc Québécois and humbled the Liberals. For the first time in history, the New Democratic Party will form the Official Opposition after an extraordinary breakthrough that propelled the party to more than 100 seats. The extent of the transformation is startling. The Liberals now hold just four seats west of Guelph, Ont. The Conservatives, formerly shunned by Toronto voters, won nearly half of the seats in that city, twice as many as the Liberals. The Bloc Québécois, which defined Quebec federal politics for two decades, no longer qualifies for official party status. And Green Party Leader Elizabeth May won the party’s first seat, and the right to a place in the next election’s debates.

By now, we all know the outcome of last night's federal election: the Conservatives won a majority and the NDP became the opposition for the first time. There's little doubt the Liberal's fall from grace, particularly in Toronto, helped with that historic outcome. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff not only lost the election, but he lost his Etobicoke-Lakeshore seat. Other key Toronto ridings the Liberals thought they could count on were lost too, including those of Joe Volpe and Ken Dryden. And you know things are pretty bad when the NDP surge took what was thought to be a guaranteed Grit seat in Davenport (where Sliva was traded fro Cash), a riding where Liberals had ruled for 40 years. NDP's Peggy Nash also overtook Liberal incumbent Gerard Kennedy in Parkdale-High Park. A 56 year old NDP volunteer, Steven Gurevitch, who first volunteered for the party as a teen, said, "I had to wait until I had grey hair to see this. I'm totally amazed."

This doesn't sound too good. Toronto senior citizens and nursing home residents are complaining about election day interruptions that kept them from voting. In one instance, a polling station had been changed at the last minute to a location that was too far for the nursing residents to travel to. In a similar case, one nursing home resident tried to vote in her own building, but was told her passport, her health card and her voter card were not enough identification. Other residents in the building encountered the same issue. I guess they wanted their dental records too. In another case, a Star photographer's voter card had the address of a school that had been torn down. Do they not check these things out first? Elections Canada was not immediately available for comment.

In today's National Post, Matt Gurney discusses Toronto's dramatic shift to the right. He argues that for those who chalked up Rob Ford's win as a fluke, they're wrong: Toronto's gone Tory, or at least enough Tory to strongly influence the landscape of the city over the next four years.

Another question on people's minds today (and likely for a while) is whether or not the increased support for the Conservatives in the GTA will result in the same from them in return. Ford thinks Harper wants to help him build subways, but the prime minister hasn't actually committed to anything. Still, that endorsement looks pretty savvy right now. Or does it?

Despite all the talk of Canada's arcane election laws being violated by people tweeting results prior to all polls closing, it was actually the CBC who had the biggest gaffe. When they went on air at 9pm, they started to broadcast results from Atlantic Canada, a full 30 minutes prior to polls closing in Ontario and Quebec. That went on for about four minutes before the technical difficulties sign went up. Of course, #tweettheresults was also a hugely popular hashtag, so by the time the next election rolls around in 2015 (!), one would think this whole policy needs to be revisited.

With almost every poll reporting, voter turnout across the country hovers at 61.4%, which represents a small increase over 2008. Still, that's a lot of people who didn't cast a ballot.

OTHER NEWS:

• Go green: Recycle your elections signs
• A muted victory for GTA relatives of 9/11 victims
• What do you think about the Jays so far?

With contributions from Derek Flack. Photo by emuchewy in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Federal election results are sometimes best presented visual terms. In fact, maybe it's always the graphics and maps that hit home exactly what changes have taken place. Case in point: a comparison of the CBC's results maps from 2008 and 2011 paints a pretty good picture of just what went down last night. Quebec turned orange and the GTA lost most of its red. It's obviously a bit more nuanced than that, but the collapse of the Liberals in Toronto and the rise of the New Democrats in Quebec are certainly the most obvious visual cues that the winds of change were a blowin'.

The blue crush in Southern Ontario is also dramatic looking, but less so when compared with 2008. Most of these ridings voted Conservative last time as well. So does the Toronto map look like Ford Country has lived up to its name (i.e. on a federal level)? Perhaps not in the core of the city, but the inroads are obvious. What this means for the next provincial election remains to be seen, but one would think Tim Hudak has been energized by the success of the Conservatives in the GTA.

To use the interactive maps, which allow you to zoom in and out, check out the CBC's Canada Votes page. Lead image of voting breakdown by party in Ontario from 2011.

For more how the election played out last night, check out our results post.

GTA RIDINGS

2011
2008

SOUTHERN ONTARIO

2011
2008

CANADA

2011
2008

All screengrabs from the CBC's Canada Votes hub

All five ridings in the city voted NDP, wiping Bloc Québécois off the region’s political map

In Canada's parliamentary elections, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper has won a majority in the House of Commons. PM Harper, who first took office in 2006, has won two elections but until now had never held a majority of Parliament's 308 seats, forcing him to rely on the opposition to pass legislation.

Polls had predicted another hung parliament but Harper's Conservatives did exceedingly well in Alberta, the Prairies, the Maritimes and in most surprisingly of all in metro Toronto in a stunning and historic sea-change election. The Conservatives, formerly shunned by Toronto voters, won nearly half of the seats in that city, twice as many as the Liberals.

Elections Canada reported preliminary results on its website, giving the Conservatives 167 seats based on 39.6 percent of the popular. Canada has a first-past-the-post system. One hundred and fifty-five seats are required to form a majority.

Harper will now be able to press forward with his conservative agenda that seeks to transform a traditionally center-left country into a more right-wing country. During his five years in power, Harper has lowered sales and corporate taxes, avoided climate change legislation, increased military spending and extended Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

For the Liberal Party, the elections were an unexpected and serious debacle. Long the dominant Canadian party, the Liberals are projected to win just 34 seats on 18.9 percent of the popular vote down from 26 percent in the last election. This is the poorest showing in the party's history with party leader Michael Ignatieff losing his Toronto-based seat. The party failed to win a seat in any of Canada's vast western provinces and saw its share of seats in the Maritimes cut in half. Only in Newfoundland, Canada's poorest province, did the Liberals fare well.

The Liberals' falls was a gain for the left of centre New Democrats (NDP). The New Democrats led by Jack Layton are projected to become the main opposition party for the first time in Canadian history with 102 seats on 30.9 percent of the vote. In addition, the Green party has won a seat for the first time ever. Nationwide, the Greens captured 4.8 percent of the popular vote.

The separatist Bloc Québécois also fared poorly winning just 4 seats on 6.1 percent of the popular vote. In Quebec, 18 years of Bloc Québécois dominance crumbled as the NDP was elected in 58 of 75 of the province electoral districts known as ridings.

More from Toronto's Globe and Mail.

The New Democratic Party juggernaut rocked the Quebec City region Monday night and seriously shook this Conservative stronghold.

Can you help me identify these children's books from the 1960s? A friend of mine has wonderful memories of three books he read in grade 7 in 1961 and would like help on finding them. The first one was a story about a young guy who sailed with Sir Francis Drake. The second one had a hero who was a young assistant to a doctor in Quebec City in the 1700s. The third one was about a fellow who was part of a salvage ship's crew. My friend borrowed these books from the school library (Holland Elementary School, Quebec City). All of these books were hardcovers and likely popular at the time.

Early results showing New Democrats winning ridings from both Conservatives and Bloc Québécois