Can we dream of series?
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Will the Canadian make the playoffs this year?
The month of September returns with its rituals. The children go back to school, we put the tomatoes in pots… and the Montreal Canadiens hold their famous annual golf tournament. So, will he make the playoffs this year? What ? Were you waiting for the big bosses of the club to use the P-word, for “playoffs”? Not so fast! The team’s leadership prefers the word “growth.” A cautious approach that does not please all amateurs. These texts from colleagues in the Sports section enlighten you here on the subject of realistic… and desirable expectations for the coming season.
These devices that fail too quickly
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Faced with a dishwasher that is failing after three years, we all want to believe in this diabolical strategy which drives the economy by making us poorer, planned obsolescence.
When an appliance fails us, the discussion quickly turns to this question: is it normal that we have to replace a dishwasher after only three years? And we invariably evoke these almost indestructible devices from another era. However, you have to get up very, very early to prove planned obsolescence. It’s a bit like looking for the yeti, noted columnist Marie-Eve Fournier in conversation with a professor who looked into this question that concerns us all. Here is his text which goes beyond our impressions and which will allow us to add concrete data to the conversation.
To put an end to “no shows”
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Should restaurant owners impose a penalty of around $20 on those who cancel their reservation less than 24 hours in advance (or simply don’t show up)?
If you are eating out this weekend, a reserved table near you may remain free. Nearly one in five reservations are not honored, indicates a report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Should restaurant owners impose a penalty of around $20 on those who cancel their reservation less than 24 hours in advance (or simply don’t show up)? Many establishment owners want it, our colleague Nathaëlle Morissette reported this week. The “no-show” phenomenon leads them to demand a change in Consumer Protection Act.
The crisis that no one can ignore
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
A makeshift camp erected by homeless people in Gatineau
The homelessness crisis is getting a lot of attention these days, in Montreal but also in Quebec, Gatineau and many other cities. Many opinions are being heard on the solutions to be put forward to counter the meteoric rise in the number of homeless people. However, to get an idea of the issue before discussing it with your guests, it is worth returning to the observation made during the most recent count, carried out on October 11. That night, hundreds of people counted 10,000 homeless people in Quebec, nearly a quarter of whom found themselves on the street after being evicted from their housing.
A vaccine with that?
PHOTO ANGELA WEISS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Health Canada this week approved the update to Moderna’s vaccine, which protects against Omicron’s XBB.1.5 subvariant.
One last topic to conclude your Saturday evening dinner… but it’s not a dessert. It’s a subject that no one really wants to discuss, but which is proving to be quite unavoidable with the return of fall and… the increase in cases. Health Canada this week approved the update to Moderna’s vaccine, which protects against Omicron’s XBB.1.5 subvariant. Federal public health officials recommend that Canadians receive this version of the vaccine, perhaps at the same time as an annual dose of influenza vaccine. For the moment, Quebec intends to offer the up-to-date vaccine as a priority to vulnerable people, such as those aged 60 and over.