Montreal Times 26.09 November 28, 2020

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RESTAURANT SURVIVAL

Montreal restaurateur Jon Gumbley (right), is optimistic that restaurant culture will survive and his own establishments will thrive in spite of major setbacks to the industry. Vincent Nguyen from Restaurant Hoai Huong in Brossard (left).

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Trudeau Airport Station - REM Artist Rendition

Quebec withdraws funding for REM station at Montreal Trudeau Airport The Quebec government said the province will be withdrawing funding for the REM station at Montreal's Trudeau Airport. The news came at a time when the ADM (Aeroports de Montreal) was already struggling with an expected financial loss of $600 million, due to a 97% reduction in passenger traffic since the pandemic began in early spring.

Florence Plourde, a spokesperson for François Bonnardel, the CAQ's Transport Minister, said in an email to Global News 'the government has already invested $1.28 billion in the REM, not including $192 million for the implementation of mitigation measures, while Hydro-Quebec has also contributed $295 million… at this stage, we believe that efforts can still be made by the Montreal airport, which falls under the purview of the federal government and not of the Quebec government, in the search for a solution for the financing of this proj• November 28, 2020

ect' according to the report. Amy Butcher, a spokesperson for Marc Garneau, Canada's Federal Transport Minister, also stated in an email, 'We were disappointed to learn that the government of Quebec has withdrawn from the Montreal airport station project after several months of work in collaboration with our government… it is imperative that a solution be found given the importance of the airport station for this entire public transit project, a project that will improve mobility for citizens and visitors to the Greater Montreal area for generations to come'. The Canadian government has also invested $1.28 billion in the REM project.

As well, Anne-Sophie Hamel, a spokesperson for the ADM said they would not be commenting yet, as 'the information has not yet been confirmed officially (by the Quebec government) with whom we have been negotiating for more than five www.mtltimes.ca

months' and despite the setback the 'ADM remained confident it would find the financial backing it needs in order to meet its obligations towards the REM project'.They have been in negotiations with both the Federal and Provincial governments to secure a loan, crucial to the REM project since the financial losses incurred since last March.

Premier Francois Legault said during a November 19th news conference, that 'having a train station at the airport was critical, but it wasn’t the provincial government’s responsibility to pay for it and that it has to be paid by the owner - the actual owner, ADM, or the preceding owner which was the federal government'.

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November 28, 2020 •

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COVID-19: No holiday cheer for restaurants in red zones!

A frosty atmosphere for home parties

Just last week Quebec was proposing a ''moral contract'' with Quebecers that would allow them to enjoy the holidays at home with their families and friends. Premier François Legault gave the green light for up to 10 people to get together in private homes between Dec. 24 - Dec. 27.The premier was asking people to stick to one or two gatherings during the four-day window and to isolate for a week before and after if possible. Anyone with COVID symptoms is advised to stay away and no New Year's parties will be allowed. Legault made the announcement despite previous warnings that Christmas celebrations might be cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

At the time he said that his own family was important to him and this factored into his decision to allow gatherings at home. This just in: Legault says that if the number of cases goes up too much he won't allow any holiday gatherings.

Last week's announcment was welcome news for many who hadn't seen their loved ones since before the lockdown began in March. However, there will be no stocking stuffers on Christmas Eve for restaurateurs, bar, and pub owners. Seated service will remain off-limits and dining rooms won't reopen until at least Jan. 11, 2021. Ditto, for gyms and other venues. Not everyone is pleased with this turn of events. ''Barring us from restaurants is killing any chance for us to meet up with family & friends, not to • November 28, 2020

By Deborah Rankin mtltimes.ca

mention the financial destruction caused to restaurateurs and their staff, '' says Norman Simon, Founder and Administrator of Canadians for Coexistence an intercultural group that promotes discussion and exchange between different communities. ''This is unacceptable.'' Like many Montrealers, the retired teacher can't fathom the logic of allowing big box stores and shopping malls to stay open while restaurants and pubs have to remain shuttered during what should be their busiest season.

Many in the restaurant industry feel that they are being unfairly stigmatized. After continual delays in plans to reopen for indoor seated service and with the government throwing cold water on keeping cold patios open outside they were prepared for another letdown but are holding their www.mtltimes.ca

heads high. The Association Restauration Québec (ARQ) has put out a statement to reassure public authorities that seated service in dining rooms doesn't pose a health risk to customers. “Even if this announcement isn’t a surprise to the ARQ and its members, it can only be met with immense frustration. The ARQ maintains that restaurants are places where the demanded sanitary measures of the Public Health [department] are respected to the letter.We repeat: establishments in the red zone have the capacity to safely welcome clients in December.”

The ARQ maintains that restaurants are safer than home gatherings where individuals are on the honor system. Service to customers is supervised and establishments are monitored by public health inspectors and the police. The frustration of worried restaurateurs is all the more palpable given the fact that the majority of the province’s eateries have yet to receive rent relief, François Meunier, Vice-President of Public and Government Affairs at the ARQ told Radio-Canada. “The closure of dining rooms, even for just one or two weeks, would mean the permanent closure for many restaurants.” The ARQ reports that Montreal restaurants had already experienced a 50 percent decline in sales in July compared to the same month the previous year. continued on Page 8

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Winter car shelters - love them or hate them With the winter season at our doorsteps, the subject of driveway car shelters is once again creating a debate on whether they are an ugly blot on our streets or a basic necessity. Popularly known as a 'Tempo', the poly tarp covered, temporary structures are now popping up all over the Montreal Island with some people who love them and others who hate them.

For those without garages, tempos could be a great stress saver, especially for the elderly and people with mobility issues - never mind all the shoveling, slippery ice can be a danger with life-threating consequences. Even with a garage, not everyone can afford a snow removal service. Having to get up early to shovel the driveway in the cold can be a daunting task.

Nonetheless, some still see the shelters as major eyesores and would rather have them banned altogether. It is true, tempos are not esthetically pleasing and some people claim having them on their street brings down the value of

By Bonnie Wurst mtltimes.ca their homes. Other cite the dangers of when cars pull out from the shelters and the potential accidents they could cause - if the driver does not properly check if another car or a person, could be crossing their path. All good points.

In the Greater Montreal area, there are boroughs and municipalities where tempos are permitted, but there are other areas, especially in the West Island, where they are prohibited - including the municipalities of Beaconsfield, Dollard des Ormeaux, Pointe Claire, Kirkland and Baie D'urfee. However, they are www.mtltimes.ca

allowed in the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and the municipalities of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue and Dorval. In the city, the municipality of Cote St. Luc and the boroughs of Saint-Laurent and Ville-Marie do not permit them.

Rationale for the bans also include crime prevention and personal safety.The concern is visibility, as someone can easily hide inside one and surprise a person passing by. But there has been a solution to that for years - tempos that come with clear windows. Another concern is the weight of snow or ice that can accumulate on top of them.

If not well maintained, it could cause the structures to cave in, injuring or trapping someone underneath. One way or another, winter is here to stay - and with it comes snow, ice, freezing rain and pellets.

In fact, our winters are predicted to get even more challenging. What is your opinion? Are the shelters an eyesore or a necessity?

November 28, 2020 •

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Restaurateurs and proprietors of drinking establishments have had to think outside the box to survive an unprecedented financial crisis this year. John Edward Gumbley of the Jegantic team is the owner of Bord'Elle Boutique Bar & Eatery an upscale restaurant-bar by day that switches to an after-hours nightclub at the stroke of midnight and, The Farsides an edgy new take on the restaurant and bar scene serving Thaï & Hawaiian fusion cuisine set to the tune of 80's and 90's hip pop. These were two of the hottest culinary spots in Old Montreal before Premier Legault and Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda shut their doors for indoor seated service for the second time. ''Put it this way,'' Gumbley says, ''they've treated us poorly all along.''

For employers and workers, it has been a dizzying cycle of target dates to reopen followed by abrupt notices to close within 2448 hours. ''They've shown a lack of respect towards the hospitality sector with no fair warning,'' he says.

In addition to concerns about rent relief that hasn't arrived yet and a continuing loss of revenue, there is the loss of food stock.

Restaurants still have to pay their suppliers even after they've been ordered to close up their dining rooms. What do you do if you've got a $4000 bill for fish on Monday and have to close in 1-2 days without so much as a heads up? ''After two distinct phases of closures they still haven't made good on any of their promises,'' Gumbley says. He feels that Quebec could have allowed for a scaled down approach with patio service, like Ontario. ''If you don't have a delivery model it's hard to survive.

Many restaurants can't pivot to delivery.''

The take-out menu is always cheaper than the dining-room menu but delivery services take 30% off the top. Restaurants aren't allowed to sell alcohol with take-out fare so there goes the profit margin. ''They've completely eviscerated an entire industry,'' Gumbley says. ''It is like Legault is laughing at us.''

The entreaties of restaurateurs like Gumbley to cut them some slack may be falling on deaf ears. In a recent speech to the CAQ faithful Legault indicated that he has a very different set of priorities for the economic future of Quebec. “The pandemic is also an opportunity to relaunch the economy on a new base, to move in a new direction,” he said, listing new potential in telecommuting for workers, online shopping, artificial intelligence and robotization.'' Well, Montreal may be an A-I hub and an award-winning "smart city" but everyone is dying to get back to their nor-

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mal routines. This means wining & dining during the festive season and on special occasions and attending public gatherings year round.

There was no mention in Legault's speech about the in-person economy i.e. workers returning to the office towers or restaurant dining rooms and cultural venues reopening.We now know that food courts in shopping centers won't be open in December so it won't be possible for weary holiday shoppers to take a load off their feet and enjoy a meal break.The continued shut down of restaurant dining begs the question of how downtown will ever be revitalized. There's been an eerie silence about when exactly things will get back to normal.

Legault seems to be suggesting that an abnormal state of affairs will continue with no end point further destabilizing whole sectors of the economy and social life.

Quebec has always prided itself on its social contract with “le peuple québécois”.

This year it has been upgraded to a moral agreement so as not to cancel Christmas or at least not X-mas shopping. Legault's Christmas Angel act may have more to do with ringing up sales than ringing in the New Year. Arruda has been tamping down enthusiasm for home parties and Legault may yet play the part of the Grinch and steal Christmas from us if the number of cases keeps going up. Montreal region Public Health Director Dr. Mylène Drouin made a stunning announcement at her regular COVID-19 update on Wednesday when she said there should be no dancing and no singing at holiday gatherings. Perhaps Drouin overstepped her mandate with this latest pronouncement.Then again, perhaps the police will be sent round to arrest revelers having a jolly ole time. Who knows? The ground is shifting almost daily on what is allowed and disallowed in the endless series of rules and regulations being piled on.

One thing is for sure: too many public officials have totally lost sight of the principles and rights enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These fundamental principles and inalienable rights include the right to free speech, freedom of expression, religious freedom, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of the press. Canadian citizens also have privacy rights, especially as these pertain to their private lives in their own homes. At this rate we may find ourselves humming a few bars from Auld Lang Zyne well into 2021 and beyond. Or will humming be banished too? As for the much-vaunted social contract: there doesn't seem to be any recognition that it cuts both ways. People have put their lives on hold for the better part

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of 2020 for the greater good based on a promise that once a safe, reliable vaccine was available things would get back to normal.

During the first wave of the pandemic the media shone a spotlight on the plight of the frail elderly and immunocompromised in nursing homes where a whopping 84 percent of COVID-related deaths in Canada occurred largely in Quebec, and Ontario. A similar pattern is emerging in the second wave in long-term care facilities across the country. Maimonides Geriatric Center in Côte Saint-Luc is the latest example, finding itself in the midst of another outbreak.

During the second wave news reportage has given way to case-counting of people who test positive for the virus rather than deaths or hospitalizations. Granted, it is important to track cases as they indicate trends. However, this new metric is being presented with the same sense of urgency as the rapid death toll of the first wave despite the fact that most individuals who test positive have mild to moderate symptoms.

The statistics are clear: the overwhelming majority of people who die with COVID19 are already sheltering in place because of preexisting conditions. In spite of this reality, what some are calling a "casedemic" has become the new rationale for imposing sweeping restrictions on the vast majority of healthy adults.

Legault's pitch to the CAQ faithful is right in line with what the World Economic Forum (WEF) is pompously calling The Great Reset. In case you've missed this hot topic - it made the cover of Time Magazine a few weeks ago - The Great Reset is a topdown technocratic rejigging of the economy and society that promotes lockdowns as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Great Reset campaign launched on July 2nd with a film, website, and white paper. A statement by The Campaign for The Great Reset describes the global initiative this way: ''The Great Reset is a creative industry movement to embed the positive environmental shifts that have happened during lockdown as THE new normal.'' The campaign's anonymous authors go on to say, ''The pause during lockdown created by the pandemic will result in a 7% decrease in global emissions in 2020," although they don't provide any evidence to support this claim. "The UN states that we need a decrease of 7.6% every year until 2030 to avoid climate and ecological disaster. This means we need to maintain the same decrease every year as if we were living in lockdown.'' continued on Page 10

November 28, 2020 •

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The plan to direct everyone back home for 10 long years, ostensibly to save the planet, is staggering. If implemented, this half-baked idea would involve shutting down much of the economy and subjecting people to conditions experienced only in wartime. This ill-considered project by persons unknown who hover around the WEF urges people to resist going back to the way things were before the pandemic: "The challenge is that as we emerge from the pandemic the pressure to go back to ‘Business As Usual’ will intensify." This not-so-hidden globalist agenda is catching the attention of politicians everywhere. Appearing in a recent United Nations video conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked the world’s response to the coronavirus pandemic to a “reset” of global systems at a time when Canadians want to know when a vaccine will be available for distribution in this country.

Moreover, this grandiose scheme for a radical reset of the world's entire economy is unfolding in a legal vacuum without any regard for human rights. There is no doubt that there are many important environmental issues at stake and COVID-19 is a potentially deadly disease for those at risk.

However, these pressing problems won't be solved by keeping people isolated, depressed, and powerless over their own lives. Despite its pretensions The Great Reset is very much about an AI-powered technological rollout that will make billionaiire oligarchs even richer while creating opportunities for up-and-comers to join the ranks of dot-com millionaires. Hence, the focus on technology rather than simply living more sustainably by making better choices.

This ploy won't work even with the uberwired Gen Zers who have never known a world without the Internet. The Centennials, as adolescent minors are also known, may be willing to level down from a human rep to a chatbot to get answers to routine questions, but kids still want to hang out with their crew and check out the local teen scene and not just stream content on social media. Few high school students, if they're honest, are enthusiastic about spending their days masked in a classroom pod or home alone online. They want to play sports, meet new people and explore the world around them - not just view it on the Internet. College students are notorious for raucous partying on spring break. Even when things quiet down, guys still want to meet girls who want to meet guys and eventually, they make babies. Life goes on. Going out for dinner and a movie is a basic staple of dating at any age. So much for take-out and a future without physical contact and social gatherings.

The same holds true for Generation Y, the cohort between 19-35 totaling approximately 4.4 billion young adults worldwide.

Gen Yers have disposable income and flash it around. According to Bankrate 54% of Millennials eat out at least 3 times per week and keep baristas busy. They love to scoff burgers, BBQ, and brew at a noisy pub, rock out at live concerts, attend wine-tasting events, and are passionate about working out. For Millennials, fitness has taken on a new meaning — and is a means to seek out community. Psychotherapist Nathalie Theodore says she believes Gen Yers are the first generation to prioritize fitness.

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The Farsides amazing fried chicken and more is available for takeout “While Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are still mostly working out to burn calories, Millennials are turning to fitness as a means of making friends, meeting potential love interests, and networking,” says Theodore in salon.com. Premium gyms come equipped with bistro-style cafes and serve as fitness social hubs where patrons can refuel after a workout and schmooze.

The contrived contact-less hyper-digital landscape the global gurus behind the curtain are pushing will never replace the real world no matter how clever the re-design.

Restaurants, gyms, cinemas, and cultural venues will have to reopen sooner or later.

Sports facilities want to get fans back in the stands. Places of worship need to resume full services especially during religious holy days. Community groups can't function effectively if they can't meet up some place.

People naturally desire to spend time with family members and close personal friends in their own homes.There's a world of difference between a smart city run by smart www.mtltimes.ca

people and a digital dystopia that imprisons people behind a screen 24/7. Nothing replaces meaningful in-person contact. Real people know the difference even if robots don't.

Gumbley, a Gen Xer who is just a bit older than the Gen Y crowd who do the resto-bar circuit, is optimistic that restaurant culture will survive and his own establishments will thrive in spite of major setbacks to the industry right now. ''We're not waiting on the sidelines,'' he says. ''We're doing lots of marketing and online promos showcasing our restaurants.'' He doesn't think that dining rooms will reopen before February or March despite Legault's most recent statement that they might reopen for indoor seated service as early as mid-January.This is all the more reason why it's important to keep up your brand,'' he says. That way, ''when we do reopen, we're alive and relevant to the general population.''

November 28, 2020 •

What's happening in Montreal Montreal's Black Theatre Workshop (BTW), Canada's longest running Black theatre company, is set to mark its 50th anniversary of developing and promoting stories that celebrate Black society and culture to generations of theatregoers.

However, due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, BTW has decided its lineup of live original programming and productions will be moved up to the 2021-2022 season. But artistic director Quincy Armorer recently announced that BTW's golden anniversary will be commemorated with a series of virtual programming and creating new works for future presentation.

First of all, BTW unveiled some new additions to their team, including Lydia

torship Program Industry Showcase.

Finally, the BTW has a number of new live productions that are in the works for 2021-2022 and beyond, including "Backstage at Carnegie Hall", based on the life of guitarist Charlie Christian; a French language translation presentation of "Simone Half and Half", as well as commissioned

By Stuart Nulman new plays by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard and Kym Dominique-Ferguson. mtltimes.ca For more information on the Black Theatre Workshop's 50th anniversary season, Dubuisson as Artistic Associate, and Nalo go to: Soyinka Bruce and Tim Rodrigues as Res- www.blacktheatreworkshop.ca . ident Designers, whose mastery of their respective stage craft will be utilized for ••• the upcoming 2021-2022 productions.

The 50th anniversary season will offiThe Welcome Hall Mission, which has cially kick off on December 11, with the been helping Montrealers in need since live streaming presentation of "Sanctuary" 1892, has just launched a new bilingual, as part of its Discovery Series. The play, multi-platform campaign that reinforces which is a dialogue that takes place in a their mission by gathering and uniting church sanctuary and involves a teenager Quebecers of all stripes in a sense of and her search for her destiny, will be pre- community. sented on the BTW's Facebook page.

Called "Montreal Helps Montreal", the Another live streaming event that will campaign is now underway, and is extake place on the troupe's Facebook page pected to run throughout 2021. Using TV, is the 35th annual Vision Celebration Gala radio, social media and billboards, the on January 31, 2021. The gala, which hon- campaign enlisted the help of over 100 ours Black Canadians who have made Montrealers from all ways of life who major contributions to the world of per- recorded messages that exhibits their forming arts, will pay homage to veteran support for the Welcome Hall Mission choreographer Eddy Toussaint, who will and its mission of helping the many Quereceive the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. becers in need, whether they are experiAchievement Award; as well, the Dr. encing poverty, homelessness, food Clarence Bayme Community Service insecurity, mental health challenges, youth Award and two youth awards will be in crisis, job insecurity, and many other given out during the gala. And entertain- personal issues. This goal of transforming ment will be provided by the dynamic Montreal into a city that does not have singer Ranee Lee. problems with chronic homelessness and Other events this season include a po- hunger, especially with children, takes in etry jam; a performance of an excerpt of the form of such services as finding perthe upcoming BTW production (done in manent housing, serving 4700 meals a conjunction with Ottawa's National Arts week, providing free groceries to over Centre) "Black and Blue Matters"; a work- 3000 Montrealers on a weekly basis, and shop presentation of Dominique Moris- their annual "Noel Pour Tous" toy giveseau's play "Pipeline" (in conjunction with away, which benefits over 7000 children Theatre La Licorne); and the Artist Men- to make sure that they have a merry • November 28, 2020

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Christmas with the gift of toys.

For more information about the Welcome Hall Mission and how you can help, go to: www.missionba.com .

••• Four major film releases from Quebec are going to be part of the line-up for the 20th annual Whistler Film Festival (WFF), which like every major artistic or cultural festival throughout the world this year, is going the virtual route and will run from December 1 to 20.

The four Québécois films to be featured are "Lafortune en Papier" ("The Paper Man"), "The Marina", "The Corruption of Divine Providence" and "Quebexit".These films, along with the more than 90 films (30 of which are features) on the festival line-up, are going to be available throughout the country for viewing within 24 hours after they are ordered, and are available to watch until December 31.

Other events at the festival include a spark auction and gala (December 1), the world premiere of "In Her City" by Carl Bessai as the official opening night film (December 3, for two separate screenings), and an awards celebration (December 20).

Since its establishment 20 years ago, the Whistler Film Festival, which is normally held in the ski resort town of Whistler, B.C., is an internationally recognized film festival and industry showcase that attracts members of the film industry, audiences and international media as a mean show of exposure for Canadian film artists such as screenwriters, producers, directors, actors and musicians. For more information, or to purchase a festival pass, go to: www.whistlerfilmfestival.com .

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November 28, 2020 •

Canada Takeout expands platform, urges Canadians to make #TakeoutDay a staple When Canada Takeout (CT) first launched near the beginning of the pandemic, on April 15th, the goal was to turn Wednesday into #TakeoutDay as a way to support local restaurants.

As the lockdowns begin again across the country, the CT concept is being rejigged to move beyond Wednesdays. Based on the previous success of #TakeoutDay on Wednesdays, the creators behind Canada Takeout have evolved the concept to encourage Canadians make takeout a regular part of their week on any day, in support of local restaurants.

"From March until September, the restaurant market Canada-wide lost $11B in sales," explained Robert Carter, a Managing Partner with The StratonHunter Group.

"Research at Dalhousie University now suggests that, of consumer spending, over $6B will shift from the grocery and onpremise restaurant category to the online space."

"Even when we get back to somewhat of a normal environment once there's a vaccine and the pandemic eventually comes to an end, the online growth has been so dramatic in changing behaviour that it will continue to be a strong area for restaurants" said Carter.

Carter projects customers will be leveraging the digital relationships they have with their favourite restaurants much more than they did previously.This is where CT's consumer-facing restaurant map, takeoutcentric blog and newsletter will be so valuable to potential customers: it will be seamless for customers to find, order from and support their local restaurants and restaurateurs.

CT's new platform is designed around themed occasions and culinary diversity (supported by brands like French's, Campbell's, and Frank's RedHot, and points Canadians to restaurants that serve the featured Discover foods and trends, on our Blog Find deals and get special offers through dishes.

Keep on top of food news with announce- our Newsletter Restaurant operators wishing to get in- ments and our Instagram Their mission is simple: order takeout! volved with CT can apply on the CT website. Benefits include dish spotlight opportunities, product rebates via an industry newsletter and a consumer-targeted newsletter, which is coming soon.

Both consumer and foodservice brands can follow the CT story on LinkedIn. About Canada Takeout:We're here to remind Canadians to make takeout a regular part of their meal planning, to support your local restaurants, and to celebrate delicious food.

Restaurants are a key component of our economy and our communities.We believe that supporting them by ordering takeout demonstrates our commitment to the diversity and culture that makes Canada what it is – all while helping our restauranteurs to stay afloat. What's not to love?

Canada Takeout can help you to: Find dinner tonight with our Restaurant Map

www.Fantastique1.com

• November 28, 2020

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[Top] "La face cachée du baklava" ("The Hidden Face of Baklava") focuses on the tensions between the traditions of the old country and the customs of the new one [Top right] "Home Front" with Gérard Depardieu in the main role, takes a critical look at France's own dirty war in Algeria [Bottom right] "Josep" an animated film narrating a story of a defeated combatant after the Spanish Civil War and an unlikely helping hand

Cinemania finished its first online version

With two extra days added at the end of this year's edition, Cinemania finished its first online version.This festival, devoted to showcasing French-language movies with English subtitles, presented its awards this past Sunday. Of course, during an online event too. cccThe Visages de la francophonie Award went to the Canadian documentary "Je m'appelle humain" ("My Name is Human") directed by Kim O'Bomsawin. A Special Mention was given to the film "Si le vent tombe" ("If the Wind Falls") a French-Armenian co-production by Nora Martirosyan. The prize to the best Quebec-made film went to "La nuit des rois" ("The Night of the Kings") by Philippe Lacôte. An award for short films was also given, and the winner was "Landgraves" directed by Jean-François Leblanc.

OUR OWN PICKS cccLike most festivals, the selection at Cinemania aimed at a variety of genres and preferences. And yet, there was also a variety of quality.

I should start for what in my view was the best feature film: "Home Front" ("Des hommes" is its French title), a French-Belgian co-production directed by Lucas Belvaux.This film had also been selected at this year's Cannes Festival. While in North America we are familiar with American movies focused on the theme of the Vietnam War, the French also had its own dirty war: its last colonial war in the late 50s and early 60s in Algeria. The last attempt to hold on to its crumbling colonial empire.

This film—based on a novel by Laurent Mauvignier—captures the dramatic consequences of the war on some of the young soldiers.The scars of those events, however, are still lingering forty years later when 14

By Sergio Martinez mtltimes.ca

Bernard (Gérard Depardieu) suddenly appears at his sister's birthday party. His presence revives old conflicts in the little town where he and other veterans of the war now live.

The topic of war and its effects are present in another beautiful movie. Although the animation genre is rarely used to narrate a mostly dramatic plot, "Josep" directed by Aurel, manages to convey this powerful story in a very compelling way.

The events are related by an old retired French gendarme to his grandson. It was February 1939, the end of the Spanish Civil War, and the defeated defenders of the Republic are crossing into France. The reception by the French authorities, however, is not very welcoming: the men and women escaping from fascism at home, are confined in concentration camps in inhuman conditions. Serge is one of the gendarmes in charge of keeping an eye on the refugees.

Unlike his colleagues, Serge is the only one who tries to help the unfortunate Spaniards, and he becomes friend with Josep. The latter spends his time doing www.mtltimes.ca

drawings while in the camp. This film is based on the real story of illustrator Josep Bartoli (Barcelona 1910-NYC 1955).

In a much lighter tone, we find "La face cachée du baklava" ("The Hidden Face of Baklava").This is a Canadian movie directed

by Maryanne Zéhil and focused on two sisters of Lebanese ancestry. One is married to a Québécois university professor and is herself a scholar. The other, without much education, is more traditional in her keeping of Lebanese customs. It is an interesting, at times funny at others more tense, approach at the often-debated theme of integration of ethnic communities into the mainstream of society.

The only disappointing film of all that I had the chance to watch online was the French-Spanish co-production "Madre" ("Mother") directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

The plot at first seems enticing: Ivan, a Spanish 6-year-old boy, vacationing with his father in France, is dramatically being kidnapped by a stranger. Back in Spain, Elena, his mother, has followed the dramatic development on her phone. The child was able to call and tell her what was going on until the strange took him. He also said to her that his father was not around. Ten years later, we see the mother now working as a bartender in the same location where her son might have disappeared.

Then she befriends, Jean, a boy the same age as her missing child. From then on, the story takes a turn between the implausible and the reiterative, without a convincing ending.

A good number of the movies shown at this festival may become available online.

These are films recommended for those searching beyond Hollywood products.

November 28, 2020 •

• November 28, 2020

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November 28, 2020 •

‘Keep on Keeping On’ Covid Staycay. We are adapting and doing our best to deal with these challenging times. For Earth to Body, it means

By Martha Shannon mtltimes.ca

mega show cancellations across Canada. Craft shows, trade shows, exhibitions. We are not flying, nor driving to the events.

No car rentals, taxi fares, hotels, Airbnb’s. No work for the trucking companies who shipped our goods. No work for the hotel or the venue who hosted our craft show.

The snack bars, the cleaning crews. How are they all faring? The dominos that fall are mind boggling.

But some are picking themselves up. Discovering new approaches to a problem, new outlets.

Being creative. Making changes.

People are finding ways to survive. And we are helping each other.

Thanks to all of you for your kind words of support, on the phone, in orders and emails.

While our shop is open 3 days a week, we also have online. If you are local and in dire need, just call us at headquarters and we can do a curbside

• November 28, 2020

from our home base here on the west island.

Recently I exchanged emails with a customer, Eric, from Brantford, who had some queries re his skin issues. Afterwards, he kindly wrote: “Thanks for reaching out. It's a personal touch that only small businesses like yours seem to be able to offer. And it really goes hand-in-hand with the incredible product that you provide. I will most certainly be leaving reviews for all products that I have tried. As well as the x cream & neem salve of which I've had some longstanding skin challenges, that if resolved by those two products would be of tremendous value to me.

I originally found your business 3 years ago because I was looking for true blue emu oil and I was blown away by the Empire of elite skin products that you offer. Your soap is expensive but so is pure emu oil and there is absolutely nothing like your product on the market, other than some highfalutin high society bar of soap, possibly handcrafted from seals, 50 bucks a pop lol.

This is why I sincerely hope that your business is surviving well during

these difficult times because what you offer doesn't exist anywhere else to the best of my knowledge. And you're a Canadian company to boot. Look forward to Gold Standard reviews in the near future and quite possibly some referrals.

People have a right to

know that there's a better way when it comes to their skin. Skin Health mainly comes from within, but I feel for all of the external your products are the Rolls Royce. So....expensive they may be, but available they are. You have to apply just to buy a Rolls Royce, then they de-

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cide if they're going to build it for you.

Keep on keeping on, Earth to Body, for skin needs there is no other, and thanks for existing.”

Eric, Brantford, ON Thank you, Eric and to all of you who raise our spirits.

Let’s ‘Keep on keeping

on’ We stand behind our products.We give great customer service.Visit us at natural.ca. Subscribe to our newsletter. Please take note of our opening hours: ‘La Boutique Earth to Body’, 89 Lucerne, Pointe Claire, QC H9R 2V1) info@natural.ca Store:Tues,Wed,Thurs: 10-4

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