Links
Welcome to the links page!
For more on what you've heard on show and if you can't find what your looking for below the please Email Ric's interim producer Chris
Christie Blatchford joins the show Monday's after the 6 p.m. news. Christie is a general columnist who spends most of her time gratefully indulging her interest in the criminal courts, which she has covered, off and on, as a reporter for about 25 years. Her chronological career path saw her start at The Globe (first as a general assignment reporter, then as a sportswriter and columnist), move to the Toronto Star (general assignment and columnist), the Toronto Sun (humor columnist, then general columnist) and the National Post (general columnist), before returning to The Globe and Mail. She won the 1999 National Newspaper Award for column-writing, and last year, her book about Canadian soldiers -- Fifteen Days, Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army -- won the Governor-General's Award for non-fiction. Christie lives in downtown Toronto with her white bull terrier, Obie, and a cat named Ojis, although most of her immediate family lives right here in Montreal.
Want to see the ULTIMATE Habs shrine? Check it out!
September 14, 2009: Thanks to Rufus Wainwright for chatting with us last week about the Tour de Lance. To learn more about the Cedars Cancer Institute, click here.
September 14, 2009: Check out Duff Conacher's idea to make corporations more accountable to consumers: The Citizen Association Campaign
August 12, 2009: We had a tremendous response to yesterday's segment on a new development in the fight to cure Multiple Sclerosis. To read the Montreal Gazette article, click here. To read McGill's media release on the GIFT15 treatment, click here. Another great resource is The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
If our law is all that comes between our children and those who prey on them we're in deep trouble. Of more than 2300 names in the Toronto police database of those involved in kiddie porn less than 300 have been investigated because of a lack of resources or will. That's just Toronto. As Sgt. Detective Paul Gilespie says we're just scratching the surface of far more prevalent problem. In the most recent arrests of about 60 of the worst type of offenders, those viewing children being sexually abused mostly under the age of 8. it is very likely the guilty will serve less time than it took the police to investigate. But not so long ago most offenders served no time at all. We are affecting change. Since you began to write our politicians the age of consent has gone from 14 to 16, helping investigators and we now have minimum sentencing. But is 14 days enough? I don't think so. We need tougher sentences for those who harm our children and the sex offender registry needs to be improved by including offenders DNA. Please take the time to write the justice minister and tell him how you feel about this.
To contact the Justice Minister The Honorable Robert Douglas Nicholson
You can also email the Supreme Court of Canada here
To read more about the issue and prevention see the information at the Canadian Center for Child Protection
Drinking and driving hurts us all Anee Khudaverdian, 47, was struck and killed while out with her dog. in Les Cèdres, just south of Vaudreuil-Dorion. Anee was a mom, passionate about helping kids and animals. Her family has written a letter to Premiere Charest and the provincial justice minister asking for some answers. Although drunk driving kills more of us than guns there has been no press conferences by our politicians expressing outrage or a will to change the law. Instead Anee's family received a reply months later, far too long! its been almost a year and her sister Clair continues to fight for change. I would encourage you to help her and write to your MNA. Clair, like me supports the idea of zero tolerance when it comes to drinking and driving.
You can make a donation in Anee Khudaverdian's name to her favorite charities please click here you will also find the names of the MNA and MP responsible for getting drunk drivers off our roads.
Read more about what the rest of Canada is doing at the Mothers Against Drunk Driving site.
The Autism/ASD Action Network
A newly-formed grassroots organization, bringing together parents, health care professionals and community activists to build awareness and obtain greater support for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and for their families.
Please visit Changebill21 and help fight for psychologists to have the right to diagnose children with autism spectrum disorders and direct them to treatment.
Something can be done! 3 People where killed in Montreal on February 3rd by snow removal trucks and sadly it wasn't the first time. Jeannette Holman-Price knows the pain of loosing a loved one to such a senseless accident her daughter Jessica was killed in December of 2005. Due to Quebec's No-Fault Insurance, no one has been held accountable for Jessica's death however her family is trying to get our governments to have trucks install underguards. These devices are already showing up on some trucks despite Transport Canada's refusal to certify them. Read more about it here The Jessica Campaign. Then please let the Mayor and the City of Montreal know how you feel by contacting them here
Quebec film ratings can't be trusted! The extremely violent and sexual movie Watchmen received a 14 plus rating! We were pretty much alone in the world in allowing kids so young to see this movie and there are other glaring examples. Parents use this system to help them make choices and the bureaucrats involved need a reset. Click here to check out Kids-In-Mind a website dedicated to making sure the movies you take your kids to is appropriate for them!
How would you like rent a car for a buck?
CityFlitz does just that and is bringing it's fleet of cars to Montreal this June. You can check them out here
'Smart' parking meters coming eventually to Montreal. Read more about the card system here and be sure and let the city know how you feel about their policy of not refunding for time unused when they finally catch up to cities like Vancouver and Calgary (who of course do refund).
Can you hear this? Listen The Mosquito is making a lot of noise for something that most people over the age of 25 can't even hear. It's called a Mosquito. It sends out high-frequency sound waves -- an annoying, high-pitched whine. You can get more information about the Mosquito here
Tick-tock here's the debt clock Want to see how much debt we are in? The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has created a debt clock... Take a look and see just how bad it really is!
We can each make a difference GIV3 is about encouraging Canadians to give 3% of income and volunteering 3 hours a month to charitable causes. It's the right thing to do. As Mother Teresa once said: "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one". It will certainly make a difference to that one person! Try the donation calculator
The National Do Not Call List has come into effect. To get on the list call here 1-866-580-3625 or click here.
Red light cameras & photo radar units in and around Montreal. You can see the complete list of the locations here
It takes 22 minutes, costs $35 and saves lives. To get more information from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and it's CPR course you can visit their site here
Wood burning stoves can be more eco friendly. Ekopac is a great way to heat your home with less pollution. To get in touch with Ekopac click here
Want to keep an eye on what Parliament is wasting our money on? Well just check out the Canadian Taxpayers Federation website. They really are on our side!
For more information on Colorectal Cancer and colonoscopies please click here
Kids Help Phone-Every day, professional counselors provide immediate, caring support to young people in urban and rural communities across the country. For more information on Kids Help Phone please click here
Tired of the Banks and Credit card companies taking advantage of you? Click here to get more information on Stop Sticking It To Us!
Kady O'Malley's is blogger with Macleans and has the gift of making politics entertaining on-line. To read Kady's blog click here
Urban Dictionary is the only place to go to decipher what the kids are saying. Just type in the word and let UD do the rest
Handyman Mike Holmes has been a guest on the show and is right when he points out we don't have enough young people pursuing a skilled career. More information on the Holmes Foundation can be found here
A computer for your kid and another for a kid in need somewhere else in the world. If you want more information or to participate in the Get 1 Give 1 program which gets computers to kids who need them please visit their site
Write our troops. No matter how you feel about war our Canadian men and women risk their lives everyday to make sure we continue to enjoy our freedom and way of life. They appreciate all the support they get! So be a hero to a hero and write to our troops!
Know what your kids are doing on-line. For a list of spyware available click here
The Lester B Pearson Council meeting is going "live"! In a first for Quebec school boards, the LBPSB will be live streaming webcasting the public board meeting. It meets a commitment to bring the workings of the Council closer to the population, to make the Council more accessible, and the school board more open and transparent. The webcast is available here
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