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Federal minister blasts Ontario Tories over cuts to francophone services

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A federal Liberal cabinet minister is blasting the Ontario government’s decision to eliminate spending on francophone initiatives from the province’s budget.

In a letter that was sent Friday and obtained by the Star, Official Languages Minister Mélanie Joly expressed what she described as her “sincere disappointment” at the provincial Progressive Conservatives’ move to eliminate the office of the French language services commissioner and to scrap plans for a French-language university.

Mélanie Joly, federal minister of official languages and La Francophonie, described the Ontario government’s budget cuts as “devastating decisions that will have a lasting impact on the more than 600,000 Franco-Ontarians and the more than 7.9 million francophones across Canada.”
Mélanie Joly, federal minister of official languages and La Francophonie, described the Ontario government’s budget cuts as “devastating decisions that will have a lasting impact on the more than 600,000 Franco-Ontarians and the more than 7.9 million francophones across Canada.”  (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO)

Premier Doug Ford’s government revealed the cuts Thursday in its fall economic update. The Tories said they were necessary in order to reduce costs and address what the party says is a $15-billion deficit left behind by the previous Liberal government.

“These are devastating decisions that will have a lasting impact on the more than 600,000 Franco-Ontarians and the more than 7.9 million francophones across Canada,” Joly wrote in the letter addressed to Caroline Mulroney, Ontario’s minister responsible for francophone affairs.

Joly said the promotion of the French language is “central to our common approach of supporting our two official languages and defending the rights of minorities in Canada,” and warned that eliminating the commissioner’s position and abandoning plans for the university “will have severe consequences on the vitality of the Franco-Ontario community and the Canadian Francophonie.”

Joly requested a meeting with Mulroney “as soon as possible” to discuss the issue.

The previous Ontario Liberal government created the office of the French language commissioner in 2007. Its mandate is to ensure the rights of citizens and obligations of the government are respected according to the French Language Services Act. François Boileau has held the position since its inception. In the fiscal year of 2017-18, his office fielded 315 complaints or requests for information.

The Tories didn’t immediately say how much the province will save by closing the office, but in prior years its annual budget was about $1.2 million.

In 2017, a planning board also convened under the Ontario Liberals recommended the creation of a new French-language university in Toronto, at an estimated initial cost of $83.5 million that would be split equally between the provincial and federal governments.

In the run-up to the Ontario election in June, Ford’s PC party committed to following through with establishing the school.

The Tories argue that the elimination of the French language commissioner won’t result in a reduction of services because the position’s duties will be rolled into the office of the provincial ombudsman.

“The work that the commission did will continue; linguistic rights will be protected. Ontarians will continue to have an independent government office to come to make complaints if they have any,” Mulroney told Radio-Canada in an interview conducted in French on Friday.

“There will be an independent agent — the ombudsman — who is like the commissioner currently, who will study these complaints and produce reports if they wish.”

In a Facebook post, Mulroney’s parliamentary assistant Amanda Simard, the MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, acknowledged Franco-Ontarians were “concerned” about the loss of the commissioner. But she stressed that the office’s functions will “remain independent under the governance of the ombudsman.”

The Progressive Conservatives’ decision to cut spending on francophone initiatives made few headlines in the mainstream Ontario press this week, but drew sharp criticism in Quebec, where the move was seen by many as an attack on minority language rights.

Quebec Premier François Legault has pledged to raise the issue with Ford when the pair meet at Queen’s Park on Monday.

With more than 622,000 francophones in the province, Ontario is home to the largest such population in Canada outside of Quebec. Francophones make up roughly 4.7 per cent of the province’s population, according to the commissioner’s office.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

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