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He left his job as a Toronto city councillor in 1994. Now he’s about to resume it

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He’s Italian, but in the space of 10 minutes two different people call newly elected city councillor Mike Colle a mensch.

True, they’re both in a restaurant at Lawrence Ave. W. and Bathurst St. where Yiddish can still be heard, and where Colle is holding court, in the provincial riding he represented as a Liberal MPP for 23 years, near the neighbourhood where he jogs 60 kilometres a week, where he shops for groceries, where he and his wife raised four children and where he just spent six months knocking on doors in a provincial election campaign and then a municipal one.

He lost provincially, but won municipally, and officially starts work as Toronto’s councillor for Ward 8 (Eglinton-Lawrence) Dec. 1, returning to a job he left in 1994.

“At the province, my biggest frustration was that you had to deal with the corner office all the time, you know, the premier’s office,” says Colle, leaning back from a table at United Bakers Dairy Restaurant, originally founded by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe in 1912, as he explains the difference between working at Queen’s Park and city hall.

“Really, as an MPP, you have to go out of your way to have any kind of influence. You’re just basically a vote and a number to them.

The lack of party structure is the biggest difference between provincial and municipal politics, says Colle, and it’s why he is glad to be returning to city hall.

“At the city you’re answerable to the people, much more directly.”

The busy restaurant in Lawrence Plaza is one of Colle’s stomping grounds. He is here often, meeting with people who want to bend his ear, ask for help, get advice or give it.

“Italians don’t like to sit at home, they like to get out,” says Colle, in a rare reference to his heritage.

“I mean, I am a people person. I like people, I like socializing. I like being in public places. I like walking the streets. Where else am I going to meet people? They can see me, I can talk to them, I can find out what’s going on.”

Colle greets a longtime supporter by wrapping an arm around his shoulder and reciting the man’s family history — Ernie Lustig’s father was a musician who came to Canada from Poland nearly 100 years ago, and worked as a violinist before movies with sound put musicians who worked in theatre orchestras out of work and he became a barber.

“I would do anything for him. He’s such a mensch,” says Lustig, 88, a local contractor with his finger on the pulse of the riding, and who supported Colle’s provincial and municipal runs for office this year.

“You know what a mensch is? It’s a good-hearted person.”

The granddaughter of the family that founded the restaurant in 1912 drops by Colle’s table to talk about an issue in her neighbourhood.

“He makes sure that he gets to know people, he understands people and he’s a mensch,” says Ruth Ladovsky.

“He is a man of action, that will take action. Honestly, he means it when he says: ‘Let me see what I can do for you.’”

Colle says there is no way he could keep tabs on what is going on in his ward without meeting with people at art galleries and synagogues and churches, at the local flea market and grocery stores.

“There’s a lot of people that are very involved. And it’s critical that I meet and see them. They can be your eyes and ears. I make sure to touch base with them.”

It’s not that Colle has had an unblemished career. He was ousted as citizenship and immigration minister from former Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty’s cabinet in 2007 after a scathing report from the auditor general over $32 million that was dispersed without sufficient controls to community groups under his watch. The Ontario Cricket Association received $1 million after asking for $150,000.

A followup review found most of the groups had used the money properly or were planning to. Colle said then and says now that the money was supposed to make up for years of underfunding.

He was returned to office following the scandal, but lost his seat in June when the PC Party swept into office.

A former high school teacher, Colle served on York council before moving to Metro council in 1988, where he served as TTC chair, but he’s not interested in chairing the TTC this time around.

He says his first task will be to talk to the city’s planning department about a yearlong pause in new development at Yonge St. and Eglinton Ave., in order to conduct a review of the area.

“It’s almost impossible to keep pace with the scale of change that is happening,” says Colle.

“Right now, you’ve got to wait four or five trains to get on in the morning at the Yonge-Eglinton subway. It’s like Tokyo.”

He wants to change the way infrastructure capacity testing is done to make it less site-specific and more comprehensive, taking into consideration not only how services in the immediate area of a development will be affected, but also how adjoining areas will be affected.

He believes the current system is too narrow and focused.

“It’s almost too myopic.”

He wants to get a review of Section 37 of the Planning Act conducted, because he’d like to see it used more systematically. That section 37 of the provincial act makes it possible for developers to secure zoning exceptions in exchange for payments for improvements in the ward where the development is located.

He wants to put an end to weekend demolitions of heritage buildings, like the one that took down the Bank of Montreal building on Yonge St. and Roselawn Ave.

And, after jogging in cities in Portugal, Italy, Spain, Israel and China, he wants to focus on making Bathurst St. — which used to be a dividing line between two wards — to life as a main street, where people like to meet up and walk or shop or dine.

His ties to Mayor John Tory go way back — he said they were co-chairs of former mayor Mel Lastman’s election campaign.

“That is where I got to really know John. We had this kitchen cabinet, we used to meet every Monday morning with John Tory and a few other people to look at how to best direct the mayor and give him advice,” says Colle.

He plans to be an independent voice on council, but he thinks he may find himself on Tory’s side often enough.

“In most cases, I suspect I’m going to support a lot of the things that the mayor is going to do because he is a decent person and he understands the city.”

He plans to work closely with Josh Matlow and Jaye Robinson, councillors in contiguous wards. He didn’t like the way premier Doug Ford did it, but he doesn’t think it’s a bad thing that there will be 25 councillors at city hall instead of 44.

“We’ve got to remember, people want us to work together and get things done, and you may disagree with John Tory or I may disagree with you, but in the long run were all going to be judged on how we get along and get things done.”

Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city politics. Follow her on Twitter: @KopunF

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Anglais

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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