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How Ontario’s doctors lost faith in Doug Ford — and each other

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Ontario doctors are mad.

Mad at the last Liberal government.

Mad at the present Progressive Conservative government.

Mad at the Ontario Medical Association.

Mad at their fellow doctors.

Mad at themselves.

Or mad at all of the above.

Doctors do God’s work looking after patients. But they have not been looking after themselves on the labour front of late, which is most maddening of all.

After going for years without a contract, many MDs grew to hate the Liberals in power, prompting the membership to reject a 2016 agreement negotiated by their OMA leaders at the time. Dissident doctors pined for a Progressive Conservative government that promised a good-faith negotiation — with arbitration if necessary.

“The Liberals created a toxic relationship with our doctors by making unilateral decisions,” the premier’s spokesperson declared after the Tories took power. “Doug Ford is committed to respecting Ontario’s physicians and fixing the relationship.”

Be careful what you wish for. Hoping for healing is not enough.

The Tories took Ontario’s doctors for a wild ride this week. Despite Ford’s personal promise to respect physicians and protect the process, the premier’s office pulled the plug: It would no longer be legally bound by binding arbitration. A lawyer’s letter abruptly declared the process dead and buried. The government tried to dismiss its own appointee to the three-member arbitration panel the next day.

Just like that. Promise made, promise broken.

Read more:

Ford government to return to arbitration with Ontario doctors

Tories cut cultural funding, revamp tribunals in scramble for savings

Schism within government on how to deal with the Ontario Medical Association puts premier and health minister at odds

The OMA exploded. Doctors went ballistic. Labour lawyers were apoplectic, accusing the government of not only losing its way but flouting the law.

Both sides are prone to grandstanding in labour negotiations, walking away from the bargaining table or unleashing ultimatums. But aborting arbitration, after agreeing to abide by it, is not part of the playbook if it violates a formally agreed legal framework.

The Tories’ self-serving explanation was that the OMA is now riven by divisions, and could no longer be counted upon to deliver its members if they ever reached a deal. In short, the government declared non-confidence in its bargaining opponent.

As outlandish as that assertion might be in law, it is not outrageous in reality. For it is a fact that the OMA, in a previous incarnation, reached a tentative agreement two years ago with the previous Liberal government, only to fumble the ball.

It was a compromise, as all negotiations are. But the OMA executive, having sealed the deal, couldn’t sell the deal to its members — in short, it couldn’t deliver.

Dissident doctors, led by the best-paid specialists (who resisted taking a haircut so that lower-paid general practitioners could catch up), whipped up opposition to the deal. They won the vote, defeated the deal, and ousted the OMA’s old leadership on the promise of getting a better bargain after the next election.

While the doctors were playing tough, another group of professionals took a different tack: Ontario’s teachers’ unions, who are no slouches in contract negotiations, opted to take the best deal they could get from then-premier Kathleen Wynne, who wanted to avoid pre-election labour strife.

Teachers took the money and ran — before time ran out on the election clock, and before the province’s fiscal situation deteriorated. Doctors, by contrast, rejected their own deal, rebelled against their own organization, and turned against each other.

A civil war among physicians has culminated in a secession attempt by highly paid specialists who want to create the “Ontario Specialists Association,” or OSA, to rival the OMA. The latest round of internal warfare provided the pretext for the government to opt out of binding arbitration — escalating the conflict to a nuclear war.

The stakes are high for doctors and patients, politicians and taxpayers. MDs get more than $12 billion a year — roughly 10 per cent of the annual budget at a time when the Tories are retrenching.

Having accused the Liberals of fostering a “toxic relationship,” Ford has personally poisoned the well by going back on his word. Perhaps the premier could not resist exploiting the weakness of a faction-ridden OMA — an organization that never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity with the Liberals, reposing its faith in Ford for a panacea on pay.

By week’s end, the Tories had done another U-turn. Facing ferocious pressure from doctors, or perhaps a second opinion from their lawyers, the government undid its ultimatum — and agreed to arbitration again.

Just like that. Promise made, promise broken, promise remade.

No doubt doctors are hoping for healing again. But we should all have learned by now to be careful what we wish for.

Martin Regg Cohn is a columnist based in Toronto covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @reggcohn

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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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