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Now there are 26; City hall needs ‘recalibrating’ after Ford’s shrinking of council, say staff

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The way the city does business needs a big makeover in the wake of provincial meddling, city staff say.

The damage control is spelled out in a new report to be debated by city council at its first meeting of the new term next week.

The logistical changes mean reducing the number of seats council members must hold on committees, boards and agencies now that there are just 25 councillors, down from the original 47 wards, after Premier Doug Ford moved mid-election to change the structure, causing chaos ahead of voting on Oct. 22.

In the report, staff say the current structure with a 26-member council — the mayor sits on council, but is not a councillor — would make it challenging to “remain effective and sustainable.” They note those members would be responsible for holding some 485 seats and interviewing more than 900 citizens for public appointments.

Staff say a special committee of five council members, including the mayor or someone else he picks, should be formed to decided on what to do about governance in the long-term. That committee, which would meet for a limited time, would make final recommendations to council. The amount of time that would take is unclear.

The recommended plan would allow Mayor John Tory to make good on his campaign promise to create a standing committee on housing, although its mandate to deal with affordable housing is not yet spelled out.

Tory’s own executive committee, where his closest allies are brought together to consider major city business, should be shrunk to eight members from 13, staff say, which would tighten the mayor’s inner circle.

Other committees and external boards would see a reduction in the number of members appointed.

The recommended revisions to committees would reduce the number of seats to be filled from 97 to 52.

Community councils, which are responsible for neighbourhood issues such as development, tree removals, speed bump approvals and other matters, also have to be restructured because they were recently aligned with a 47-ward system.

The new boundaries recommended by staff largely follow traditional boundaries, with a few exceptions. The residents who were formerly in Ward 13 (Parkdale-High Park) and Ward 17 (Davenport) will be represented by the Toronto and East York community council in their new Ward 4 (Parkdale-High Park) and Ward 9 (Davenport) rather than the Etobicoke York council they’re used to. And former Ward 8 (York West) residents now fall into the Etobicoke York community council in their new Ward 7 (Humber River-Black Creek).

With larger geographic boundaries, and, for some, twice the number of constituents, one of the biggest challenges for councillors will be finding time to handle residents’ concerns and attend meetings.

Although city staff do not provide a recommendation on how to create more capacity in their offices, they lay out several options for increasing councillors’ staff and budgets. One of those is to double the staffing budget to $482,000, as was called for in an open letter from more than 50 neighbourhood associations, and to double their office budgets.

Right now, councillors’ staffing budgets are equivalent to the top salary for three separate positions. Several councillors who already represent nearly 100,000 constituents now split that budget among more than four staff. This means the busier offices have staff that receive lower pay for handling more work.

Doubling the budgets would mean an increase of $1.12 million, compared to 2018. That is a fraction of the city’s overall $13-billion operating budget.

In order to increase their budgets, a council member will have to move a motion to that effect at council next week. This then requires majority approval.

As for councillors’ salaries, staff said there is no comparable salary range, as there are no other councils in Canada with so few councillors for so many people.

Councillors now earn $114,306.

A review could be launched with an independent consultant or committee of citizens, the report says.

There are also expected changes in the mayor’s office already underway. In a letter to councillors and city staff Tuesday, Tory announced his chief of staff Chris Eby and principal secretary Vic Gupta would be leaving at the end of the term, on Nov. 30.

Replacing Eby as the head of Tory’s office will be Luke Robertson, who moved up the ranks as a member of Tory’s staff last term after moving over from the city’s licensing division. Robertson was most recently Tory’s re-election campaign manager, earning a personal shout-out from the mayor at his victory party and the praise of his colleagues.

It’s not yet clear who will be taking Gupta’s place.

Jennifer Pagliaro is a Toronto-based reporter covering city politics. Follow her on Twitter: @jpags

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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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Anglais

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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