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MUHC deserves the millions in criminal’s bank account: lawyer – Montreal

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Montreal’s English-language superhospital was the victim of the greatest corruption fraud in Canadian history, and one of the key players shouldn’t benefit from the millions of dollars he has in the bank, the lawyer for the health centre said Wednesday.

Alexander De Zordo, lawyer for the McGill University Health Centre, asked Superior Court Justice Claude Leblond to award the $6-million frozen in Yanai Elbaz’s bank account to the hospital to cover a portion of its losses.

READ MORE: Former MUHC manager pleads guilty in SNC-Lavalin bribery case

Elbaz pleaded guilty Monday to accepting a $10-million bribe in return for helping engineering firm SNC-Lavalin win the contract to build what was to be a jewel of the anglophone community.

The Crown and defence made a joint suggestion to Leblond that Elbaz serve 39 months in prison, but they did not agree on whether he should pay compensation.

READ MORE: Anti-corruption police nab Montreal hospital contract fraud suspect at airport

Before ruling on a sentence, Leblond must decide whether the hospital’s losses are easily quantifiable or whether a civil trial is needed to sort it all out — a process that could take years and more public money to settle.

The massive hospital complex is operating in west-end Montreal, but its construction became a symbol of the corruption that plagued Quebec’s construction industry.

‘The biggest corruption fraud in Canadian history’

De Zordo filed in court transcripts from Quebec’s Charbonneau inquiry into corruption, in which an investigator discussed the probe into the MUHC.

Officer Jean-Frederick Gagnon told the inquiry in 2014 that operation Laureat was an investigation into “the biggest corruption fraud in Canadian history.”

In an agreed statement of facts tied to Elbaz’s plea, the former MUHC manager admitted to giving privileged information to SNC-Lavalin to help its submission for the contract. Elbaz also admitted to denigrating SNC’s competitors in front of the hospital’s selection committee.

WATCH BELOW: Arthur Porter died in a Panamanian jail


Elbaz and Arthur Porter, the ex-CEO of the MUHC who died a fugitive in Panamanian custody in 2015, received a total of $22.5 million to rig the bidding process to favour SNC-Lavalin, the statement of facts said.

Porter created a shell company that received the $22.5 million from the engineering firm. Elbaz then created his own shell company and received his share of the cash.

Elbaz admitted that all the money in the shell companies was proceeds of crime.

READ MORE: Charges officially dropped against Arthur Porter, two years after his death

Police raided the MUHC’s offices in September 2012. The following February, Quebec’s anti-corruption unit issued warrants for the arrests of Elbaz, Porter, SNC-Lavalin’s former CEO Pierre Duhaime and former SNC-Lavalin executive Riadh Ben Aissa.

Elbaz’s brother, Yohann, and Porter’s wife, Pamela, were later arrested.

Porter died in Panamanian custody in 2015 after his wife pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 33 months on two counts of laundering the proceeds of crime. She was released in June 2015.

Ben Aissa pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of using false documents and was sentenced in July to 51 months in prison.

READ MORE: New $11M investment inspiring cutting-edge research at MUHC

Yohann Elbaz was acquitted Monday. Duhaime awaits trial.

De Zordo said in court Wednesday that while the contract to build the hospital complex was $1.3 billion, it actually totalled close to $4.6 billion when costs of managing the public-private partnership were factored in.

He suggested the MUHC contract was inflated by up 20 per cent, meaning the health care centre is owed as much as $934 million.

READ MORE: McGill research offers hope for curing rare genetic disease affecting Quebec children

Acknowledging that seeking that much from Elbaz is unrealistic, he suggested the hospital should receive at least what is in the frozen bank account.

“(Elbaz) was paid handsomely to oversee a fair and equitable process — but it was rigged,” said De Zordo. “He received $10 million and the (McGill health centre) is asking for some sense of restitution.

“It’s virtually impossible that the MUHC as victim has suffered no prejudice.”

Leblond said, however, that just because Elbaz admitted to taking money, it doesn’t mean the hospital automatically suffered any damages.

“The amount you need to quantify is the prejudice (the MUHC) suffered,” Leblond said. “Not the $10 million.”

Elbaz’s lawyer, Nadine Touma, said her client contests De Zordo’s damages claim.

The case returns to court Dec. 17. Elbaz has been detained since pleading guilty Monday.

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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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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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