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Front-line workers call for immediate action to ease homelessness ‘crisis’

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Toronto needs to declare homelessness a humanitarian crisis and call on the province for urgent assistance.

That was the call being made by front-line workers and advocates at a news conference at city hall Tuesday morning, standing alongside city councillors Kristyn Wong-Tam, Gord Perks and Josh Matlow.

“There are easily 400 people still outside and this is not a cold weather story, you must understand that,” said street nurse Cathy Crowe, representing the Shelter and Housing Justice Network.

“We have close to 60 shelters in the city that are really shelters, but we now have over 1,000 people forced to sleep … on floors, on mats, on cots, in situations that are like post-hurricane Katrina is the way I would describe it,” said Crowe.

Extreme cold weather this week drove more than 1,000 people in the city into temporary overnight drop-in, respite and warming centres, which Crowe says are inadequate.

Wong-Tam said 9,000 people are living on the streets right now, as a result of a housing crisis created by the “chronic failure” of every level of government, over multiple administrations to invest in essential services.

“If this was all to have happened overnight, this would be a calamity, but because it happened in a slow-moving fashion over a period of time, it’s almost crept up on us like climate change,” said Wong-Tam after the news conference. “We believe that we have reached this critical point where we need to name it and call it a crisis and move with the determined action of an emergency response.”

Wong-Tam said things have become so dire that an emergency response is required from all levels of government.

Should the province also find itself without the resources to adequately contain the crisis, the group asked that a provincial emergency should be declared so that the resources of the federal government could be brought to bear on the situation.

At a separate event Tuesday, Mayor John Tory, acknowledged the “pressure” the shelter system is under.

“Our city staff do their very best and so do some of the agencies who help us to operate those shelters. They are under pressure. The statistics from last night were about 97 per cent occupancy on a very cold night,” but the bottom line was there were spaces available, said Tory.

The mayor said the focus needs to be on creating housing for low-income Torontonians, including those with mental health and addiction issues, not symbolic declarations.

“I’m devoting all of my energies to try to convince the other governments to support those initiatives for us so that we can move people out of shelters … as opposed to these kinds of declarations that our very own lawyers have told us in the past have little effect of achieving anything on behalf of the people who need our help,” Tory said.

At the city hall news conference, Bob Rose, with the Parkdale Eviction Resistance Network, said the problem is twofold. The first problem is that the city is not building enough housing, social housing and alternatives to the current shelter system are not functioning.

“The second challenge is the displacement of poor people from the inner core, the loss of affordable housing … sudden evictions, the takeover by corporate landlords of neighbourhoods that have traditionally provided affordable housing, Parkdale being one of those,” said Rose.

Perks said he received two calls Tuesday from people who were being evicted from their homes, where they pay rents in the range of $400 to $600, so that the landlords could bring in tenants who could afford to pay more.

He said he wants to start getting phone calls from Torontonians who are willing to pay more taxes in order to fund a better shelter and affordable housing system in Toronto.

“It’s a very simple decision. Do you want a government that will save you $100 to $200 a year or do you want a government that will house people? Every Torontonian should be thinking about this every day until the problem is solved,” said Perks.

Ann Lapenna, an ambassador for Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, came to hold up a sign reading RIP, to represent one of the four people who has died so far this year.

“I’m concerned about the people not having enough beds, people dying,” she said.

Toronto Public Health recorded 145 deaths of people experiencing homelessness from Jan 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, according to the advocates.

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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