CALGARY—Two of Calgary’s three female city councillors say they will no longer speak to writers from one of the city’s newspapers after it ran a column suggesting the women accusing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault are part of a smear campaign.
Ward 3 Councillor Jyoti Gondek wrote on Twitter on Thursday that she will no longer respond to interview requests from Calgary Herald journalists after the publication of a Wednesday column by writer Naomi Lakritz on Kavanaugh headlined: “Kavanaugh doesn’t deserve this. What happened in high school stays in high school.”
The column says the #MeToo movement “has run off the rails and is out of control,” and questions why the women who say Kavanaugh assaulted them never previously reported to police.
The Herald followed the column with an editorial titled, “Free speech for all, including victims of sexual misconduct.”
Gondek said she won’t speak to the newspaper’s writers until the editorial board “recognizes the impact of their decision to minimize the gravity of high school sexual assault.”
Ward 7 Councillor Druh Farrell also added her support for the decision, saying she “can’t stand by while sexual assault is trivialized.”
The column ran ahead of Thursday’s testimony from psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.
“That piece felt like a gut punch,” Gondek said in a Facebook post about the Herald column.
Gondek declined an interview to speak further about her statements, saying she had already posted her comments online.
She wrote on Facebook that she had been having conversations with colleagues about sexual assault in the wake of the column’s publication.
“However, anyone I have spoken with is clear on one thing: it is NEVER okay to normalize sexual assault in high school (or anywhere) by stating that it was a point in time where a young person made a bad choice,” she said.
“That’s what set me off about the Herald’s choice to run that particular opinion piece. It has much less to do with U.S. politics and much more to do with a group of influencers who did not see that printing such words creates distress and harm in an already volatile world.”
In a statement Thursday, Herald editor-in-chief Lorne Motley said the paper had heard the disagreement with the column “loud and clear.” He said Lakritz’s column “is not the official position of the paper. That view was published in our editorial today.”
“The Editorial pages are designed to be a hub of community opinion and debate, and sometimes they involve unpopular views,” he said.
“Tomorrow we will be carrying views from others who also strongly disagree with the column, and why that viewpoint is wrong.”
An article by Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse CEO Danielle Aubry and Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services CEO Deb Tomlinson appeared on the Herald website Thursday, headlined: “Our belief in survivors is unwavering.”
Farrell emphasized that Gondek spoke out about the Lakritz column first, and she felt it was important to lend support.
“Right now, when so many women are grappling with their own histories, these are moments we never forget. So we’re living these, and then we read this from our local paper. And that’s why the response is so strong,” Farrell said.
“Both of us have identified what we want to see. But this isn’t about Jyoti and Druh,” she said. “If the Herald is listening to all the women and men who are upset by this, hopefully they will take some action. That’s what we’re asking.”
Gondek said on Facebook that she understands reporters at the Herald “had no role in what was published and penalizing you is not a fair form of retribution.”
She said she is willing to talk with those journalists about how to address the issue differently.
“I’ll speak with you about how we move forward, just not in a manner that allows your employer to benefit from my words at this point in time.”
Madeline Smith is a reporter/photographer with StarMetro Calgary. Follow her on Twitter: @meksmith
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.
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.”
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.