Latest news with #TheCornerBooth
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Montreal Gazette
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Quebec can't afford to be ‘the most generous welfare state in North America'
The Corner Booth On Wednesday, the Coalition Avenir Québec government pledged to invest $540 million into student services — less than one month after it was met with fierce backlash for slashing $570 million in education funding. While former senator André Pratte is 'happy for the education system,' he says this flip-flopping by Quebec means more drastic cuts are on the horizon. 'We can't afford everything that we want from the government of Quebec, as a society. I'm all for government intervention in many different fields, but we have to choose (to take) into account our means, to pay for all this,' Pratte told hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on this week's episode of The Corner Booth, where he discussed his latest op-ed for The Gazette: A welfare state Quebecers cannot afford. 'This $540 million that they just found, they need to take from somewhere else.'
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Montreal Gazette
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Just for Laughs returns from the dead with a money-back guarantee
The Corner Booth Mommy, it's not over: Just for Laughs is back from the dead. It was a tumultuous 2024 for the city's premier comedy fest. In March of that year, the fest was abruptly and shockingly cancelled and the old ownership group sought protection from its creditors. Later, it was saved by Quebec City's ComediHa!, who delivered a small but mighty version of the fest to laugh-starved Montrealers. A year later, Just for Laughs' owner Sylvain Parent-Bédard and program director Nick Brazao, who joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on this week's episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli, are bringing a star-studded lineup to Montreal this July 16-27. 'It's a massive undertaking, but we want to do it with humility and resilience because it's not easy,' said Parent-Bédard, who called it a 'a dream come true' going from the francophone comedy world to the anglophone one. 'And thanks to the JFL team that used to be there, who built this great Canadian institution.' One of the remaining team members is Brazao. He first started working at the fest in 2009 and said comedians were just as eager to sign up this year. 'There's been excitement about the news of it coming back. It's a testament to the power of the Just for Laughs brand for 42 years,' Brazao said. But wait, there's more. If you bought a ticket for one of this year's galas — Fortune Feimster, Michelle Buteau, Roy Wood Jr., Mikey Day are your hosts — and didn't feel like you got your money's worth in belly laughs, then you get your money back. Seriously. 'I think it's important to make something with the anglophone community that has built this brand and who can have maybe some questions about what we're doing this year,' Parent-Bédard said. 'And to prove we're secure in the programming we've done. I know people are going to laugh, they're going to have fun, and those galas are the cornerstone of the festival.'
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Montreal Gazette
12-07-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Charest talks Trump: ‘This is a wake-up call for Canada'
The Corner Booth Jean Charest has worn many hats in his political career, from Quebec premier to leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party. These days as a member of Prime Minister Mark Carney's council on Canada-U.S. relations, Charest is focused on American President Donald Trump. Made up of leaders in business, innovation and policy, the council is tasked with advising the prime minister and his cabinet during this sensitive time in international relations. Fresh from Trump's latest tariff threats that risk devastating Quebec's economy, Charest joined hosts Aaron Rand and Bill Brownstein on the latest episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli to discuss his latest, and perhaps most critical, political battle yet. 'Mark Carney got a mandate to face up to Trump, but also to change our economy,' Charest said. 'And this is a wake-up call for Canada. And I'm of the school of those who really believe that we'll thank Trump in 20 years.' Although it happened in an unwanted way, Charest said Trump's tactics will 'force us to change the way our economy operates, to be more productive and get our act together to be able to build infrastructure, because we were fairly complacent.' Charest also discussed what leverage Canada has over the U.S. at the negotiating table, the 'only bad choices' Canada has when it comes to counter-tariffs, and what he learned from losing the 2022 Conservative Party leadership bid to Pierre Poilievre. And, of course, Brownstein and Rand had to ask if Charest had any interest in entering another race: the one for mayor of Montreal this November.
Montreal Gazette
07-07-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Royalmount one year later: Has it won over Montrealers?
The Corner Booth Royalmount is getting ready to turn one. After opening last September to equal parts fanfare and skepticism, the megamall is settling into a groove as more and more tenants set up shop in the 800,000-square-foot space. But has Royalmount succeeded in winning over the hearts and minds of discerning local shoppers accustomed to hitting the high-end stores downtown? And will the next phases of developing offices and housing come to fruition? Carbonleo CEO Andrew Lutfy talked about the ups and downs of the behemoth where Highways 15 and 40 meet on this week's episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli with hosts Aaron Rand and Bill Brownstein. 'We opened with a boom,' Lutfy said. 'The first three months had an amazing amount of curiosity, the place was packed. And then I would say there was a settling down. Around November, it was a more normalized state. Since then, we've been building every single month.' Now, Lutfy said they're taking market share from more established competitors. 'Habits are a big thing. You have to change habits.' But Lutfy isn't immune to online chatter, either. Specifically videos of empty, cavernous corridors and parking lots. Where does the truth lie? Is Royalmount bustling or barren? 'I'm looking at these videos and this is real clickbait stuff, the person is there after hours or seven o'clock in the morning,' Lutfy said. 'I'm a marketing guy. I liked that these posts got hundreds of thousands of likes and incredible engagement. They actually went viral. ... Whether they're talking about us in a positive light or a negative light, at least they're talking about us.'
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Montreal Gazette
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Pablo Rodriguez can't treat anglos ‘as the party wallet'
The Corner Booth Pablo Rodriguez is the new leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, but is he the right man for the job? As pointed out by The Gazette's Philip Authier, Rodriguez 'has his work cut out for him.' Political strategist Jennifer Crane, founder of Connexion Quebec Public Affairs, and political analyst Raphaël Melançon, founder of Trafalgar Stratégies, join hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on this week's episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli to break down Rodriguez's closer-than-expected leadership win, and whether he can bring Quebecers back to the party in time for the 2026 election. 'I was surprised he didn't win as solidly as he thought he was going to win,' Crane said. 'Most people I know who are anglos voted for (second-place finisher) Charles Milliard.' A new Pallas Data poll shows the provincial Liberals sit in second place under their new leader, only five points back of the Parti Québécois. With Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's party ahead and François Legault's CAQ a distant third, Melançon says sovereignty is back on the table, meaning Rodriguez can position the Liberals as a refuge for voters who don't want a referendum. But Rodriguez will have to make inroads in the regions of Quebec, where his resumé as a Montreal-area federal cabinet minister under Justin Trudeau could complicate matters. 'He is an easy target to attack. He's an easy target for the PQ,' Melançon said. 'One thing I hope he doesn't import from the federal Liberals is to treat the English-speaking community as the party wallet,' Crane said. 'And then we're expected to turn around and say 'oh, we didn't notice you're putting a knife in our back.'' In the episode, they also discussed Marwah Rizqy leading the Liberals in the legislature, as well as this fall's municipal election, which will see a new mayor get elected with Valérie Plante choosing to not run again. Projet Montréal's Luc Rabouin and Ensemble Montréal's Soraya Martinez Ferrada are in the running, but could we see a last-minute candidate emerge?
