CBC.ca | Quebec AM

Ivorian refugee accused of war crimes

2013-06-19T13:00:14Z

Abou Fofana has called Trois-Rivières his home since 2008, shortly after he fled his home country, Ivory Coast, and applied for refugee status. He started working as a carpenter, fell in love, and started a family.

Fofana's residency status changed in 2011, when the Refugee Protection Division alleged that there were "serious reasons for considering that Mr. Fofana had committed a war crime as a member of the Force Nouvelles Rebel group." The government has been trying to deport him since.

Stewart Istvanffy represents Abou Fofana. He has worked as a refugee and human rights lawyer for over 25 years, and tells us more about this case.

A Townships raspberry patch that is changing lives

2013-06-19T12:31:14Z

It's almost berry season. Our Townships Reporter Sarah Rogers stopped by a gardening project in Cowansville that's helping people living with mental health issues. It is organized by L'Eveil, and this time of year is particularly exciting for the people who take care of the raspberry patch.

Festival d'ete contest

2013-06-18T14:45:14Z

CBC Quebec is joining forces with the Festival d'été for a special contest. We're holding a station-wide contest to win tickets to some of the summer's biggest concerts.

First things first: tune in to Quebec AM and Breakaway for a clue as to which concert. To enter, call the Talk-back line: 1-888-691-3476. Leave your name, where you're calling from, phone number to get back in touch.

All names will be entered in a random draw to win a pair of tickets to the show announced that day. You can enter once per day/per pair of tickets.

**If you sing as part of your entry, you get TWO entries for the effort of one.**

Wanted: Honest Mayor

2013-06-18T12:48:37Z

Last month, the Montreal Board of Trade put up a "Help Wanted" sign, seeking an honest man or woman with a spotless past to take over the city's top job next November. Michel Leblanc, President of the Montreal Board of Trade tells us how the search is going, now that the interim mayor has been arrested and charged.

Quebec's construction strike heads into second day

2013-06-18T12:30:47Z

170,000 construction workers are on strike, after unions failed to come to an agreement with Quebec's construction employers over the weekend. Both employers and unions say they are anxious to get back to work. Job sites across the province are at a stand-still, including roadwork and residential construction.

Our Townships Reporter Sarah Rogers joins us from Sherbrooke to tell us more.

Bereaved father asks for support

2013-06-17T12:48:53Z

Over the weekend in Drummondville, Patrick Desautels held a big sale of seedlings from his tree nursery in Ste. Christine. He held the sale since he's been incapable of working since December. Desautels' three children were killed just before Christmas, and their mother has been charged in their deaths.

Patrick Desautels says he needs money to carry on, and he's received little support from the government's compensation program for victims of crime. Quebec City lawyer Marc Bellemare is representing him, and tells us why that is.

We also hear from Alain Fortier, a Quebec City man who is behind a new website for men who've been victims of sexual assault.

Accessibility issues in downtown St. Roch neighbourhood

2013-06-17T12:11:40Z

As the summer arrives, more and more shoppers are taking advantage of the shops along sunny rue St. Joseph in Quebec City's St. Roch neighbourhood. But some people with disabilities say it's tough for them to shop there.

Many businesses along that downtown street aren't wheelchair accessible - and aren't legally obligated to make changes. Quebec AM's Julia Caron has been looking into this story, and brings us more.

Parking headaches for tour bus drivers

2013-06-14T13:06:27Z

Hordes of tourists are beginning to pour into the streets of Old Quebec as summer approaches. Dropping them off are thousands of tour buses, who have to negotiate the narrow streets of the city... and find a place to park their vehicules.

Bus drivers are complaining that parking is next to impossible, with strict drop-off times. On top of that, the lease for the biggest parking lot they were allowed to use, on Champlain Boulevard, was not renewed by the City of Quebec. These factors are contributing to large buses being driven around in circles, while waiting for their passengers to finish their walking tours.

Quebec AM's Julia Page spoke to drivers dealing with these complications.

Kenyan women's rights advocate in Townships

2013-06-14T12:44:55Z

Last month, more than 150 Kenyan girls made legal history. In a country where the rape of young women is rampant, this group sued the Kenyan government for failing to protect them. And they won.

Mercy Chidi is a Kenyan social worker and advocate for young rape victims. Her group, Ripples International, is funded in large part by the Stephen Lewis Foundation and its Grandmothers to Grandmothers charity.

The Sherbrooke chapter of Grandmothers for Grandmothers will be hosting a talk by Mercy Chidi this weekend in North Hatley. We've reached Mercy Chidi this morning in Toronto.

The Politics of Soccer

2013-06-13T15:01:27Z

The Quebec Soccer Federation (QSF) has stood by its decision to ban players from wearing the turban on the soccer pitch, defending they are simply applying international rules set by FIFA. However, the Canadian Soccer Association has decided to suspend the QSF, until the ban is overturned.

To explain the politics of the game, we spoke with Laurent Dubois, professor at Duke University. He's taught a course called "World Politics in World Socccer", and he's written extensively on those issues on his blog called "Politics of Football".

Putting agro-tourism on the map

2013-06-12T13:44:57Z

The Eastern Townships hopes to welcome more of a special kind of road-tripper: people who come to visit the region's farm-fresh and gourmet offerings. Eastern Townships tourism has launched this season's Circuit agrotouristique Cantons de l'Est, a growing network of producers and businesses that have a local food product to offer.

Public debate on oil and gas development in Gaspe

2013-06-12T13:15:38Z

People in Gaspé packed a meeting hall to hear different views on oil and gas development in their community. Quebec's Travelling Journalist Marika Wheeler brings us some of the reaction from people who attended in that forum.

We also hear from Mario Levesque, founder and president of the association for oil and gas industry suppliers in Quebec. He was one of the panelists, and we reached him in Gaspé.

Cronut Controversy

2013-06-12T12:35:18Z

It's gone from conception to viral sensation in a matter of weeks. We're not talking about a new video on YouTube. We're talking about a particular type of doughnut invented by a New York pastry chef last month. Our food columnist, Khalil Akhtar, explains how an odd pastry become a global obsession. Listen here.

Canada's smallest border crossings look to automated future

2013-06-11T12:55:08Z

Crossing the border to the U.S. generally involves a face-to-face conversation with a border guard. But at one Quebec crossing, it might soon be a bit more like ordering at a drive-through. The Morses Line crossing is about 15 kilometers to the south of Bedford, and is only open during business hours.

But starting in 2015, all after-hours traffic will processed by a border security agent who is not on site, using a new video kiosk. It's a pilot project from the Canadian Border Service Agency and it's getting mixed reaction.

Réal Pelletier is the mayor of St. Armand, which lies about 10 kilometers to the northwest of Morses Line.

Vernacular Architecture Forum shines spotlight on Gaspe

2013-06-11T12:33:41Z

For the first time ever, a group of architecture buffs and academics are heading to the Gaspé region for an international conference that is open to the public. It's being organized by the Vernacular Architecture Forum, an organization based in the United States.

About 125 people are spending a good part of the week touring the Gaspé and learning about the architecture that's typical of the region.

Tania Martin is the Laval University professor who pushed to hold the forum in our part of the world, and joined us on the line from Gaspé.