http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/quebec-man-pleads-not-guilty-in-apparent-chainsaw-road-rage-incident-1.2315514

As pointed out this has nothing to do with the NHL. And it's also not the North American Hockey League which is a separate league in its own right. This is the Ligue Nord-americain de Hockey, a Quebec semi pro league manned to a large degree by retired enforcers from the NHL and guys who never made it that far. To play in the league you have to be born in Quebec or played junior hockey there. And yes the marketing of this league is probably aimed at the UFC/WWE/WCW crowd.

Come on *Canada get your shit together. Bunch of fuckin' savages

I am however interested in knowing what kicked off a pre game team wide brawl.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Key members of a Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH) franchise have been suspended until the end of the 2016-17 playoffs following a hot-tempered brawl during the pre-game warmup on Sunday.

The Laval Predators, who play in the infamously fight-happy LNAH, were involved in a melee before the puck drop on a game against the St-Georges Cool-FM.

Predators co-owner Eric Lajeunesse, CEO Lucien Paquette and assistant coach Dannick Lessard all received two-season bans on Tuesday.

The eight-team, Quebec-based LNAH, which is considered a "low-level professional league", is known for its outrageous behaviour, with footage of a bizarre on-ice scene going viral seemingly every other month.

Other supplemental discipline, announced on Wednesday, include:

LAVAL: Maxime Bouchard and Clint Butler (suspended for remainder of season/playoffs); Steven Oligny (7 games); Joe Rullier and Chris Cloutier (6 games); Philippe Pepin (5 games); Jonathan Oligny (4 games)

ST-GEORGES: Yannick Dallaire (3 games); Alexandre Gauthier and Jean-Michel Biron (2 games)

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/2015/01/14/22180411.html

Yes, that's kinda the point.
Per capita, BC doesn't have enough seats. We are far out weighed by Quebec and Ontario. And unfortunately, they don't care about what our opinions are. We vote differently than them in every way,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_alienation_in_Canada

Also, Ontario gets more seats than BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Combined.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_federal_electoral_districts

From http://aveugles.org/felix-impressionne/ this was filmed at the summer camp of the Fondation des Aveugles du Québec (Quebec Foundation for the Blind). (and therefore *canada)

Felix was born 3 months premature and his retinas detached due to oxygen toxicity at birth, and at first they were unsure if he would ever talk... so his family is very happy that he has turned out to have such a talent for music.

Felix loves BB King, of course, but also Les Colocs, Bernard Adamus, Stromae, Robert Johnson and Eddie Lang. He takes advantage of the summer camps to bring his guitar and put on a show.

It also says some other stuff about how the camp provides opportunities for blind children like Felix, and they hope he continues to flourish through music.

Woman did this in Quebec, and a motorcyclist hit her from behind and he and his daughter (also on the bike) were killed. The mother saw it happen from another bike, further behind. The lady who stopped for the ducks was convicted of criminally negligent murder.

Fucked up situation from all angles.

*promote Meshuggah 25th Anniversary TOUR!!



Meshuggah announce 25th anniversary tour around Bonnaroo, asking fans to vote on their setlists (dates)
by Doug Moore
Meshuggah at the Roseland Ballroom, 2013 (more by Fred Pessaro)
Meshuggah
Few metal bands survive for 25 consecutive years, and even fewer retain a reputation for consistency over such a long period the way Meshuggah have. We already knew that the Swedish djent progenitors were slotted to play this year's edition of Bonnaroo in June, filling the bad-trip-inducement slot that Swans occupied last year. Unsurprisingly, they've also announced a short North American tour built around that date and their ensuing appearance at Quebec's Amnesia Rock Fest. The tour is being billed as a 25th-anniversary celebration for the band, and it also includes Between the Buried & Me on its non-festival dates. Meshuggah are also holding a poll in which fans can help the band decide what their set list will include by voting for one song from each album in their catalog.
The tour will hit NYC on 6/21 at Best Buy Theater. Tickets for that show haven't gone on sale yet, but keep an eye out. In the meantime, enjoy a live video (of mosh action, natch) from Meshuggah's last NYC appearance and check out the full set of dates below...
---

Meshuggah -- 2014 Tour Dates
06/06/14 The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
06/07/14 The Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
06/09/14 Ogden Theater - Denver, CO
06/11/14 House of Blues - Dallas, TX
06/13/14 Bonnaroo Music Festival - Manchester, TN
06/14/14 Pop's - Sauget, IL
06/15/14 Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL
06/17/14 The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
06/18/18 House of Blues - Boston, MA
06/19/14 Sound Academy - Toronto, ON - CANADA
06/20/14 Amnesia Rock Fest - Montebello, QC - CANADA
06/21/14 Best Buy Theater - New York, NY

Here is a longer 18 minute video of more of Senator Burr's questions to the witnesses. I wish I could find the full hearing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1m0Gxtsz1A

It includes this little gem from Senator Burr, "The American system HAS access to healthcare for everybody, it's called the Emergency Room. Now we don't admit that because clearly we are lobbying for a particular angle, but every American can access healthcare."

Nice slight of hand there Senator, only difference is whenever I go to the emergency room (I live in Canada), I don't get a bill in the mail a few weeks later that I have to pay.

The average American ER visit costs $600 dollars in 2009, today it's probably well more than that, and that's just for simple problems. Anything more serious than a urinary tract infection and you are going to be paying thousands of dollars.

I'm a bit late to the party, but I'll give my 2 cents on my experiences with the Healthcare system in Quebec.

I use the public system and private system and constantly dabble between the two. Wait times can be long for sure. I've had a long running ankle problem since my teens, and to get my first appointment with an ankle specialist here took 1 year and 3 months!

My MRI was covered by private insurance, so it only took a couple days to have the scan done. I was put on a surgery waiting list for just over 2 years. The Dr let me know that he operated at a private clinic in Montreal. I could have had the surgery in only 2 weeks, at a cost of around $5000, but because my pain was minimal and I could still walk, I opted to wait.

Post surgery access to follow up appointments was swift. I could easily see the Dr in a week or two, with very little advanced notice. Follow up MRI's weren't covered by my new private insurance, so I had to wait for an MRI scan, which took around 2 months. I was supposed to have an MRI arthrogram, but the waiting list for that procedure is about twice as long, so the Dr just opted for a regular MRI. Cost for an MRI arthrogram is $875 in private. Again I just waited it out.

I've only needed to go to the emergency room twice, since I've been here, both times I was in and out in under an hour and a half.

I've been to many walk-in clinic's. These are a crapshoot, sometimes they're incredibly fast, sometimes incredibly slow.

I don't have a family Dr, so I opt to go to a Dr at a private clinic for my annual checkups. Even private clinics are a grey zone sometimes, as some services are covered by the provincial plans, so visits to the GP cost out of pocket, but visits to specialists within the same clinic are free.

Finding a family Dr is definitely plausible, it just involves phoning around every clinic and/or Dr in Montreal asking if they have space, but I just haven't invested the time yet. Some people get lucky this way, but even then, getting an appointment with your family Dr can take many weeks, appointment times can be inconvenient (mid afternoon, etc), so I'd rather make the investment of seeing someone at a private clinic, where I can have an appointment at 8:30am within a couple days.

I contrast all this with the fact that I was born and lived in South Africa well into my mid 20's. South Africa has abysmal public healthcare, and being born into a white middle class family, thanks to my parents I had access to private healthcare.

Private insurance in South Africa is less exploitative than in the U.S. Much less fighting with insurers to pay for coverage etc. Access to most Dr's is swift, and most procedure's are well covered. Obviously the overall experience compared to Canadian healthcare was much better, but the S.A private system only barely covers 20% of the population's needs and even with the disparity in wait times for service, the Canadian healthcare system at 100% coverage feels like an undeniable success, and a model that needs to be improved and iterated upon.

The debate around healthcare is tough here. Health issues and frustration with waiting can easily escalate the egocentric side of our human nature, but even with my negative experiences I would never denounce this system, because the broader social contract that has been written is valiant, and the price paid for this is worth it.

Nobody should be financially ruined because of health issues.

Agreed except on point 4 - any competent ER will still triage you after coming in via ambulance. Granted, the majority of the time the ambulance will bring in someone in dire straits so it'll make sense that they'll get seen immediately, but if a Frequent Flier arrives via ambulance and is not in imminent trouble, the likelihood that they'll wait increases.

As for Quebec's problems, those have been well documented by others, well done.

Most of the governments have done a pretty good job in the past couple decades improving wait times across Canada - always can be better, but the good Doctor's point on reallocating resources more efficiently is well stated!

Alberta checking in. I have used all 4 options EvilDeathBee mentioned and have no major complaints.

Quebec construction industry is quite corrupt which is a factor in the Vendome hospital being delayed.

You should seriously consider Alberta. It is colder but your buying power is much better.

I think it's because Quebec has a shortage of doctors because Quebec in it's infinite stupidity and xenophobia do not allow doctors to practice unless they speak high level french (the same reason I can't get Permanent Residency here while other Aussie friends in BC and Ontario had no issue). I guess we simply didn't have a serious shortage in Australia. It's so easy to find a GP, I guess it might be harder to find one that Bulk Bills (medicare takes the entire cost of consultation) for low income earners.

My experience at hospitals is limited. When i got hit on the head by a cricket bat, i had to wait 2 hours, I think (was a long time ago), to get stitches. And when I had my tonsils out, I had to wait 6 months for the elective surgery because we didn't have private insurance.

My girlfriend had to go to the ER when she had mono here, we had to wait an hour or two before she was seen by a doctor. While we were there, the hospital was fucking decrepit, the waiting room was freezing (there was a lady who had a broken arm and she was violently shivering), and nearer the end of the day (my GF had to have an IV drip so we had to wait around there all day to see if it helped her) an old lady was called up and as she was walking past she said she had been there since 8 in the morning and they had literally forgotten about her.

One of my friends has an issue with kidney stones, they build up and he has to have surgery to get them out. He had a procedure booked for I don't know how long, went to the hospital and they told him they didn't have any beds left and he had to wait another week.

The Jewish General has now been instructed to turn away off-island patients. It has the best cancer treatment facility of any hospital, so people with cancer are now instructed to kindly fuck off.

The new, mega hospital in Vendome is waaaay over budget and time, and people (particularly old people) can't even get to it from the metro station right near it!

I'd love to move to Vancouver...

I don't know about the rest of Canada, but Quebec's health system sucks compared to the Australian system. It's a goddamn joke.

My girlfriend and I got a bad case of gastro a few months back, so we went to a walk in clinic. We had to line up at 6:30 in the morning so we were first in line. Waited for 1 hour before they let us inside, another hour before they started calling patients, went into triage, waiting another 20 minutes for the doctor (whom misdiagnosed her when she was getting mono a month later) to finish his little chat out the door to finally see us. Charged us each $20 for our goddamned sick notes (which was the real reason we actually wanted to go). All up, it took about 4-5 hours. So yeah, we didn't get charged for the consultation, big fucking deal.

Back in Australia I got food poisoning once. I had moved not long so wasn't familiar with any doctor offices around. Opened yellow pages (it was a while ago) found a GP down the road, made an appointment that day, went down there at about midday, probably waited about 10-20 minutes, she diagnosed me, gave me a doctor's note for work, and I paid about $30 for the consultation. It took less than an hour.

In Quebec, it's nigh impossible to get a GP, and if you do get one and if you need to see the doctor, it can take months to wait for a simple appointment. For everything else you have to go to the horrible walk-in clinics.

Having said that, I'm still glad I don't have to rely on the US health system, but goddamn I miss Australia for many reasons, this being one of them.

I'm disturbed by this. Not the violence portrayed but the fact I'm dubious as to the sincerity of it.

My first thought was they got EXACTLY what they wanted. Then I thought maybe they got exactly what they wanted because all parts were controlled, Pussy, "Cossacks", media and "Police".

This seems more like performance art than a true trampled protest.

"Putin will teach you how to love the Motherland" seems a caricature to me.

I'm also not a fan of immersionist journalism which VICE uses as their raison d'etre (They're from Quebec). Seems to much like the polar opposite of whatever it is you call Fox News. Both are propaganda I guess.

I don't doubt the whippees were harmed. I'm sure it hurt like a somnabitch. I also know people are willing to do a lot of crap for a cause. Hell, there are a lot of people who getting beat like this just means it was a fun Saturday night.

Quebec School Breaks Cup Song Record has been added as a related post - related requested by ChaosEngine on that post.

This is a false or misleading statement. The reasons for some Canadians having to wait or not being able to have a doctor are different. Canada has had a terrible drain on it's medical system with doctors and nurses going down to the US, because they make more money there. This has lead to new programs to entice them to stay in Canada. It looks like they have been working, but it's a 10 year study and we need to see the numbers.

As a Canadian who has been though the healthcare system in Ontario, and had family members who've had been through health care in Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Halifax and Newfoundland.Labradour, I can tell you the parts that work and the parts that don't.

I'm a type I diabetic and I've had cancer twice. I've had a sarcoma in my saliva gland and as a result of radiation therapy, I've had melanoma skin cancer crop up on my body as well. I've had four major surgeries on my body. Two of them were serious complicated nervous system surgeries or lymphatic resecctions. I've been through my fair share of Canadian health care.

First things first. It's not a national healthcare. Anyone saying national healthcare doesn't know what they're talking about. The provinces and territories have their own health care. Granted, the territories get a lot more help from the Federal Gov't, but the health needs of people in Ontario are different from those in Manitoba.

Let's get into the brass taxes. I've had the nerve surgery and radiation therapy that was done on my face evaluated at a hospital in West Virgina as part of a study to compare American HC vs. Canadian HC. For my first surgery, I got to choose my doctor, I was given a list. They recommended one doctor, who was an expert in North America for nerve surgery, but he was recovering from a surgery of his own. They suggested I wait for him to be ready, but if I wanted to proceed, I could wait if I wanted.

I waited and surprise, no facial paralysis. I then had to do 30 days of intense radiation therapy in my parotid bed, to make sure they got it all.

I paid a total of $300 dollars in parking. I also have private health insurance for diabetic supplies, which means any medication I had to get to deal with the after effects of radiation had an 85% payback.

Years later when the effects of radiation had settled and I had a tumour form from the radiation, I had gone to my family doctor, saw a specialist the next day and then within the week I had an excision done. It came back positive and within a week of that, I was given a sentinel node biopsy to see if it had spread.

It had.

Within a month of the first examination, I had a full lymphatic ressection of my left leg and groin done. This wasn't as complicated as the facial nerve surgery, so I got a list and a suggestion of who to do the surgery.

That came back clean, but I now deal with a lot of complications from that.

That surgery cost me nothing.

In West Virgina at a hospital (they didn't tell me which one they used.) The total for all the exams (CT, MRI, etc.) the surgery and the radiation therapy came out to $275,000. Give or take.

This is why it drives me nuts when I see people get things wrong about Canada. We have problems, oh yes we do. For example, don't be over the age of 65 in BC or Quebec. The diagnostics training in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland if pretty terrible. But, I got to choose my doctor, and I saw everyone really quick. Why? Because you don't fuck with melanoma.

So, I'm sorry Trancecoach, I saw that video you linked. The guy lost a lot of credibility at "Communist State of Canada." You're already skewing your message to say something. You are just plain wrong about health care in Canada, the way you talk about. I am living proof of how well it works.

I'm a self employed photographer and the most I've ever had to pay was for parking at the hospital. That was the $300 dollars. I paid my taxes and that paid for my health care. If I didn't, and if other Canadians didn't, I would not be here, as with many other Canadians.

Critique us for the things we do shitty, but I have yet to see anyone do that. I see talking points and misinformation from people just spreading false info.

Get your facts straight. I know how it works in Ontario the best. But, I also know for a vast majority of the other country. I can tell you Saskatchewan has had an exodus of nurses, but that's not bad health care system. That's a gov't system that can't keep nurses in the province. If we can keep doctors and nurses, the system works great.

The guy you linked to, most of his sources for data are absolute crap and he misleads a lot of his talking points. This stupid lottery doctor that happened was because it was an isolated town in the wilderness and there was only one doctor left after the other passed away. So yes, he had to do a lottery for people so he wouldn't get swamped, unless it was an emergency. It was a town, I believe about 10,000 people, but I'm not sure on that.