When I first saw this I thought this must be some sort of joke, but this is Quebec and as you well know, little surprises us anymore.

Parisian architect Roger Tallibert, the man who brought us one of the most expensive stadium projects in history, has a new plan to make his mark on Montreal.

Montreal's Mayor at the time, Jean Drapeau, who had a bit of a fetish for towers, felt the stadium for the 1976 Olympic Games could only be properly designed by someone from the mother country.

Now Taillibert has come up with a plan for the new Champlain Bridge.

From his office in the 16th Arrondissement Taillibert says the design being considered by Ottawa is dated and devoid of originality.

He says it reminds him of Soviet architecture.

His design would be made of steel which he says would require little maintenance.

And in keeping the legacy of Champlain massive cables would represent the sails of ships which crossed the Atlantic and ventured to the new world.

Originally, the big O was supposed to cost about $130 million, but the final cost to you and me was $1.6 billion which we finally paid off just eight years ago, thanks in large part to the lungs of smokers.

A King's ransom for a stadium nobody wants and has never worked properly.

Taillibert figures his new Champlain would need $1.7 billion.

No merci we've seen his math and our city needs only one Tallibert thank you.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Taillibert’s design has fewer support pillars under the bridge, and more suspension cables above, but to our uneducated eye looks very similar to the design that was chosen.

No English shopping for you!

News flash: Quebec wants to control the internet. Well kind of.

In a move reminiscent of China cracking down on internet sites it doesn't like, Quebec is trying to flex its muscle when it comes to online shopping.

As an example, if you wanted to buy something from Williams-Sonoma this coming Christmas, and you live in Quebec, it's not going to happen.

Under Quebec law, if you have a bricks and mortar store here your website must be in French. For now at least Williams-Sonoma's is not.

But it's a site for the world not just for Quebec.

It would seem to me that companies who believe it's in their best business interest to put up sites in any language should be free to do so, and not be to be forced by the heavy hand of Quebec language bureaucracy.

That bureaucracy also prohibits us from entering many contests, or buying certain toys in Quebec because French versions are not available -- and trust me I've tried.

It would probably take a quick trip to Plattsburgh and I worry that the SQ might be on the lookout for unilingual Elmos.

Imagine the scene: Yes your honour, I imported an illegal Anglo Elmo. Guilty as charged.

Sentence: six months in a re-education camp watching only Télé Québec.

The Union vs. the PQ

And finally the latest update from the PQ leadership rodeo.

Quebec's biggest labour federation, the FTQ, promises an all-out war to prevent Quebecor MNA Pierre Karl Peladeau from winning PQ crown.

With more than half a million members the federation should be taken seriously.

They don't like the fact that PKP was behind 14 lockouts including one at the Journal de Montreal lasting more than two years.

Under new rules, anyone can join the PQ for 5 bucks and have the right to vote.

Now the unions have been in the sack with the PQ forever but with PKP in charge the FTQ is warning those bedroom privileges would be over.

The coronation of PKP is far from certain.

The guy who always got his own way may indeed be taught that old Klingon proverb, that revenge is best served cold.