Just when you think the city hall circus couldn't get any more bizarre, it gets worse.

Much worse.

How out of touch is our mayor?

He says didn't know that his city controller was illegally spying on an elected official.

We also learned that quite possibly, the former chief of police had his emails opened.

Is what it has come to?

And yet controller Pierre Reid was not fired, just reassigned.

This is very serious stuff. No wonder Quebec City is sending its version of the Untouchables to try to figure out what the heck is happening.

This is just the latest in a string of scandals and investigations from water meters, to the municipal housing corporation to spy-versus-spy.

I have no doubt that Mr. Tremblay is a decent guy. But there is a level of incompetence and malfeasance in Montreal that is truly stunning. I cannot remember a sadder time in Montreal municipal life.

To toss aside longtime public servant Claude Dauphin without any due process is just wrong.

The Mayor seems to have no control over City Hall. Perhaps this new investigation will provide the mayor with some redemption. But it's hard to see how he will ever recover.

This would be such a comedy if it were not so tragic.

Poorly served by the provincial liquor monopoly

You may want to have a tipple when you hear this one.

Did you know that our beloved SAQ charges less for wine in the States than it does here?

You see, the SAQ bought an American distributor and yep, its prices are cheaper South of the border

It's not only there.

Look at Ontario. How does the LCBO manage - with its monopoly - to keep prices lower? And to give Air Miles.?

I picked three wines at random. Well, three wines I have been know to taste on occasion.

A very modest Beaujolais: SAQ $14.10, LCBO $12.35. Santa Cristina from Italy: SAQ $14.95 , LCBO $11.95 and Mission Hill Pinot Blanc from BC: SAQ $ 16.15 and $14.95 at the LCBO

And the SAQ has the nerve to close stores which it says were not profitable enough.

Like the ones in Westmount Square and the Pepsi Forum.

A public company that makes you bring your own bags for environmental purposes yet refuses to recycle and charges more for its products than elsewhere

And it closes outlets at will. We really don't have a choice. But we should.

Quips are a rare bright spot in the campaign

Only a couple weeks to go in the election nobody wanted.

I sometimes wish our politicians would show a little more humour.

Line of the week goes to Gilles Duceppe who, in the debate, congratulated Stephen Harper for taking his first question of the campaign from a citizen.

Some say Harper's campaign plane should be called Question-Air

Honourable mention to Jack Layton for his remark that Canada doesn't need new jails because all the crooks are in the Senate

Ouch.

Two weeks to go.

All indications are Canadians are about to deliver another minority report.