Now there are many things you could buy for $300 million. I figure at least a hundred MRI machines.

Books for our schools, resources for our seniors. Better roads. You name it.

So the white elephant that sits at the corner of Pie 1X and Pierre de Coubertin needs a new roof.

Three-hundred million dollars is what it will cost. Now in an era of restraint, this would not be a wise move.

With the Expos gone, what's left for the Big O.? I know the Als play there a couple of times a year. And we all enjoy a good monster truck show.

But what's wrong with leaving the stadium open-air? It wouldn't be the end of the world. I mean really who likes going there anyway?

If the Charest Liberals agree to this, the total cost of our legacy park would be almost $2 billion.

We could have two summits for that. Or probably have a much better health care system. No more good money after bad.

Speaking of summits, what a mess! And plenty of blame to go around. Toronto the good became Toronto the bad. The very bad.

Now that the dust has settled a little. Let's see what we have. Gangs of hooligans. Just thugs who wanted to create chaos. The same bunch who make trouble on the streets of Montreal every spring.

The Black Bloc or whatever name they go by, the bottom line is that these people are goons. Lock ‘em up. There is honour in protest, and there were peaceful demonstrations at the summit.

Toronto police had a tough job. It's always easy to pick on the cops. They are easy targets. But what I saw in a couple of neighbourhoods on Sunday was not my Canada. It was a bad day for democracy.

The thing is, all of this could have been avoided. But Harper so wanted to pick up a few votes in downtown Toronto. And it backfired.

Frig, this is a big country. We could have built a fortress anywhere to house the leaders.

Throw a dart at a map of Canada. Anywhere would have been better and cheaper. Even Flin Flon. With surely less flim flam.

Now finally some family matters.

Our good friend and colleague Herb Luft retired this week. Now Herbie has been a fixture around here for 40 years. And everyone I know loved inviting Herb into their living rooms.

We obviously will miss him. His kindness, his wit and his humour. And his ability to tell a story "like it is".

Good Luck Herb. And from your family here and your extended family all over Montreal. Thank you and good luck.