List of my stories in The Montreal Gazette and The National Post from 1999-2010
The rush to green; Development funds become available as a ban nears on the sale of Freon in Quebec
Montreal's doing it. So are Quebec, Granby and about 50 other cities and towns across the province. They're rushing to renovate local arenas - and they're pumping tens of millions of dollars into a... (1207 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: C1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Feb 20 2010
Producer hopes his beef will be a cut above; Music for cattle at slaughterhouse
Claude Laroche is banking on a belief that slaughtering cows in a stress-free environment produces better beef. "It's important for the animals to be calm," said the owner of Les Viandes Laroche, a... (321 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Tue Feb 9 2010
Column: The man behind the masks; Big-name goalies call on Stéphane Bergeron to adorn their head cages
You know that Mastercard ad, where it suddenly dawns on the gangly teenage goalie that he might have a better shot of making it to the NHL as a Zamboni driver? Goalie mask painter Stéphane Bergeron... (854 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: A16 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Mon Feb 8 2010
Thinking green, saving money; From supermarkets to farmland; AZN2 has dollars-and-sense concept for disposing of organic garbage
The stench of rotting produce carries the sweet smell of success for Michel Dufour. As founder and president of the small Montreal company AZN2 Environnement, he has been overseeing weekly pickups... (756 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: A4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Tue Feb 2 2010
He's got game - and grades
Hockey has always been a big part of Christopher Chamberland's life. He started playing the game at age four in the arena near his family's home in Ste. Anne de Beaupré, a 20-minute drive east of... (1828 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Dec 12 2009
Managing the home front
Mélanie Fournier won't get a medal for her role in Canada's military mission to Afghanistan. But like the hundreds of men and women who are anxiously awaiting the return of military spouses and life... (1644 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Oct 17 2009
Mill closing a 'disaster' for town; Abitibibowater decision means 340 high-paying jobs will vanish today in rugged region
Like generations of kids who grew up within earshot of the big paper mill here, Simon Gauthier always knew when it was suppertime. "The siren at the end of the afternoon shift was our dinner... (1010 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Fri Oct 16 2009
Giving the bird to windmills; Opponents of a wind farm project in the Charlevoix region have struck gold - the presence of a nesting pair of golden eagles means no windmill can be built within 20 kilometres of a their nest, they say
Dagger-like talons and a 7-foot wing span that enable it to catch and kill everything from rabbits to deer make the golden eagle one of world's fiercest birds of prey. Now many residents of this... (1159 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: freelance, Page: A4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sun Aug 9 2009
Water is what they know; Émilie Berrouard never used to stop and think about where tap water comes from or where it goes once it disappears down the drain. But as a graduate of Quebec's first Bachelor of Water Engineering program, her life now revolves around such matters.
Émilie Berrouard never used to stop and think about where tap water comes from or where it goes once it disappears down the drain. But as a graduate of Quebec's first Bachelor of Water... (1561 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat May 23 2009
Propping up our farms
Michel St. Pierre was sitting in a farmhouse kitchen last fall when the plight of agriculture in Quebec suddenly hit him - subsidy programs had created an "artificial economy" and along with it an... (1979 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat May 16 2009
Call for change; SOS-Pronovost: Coalition would back new aid programs for new products
A coalition of farm and environmental groups is using public interest in the St. Pierre report - and its call for a rethinking of financial farm aid programs - to rekindle debate and put pressure... (507 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat May 16 2009
HOW UPA SEES IT 'A people that can't protect its own food production has no future'
The head of Quebec's powerful farmers' union has only harsh words for both Michel St. Pierre and his recommendation to scrap the province's existing revenue stabilization programs for... (519 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat May 16 2009
Want to start a firm and get paid?; Town launches program to help entrepreneurs
Got an idea and a desire to start your own business? Then the town of Acton Vale has a job for you. In what is being billed as a first in Canadian business history, the local business development... (556 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Thu Apr 30 2009
Hands-on way to graduate
Like many Quebec teenagers, Nancy Crête didn't like traditional high school. Bored by the daily routine and struggling to understand subjects that seemed irrelevant to her dream of one day taking... (1390 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Mar 14 2009
Man who brought the beasts to Quebec 'would be mad as hell'
The 15 wild muskoxen that were captured on Ellesmere Island and brought by ship to northern Quebec 40 years ago were the building blocks of a U.S. ecologist's vision of helping Canada's Inuit... (461 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Mar 7 2009
Where the muskoxen roam
Professional Ontario outfitter Kevin Mattice made hunting history in Quebec a year ago this month. Armed with a high-powered rifle and two prized permits, he and a U.S. client he was guiding became... (1144 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Mar 7 2009
Alban D'Amours goes global
You'd think that after working four decades at the highest levels of education, government and finance in Quebec, Alban D'Amours would be enjoying a well-earned retirement. But less than a year... (1358 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: C1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Feb 21 2009
Mining town balks at uranium
Ghislain Lévesque has dealt with many contentious issues during the 12 years he's been mayor of Sept Îles. But nothing has stirred emotions in the regional hub, 650 kilometres northeast of Quebec... (1966 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Feb 7 2009
Doubts arise about Quebec LNG projects; Russian interest might be dead; $850-million Rabaska project not suitable for economic situation, specialist warns
Natural gas tensions in Europe will have no impact on Russian promises to supply the Rabaska project in Quebec, one of the province's top energy experts says. But Jean-Thomas Bernard said he... (880 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Tue Jan 20 2009
Lifeline keeps Davie shipyard afloat; $380 million; Guarantee for loans and financing 'isn't a bailout'
Canada's oldest shipyard has been saved - again. "This is a great Christmas present," Steinar Kulen, chief executive officer of the Davie Yards Inc. here, told The Gazette just after noon yesterday... (492 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Thu Dec 18 2008
In the ADQ corner ... a rookie
Let's get one thing straight. As an anglophone from Ontario and a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, I knew I didn't have a chance of unseating sitting MNA and Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois here in... (2787 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Dec 13 2008
Memories of Afghanistan; Quebec soldier's tour of duty, during which he trained the local army, has made him want to go back
It was a reception Warrant Officer Claude Lavoie will never forget. It happened just after 11 p.m. on a hot summer night in August 2006, when the big Hercules transport plane carrying him and... (1307 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: A3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Tue Nov 11 2008
White wanted to buy Sherbrooke Record; Ex-Black associate is a silent partner in Magog-based weekly
Peter White says he would have liked to buy back the Sherbrooke Record. But he's not lamenting his failure to reacquire the century-old English-language daily, which he bought with Conrad Black and... (442 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B2, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Tue Nov 4 2008
Quebec City newspaper links with Google; Oldest newspaper in North America agrees to revenue-sharing arrangement
Newspaper publisher Pierre Little is using some old-fashioned wisdom in his dealings with a new-age foe that is helping to steal readers away from many traditional media outlets. If you can't lick... (445 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Tue Nov 4 2008
Quebec warns Unilever about margarine; 'New product introduces new notion to mislead consumers,' minister says
First it was a colour. Now two words might re-ignite the butter vs. margarine war in Quebec. Acting on a complaint by the Quebec Dairy Farmers Federation, officials from Quebec's Agriculture... (341 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B2, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Wed Oct 22 2008
Quebec produce growers attack Costco; 'They've been giving us runaround': Retailer says group's criticism is unjustified
Criticizing a customer in public might not seem like an overly astute business move. But the head of the Quebec Produce Growers Association figures his members have nothing to lose - and everything... (562 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Thu Oct 16 2008
Yellow margarine arriving at a store near you; Has been off shelves for 21 years. 'I'm glad this whole thing is finally over,' says former grocery store owner
Margarine freedom has finally returned to Quebec. As of yesterday, the law that made the production and sale of yellow margarine illegal in la belle province for the past 21 years was officially... (460 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B2, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Fri Aug 1 2008
Farmers fear poor crop year; Rain blamed; 'Things are looking very bad'
All of Quebec's major commercial crops, which earned $1.1 billion for the province's farmers last year, are being adversely affected by the wet weather this growing season. "Weather-wise, there's no... (693 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: A1 / FRONT, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Wed Jul 30 2008
Airsoft guns pack a wallop
As misnomers go, airsoft is a whopper. I should know. I was shot recently from close range with one of the large plastic BBs fired by one of the imported air guns, which are the latest... (1869 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Jul 12 2008
A dig at Quebec's story
QUEBEC CITY - As buried treasures go, carbonized crumbs of centuries-old food likely wouldn't make it on to many people's Top 10 list. But to hear archeology doctoral student... (1173 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Jun 28 2008
Blackened wood beckons archeologist
To hear Allison Bain tell it, the beauty of archeology is that you never know what you're going to find until you find it - and even then you don't always know what it is you've found. That's why... (502 words)
Byline: Mark Cardwell, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Jun 28 2008
Clumsy amateurs destroy sites - and some of the artifacts turn up on eBay
Quebec's rugged North Shore is one of Canada's richest areas for unearthing artifacts from prehistoric and early European settlements. But many of them are being destroyed by amateur archeologists... (392 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Jun 28 2008
'Incredible experience' on Plains of Abraham
Thousands of Catholics crowded Quebec's historic Plains of Abraham yesterday to celebrate an open-air mass with Pope Benedict, who delivered his homily via satellite from Rome. He began his remarks... (628 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Canwest News Service, Page: A8, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Mon Jun 23 2008
Agri-food reform proposals are Quebec's latest hot potato; Farm debate. Big associations prefer status quo
The provincial government isn't exactly rushing to embrace a study commission's proposals for sweeping reforms in Quebec's $14.4-billion agri-food industry. Just weeks after a government-appointed... (951 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: B3, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Tue May 20 2008
Wind-farm plan stirs up opposition; Too close to park, Charlevoix coalition says. Also angry about government's selection process
The smallest of the 15 wind-farm bids accepted by Hydro-Québec on Monday could end up generating more political current than all of the other projects combined. A French-backed energy consortium is... (883 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: B1 / BREAK, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Wed May 7 2008
'Penney's from Heaven'; Spotlight Story; Twenty-four years ago there was another rookie goalie in the spotlight with the Canadiens and he can relate to what Carey Price must be going through now
Steve Penney has a better idea than most about the pressure Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is under these days. That's because Penney - like Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy - also once shouldered the... (1188 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: FREELANCE, Page: C2, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Wed Apr 30 2008
Russia gives Canada a wake-up call in exhibition match
The only thing more shocking about Russia's convincing 4-1 win over Team Canada last night was the jovial mood of head coach Ken Hitchcock. "I told you so," a smiling Hitchcock said to reporters... (314 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Canwest News Service, Page: C4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Tue Apr 29 2008
Yzerman brushes off worries about Team Canada's IIHF run
When Steve Yzerman talks hockey, people listen. So it should be comforting for Canadian hockey fans to hear that the retired Detroit Red Wings superstar and general manager of Team Canada says he's... (428 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Canwest News Service, Page: C4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Mon Apr 28 2008
Playoff-free NHL stars help Canada edge Finland; IIHF exhibition game: St. Louis scores twice
Canada's 3-2 win over Finland last night in its first exhibition game in preparation for the IIHF World Hockey Championship offered a few glimpses of the strengths on a roster that includes some of... (573 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Canwest News Service, Page: B23, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sun Apr 27 2008
Toews sure to be hit in Quebec; IIHF world hockey championship. Blackhawks rookie is one of few players on Team Canada who speaks fluent French
The only thing people in this overwhelmingly French-speaking provincial capital take more seriously than hockey is language. That's why the most valuable player on Team Canada's roster for... (463 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Canwest News Service, Page: D5, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Sat Apr 26 2008
Nice, but they'd rather be in NHL playoffs
The sounds and smell of spring greeted the coaching staff and players of Canada's national men's hockey team who arrived in the provincial capital yesterday. But the sounds of hammers and the smell... (470 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Canwest News Service, Page: C5, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Fri Apr 25 2008
Put out to pasteurize
Carol Vachon has given his spiel on the benefits of raw milk many times over the last 20 years. But there was something special about the lunchtime presentation he made to a group of about... (1282 words)
Byline: MARK CARDWELL, Source: Freelance, Page: A4, Edition: Final
Montreal Gazette - Mon Mar 31 2008
Devout dip into old tradition; Easter Water, an integral part of the holiday for generations of Quebecers, is making a comeback