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MONTREAL At a routine fire safety inspection of a three-storey apartment building in Pointe-Claire on Friday, inspectors found several serious infractions, including a dozen used barbecue propane canisters cluttering a third-floor hallway, a fire exit blocked by an old stove, and disabled smoke detectors in two of the apartments.

This is about average, said Derry Spence, chief of the prevention section of the Montreal fire department after the two-hour inspection. I have seen a lot worse.

In the past, the owner of the building might have been given some time to clean up his act. But now that Montreal Island municipalities have adopted common fire safety bylaws that match the federal fire prevention code, Spence says its no more Mr. Nice Guy.

In the past we kind of took people by the hand and it took too long to get things done, he said. Now owners really have to assume fire prevention responsibility for their buildings because we will be starting the legal process on the spot, for certain infractions.

Fines of between $500 and $4,000 will be issued immediately for each infraction when it comes to certain bylaws considered critical to protecting human life, such as ensuring a sprinkler system is properly supplied with water or that fire alarms work.

The province began to push municipalities to improve their fire prevention plans back in 2003. Last fall, the last of the island municipalities finally adopted the modernized and uniform fire prevention bylaws, in line with the federal fire prevention code. There has been a moratorium on applying the new rules while the fire department updated its methods and equipment to be able to quickly and efficiently apply the uniform bylaws across the island.

In June, that moratorium was lifted and now the department has launched a broad communications campaign to let property owners know not only that the rules have changed, but also that they mean business.

On Friday morning, Spence and fire prevention officer Brian Michaud showed up at the Pointe-Claire apartment building without warning the owner or residents.

In the past we would send a letter to let them know we were coming in advance; we dont do that anymore, Spence said.

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Fire inspectors to issue fines on the spot for infractions

August 1, 2014 - Formulatedto meet contractor requirements regarding flexibility, strength, and durability, QUAD MAX window, door, and siding sealant withstands effects of such harsh weather conditions as freezing temperatures, intense heat, winds, rain, sleet, snow, and dirt. UV-resistant product, whichcures in 24 hr and can be painted within 1 hr, developsstrong bond in wet and dry conditions; offers 5X stretch and 50% joint movement; and adheres todiverse building materials (without primer). Henkel Corporation One Henkel Way Rocky Hill, CT, 06067 USA Press release date: July 30, 2014

To meet increasing contractor requirements, groundbreaking flagship product offers unrivaled flexibility, strength and durability performance

WESTLAKE, Ohio -- Today, the OSI brand announced the availability of new QUAD MAX, the next generation of window, door and siding sealant that offers maximum durability and application performance, helping contractors reduce call-backs and meet the demands of new building practices.

QUAD MAX window, door and siding sealant is a patented new sealant formula that addresses contractor sealant requirements with superior flexibility, strength and durability performance, even in the harshest weather conditions - like freezing temperatures, intense heat, powerful winds, rain, sleet, snow, dirt - and is the flagship product in OSI's new "Tougher Than the Elements" brand re-launch.

The launch of OSI's new brand and QUAD MAX follows three years of extensive research and development efforts by Henkel and OSI to solve the various sealant performance challenges expressed by window, door and siding installers.

QUAD MAX offers the following benefits, giving contractors the confidence that their craftsmanship will remain intact:

-- Flexibility - 5X stretch and 50 percent joint movement for superior performance and long-term durability even with expansion and contraction of construction materials -- Strength - Strong adhesion to more building materials without primer, including vinyl, fiber cement, brick, stucco, PVC trim, stone, coated aluminum, fiberglass, EIFS, wood, glass, flashing tapes and more - creating a barrier against air and moisture infiltration -- Durability - Enhanced UV resistance prevents discoloration, chalking or cracking, and dust- and dirt-resistance maintains superior aesthetics -- Proven cold and wet surface application - develops a strong bond in both wet and dry conditions -- 24-month shelf life - packaged in a plastic water-resistant cartridge to protect the performance characteristics longer -- Color matching - perfectly color matched to more than 4,600 leading siding and window manufacturers' color palettes -- 24-hour fast cure and paintable in one hour - provides quick protection against the elements

"It's on the jobsite, working shoulder-to-shoulder with contractors, where we are inspired to develop products that meet the ever-changing demands and practices of the building industry," said Bill Sobonya, OSI senior brand manager.

The quality and knowledge inherent in OSI's products and specialized formulations is well recognized by leaders in the building industry and is endorsed by leading building material manufacturers. To further reinforce the performance of its products and demonstrate support of its customers and partners, once a contractor completes installation training and becomes OSI-certified, OSI products offer a 15-year warranty on window and door installation and $10,000 per dwelling on new construction.

QUAD MAX will be available at building material dealers and distributors nationwide in August 2014.

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Professional Sealant suits window, door, and siding applications.

YORK, Maine Many residents and real estate agents remain opposed to a new septic ordinance that would require property owners to have an inspection done at the time of property sale or transfer.

The biggest question raised during a public hearing this week is why the ordinance places the burden of inspection on the seller, when buyers are already getting these inspections done and would likely continue to do so, even if the seller has one done.

Lew Stowe, chairman of a subcommittee of the Planning Board studying the issue, said the reason is for the town to be informed.

"The key to it," Stowe said, "there is a requirement on the seller to have it done and report it to the town. If the buyer does it, there is no obligation to report it to the town ... and (the buyer) can't be made to do it. He doesn't own the house, he doesn't have to report it."

The town's Community Development Department brought forward the ordinance to root out failed septic systems for cleaner water and to meet federal storm water guidelines being enacted in town under the Municipal Separate Stormwater Sewer System, or MS4.

The subcommittee has been working on the ordinance since January, when many of the same real estate brokers and residents who turned out on Monday voiced similar concerns.

The ordinance was modeled after Title 5 in Massachusetts, according to Community Development Director Steve Burns.

While York Stormwater Manager Leslie Hinz estimated the cost of a professional septic inspection at $300, others argued that was low.

Bob Harris of York said he sold a house in Massachusetts in 1996 and the septic inspection then cost him $1,000.

Real estate broker Greg Gosselin said, "There are some things in Massachusetts that should stay in Massachusetts."

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Septic law faces opposition, proposal puts inspection onus on seller

Canadian stocks fell, completing the worst two-day slump since January, as crude oil prices declined to offset a gain in gold after U.S. employers added fewer jobs than forecast.

Element Financial Corp. and AGF Management Ltd. lost more than 1.9 percent to pace declines among financial stocks. Vermilion Energy Inc. and Enerplus Corp. fell at least 2 percent. Eldorado Gold Corp. (ELD) jumped 6.9 percent after raising its production forecast. Pacific Rubiales (PRE) Energy Corp. rose 5.7 percent after Bloomberg News reported executives are considering buying the company to fend off a potential outside offer.

The Standard & Poors/TSX Composite Index (SPTSX) fell 115.48 points, or 0.8 percent, to 15,215.26 at 4 p.m. in Toronto, giving it a weekly decline of 1.6 percent. The index fell 1.3 percent yesterday, the first time it moved by 1 percent or more since April. The benchmark Canadian equity gauge closed at a record high on July 30.

Vermilion Energy lost 3.6 percent and Enerplus Corp. retreated 2 percent. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery declined 0.3 percent, falling a fifth day. Prices are down 4.1 percent this week, the biggest weekly decline in seven months. U.S. refineries cut their utilization rate last week for the first time in more than a month, according to government data.

Energy stocks in the S&P/TSX tumbled 1.4 percent as a group. Seven of 10 industries in the Canadian stock index retreated on trading volume that was 16 percent greater than the 30-day average.

Eldorado Gold jumped 6.9 percent. Gold for December delivery rose 0.9 percent to $1,294.80 an ounce in New York, after prices fell 3 percent in July as a U.S. equity rally eroded demand for the metal as a haven.

U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs in July, short of the median forecast for 230,000 additions forecast by economists. Wages and hours were unchanged from June. The jobless rate climbed to 6.2 percent as more people entered the labor force.

Pacific Rubiales added 5.7 percent for a third day of gains. Executives hired Banco Itau BBA SA and Citigroup Inc. to arrange a loan and seek partners for a possible management buyout, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The plan is a defensive move after Alfa SAB, the Mexican auto parts and petrochemical company, raised its Pacific Rubiales stake more than 20 times in just over two months, the two people said asking not to be named because talks are private.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Lam in Toronto at elam87@bloomberg.net

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Canada Stocks Fall After Selloff on Jobs Data as Oil Price Drops

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A screaming baby or a child running through a dining room is never a pleasant sound or sight for diners, but one Northern California restaurant has decided to do something about the behavior of its pint-sized diners.

Shake's Old Fisherman's Grottoon Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey has banned loud children from its dining room. A sign out front reads: "Children crying or making loud noises are a distraction to other diners, and as such are not allowed in the dining room."

In addition to banning noisy kids, the sign also prohibits strollers, high chairs and booster chairs. Diners looking for a peaceful, quiet meal may let out a sigh of relief, but those with small children may see it as just another way of saying: "You're not welcome here."

"I'm completely shocked because I never had that happen," customer Niki Riviere told KSBW-TV. She left after not being able to get a high chair for her 6-month-old baby. "Usually they cater, at least have a high chair for the child, but it seemed like they didn't want any child. They said the child can't make any noises so they turned us away."

Chris Shake, who owns the restaurant, is standing by his policy.

If a place has the rules, thats what the rules are, Shake told KSBW-TV."You go in and abide by the rules or you find a place more suitable for you."

Earlier this year, chef Grant Achatz publicly contemplated banning infants from his Chicago restaurant Alinea after he observed an 8-month-old crying in his dining room.

Achatz tweeted: "Tbl brings 8mo.Old. It cries. Diners mad. Tell ppl no kids? Subject diners 2crying? Ppl take infants 2 plays? Concerts? Hate saying no,but.."

"I could hear it crying in the kitchen," Achatz told ABC News. "We want people to come and enjoy an experience at Alinea for what it is, but we also have to be cognizant of the other 80 people that have come in to experience Alinea that night."

We've reached out to Shake for comment and will let you know when we hear back.

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Restaurant bans loud children, strollers, booster seats from dining room

The law in California says that if you want to raise taxes to build something like a new Convention Center, you have to get two-thirds of voters to approve it.

Friday, an appellate court ruled that the city of San Diegos clever idea to raise the hotel-room tax, without actually asking voters to approve it, was not legal. And suddenly, the $520 million Convention Center expansion, the largest construction project on the citys docket, was thrown out.

The California Supreme Court is the only entity that can resurrect it.

The legal concern was clear a long time ago. The city was trying to raise a tax without doing the hard things that come with raising a tax.

Over the years, a diverse array of groups has argued it was illegal.

It included the Chargers, who wanted to kill the expansion to combine its momentum with their own stadium dreams. The U-T San Diego editorial board and ownership, with their own stadium dreams, also agreed and criticized the effort.

The hotel workers union thought it was illegal, and made some salient points before unions backed off once a labor agreement for construction was finalized.

And then there was, obviously, attorney Cory Briggs and watchdog Mel Shapiro. They actually did the work to prove it was illegal.

Heres what went wrong for the city.

Former Port Commissioner Steve Cushman and former Mayor Jerry Sanders came up with the plan to expand the Convention Center without a vote. They wanted to raise hotel-room taxes like they had with the Tourism Marketing District, or TMD.

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Turns Out That Convention Center Tax May Really Be a Tax

Cell phones have gotten a bad rap in restaurants lately -- from the viral Craigslist post about cell phones and service, to a City Paper column, to the opening of the phone-free Sheppard. But at the Oval Room, which reopens Monday after a $1 million revamp, you're invited to Instagram and Vine to your heart's content. And we've already gotten started with this photo of yellowfin tuna with ginger dressing and spicy tapioca below.

"Everything is photo-worthy, and some things are video-worthy," said Simon Stilwell, general manager for the restaurant. "We want people taking pictures of the food and the space and the drinks ... We want them to be part of the experience and to be able to share that with others, too."

Among those photo-worthy new additions: a series of bar snacks (fry bread, duck confit tater tots), a new Asian-inspired menu with char-grilled octopus, ginger-saffron marinated lobster, and crab salad with peach cocktail sauce, and a list of cocktails that reads like a Lou Bega song (They're named Monika, Rosalie, Alejandra, and Scarlett, among others). That's in addition to the sleek and modern new lighting fixtures, a marble bar, and bold abstract and representational art that now covers the walls, thanks to Martin Vahtra, who designed sister restaurants Rasika West End and NoPa. And to the commenter on Tom Sietsema's chat who inquired about the ladies' room -- yes, it's gotten a facelift, too.

The goal, said Knightsbridge Restaurant Group owner Ashok Bajaj, was to update the dated space so that both millennials and power lunchers would feel at home.

"Even the power diners ... everybody wants a little more relaxed restaurant," said Bajaj. But the new look doesn't mean that the proper service from the old version of the restaurant will go away: "Were not compromising on what our goals are here at all, in a fine dining way."

The first step towards bringing in a younger crowd was revamping the bar, which used to be an afterthought.

"Before, there was no real bar, it was just something in the way of getting to the dining room," said Stilwell. "Now the bar is very much a focal point of the restaurant."

It will also host the restaurant's first-ever happy hour, from 5-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, when diners can get 20 percent off of all drinks. The deal applies to the patio, too. Bar snacks will be an affordable $4-$7 and fine-dining deals abound: A four-course tasting menu is $60 ($90 with beverage pairings), and an entree-drink-dessert deal for lunch at the bar is $20.

Now that the renovation is complete, Bajaj says he's contemplating his next restaurant and scoping out locations. He offered no hints as to where it will be located, but said that it will likely be an Asian concept.

Check out the Oval Room's new menus, below.

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Feel free to Instagram the Oval Rooms revamp (and new menu)

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