Strikes: They're big in Canada too

By Georg Szalai

How pervasive are SAG worries? So pervasive they're even reaching...Canadian cab drivers.

The first person we met after arriving in Montreal for the annual Just for Laughs comedy festival was a festival van driver who said he usually works as a film technician.

Prodded further about his career status, the driver says he is set to embark on his first summer vacation in 24 years because film production is still somewhat quiet in Montreal after the writers strike in the fall and with a de facto SAG strike now in place. And he's not optimistic, saying he's not expecting a full slate of work for as much as nine months.

Of course there's no escaping labor worries: our first message from the Hyatt Regency, where we're staying, was a letter from the general manager informing guests that Montreal hotels have been in negotiations with their employees' union for a new labor agreement.