Category: Quebec

English-Language Debate Ahead of Quebec Vote Cancelled After Premier Pulls Out

An English-language leaders debate that was scheduled to take place ahead of Quebec’s October election has been cancelled after Premier François Legault refused to participate. Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also said Friday that he wouldn’t participate in the Sept. 20 debate because Quebec’s common language is French. “Without the participation of all the…


Quebec Asks Feds to Close Roxham Road, Says Province Can’t Handle Influx of Refugees

Quebec is asking the federal government to close a wooded border crossing south of Montreal because the province can’t handle the number of asylum seekers entering the country. Premier François Legault says more than 100 refugee claimants are entering Quebec every day from the United States through a rural path called Roxham Road. The popular…


Quebec Woman Raises Alarm After Region’s Only Vet Forced to Quit Over Language Laws

Horse owners in a part of western Quebec say they’re losing their only veterinarian because her French isn’t good enough to pass the language test required to get a licence. More than 6,400 people have signed a petition started by local farmer Chantal Chrétien asking the province to grant an exemption due to an extreme…


Quebec Lost Almost $1 Billion on COVID-19 Protective Equipment: Auditor General

Quebec’s auditor general says the province overpaid on personal protective equipment during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic by almost $1 billion. Guylaine Leclerc’s new report says the provincial government was unprepared for the pandemic and rushed into purchasing equipment at high prices. She says that by the end of March 2021, the value…


Teen Referee Assaulted By Adult Spectator During Quebec Youth Soccer Game

An adult spectator is likely facing indefinite suspension from attending youth soccer games after assaulting a young referee during a match between two teenage clubs in Quebec. The event took place during a May 7 match between Celtix du Haut-Richelieu and Saint-Laurent—two boy’s teams in the U-14 category—in Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, a town southwest of Montreal. “I…


Remote Quebec Homes Getting High-Speed Internet Access With Elon Musk’s Starlink

Quebec says it will use the services of Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk to connect thousands of remote homes in the province to high-speed internet by the end of September. The provincial government said today it will invest $50 million to connect about 10,000 remote homes to Starlink satellite internet, which is operated by…


Governor General Begins Tour of Nunavik Meeting With Local Officials in Kuujjuaq

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon is beginning her tour of the Nunavik region of northern Quebec today by meeting with local officials, including the Kuujjuaq mayor and council, the Kativik regional government, the school board and the board of health and social services. Simon and her husband Whit Fraser will also stop at the Isuarsivik Recovery…


Quebec Police Watchdog Opens Probe After Suspect Arrested, Released Before Stabbing

Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating after a suspect alleged to have stabbed his spouse on Thursday was arrested and released hours earlier by Quebec City police. The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes says in a statement that police responded to a call at 8:59 p.m. for a marital dispute and arrested a 51-year-old man at the…


Quebec Halloween 2020 Murder Suspect Is a Narcissist, Seeks Recognition: Crown Expert

An expert for the Crown says the suspect in Quebec City’s Halloween 2020 murders is narcissistic, seeks recognition, and could not have been delirious the night of the stabbings. Neuropsychologist Dr. William Pothier told jurors that Carl Girouard hesitated before murdering two people and injuring five others in the Old Quebec district on Oct. 31,…


Quebec to End COVID-19 Mask Mandate May 14, Last Province to Remove Health Order

Quebec’s interim public health director says the province’s COVID-19 mask mandate for indoor public spaces will end on May 14. Dr. Luc Boileau told reporters in Quebec City that masking will remain mandatory on public transportation and in health-care facilities. Boileau says all the province’s pandemic indicators, including the number of new daily cases and…