Tag: Montreal

As Tighter French-Language Laws Loom, Is It Time to Recognize Montreal as a City-State?

Commentary Now that the federal election is over, we Montrealers are turning our attention to the city’s mayoralty elections, scheduled for Nov 7. The two viable candidates are incumbent Valérie Plante of the Projet Montréal party and her predecessor Denis Coderre of Ensemble Montréal, who is seeking a comeback. Together their parties command 97 percent of…


Staff, Supplies Lacking at Residence Herron Before the Pandemic, Quebec Coroner Hears

MONTREAL—A nurse told a Quebec coroner’s inquest today that a Montreal-area long-term care home where dozens of people died during the first wave of COVID-19 was understaffed and lacked proper equipment even before the pandemic hit. Véronique Bossé, who worked as director of care at Résidence Herron from September 2019 to January 2020, said on…


Coroner’s Inquest Begins Into Montreal Area Care Home Where Dozens Died of COVID 19

MONTREAL—An inquest into a Montreal-area long-term care home where dozens died during the first wave of COVID-19 began today with coroner Géhane Kamel promising to search for the truth of what happened. In her opening remarks, Kamel said it is not her job to determine criminal or civil responsibility but rather to “shed a light”…


Montreal Investment Fund Sued Over Use of Founder’s Great-Great-Grandfather’s Name

MONTREAL =—Brendan Holt Dunn said he wanted to invoke the legacy of his great−great−grandfather, pioneering Quebec industrialist Sir Herbert Holt, in the name of his Montreal−based venture capital fund. Now, he may have to go to court to keep the name. His fund, The Holt Xchange, which invests in early stage financial technology startups, is…


‘We’re Back’: Montreal Festival Promoters Happy to Return but Looking to Next Year

MONTREAL—In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season. In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French−language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID−19 regulations — were…


COVID Restrictions Have Turned Old Montreal Into a Violent District

MONTREAL—For Fouad Filali, owner of Le Sénateur restaurant in Old Montreal, the families with children who used to visit the historic district have been replaced by young people who sometimes are violent and harass women. Montreal’s iconic neighbourhood has struggled without many tourists since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and residents, business owners and…


Thousands Protest COVID Restrictions in Montreal

Thousands of people took to the streets in Montreal on Saturday, May 1, to denounce COVID-19 restrictions in Quebec. Demonstrators, calling the restrictions excessive and unjustified, gathered at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, and demanded that the provincial government lift a nighttime curfew that has been in place in much of the province since January, as well…


Port of Montreal to Resume Operations as Legislation Forces Dock Workers Back to Work

MONTREAL—Operations at the Port of Montreal are expected to resume gradually beginning Saturday after the Senate passed legislation forcing striking workers back on the job. The House of Commons approved the bill Thursday, and it was debated and approved by the Senate late Friday. The Maritime Employers Association issued a statement saying activities at the…


Granting Voting Rights to Non-Citizens Could ‘Endanger’ Foundations of Nation State: Historian

A proposal by Montreal officials to allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections could endanger the foundations of the nation state, a historian says. Montreal’s committee on social development and diversity urged the city in an April 19 report (pdf) to grant voting rights to over 100,000 non-citizens, saying that the move would improve immigrant integration…


Quebec Mother Charged in Death of Seven Year Old Girl Granted Bail

LAVAL, Que.—The mother of a seven-year-old girl who died this month from alleged mistreatment was granted bail on Monday. The 35-year-old woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, was given strict release conditions that include making a $1,000 deposit and surrendering her passport. Her next court date is scheduled for April 12. She…