This is Montreal

This winter, the city of Montreal is setting up new temporary trailer housing near the site of the Notre-Dame encampment. The goal is to help people make the transition from living in tents, to permanent housing. Transitional housing is also part of the federal government’s homelessness strategy, announced in the most recent budget. We’ll hear how transitional housing works and whether it can put...

When Montreal’s police chief Fady Dagher announced the firing of seven officers this week for racist, discriminatory and dehumanizing conduct, he emphasized that their actions did not reflect those of “99 per cent” of officers. But some advocates say the focus on “bad apples” distracts from the need for more structural changes in Montreal policing.

It appeared one day in 2019, perched precariously atop a tower, overlooking the decaying silos of the Canada Malting plant along the Lachine canal: A bright pink house, with green shutters. It was the work of a mysterious artist who had scaled the building in secret. For many Montrealers, the pink house is more than a cheeky lick of paint on an old industrial shed. In a few short years, it has rea...

Montreal’s mayor says she’s ‘bringing the salt’ back to Montreal roads, this winter. She’ll be increasing the amount that hits our sidewalks and streets, in a bid to make roads safer for pedestrians and drivers. But while salt is really good at getting rid of ice, it also takes a mean bite out of our road infrastructure and has negative impacts on soil and waterways. Producer Rebecca Ugolini joins...

In a few weeks, we’ll be changing our clocks, and leaving Daylight Saving Time behind. But more provinces in Canada are making the decision to abandon the time change. With Manitoba, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories making the jump this November 1st, what about Quebec? Guest host Sudha Krishnan looks at whether it’s a good idea, and what the possible implications could be on the economy–and...

Quebec’s incoming Premier, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, has big plans for the province: from possible changes to healthcare to talks of an eventual referendum. What’s in store for Quebecers as the next crop of politicians waits to be sworn into office? Guest host Sudha Krishnan walks us through the province’s new political landscape and looks ahead with Cathy Senay, CBC’s National Assembly Correspond...

What could the map of Quebec look like, after voters go to the polls this October 5th? With tight races in many ridings, the political landscape could change dramatically. That’s what CBC's Sudha Krishnan’s is watching for our election night special. She joins hosts Ainslie MacLellan and Alison Brunette with a look at what you need to know about the race to be next premier of Quebec, in a special...

Public transit hasn’t exactly been front and centre during the campaign, despite many municipalities and transit advocates calling for major investments. Montreal’s metro needs fixing, off-island municipalities need better service and transit corporations everywhere are asking for more stable funding. So with so many demands, what should the transit priorities be? Plus, host Ainslie MacLellan ride...

With no English-language debate and a legal controversy over English information on voter cards, some English-speaking Quebecers are calling for more attention to their concerns in this election. This is Montreal producer Rebecca Ugolini joins Ainslie MacLellan to look at how English-speaking groups have tried to assert themselves on the political scene over the years, including by forming new pol...

Which party wants to cut temporary immigration by half? Which party would privatize management of some hospitals? Who wants to extend Quebec’s language laws to adult education? What about creating a provincial telehealth system? Or raising the minimum wage? CBC’s Quebec election platform tracker takes you through each party’s stance, issue by issue. Reporter Holly Cabrera gives us a behind-the-sce...

It’s often repeated that Quebecers pay the highest taxes of any jurisdiction in North America. CBC reporter Ben Shingler breaks down how the tax burden on Quebecers compares to elsewhere and what we get for it. And we’ll hear why some economists are saying that any government intervention to help with the cost of living needs to be targeted to the people who need it the most.

The Quebec election campaign has only just begun but already party leaders have been running a gauntlet of complex issues: from the trade war with the US, to Quebec sovereignty, to the cost of living crisis. There are several new party leaders in the mix, the incumbent Coalition Avenir Québec and the Quebec Liberal Party are trailing the Parti Québécois and polls show many voters are still undecid...

The Montreal Alouettes have bid farewell to their in-house dance and cheerleading program. For the first time this season, Montreal’s football team has partnered up with the Université de Montréal Carabins stunt cheer squad instead. For some, it’s the end of an era. For others, it’s just another evolution. CBC journalist Douglas Gelevan takes us through the legacy of the Alouettes cheerleaders, fr...

At a meeting at city hall on Tuesday night, Montreal police chief Fady Dagher spoke publicly about an internal investigation into allegations of racist, violent acts by police officers at Station 39 in Montréal-Nord. While Dagher is proposing internal reforms, columnist Noémi Mercier believes we also need to examine bigger questions about the place of police in Quebec. She crunched the numbers for...

While the Island of Montreal is projected to lose nearly 10 per cent of its population in the next 25 years, some other nearby regions like the Laurentians are growing. CBC’s Aatefeh Padidar spoke with some new Laurentians residents — including some former Montrealers — about what prompted them to move. And we’ll hear what this population shift could mean, both for the regions that are losing resi...

July is peak season for biking in Montreal. It’s also one of the months when the most cyclists are hit by cars. The numbers show that a handful of intersections account for a large number of collisions involving bikes. CBC reporter Patricia Kozicka breaks down what makes these intersections so dangerous and what can be done to fix them.

A teenager from Blainville is asking international groups to investigate the environmental impact of Stablex, a US-owned hazardous waste site  in his community. 14-year-old William Guindon argues that Canada and Quebec have failed to apply their own environmental protection laws, so now he’s taking his fight global by filing requests to the United Nations and to an environmental watchdog unde...

In the lead up to the fall election, CBC Montreal host Sudha Krishnan is launching a series of conversations on Quebec identity — from two women with South Asian roots talking about how they’ve seen identity issues evolve since the 1970s, to young supporters of Quebec independence, to anglophone Montrealers defending their linguistic institutions.

The federal government’s proposed Alto high-speed train would link cities from Quebec City to Toronto with trains travelling 300 km/h or more, cutting travel times by up to half. But not everyone is on board. Farmers and rural land owners are worried about expropriations — some haunted by the legacy of the Mirabel airport. And with a Quebec election looming and sovereignty on the table, the Parti...

Water restrictions this summer have brought the importance of clean running water into focus. But how did Montrealers get clean before they had indoor plumbing? For much of Montreal’s history, it was a dangerous proposition: People risked drowning in the Saint-Lawrence river or catching diseases from a backyard privy. The solution? Public baths. Reporter Gloria Henriquez dives into the history of...

As parts of Montreal were once again hit with flooding during heavy rains, we’re bringing you excerpts from our Oct 2024 episode looking at why parts of Montreal are prone to this type of flooding. Plus: an update on what solutions Montreal and surrounding cities are considering to better protect homes against storms like these.

Sixteen police officers from Station 39 in Montréal-Nord are facing an internal investigation following allegations of racist, violent and hateful acts against Black and Arab people. Community organizations and some Quebec politicians are calling for an independent inquiry, while others say the solutions to racism and police brutality are already known and should be implemented more quickly. In th...

This is Montreal introduces…This is Quebec! In this first episode of our sister show, host Alison Brunette looks at the end of the legislative session in Quebec City. As the National Assembly shut down for the summer, the CAQ government had a few key bills and reforms it wanted to push through. But the party had to say goodbye to some of its flagship ideas. For more episodes, follow This is Quebec...

From a DIY skatepark to an old rail lot turned urban forest, Montrealers have reclaimed public spaces to create something new in their neighbourhoods. But what happens when a city and its citizens don’t agree on what a public space should be? CBC’s Boshko Maric explores Montreal’s informal spaces: who do they belong to and who should decide their futures?

The city of Montreal is asking more than 1.2 million Montrealers to reduce their water consumption this summer, because of water main work. Experts say it’s an opportunity to take stock of just how much drinking water is wasted in Montreal, either through leaky pipes, or bad habits. So how can Montrealers reduce their consumption? And would paying for water make a difference?