This is Montreal

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?

Young Montrealers are more likely than previous generations to still be living with their parents. A big reason why, according to researchers, is just how much it costs to move out. We’ll hear from Montrealers about the ups and downs of living at home in your 20s & 30s and from parents whose nests are not yet empty.

During one of the busiest times of the year for Montreal strip clubs, some strippers are boycotting work, in order to protest working conditions and to demand greater labour protections against things like arbitrary firings and violence in the workplace. CBC reporter Cassandra Yanez-Leyton speaks with two Montreal dancers who are pushing for change.

On one block in Verdun, tenants were displaced from four adjacent rental buildings, following two fires in the span of a few months in 2024. Since then, two of the buildings have been converted to undivided condos. Some tenants from another building have been struggling to hang onto their claim to apartments they haven’t been able to live in. Housing advocates worry that building fires are leading...

Beyond wins and losses, beyond the thrill of playoff runs, there’s a deeper thread woven through the bleu blanc rouge that ties together a city, its history and its people. Brendan Kelly, author of Habs Nation, explores what makes the Canadiens so central to Montreal’s identity.

One Montrealer who was forced out of his building by fire has noticed a lot of fires happening since. Is he just more attuned to them now, or have fires gotten worse? CBC Investigative reporter Leah Hendry crunches the numbers and looks at the role that vacant buildings play in serious fires.

It was a chance discovery. A reporter opened a can of Quebec maple syrup, only to find that something tasted…off. The resulting investigation by Radio-Canada’s investigative program Enquete revealed a Quebec company was selling syrup cut with cane sugar. We’ll wade through the sticky scandal and hear how Quebec producers are trying to defend the integrity of their product.

Christine Fréchette is only the second woman to serve as Quebec premier, but she won’t have much time to bask in her victory. With a provincial election looming in less than six months, her party is trailing in the polls. But she’s presenting herself as a pragmatic, resilient leader who’s ready to take on the challenge of rebuilding her party’s fortunes and reconnecting with Quebecers. CBC Nationa...

Rent increases notices have gone out over the past few weeks and Montreal renters are deciding how to respond. This year, landlords and renters will be working with a new formula from Quebec’s Housing Tribunal that redefines what costs can be passed onto tenants. We’ll break down what’s changing and get answers to some of your questions about rent increases.

CBC reporter Ben Shingler looks at how Montreal-based security company GardaWorld, a company backed by Quebec public funds, is involved in the expansion of U.S. immigration detention through its U.S. subsidiary, prompting criticism from some Quebec organizations that say governments should be paying closer attention to what Quebec corporations do abroad.

The legal challenge of Quebec’s secularism law, Bill 21, before the Supreme Court of Canada has evolved from a fight over whether teachers can wear hijabs in the classroom into a debate over who should get the final say when deciding questions of rights and freedoms in Canada: courts or elected legislatures? Reporter Steve Rukavina breaks down the arguments and explains why the outcome of this cas...

When a massive hole opened up in the Sauvagine bridge in Chateauguay, it didn’t just provide a clear view of the frozen river below, it arguably gave us a pretty clear picture of the challenges facing Quebec's road infrastructure. By some measures, more than 40 per cent of the province’s roads aren’t in good shape. With the provincial budget coming, engineers and economists are calling for better...

When the rest of us head inside, a crew of researchers from McGill and UQAM gear up and brave the freezing rain, to try to better understand the wildly unpredictable cocktail of precipitation that can happen when the temperature hovers around zero. The goal is to help cities and citizens be better prepared when an ice storm is looming. But just capturing that data can be a big challenge.

​In the ​spring of 1940, Nazi Germany had gone on the offensive. France and other European countries had been invaded and Britain could be next. So​ Britain devised a plan to secretly ship its wealth out of the country to keep it from Nazi hands and help finance the war. A top secret plan was born and one downtown Montreal basement would play a starring role. Producer Craig Desson brings us this s...

The city of Montreal’s new administration is promising to do more to accelerate the pace of building affordable rentals, even as it softens the requirements for private developers to invest in or build social housing. Host Ainslie MacLellan sat down with Caroline Braun, executive committee member in charge of housing for the city at the end of January to hear more about her administration's vision...

If Canada’s women’s hockey team has developed to where it is today, and if professional women’s hockey in Montreal has become a reality, it’s in large part due to Daniele Sauvageau. CBC journalist Melinda Dalton traces Sauvageau’s journey from a hockey-loving kid in Deux-Montagnes who wasn’t allowed to play, to being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Watch the video documentary here .

The City of Montreal is planning to review some bike paths across the city, following through on a campaign promise by Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada. The mayor says the goal is to evaluate mobility and safety for all and that, at this point, the city isn’t removing any bike paths. But some are skeptical that this review is the right focus when it comes to road safety in Montreal.

Throughout most of the 20th century, you could find downhill ski runs on and around Mount Royal, complete with tow ropes, T-bars and even a 100-ft long ski jump! More than 100 years ago, ski-jumping competitions in the city would draw crowds of thousands of people. In this episode from the archives, we hear why downhill skiing disappeared from the heart of Montreal, and why not everyone agrees ove...

International students and immigrants on work visas are finding new allies in their fight to stay in Quebec and get permanent residency. Many have been calling for the province to reverse its decision to scrap the Quebec experience program, known as the PEQ, or at least to grant them exemptions to apply under the old rules, instead of new ones that penalize applicants from the Greater Montreal are...