A workman was killed Wednesday when a tree fell on him in a Dorval back yard. Details are scant.
Three deaths since Sunday are blamed on the heat wave.
Updates from August, 2025 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
-
Kate
-
Kate
The suspect in the attack on a Jewish man in Park Ex is being sent for a 30‑day psychiatric evaluation and will return to court next month.
Mention is made in this brief piece of “delirious thoughts and mental health issues” but if he’s found not criminally responsible it may not go over well.
Chris
All the media coverage I’ve seen has assumed he picked a fight with that guy *because* he was Jewish. But no evidence, so far, has been given for that theory. Seems just as possible he’s a nutter than went off on the nearest person, and he happened to be Jewish. We just don’t know. But of course we shouldn’t let that stop us from jumping to conclusions!
Kate
The Hasidim distinguish themselves with their garb, so that alone could have caught the notice of a man in a psychotic fugue, without any antisemitic motives involved. But to identify the impulses of a man in that state is notoriously impossible for either the law or the medical profession.
Ian
We’re also assuming that this guy knows whaat a kippah is.
It seems obvious to those who know, but my Hassidic neighbours were surprised that the cops didn’t know about Purim (I was defending them from a noise complaint form a busybody up the street) and my neighbourhood has almost no break-ins because Hassidic families don’t have a lot of stuff that’s easy to fence and burglars apparently dio’t know to look for a mezuzah.
I’m beginning to see why everyone is so hesitant to come out and cal it a hate crime.The Griffibtowndude
If found non responsible, he will spend up to 2 years at Pinel where he will have everything done for him by an inexperienced staff and then he will be returned into society where he may or may not recommit an offence as he will surely stop his meds ……
Ian
Sounds like a problem with the psychiatric system and underfunding of medicine than a crime problem.
Ephraim
Is this the new “gay panic” defence? Now it’s the heat? I asked ChatGPT to check for similar cases: nothing in the past decade, none in Quebec or Canada, and nothing comparable worldwide. So why did this happen to this one man, in this one city, in this one park, and just happen to involve a Hasidic victim? Montreal has seen hundreds of documented antisemitic incidents, yet we are told this one somehow isn’t. I doubt that explanation will sit well.
Ian
The important thing here in terms of antisemitism is not that the guy was attacked – that much is obvious – but if he was attacked BECAUSE he is Jewish. There are a lot of assumptions there.
jeather
We are allowed to make these assumptions. None of us are (I assume) charging or prosecuting him; there’s no jury empaneled. It’s fine to say there’s no proof he was attacked because he was Jewish, but it’s also fine to think that given the current political circumstances, it seems more likely to be true than not.
Ian
Fair, but making those kinds of assumptions are also what inform racial profiling, stereotyping, and ethnic exclusivity.
jeather
I’m assuming that a specific person, who beat up a visible Jew who was a stranger to him, did so partially due to antisemitism, in a place that has an general undercurrent of antisemitism and people blaming random Jews across the world from Israel for the genocide. This is not the same as assuming that all black men are criminals who need to be stopped while driving, and you know that.
Ian
What I’m saying is “visible Jew” and “general undercurrent of antisemitism” aren’t things that can be assumed. I know lots of people that couldn’t tell a Sikh from an observant Muslim. If this is an anti-Israel thing, it’s ironic as the Hassidim don’t support israel as a political entity for religious reasons. If this is just a randomly anti-Jewish thing, how do we even know that, given that there were no words exchanged? What should I expect a random guy whose religon and psychological state and general life I know nothing about to know?
I would think these are reasonable questins, and I’m not just playing at internet “what if” games here. I’ve been assualted in public myself by a street weirdo, right here in Montreal. Sometimes shit happens.
jeather
You can argue that the guy wasn’t aware he was Jewish, sure, but I can argue that it’s reasonable to assume someone in that area would recognise a Chasidic man as being Jewish. You cannot realistically argue there’s no antisemitism in Quebec, though, and there are certainly people around who associate all Jews with Israel, whatever their particular stance is.
We don’t know. You don’t know it wasn’t a hate crime. I don’t know it was. You believe it wasn’t, and I believe it was, and when more facts come out maybe one of us will be proven wrong and maybe it will still be unknown.
However, my belief is not a “slippery slope to racial profiling”, which is what you called it.
Ephraim
@Ian – In case you missed it, a lot of people don’t seem to be able to tell the difference between a country and a religion. That’s why we have Mai Abdulhadi and her Nazi salute and “Final solution” and an entire parade chanting Khabar Khabar Al Yehud, not to mention attacks on synagogues.
-
Kate
The McCord-Stewart museum has an exhibit on called Battre le pavé/Pounding the pavement which is worth a look. They gathered selections of Montreal street photography from many photographers. Some of the sets are displayed on walls, some as slide shows in side rooms. There’s one set of stereograms from the 19th century, but most of the work is more recent.
The focus is downtown, mostly from the 1980s onward. Some images were quite recent and I noticed a few shots in which the Hot Star restaurant is in the background, which burned down last month.
There’s also a wall where articles about the Aubry v. Éditions Vice-Versa case are pasted up, but no further information about the current legal status of public photography in Quebec.
One series of short videos has photographers talking to the video camera about their inspiration and approaches: they varied from getting very chummy with street photography subjects, to one man who quite arrogantly says he takes a photo and keeps moving without getting into any discussions. So I wondered about the legal status of his photos in the exhibit.
It was a shift of perceptions to come out onto the street afterwards, always an interesting moment.
Blork
Interestingly, the actual photograph from the Aubry v. Éditions Vice-Versa case is on display.
Orr
Perhaps the H.John commentator can provide some of his insight on the current legal status of public photography? I would be very interested to learn more about this.
On the western exterior wall of the The McCord-Stewart museum building is one of the most remarkable public art sculptures I’ve seen anywhere in Montreal, Pierre Granche’s Totem Urbaine / histoire en dentilles. You can also see it on the Art Public Montreal website, which is an excellent resource for enjoying Montreal’s very large public art collection.
-
Kate
The OQLF is on the case of the Burgundy Lion pub, insisting on the addition of larger words in French on their sign defining it, presumably in case someone mistakes it for a church or a dental clinic or a daycare.
The OQLF also wanted more French on the whisky menu, but the owner held out that Lowlands, Highlands and Islay are simply the names of parts of Scotland where the whiskies are made, and have no French equivalents.
Or should that be “l’eau de vie des pays d’en haut”?
Update: The OQLF has backed down.
Uatu
This weekend is Lasso, the country music festival. They are in violation since lasso is a Spanish word. They’d better change their signage lol
Nicholas
Annette
Funny how the OQLF often steps back when exposed to a little media attention. It’s as if they don’t have the courage of their convictions.
Imagine what the original, ancient Burgondes would make of this whole episode. We’d have a hard time explaining it to them though – they weren’t francophone.
-
Kate
A mysterious light in the sky Tuesday night turns out to have been an Ariane‑6 rocket stage deorbiting itself.
-
Kate
Air Canada’s flight attendants have issued a strike notice, so the airline will begin cancelling flights shortly. If you thought you were taking a trip, you might not be.
-
Kate
A severe thunderstorm warning is up, the inevitable closure to an extreme heat wave.
Weather amnesia is interesting. I’m not a big fan of the Journal’s cartoonist Ygreck, but his recent I’ll never complain about winter again cartoon sums it up. Right now it’s almost impossible to replay what it feels like in January, sleeping under heavy covers, wearing layers inside the house, looking outside to see only gray and white, unable to step outside without putting on more layers and special footwear. And I know that in January I wont be able to evoke the sensation of what it’s like right now. It’s like we’re two different people.
Ian
The intense and sudden petrichor I just smelled thrills me to my core
Kate
Wasn’t it wonderful?
jeather
As you might know (because it is one of my favourite facts and I share it a lot), humans are more sensitive to petrichor than sharks are to blood.
Tee Owe
IMO you can complain about the cold, or the heat, but not both –
jeather
I’m incredibly skilled, I can complain about both.
Tee Owe
OK, ha ha, point taken – how about, I will sympathize with one or the other, but not both – ?
jeather
It’s really hot when it’s still 33 degrees at 9 pm and it’s also really cold at -30.
Blork
It’s going up to 31C on Saturday but going down to 9C on Sunday night. Nine! I might stay up late that night just so I can walk around outside in shorts and a t-shirt and remember what it’s like to feel cold.
Kevin
I can’t explain how grateful I am that I got new windows and a door on my home this year.
For the past 17 years I’ve been spending summers melting, coming up with ways to stay cool, amd not sleeping at night even with a ceiling fan on full blast.
This year? It’s not the same house. The hot moist air is staying outside. My ACs are keeping everything at 23 or 24 degrees. I can actually raise blinds and not feel a blast of heat.
jeather
I am so excited for these upcoming cool nights.
Tee Owe
in case it wasn’t obvious my comments were intended humorously – I also find hot hot, and cold cold. But like Kate and Jeather wrote, it’s hard to feel bad about hot in January, or about being colder just now. It’s why we love Fall, no?
jeather
I agree that I would be really unsympathetic if anyone complained to me about the cool evenings that are coming up.
EmilyG
I’ve heard several people remark that they can’t imagine winter in summer, or vice versa. I agree. Though I wonder if this applies to people who live in a place with a cold winter, but take winter vacations to tropical areas.
maggie rose
One of the new excellent Vermont weather people on WCAX (weather so close to us it’s fun to watch & available on their website) used the word “refreshing” to describe the temps coming our way on Thursday & Friday. Such a simple word, yet so euphoric I can almost taste it. I can’t wait for even more refreshment on Monday & Tuesday. My building, with many tenants 55 and over, had a wellness check from SPVM tonight. Many don’t have AC here. I don’t know how they do it. Even with it, 4-5 days of the window ac rumbling and fans to spread the cool, gets old fast. Not to mention my hydro bill.
Mozai
The petrichor was so strong when the rain started that I had to stop walking and just cough. Tonight, I stood up from my work chair without creaking knees, without weak legs, without a moment of dizziness and wondered what in the sam hill.. then saw the thermometer in my kitchen and it said it’s only 28°C and ohhhh that’s why.
Kevin
@maggie rose
The new generation of window ACs has to be heard to be believed. U-shaped models are so quiet, even when on the highest fan setting, that you can sit next to them and have a conversation in a normal tone of voice.MarcG
Last time I looked they only fit up-and-down windows which is an unfortunate limitation.
DeWolf
@maggie rose They were right. Even though it was not exactly chilly today (high of 27 I think?) it is so extremely pleasant that refreshing is the right word.
Re: air conditioning – having lived in a place where it’s ubiquitous and frankly abused, it really creates a dependence. People use it way more than they need. The u-shaped window models strike me as a pretty good solution because they don’t lock you in. If it’s pleasant enough to open the window, you still can.
Reply