It isn’t even that a ban on face coverings in public is clearly pointed at a very few people practising a minority religion, as that the CAQ are so feckless that they think this is worth wasting government time and effort on, when so many other things need to be looked after.
Updates from September, 2025 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
-
Kate
-
Kate
An SPVM cop was photographed snoozing in his cruiser under the Metropolitan in Ahuntsic on Friday, and he may face disciplinary measures.
Arguably, if this cop was very short of sleep – new baby, for example – and knew he wasn’t safe driving, wouldn’t it be responsible to stop the car and take a nap?
Nicholas
The responsible thing would be to use a personal day and not charge us for his nap. Alternatively, if he felt he was awake enough to work but not to drive, he could have asked for desk duty, and called in for someone to come pick him up.
maggie rose
Say he is a dad with a new baby…good case for paternal leave.
steph
Better asleep than shooting unarmed teens. I wonder what he was dreaming of.
Ian
I’ve seen cops snoozing in their cruisers a few times, it never crossed my mind that they shouldn’t – but good point about goldbricking on the clock.
-
Kate
Via Rail was planning nonstop express trains between Toronto and Montreal, a test of which was to start Monday. But it has been postponed over operational constraints with CN.
The Ontario towns that would be skipped by the express were not best pleased with the plan.
bob
TIL that Kingston has more than five Via trains a day.
TIalsoL that Kingston currently is served by 22-25 trains per day. And five fewer will be “devastating”?
Anyways, this option will remain very unlikely while the same lines are used for freight. We need an actual TGV, not another half-assed, temporary semi-solution, and it could easily bypass the problematic areas by going from Toronto to Ottawa to Montreal.
Ian
If Kingston can’t survive with 17 trains pity poor Belleville lol
-
Kate
Luc Rabouin is promising to reduce the salaries of top STM management to match other city salaries if elected. For example, top STM honcho Marie‑Claude Léonard was paid $474,000 in 2024, while the city director‑general got $368,000. Rabouin goes on to lambast the Legault government for doing the minimum to support public transit.
This piece goes on to talk to Craig Sauvé about his take on homeless camps as well. Sauvé also spoke to La Presse about what he’d like to see done for the homeless.
Ian
Luc Rabouin is attempting misdirection. Like seriosuly, just over 100k is an election issue?
That’s barely the cost of a curb extension. Not even a bulbout.
“Concrete bulb out with planting. Montreal. $394,702 Curb. Extensio.n $98,675”
https://www.tcat.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Costing-of-Bicycle-Infrastructure-and-Programs-in-Canada.pdfSauvé is actually talking about stuff that matters.
-
Kate
Michaëlle Jean has a strong piece in La Presse on Nooran Rezayi’s last words and what they should mean to Quebec society.
MarcG
Thanks for sharing. In the original reporting it was said that Nooran reached into his backpack and that was given as the reason for the cop shooting him, but that part of the story seems to have disappeared.
Ian
Après la première balle reçue dans le ventre, il aurait trouvé encore assez de souffle pour interpeller le policier. « Pourquoi vous m’avez fait ça ? » La scène est bouleversante. C’est à ce moment que l’homme en uniforme, arme au poing, aurait tiré la deuxième fois, en plein cœur.
W. T. F.
No wonder the cops brought the riot squad, I’m amazed the police station wasn’t burned to the ground.
-
Kate
Five years ago, Montreal promised to do better by its Indigenous residents, but has it? Some moves have been made to create Indigenous living spaces, a street was renamed, a tree was added to the city arms, a park is being created in Sud‑Ouest borough. But a lot remains to be done.
Stats in the article: there are an estimated 46,000 Indigenous residents in Montreal now, a number that has tripled over the past 20 years. They account for about 2% of the city’s population.
-
Kate
Another great piece from The Rover: Christopher Curtis on the magical thinking going on in the election campaign.
-
Kate
Ted Rutland writes in The Rover about the recent history of the Longueuil police force and how it culminated in the killing of Nooran Rezayi, including the allegation that police had been hassling Nooran and his friends for months before the shooting.
walkerp
Everyone should read this article. This is basically first-degree murder:
It may have been this operation that put certain Longueuil police officers in regular contact with Nooran and his friends. In an interview posted on Tuesday, a friend of Nooran’s claimed the officer who fired the fatal shots had been harassing them for months and had ticketed them unjustifiably.
“We already knew the officer,” the friend said. “Every time (we encountered him), he made racist remarks, insulted us, yelled at us, abused his power.”
The officer, according to the friend, devoted special attention to Nooran: “Several times, (the officer) came, saw Nooran, and harassed him for no reason.”
Kevin
Sterling reputation? Fady Dagher tried to improve their rep during his short time as their police chief, but there is still a long list of racial profiling cases in Longueuil, including black people being subject to 14 percent of the random stops even though they make up just 7 percent of the population.
Ian
police think they have the authority to kill a minority
Joey
Bureaucracies of all shapes and sizes absolutely refuse to learn the lesson that one bad apple spoils the bunch.
-
Kate
St-Laurent mayor Alan de Sousa is already concerned that the REM branch through his borough may have a rocky start, so he wants a permanent backup bus route as well. The branch is now expected to open later this year.
DeWolf
Can’t blame him.
Incidentally, I was just thinking about this — what’s the local take on DeSousa? He’s been mayor of VSL forever but unlike certain other longtime mayors of former suburbs (ahem Luis Miranda), he actually seems to do a good job, and his borough seems pretty well-run and open to new ideas. But that’s just an outsider’s impression.
Nicholas
I understand the request, but this is a bonkers idea. I’m no fan of the REM project, and they have had their issues, so a temporary alternative service is fine. But you don’t spend billions of dollars to build a high capacity line to also run a duplicative low capacity line in the same place. To replace capacity during a shutdown you’d need tons of buses, running all day, just in case, when instead they could run elsewhere. Why should they get all this extra service while others have their buses reduced and reduced? There’s a reason no one does this basically anywhere in the world, including on the metro; instead we have occasional buses to provide accessible service (30, 17, 15 RIP).
Ian
What’s bonkers is how unreliable the REM is. It’s bad enough that in the West Island it goes north of the 40 instead of south of the 20 like the current commuter line – but this urban sprawl incentive can’t even be counted on as public transit. I’d ask for a bus line too. Frankly the REM won’t even replace the 211 let alone EXO.
-
Kate
The STM is back to its strike schedule on Monday, after the union’s offer on the weekend was rejected.
-
Kate
Relevant piece Monday by Benjamin Shingler examining the city’s problems vs what it can and can’t do to fix them. A good analysis of how Canada keeps its cities on a short leash by allowing them minimal amounts of money for infrastructure while leaving them to their own devices to cope with the housing shortage and homelessness. With a good short video in which Kwabina Oduro gives a terse civics lesson explaining municipal as opposed to federal and provincial responsibilities – and why people should take the November vote seriously and cast a ballot.
EmilyG 22:18 on 2025-09-29 Permalink
This makes me worry for a lot of reasons.
There are still people who are cautious about getting sick, and still wear masks in indoor public spaces. I’m one of them. I worry now about that being banned. The article mentioned religious reasons for face covering, and masked protests, and I don’t think they said anything about face masks just in public, but I worry.
Nicholas 23:03 on 2025-09-29 Permalink
This is a completely neutral measure, which applies to all women equally (yes, they specifically single out women being the problem for what they wear, something men have never done before). If they want more completely neutral measures, they should consider banning wearing little T’s in public. It would apply to anyone regardless of religion, while reinforcing public security and promoting state secularism. “Other countries did it so I think it’s normal that we think about it.”
MarcG 07:11 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
It’s just internal party stuff, not government regulation, being voted on. I believe this is the fine pure laine specimen who presented this non-racist proposal on behalf of the Legault Youth. He was a cashier at Couche Tard last fall/winter and must have been distraught by all of the neckies he saw.
MarcG 07:14 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
Big Alfred E. Newman energy.
Mozai 08:01 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
So every winter when i cover my face I’m preaching and trying to corrupt the children or oppress women with my religion of… trying to stay warm? Has anyone notified the Bay that winter scarves are dangerous religious icons?
Uatu 09:11 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
Good that this is finally dealt with. Also I’ve more work because my department had to cut a position. Pressure from Sante QC ya know. I also might be bumped off my position so there’s that. But it’s ok because I know that Genevieve Biron and her new agency has to get their top gun salaries from somewhere. I’m sure that this discussion of scarves and hats will pay off in the long run.
Meezly 10:24 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
@Nicholas, how can a measure be “completely neutral” when it singles out a subgroup of women?
And if something is already completely neutral, it can’t be “more completely neutral”. This is the same double speak the CAQ is using. Sorry but this measure clearly ain’t neutral.
Ian 10:39 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
I’m pretty sure Nicholas was engaging in humour, given the “little t” comment. Satire is an effective political tool with a long tradition 😉
Meezly 11:38 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
ah yes, thanks, I’m taking things too literally again!
Nicholas 15:41 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
Those little T necklaces really can spotlight religion and encourage conversion, just look at Maeby.
Kate 16:31 on 2025-09-30 Permalink
Nicholas:
1. that link is not good, can you paste a new one and I will edit it in?
2. WTH are you talking about?
Nicholas 02:35 on 2025-10-01 Permalink
Ugh, sorry, https://youtube.com/watch?v=BnD7oj9xQR0 (it’s just more jokes)