The Rover has looked into an incident of possible journalistic skulduggery in which Le Devoir may have buried its own investigation at the behest of big bucks. Although the Rover’s writers attempted to query some of the paper’s journalists, in each case they were referred to their union, which responded with an empty formality and no information. The implication that enough money can buy retraction and silence hangs there, unaccounted for.
Updates from December, 2025 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Kate
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Kate
The weekend between Christmas and New Year is always atypical, but Radio‑Canada has a list of suggestions for families and CultMTL posted a winter art calendar last month. CTV notes some holiday installations that are still going on.Some are already listing New Year suggestions, like La Presse and CityCrunch. The Old Port will have a show and the REM will run overnight. Le Devoir previews a show planned on Place Jacques‑Cartier.
An open and closed.
Arctic weather expected into the new year.
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Kate
Daniel Renaud does a dive into 2025’s homicides, looking at them from various angles. Like the recent TVA piece, he notes the drop in gang‑related killings, and the involvement of homeless people in eight incidents.
Renaud also notes that, of the 31 homicides so far in 2025, 25 have been solved, along with eight from previous years.
A second piece looks at the solution of five old gang murders this year.
Renaud is doing a podcast called Les Archives criminelles which I planned to listen to, since he’s a mine of information on the local crime scene. But it’s so boosted with music cues, probably intended to build apprehension and suspense, that I find it unlistenable. I suppose this is the prevailing style of true crime podcasts – the music relied on to create emotional tension in the place of visuals – but it ends up making the podcast feel like an aural equivalent to Allô Police.
Or maybe that’s the intention?
Ian 12:23 on 2025-12-26 Permalink
Deep pockets can buy all kinds of compliance, especially if there are threats of lawsuits. Look at how Shiller-Lavy got away with ruining Mile End.
steph 17:59 on 2025-12-26 Permalink
Popularity and overexposure ruined the Mile-End (and that was through good intentioned publicity)
Ian 22:14 on 2025-12-26 Permalink
Speculation and commercialization ruined Mile End, and the refusal by the city to engage meaningfully with commercial interests was one of the main underlying factors.