Top story on most platforms Monday is the day’s dual hockey tournaments – the Victoire one win from taking the Walter Cup, the ultimate prize in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and the Canadiens one match from either winning the series against the Sabres, or hanging up their skates for the summer.
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Kate
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Kate
The Portuguese religious procession went ahead Sunday in the Plateau as it has for many years, in silence – a fact that may have skirted the law against praying in public.
There was also a march against homophobia and transphobia Sunday downtown.
Nicholas
Gotta ban silent prayer by asking everyone what they’re thinking at all times.
PatrickC
The silent procession will be spun as proof that the law works. That the borough’s compliance may have been ironic will not have any shaming effect.
steph
Might be the best way to go about it -no permit but a wink and a nod.
What’s Quebec going to do – send in the SQ?Joey
It’s really a shame (unless I’ve missed something) that the city’s various religious organizations aren’t jointly encouraging their congregants to collectively advocate against this law – a lot of the reaction to the Portuguese procession understandably emphasizes how the community has been a pillar of the Plateau and city for decades. It does not, it seems, express a lot of solidarity with other religious Montrealers (especially the unstated target of this law, the Muslim community).
This isn’t a criticism of the Portuguese, who have the burden of being one of if not the first major community to be affected by this law, but emphasizing the uniqueness of the Portuguese (or Jewish or whatever) community concedes one of the also unstated ideas underlying this whole nonsense, which is that some communities are to be encouraged, some are to be tolerated, and some are to be, let’s say, discouraged.
azrhey
oh as Portuguese, the community reaction is really gross and one of the reasons I don’t hang there that often besides getting some groceries now and then. The racism and discrimination against the Muslim communities has been outrageous. Like there were people saying they didn’t think the law should apply to Catholics just to those foreign religions and what not.
I got into an argument with other Portuguese locals on a Facebook group and there were a few of us saying that we should show solidarity for all religions if we wanted our stuff to be accepted but we were definitely in the minority. Much shame.Kate
I’ve seen nothing about a concerted voice among the active religions here, but it’s quite the idea. A single voice to counter the Quebec law. But you know what would likely happen – they’d bicker more among themselves than unify to speak with one voice.
Kate
Some people are still fighting the Crusades, or trying to drive the Saracen out of Al‑Andalus.
Chris
Why would we expect a concerted voice from theists? Many of them think they are absolutely right, and the others are heathens, believing in the wrong god. They are not allies, they are enemies. (Not all of them, obviously; but enough of them that I would not expect any concerted action.)
Joey, regarding your last sentence, it’s not necessarily wrong to treat different communities differently. For an extreme example, if religious community X requires human sacrifice, and religious community Y requires pacifism, shall we treat them the same? Some religions are simply worse than others. I ask you honestly: would you rather a world of strictly interpreted Islam, or a world of strictly interpreted Jainism?
Kate
Chris, the rules of both Islam and Jainism, interpreted strictly, would be harsh if imposed on people, but you miss the subtlety that, here in Canada, nobody is obliged to practise a religion. In fact it’s practically a confessional genre for people to write about how they, as second generation immigrants, began to peel away from the beliefs of their family.
Anyway, that’s neither here nor there for the purpose of this thread.
I would love to see the Catholic Archibishop, the top local clerics from the Anglican and United churches, the most prominent imams and rabbis, whoever is in charge of the Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh temples, all sit together and craft a letter to this Quebec government tearing a piece off them for this repressive and stupid law. And I am a disbeliever myself, but you can no more impose rationalism on an unwilling population than you can religion.
jeather
Remember you are only supposed to say merry Christmas if you are thinking about Santa (who we pretend is not religious) and not Jesus.
And yes, we treat religious communities X and Y the same. Murder is against the law for people in either community; unusual food practices are allowed. Maybe we give both of them parking variances for their specific holidays, or let their children reschedule exams, even though the holidays are different days.
H. John
@Kate My guess is that it went ahead because the provisions in Bill 9 were only passed a little over a month ago, and municipalities are still figuring out how it applies.
Like most bills, provisions at its end set the date(s) that it comes into effect; and parts of the Bill only come into effect September 01.
Silence would not skirt the law. They didn’t forbid “praying”, they forbid “religious practice” (which obviously can include praying).
Here’s the definition they use for religious practice:
“Any action, except the wearing of a religious symbol, that may reasonably constitute, in fact or in appearance, the manifestation of a religious conviction or belief, is a religious practice within the meaning of this section and
section 10.2.”Joey
One of the minor injustices here is that it’s the municipalities, in this case the Plateau borough, that has to enforce this reactionary law. A lot of the criticism I’ve seen FB from the Portuguese community is directed at the borough, refusing to acknowledge that (a) the borough is bound by the provincial law, and (b) that the Plateau leadership is on the same side as the Portuguese community. A real poison pill from the CAQ…
Kate
Joey, you’re right about that. Cathy Wong was quoted saying she was fine with the procession but, as you say, the bureaucracy is bound to the word of the law.
H. John
My reading of Bill 9 is that a municipality can still authorize a religious procession such as Montreal’s annual Portuguese Catholic procession.
Bill 9 includes:
“RELIGIOUS NEUTRALITY IN THE PUBLIC SPACE
“2. No public road, within the meaning of the third paragraph of section 66
of the Municipal Powers Act (chapter C-47.1), or public park may be used for
the purposes of collective religious practice unless a municipality authorizes,
exceptionally and on a case-by-case basis, such a use in its public domain by
resolution of the municipal council.So the practical effect appears to be:
- spontaneous or unauthorized collective public prayer/processions may be prohibited;
- organized religious events can still occur if municipal authorization is obtained.
jeather
But what does “exceptionally” mean in this context? They need to look at them case by case and decide individually on what merits? If they approve too many would it no longer be exceptionally?
Joey
What happens when one group is consistently granted exceptional approval and another is not? My sense is that bureaucrats will always err on the side of extreme caution, so they would likely refuse to make exceptions as much as possible.
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Kate
A recent survey shows that Quebecers are still turning their backs on the U.S.A. and vacationing closer to home.
The Journal lists Montreal’s seven major attractions, the seven treasures of Quebec City, some curious places to stay and some quaint Quebec villages, although the huge banner promoting Air Canada flights to Japan is undermining the effect somewhat.
Monday, La Presse looked into who’s still visiting the U.S. and why.
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Kate
Two groups of people who became overebullient Saturday night – and not because of hockey – were suppressed by police after fireworks were set off. Nobody has been arrested.
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Kate
Premier Fréchette is said to be trying to round up Emmanuel Macron in an effort to get that defense bank headquarters for Montreal. Le Devoir, on the other hand, was not sanguine about Fréchette’s visit to France.
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Kate
Sunday, May 17, this city marks 384 years as a European‑style settlement established on the island of Montreal. Happy anniversary!
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Kate
Quebec politics always offers possibilities, Côté poking fun at Québec solidaire, while both Ygreck and Chapleau spoof PSPP’s paranoia. Côté’s and Ygreck’s nervous fonctionnaires watch the launch of the digital health record, Côté’s horrified patient reading his chart.Québec solidaire proposed a tax on the ultra rich, but the response of François Lambert was the thing that activated the cartoonists. Côté has a dry comment on the wiliness of the wealthy.
Trump in China was an inevitable target as he tried to eat a burger and open a fortune cookie. He also tried to part the Strait of Hormuz.
As Mark Carney approves pipelines, Steven Guilbeault sees the mask come off.
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Kate
Rents in Montreal have risen by 70% over ten years. The Gazette blames “population growth, gentrification and a game of catch-up with other markets” in the deck to this piece, the first of a two‑parter, but it doesn’t note the utter failure of the TAL to keep rents reasonable.
Joey
Feels like they are setting up the next instalment in the series to deal with the public policy failure here (which includes, but is not limited, to the TAL’s conduct).
Kate
I find the mention of “markets” also tone deaf. If you live in Montreal it doesn’t help you if the “market” in some other city is “more competitive” or whatever. You work here, you live here, the rental situation is what it is, it isn’t a “market”. You can’t easily pick and choose between global cities like buying veg in the market. Must everything be seen in the language of business college?
steph
At least the Montreal market comes with higher salaries…. right? right??
Nicholas
Yes, disposable income is higher in the Montreal area than it is in the rest of the province. Urban area agglomeration effects make this a standard pattern worldwide that big cities (and suburbs) have higher incomes than small cities and rural areas. Whether it’s enough to counteract higher housing costs varies, but it absolutely did not surprise me that incomes are higher here before actually checking.
Kate
Higher than the rest of Quebec maybe, but seen from a global point of view, not so much.
Chris
Wait, what? Montreal/Quebec/Canada absolutely have higher wages, income, wealth, and disposable income than the global average (or median). Surely I’ve misunderstood what you’re saying?
Kate
Context, Chris. Do you really think the Gazette was comparing Montreal’s market with Port‑au‑Prince or Lagos? If you look at our income levels compared to London, Paris, New York – even Toronto or Vancouver – they’re lagging, while our rents catch up to these bigger and more prosperous cities.
Chris
Kate, I see. But still, you can’t just exclude the places around the globe that are poorer, and point to the remaining and say ‘see, they’re all richer’.
Kate
If we’re “playing catch-up with other markets” – the direct quote I plucked from the Gazette – that isn’t going to mean poorer cities, is it. By implication it means places where things are more expensive.
qatzelok
Most commercial media is tethered to the landlord classes so they are likely to suggest that there is no alternative to what we have now.
It’s working out great for the people who fund commercial media.
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Kate
A police car was set on fire downtown early Sunday, and the Canadiens hadn’t even won a game. Nobody got hurt in the blaze.
There were a lot of people downtown Saturday night, and there will be a lot of people for the watch party at the Bell Centre on Monday.
Chris
“hadn’t even won” is quite the understatement. 🙂
JP
I was walking to the McGill REM around 9 pm…It was soooo quiet outside walking down McGill College. If you didn’t know it was a hockey game night…you would have thought there was nobody downtown….
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Kate
La Presse has a possibly useful list of summer festivals.
jaddle
Too bad none of the classical music festivals are mentioned. Off the top of my head, there’s the Chamber Music Festival, Classica, Montreal Baroque, Lanaudiere (a little far to be considered Montreal, but many make the trip), Virée Classique…
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Kate
The West Island branch of the REM opens for a free preview Saturday and Sunday till 6 pm.
Agitation for a branch to the east end of the island is only bound to grow now.
Uatu
As someone who grew up in the South Shore, the idea of taking one train from Brossard to the West Island is pretty amazing
Kate
I think you do have to change trains at Bois-Franc, no?
LJ
No, you just need to board the right train from Brossard, so the A3 line rather than the A4. If you board the wrong line you can transfer at Bois-Franc. I have already taken the REM downtown and back from the Kirkland station twice, and it is fantastic (assuming it does not break down, I guess). Unlike taking the EXO commuter rail with its very limited schedule, we can now leave and return at any time from 5:30 AM to past 1 AM. A long-awaited game changer for those of us who prefer public transit to cars.
Kate
Excellent, LJ. Just as I had assumed you couldn’t take a single train all the way from Brossard to Deux‑Montagnes – I thought it meant changing at Central Station – I was mistaken here too. A3 to the West Island, A4 to Deux‑Montagnes, and – when completed – A2 to the airport.
Too bad I never need to go to these places, but I may have to take the REM as a jaunt this summer just to see it all.
LJ
Not much to see as the downtown portion runs underground and the rest is rather bland unless you like industrial rooftops. The stops from Sources to L’Anse a L’Orme are elevated so you can get an overview of that part of the island, but it is not exactly spectacular either. So useful transit but not very touristic. May be worthwhile to see a few stops once. At least it is quick, you can go from downtown to the end of A3 and back in about an hour.
Kate
I’ve only taken the REM for one stop – McGill to Édouard‑Montpetit. Basically a metro ride. But I do want to take it across the bridge sometime soon, since I have not been on the new Champlain yet. I’m also vaguely interested in walking around Île Bigras. So my idea was to take a day off this summer, buy an all-zones ticket, and just go have a look around.
As I’ve noted here before, if only from looking at the placing of stations and their surroundings, the majority are simply plunked down near a big parking lot, and not much else. They’re mostly not intended to be walked to and from, but rather driven. So – as you say – not very touristic, and no pressing reason to get off the train for a look around most of the stations.
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Kate
Linda Gyulai has a long, well considered piece about the decline of Milton Park. As she reports, “the entire neighbourhood makes up just six per cent of the area of the Plateau and a tenth of its population [but] accounts for 24 per cent of all crimes reported in the borough.”
DeWolf
“But at some point in the last year or two — no one can seem to peg exactly when — the individual dealers that prey on unhoused people in the area turned into conspicuous groups of criminals that roam the neighbourhood.”
That’s the big difference. You feel it even if you’re just passing through. The crowd at Milton/Park was always relatively chill and it was usually the same people you’d see day in, day out. Then at some point there was an influx of dealers — really nasty-looking types — followed by a lot of strung-out people from outside the neighbourhood.
Kate
Looking at the situation coldly, how much profit can drug dealers make off the homeless?
Chris
“Force” the addict to steal something expensive in exchange for their fix. There are lots of valuable things to steal, then you sell those for profit.
Ian
One guy I knew who became a crack addict but managed to get out of it put it this way – crack is appealing not only because it’s a fast, intense high, but because it’s super cheap. Only 5 b bucks. Everyone has 5 bucks. Until all you want is more crack and you used up all your 5 bucks. Then you need to boost something you can sell to a fence or trade to a dealer. A lot of people turn to prostitution because if you look ok you can make some money fast as long as no pimps come after you and eventually when you look not so great even homeless people that aren’t on crack can scrape up 5 bucks for a screw, so it doesn’t really matter if you’re homeless or in decent condition or not.
This is also why you see so much petty crime like stealing copper or breaking car windows for loose change (for instance) … you just need a few 5 bucks, like, NOW.
Joey
About nine years ago I had a chance to spend some time with a pharmacist operating in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, basically Canada’s skid row. His pharmacy served many addicts, given their location. We were talking about Naloxone, the overdose-reversal drug, and I asked him how often he had to administer it – he said at least several times per week, often multiple times a day (imagine what happens when a bad batch circulates). I suggested that a lot of his patients must be very grateful to him for saving their lives; he said they were more likely to be pissed that the Naloxone, which had literally saved their lives, had robbed them of their high. Feels bleak.
Kate
Jeez, Joey. The logical conclusion is they’d rather be high then dead, than sober and alive. That’s definitely bleak.
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Kate
La Presse investigated what it’s like for city workers to clean up after the crowd that watches a playoff match outside the Bell Centre. The strange part is how many workers choose to do the job. It’s a very optimistic story.
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Kate
Two brothers were found guilty of murder in the second degree on Friday, in the stabbing of another young man two years ago. Details of their sentencing will be announced later.
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Kate
Pleas were made this week for a safer Park Avenue for pedestrians and cyclists, eleven of whom have been killed on the street since 2013.
Ian
Until they normalize the intersections and get rid of the switch lane nothing is going to work, even bike paths.
Knowing this city though they will keep it all as-is including the switch lane and parking lanes and put a st-urbain style bike path on the southbound side.
FWIW right now there is a pothole at the NW corner of Parc and Bernard that actually has a piece of rebar from the road bed sticking out of it – Car, truck, bus or bike, if you hit that it’s going to cause damage. Yes, I called 311.
MarcG 13:05 on 2026-05-18 Permalink
Pretty funny quote in Patrick Déry’s latest newsletter about Habs fever: “Never have temporary immigrants and unilingual Anglophones been so popular in Quebec”