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On October 16, 2026, a La Presse investigation revealed that PDQ 21 suspended two officers. One officer had urinated on an unhoused individual, and another had posed for multiple photos with a suspect put into a humiliating position. These two suspensions follow a disastrous year for the SPVM, after last June’s massive suspension of an entire night watch unit at PDQ 39, where officers reportedly cut off the locs of hair from arrested individuals to keep as trophies. Today, Local 514 sits down with Orlando Nicoletti, a PhD student in the Department of Sociology who studies the policing of the unhoused.Here is the link to the upcoming protest on Saturday https://www.resistancemontreal.org/evenement/manif-la-police-nous-pisse-dessus-nous-on-pisse-sur-la-police

Québec’s election delivered a Parti Québécois minority government with roughly 28 percent of the popular vote, raising questions about how closely the National Assembly reflects the electorate. The result gives the PQ the largest share of seats, despite nearly three-quarters of valid ballots going to other parties. Original data research by Local 514 journalist Kalden Rangdröl Dhatsenpa reveals another dimension of that representation gap: in 92 ridings, the number of registered electors who did not vote exceeded the ballots cast for the winning candidate. If non-voters were counted as a hypothetical party, they would have finished first in those constituencies.The comparison shows how a candidate can win while receiving the support of a relatively small portion of the people registered to vote in their riding. Under Québec’s first-past-the-post system, a candidate needs more votes than any rival, not a majority of votes cast. In a new Local 514 episode, Kalden Dhatsenpa and CJLO News Hour host Adam Inniss discuss what these findings mean for democratic representation and electoral reform, with the latter re-entering public discourse in light of this election. Proportional representation would bring parties’ seat totals closer to their share of the vote. Some mockups of this election’s popular vote transposed into a proportional system show how different the results would be, with the CAQ receiving between 17 and 19 seats. Changing the voting system could improve representation, but these proportional transposals don’t show how differently people might vote if their vote counted more. The election leaves Québec with a government able to lead, but whose electoral support falls well short of a majority. Local 514’s findings sharpen the province’s question: what would an electoral system that better represents Quebecers actually look like?

Joseph from Anakbayan Montréal joins Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa to discuss the Filipino youth organization’s wide-ranging work, from cultural activities and community support to workers’ rights and international solidarity. He shares how learning about human rights abuses in the Philippines moved him to get involved, connecting struggles back home with organizing here in Montréal.Find Anakbayan Montreal on social media:Instagram:   / anakbayanmtl  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/...Make sure to follow Local 514 & CUTV on social media to stay up to date with new episodes and more content:Local 514Instagram:   / local514montreal  CUTVInstagram:   / cutv.community  Website: https://www.cutvmontreal.org/In a rush and want to hear more? Listen to our Local 514 podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/08F3UST...

An interview with Randy Legault-Rankin, Liberal Party of Quebec candidate in Laurier-Dorion. Legault-Rankin pitches why Quebecers should vote for the party. In this conversation, we discussed the party’s reasons for keeping Quebec in Canada, the homelessness crisis, the notwithstanding clause, and more. The provincial election is on Oct. 5th. Stay tuned for more Local 514 election coverage, including our livestream with CJLO on election night at 7 pm. Make sure to follow Local 514 & CUTV on social media to stay up to date with new episodes and more content: Local 514Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/local514montreal/ CUTVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutv.community/ Website: https://www.cutvmontreal.org/

An interview with Vincent Hubert, Parti Québécois candidate in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Hubert pitches why Quebecers should vote for the party.In this conversation, we discussed the party’s plan for independence, lowering grocery prices, limiting temporary immigrants, and more.The provincial election is on Oct. 5th. Stay tuned for more Local 514 election coverage, including our livestream with CJLO on election night at 7pm.Make sure to follow Local 514 & CUTV on social media to stay up to date with new episodes and more content:Local 514Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/local514montreal/CUTVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutv.community/Website: https://www.cutvmontreal.org/

The Quebec provincial elections are fast approaching. On October 5th Quebecers will decide which parties will be voted into the National Assembly. But what is it that the parties are promising with regard to the housing crisis? And how might some of these parties even worsen the crisis?In this episode, housing policy analyst Gavin Armitage Ackerman joins Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa to grade each party’s housing platforms.

An interview with Adrien Welsh, the leader of the Communist Party of Québec and candidate in Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques. Welsh makes his argument for why Quebecers should vote communist this provincial election.In this conversation, we discussed the party’s long history, its split from Quebec Solidaire in 2017, its return to provincial politics, and what building a workers movement looks like to face neoliberalism.The provincial election is on Oct. 5th. Stay tuned for more Local 514 election coverage including our livestream with CJLO on election night.

In this episode of Local 514, Nour Amjahdi joins us to unpack Quebec’s expanding secularism laws and what they mean for Muslim women. We talk about work, exclusion, protest, and the everyday consequences of policies that determine who can teach, participate in public life, and belong in Quebec.

An interview with Saïd Kassabie, Québec solidaire candidate in Viau. Kassabie pitches why Quebecers should vote for the party.In this conversation, we discussed the party’s plan to build affordable housing, public grocery stores, a $20 minimum wage and more.The provincial election is on Oct. 5th. Stay tuned for more Local 514 election coverage.Make sure to follow Local 514 & CUTV on social media to stay up to date with new episodes and more content:Local 514Instagram:   / local514montreal  CUTVInstagram:   / cutv.community  Website: https://www.cutvmontreal.org/

Interview with Alex Tyrrell, the leader of the Green Party of Quebec. Tyrrell pitches why Quebecers should vote for his party, highlighting its eco-socialist approach.In this conversation, we discussed the party’s plan to make public transit free, public grocery stores, green energy, and more.The provincial election is on Oct. 5th. Stay tuned for more Local 514 election coverage.Make sure to follow Local 514 & CUTV on social media to stay up to date with new episodes and more content:Local 514Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/local514montreal/CUTVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutv.community/Website: https://www.cutvmontreal.org/

An interview with Joe Cianflone, the leader of the Canadian Party of Quebec. Cianflone pitches why Quebecers should vote for his party; he calls it the only federalist party in the race.In this conversation, we spoke about the party’s plan to limit the use of the notwithstanding clause, promote bilingualism for the economy, build affordable housing, and more.The provincial election is on Oct. 5th. Stay tuned for more Local 514 election coverage.

It’s been 5 years since the release of A Citizen’s Guide to City Politics: Montreal. This book has served as a guiding compass for our show in many ways. Its essays on progressive municipalism, worker solidarity, police violence, and urban planning help lay out the project of why the city is an important locus for organizing. Today I sit down with the book’s editors, Eric Shragge, Jason Prince, and Mostafa Henaway to talk about how the book’s ideas have held up, and how its analysis might adjust for the centre-right city administration helmed by Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada.

After revelations of racial profiling and claims that SPVM officers at Station 39 kept the locs of Black people as “trophies,” Soraya Martinez Ferrada and her administration decided to fast-track police body cameras to increase police accountability. However, this move renews debate about whether cameras truly change the institutional culture that drives police violence.Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa talks with Vincent Mousseau—a Black, queer abolitionist, researcher, and social worker about why body cameras have limits and why past Montreal pilot projects showed they were not worth the cost. Vincent reminds our listeners that the body camera pilot project report recommended against instituting body cameras as they were too costly and even police felt they were always being watched. What other solutions are being ignored? And what is the abolitionist take on the issue of the SPVM’s racism?Tune in for the full discussion.

Municipal elections are far more ephemeral than elections at other jurisdictions. At the municipal level parties often pop up as brief vehicles for mayoral campaigns, or borough specific parties like Courage - équipe Sue Montgomery, Mouvement Montreal, and Futur Montreal to name some recent examples.Jason Louissaint was a city councillor candidate for Transition Montreal in the last municipal elections held in October 2025. Despite losing, he is still very much active in his community. We at Local 514 have run into Jason at other protests like the one in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield against the expansion of the General Dynamics facility. Jason has a moral motor that’s kept him active outside of the elections.This summer he’s been active in putting on community strengthening events in Saint-Michel to bring together neighbours  in an otherwise ignored borough. He’s also been a vocal opponent, as other Transition candidates have like Parc-ex city councillor candidate Abdul Khan, or Transition’s mayoral candidate and leader, Craig Sauvé, against the proposed expansion of Tennis Canada’s facilities which could risk taking up a third of the entire park.Jason Louissaint joins host Kalden Dhatsnepa in studio for Local 514 to share his thoughts on the Jarry Park privatisation, as well as his perspectives on municipal issues in Saint-Michel.

Zach Jutras sits down with Zev Saltiel, spokesperson for Montreal Anti-Apartheid, to discuss a motion passed at City Hall.On August 24th, city council was scheduled to vote on a motion brought forward by Projet Montreal to pause institutional ties with Israel, and recognize the genocide in Gaza.Governing party Ensemble Montreal proposed an amended motion that ended up passing, in the place of the original.Saltiel says his organization supported the version brought forward by Projet Montreal, however it did not include every demand they asked for. The version passed by Ensemble Montreal is one that does not make sense to Montreal Anti-Apartheid. Make sure to follow Local 514 & CUTV on social media to stay up to date with new episode and more content:Local 514Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/local514montreal/CUTVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutv.community/Website: https://www.cutvmontreal.org/