Advertise on podcast: This is Montreal

This winter, the city of Montreal is setting up new temporary trailer housing near the site of the Notre-Dame encampment. The goal is to help people make the transition from living in tents, to permanent housing. Transitional housing is also part of the federal government’s homelessness strategy, announced in the most recent budget. We’ll hear how transitional housing works and whether it can put Montreal on the path to housing all Montrealers permanently.

When Montreal’s police chief Fady Dagher announced the firing of seven officers this week for racist, discriminatory and dehumanizing conduct, he emphasized that their actions did not reflect those of “99 per cent” of officers. But some advocates say the focus on “bad apples” distracts from the need for more structural changes in Montreal policing.

It appeared one day in 2019, perched precariously atop a tower, overlooking the decaying silos of the Canada Malting plant along the Lachine canal: A bright pink house, with green shutters. It was the work of a mysterious artist who had scaled the building in secret. For many Montrealers, the pink house is more than a cheeky lick of paint on an old industrial shed. In a few short years, it has reached icon status: captured in photos and paintings, printed on t-shirts and postcards. And when part of the malting plant was recently demolished for safety reasons, some feared for the Pink House's future. Though the house is staying put, with plans for a new housing development on the table, there are questions about how much of the site can and should be preserved. We’ll explore how we decide which parts of the city’s landscape are worth saving and we'll peel back a few layers of the mystery surrounding the Pink House.

Montreal’s mayor says she’s ‘bringing the salt’ back to Montreal roads, this winter. She’ll be increasing the amount that hits our sidewalks and streets, in a bid to make roads safer for pedestrians and drivers. But while salt is really good at getting rid of ice, it also takes a mean bite out of our road infrastructure and has negative impacts on soil and waterways. Producer Rebecca Ugolini joins host Ainslie MacLellan to look at why that is and to explore some of the unusual alternatives municipalities are testing out.

In a few weeks, we’ll be changing our clocks, and leaving Daylight Saving Time behind. But more provinces in Canada are making the decision to abandon the time change. With Manitoba, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories making the jump this November 1st, what about Quebec? Guest host Sudha Krishnan looks at whether it’s a good idea, and what the possible implications could be on the economy–and on your health.

Quebec’s incoming Premier, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, has big plans for the province: from possible changes to healthcare to talks of an eventual referendum. What’s in store for Quebecers as the next crop of politicians waits to be sworn into office? Guest host Sudha Krishnan walks us through the province’s new political landscape and looks ahead with Cathy Senay, CBC’s National Assembly Correspondent.

What could the map of Quebec look like, after voters go to the polls this October 5th? With tight races in many ridings, the political landscape could change dramatically. That’s what CBC's Sudha Krishnan’s is watching for our election night special. She joins hosts Ainslie MacLellan and Alison Brunette with a look at what you need to know about the race to be next premier of Quebec, in a special cross-over episode between This is Montreal and This is Quebec.

Public transit hasn’t exactly been front and centre during the campaign, despite many municipalities and transit advocates calling for major investments. Montreal’s metro needs fixing, off-island municipalities need better service and transit corporations everywhere are asking for more stable funding. So with so many demands, what should the transit priorities be? Plus, host Ainslie MacLellan rides along with a committed Huntingdon transit commuter and has a humbling revelation about the challenges of regional transit.

With no English-language debate and a legal controversy over English information on voter cards, some English-speaking Quebecers are calling for more attention to their concerns in this election. This is Montreal producer Rebecca Ugolini joins Ainslie MacLellan to look at how English-speaking groups have tried to assert themselves on the political scene over the years, including by forming new political parties. And young English-speaking voters share what really matters to them in this election, beyond language.

Which party wants to cut temporary immigration by half? Which party would privatize management of some hospitals? Who wants to extend Quebec’s language laws to adult education? What about creating a provincial telehealth system? Or raising the minimum wage? CBC’s Quebec election platform tracker takes you through each party’s stance, issue by issue. Reporter Holly Cabrera gives us a behind-the-scenes look at putting the platform tracker together and highlights some promises you may have missed on the campaign trail.

It’s often repeated that Quebecers pay the highest taxes of any jurisdiction in North America. CBC reporter Ben Shingler breaks down how the tax burden on Quebecers compares to elsewhere and what we get for it. And we’ll hear why some economists are saying that any government intervention to help with the cost of living needs to be targeted to the people who need it the most.

The Quebec election campaign has only just begun but already party leaders have been running a gauntlet of complex issues: from the trade war with the US, to Quebec sovereignty, to the cost of living crisis. There are several new party leaders in the mix, the incumbent Coalition Avenir Québec and the Quebec Liberal Party are trailing the Parti Québécois and polls show many voters are still undecided. So how are candidates trying to find their footing in this uncertain landscape before Quebecers go to the polls on October 5? Host Ainslie MacLellan sits down with CBC National Assembly reporter Cathy Senay and This is Quebec guest host Allison Van Rassel to break down the tumultuous start to the campaign.

The Montreal Alouettes have bid farewell to their in-house dance and cheerleading program. For the first time this season, Montreal’s football team has partnered up with the Université de Montréal Carabins stunt cheer squad instead. For some, it’s the end of an era. For others, it’s just another evolution. CBC journalist Douglas Gelevan takes us through the legacy of the Alouettes cheerleaders, from the baton-tossing Majorettes of the 50s, through the pom-pom shaking era of the 60s and 70s, to the knee-high socks of the 80s, right up to modern day. We’ll hear how the cheerleaders’ style, how they were perceived — and whether they got paid — reflected the attitudes of Montreal society throughout the decades.

At a meeting at city hall on Tuesday night, Montreal police chief Fady Dagher spoke publicly about an internal investigation into allegations of racist, violent acts by police officers at Station 39 in Montréal-Nord. While Dagher is proposing internal reforms, columnist Noémi Mercier believes we also need to examine bigger questions about the place of police in Quebec. She crunched the numbers for L’actualité magazine and found that Montreal has more police officers per capita than any other major Canadian city.

While the Island of Montreal is projected to lose nearly 10 per cent of its population in the next 25 years, some other nearby regions like the Laurentians are growing. CBC’s Aatefeh Padidar spoke with some new Laurentians residents — including some former Montrealers — about what prompted them to move. And we’ll hear what this population shift could mean, both for the regions that are losing residents and those that are gaining them.