Montreal QC ☕ The Morning Chat
Good morning, Montreal.
With two days to go before the provincial vote, party leaders are making their final rounds while students denounce a system they say doesn’t represent them. We also remember a former Canadien, follow the search for a missing air ambulance, and revisit a tragedy in the metro.
Main Story
Quebec Election: The Final Stretch Before Monday’s Vote
Leaders of the five main parties spent the weekend trying to win over undecided voters, two days before Monday’s ballot. Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon was in Quebec City to unveil his first-100-days priorities, including a promise to cut the gas tax by seven cents a litre and create a secretariat for government efficiency.
Liberal leader Charles Milliard, whose party sits second in the polls, started the day in Lachute before heading to Trois-Rivières and Quebec City. He called the PQ’s separatist ambitions archaic, pointing voters to what happened with Brexit in the UK.
Conservative leader Éric Duhaime began Saturday in Quebec City, buoyed by recent polls showing his party up two points. He’s aiming to elect 12 MNAs. CAQ leader Christine Fréchette spent the day on Montreal’s South Shore, with stops in Saint-Hubert, Chambly, and Rougemont, reaffirming that her party leans centre-right and that a referendum on separation isn’t a priority.
In Montreal, Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal made a final pitch on public services, reiterating her party’s promises on housing, transit, and grocery costs.
Polls will be open Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In Our Neighbourhood
Man Dies After Being Hit by Metro Train at Lionel-Groulx
A man in his forties died after being struck by a metro train at Lionel-Groulx station on Saturday. A 911 call was made around 11 a.m. reporting that a man had fallen onto the tracks.
“The train couldn’t stop before the person got back onto the platform,” said Renaud Martel-Théorêt, an STM spokesperson. “The person’s death has been confirmed.” First responders were unable to revive him.
The STM is investigating what led to the fall. “Everything points to this being, unfortunately, an accidental fall, not intentional,” Martel-Théorêt said. Montreal police said no criminal activity is suspected. The STM reminds passengers not to get too close to the edge of platforms and to stay behind the yellow lines.
Fire Forces Evacuation of Six Families in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
Six families had to leave their homes after a two-alarm fire in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough on Friday evening. Firefighters responded around 9:30 p.m. to a three-storey building near Masson Street and Bouronnière Avenue.
The fire started in the ground-floor laundry room before spreading to upper floors, according to Martin Guilbault of the Montreal fire safety service. About sixty firefighters were called in. No injuries were reported. Residents were evacuated, and the Red Cross was on hand to help rehouse households.
In Case You Missed It
Lyle Odelein, Former Canadien Defenceman and 1993 Champion, Dies
Lyle Odelein, the Canadiens defenceman who won the Stanley Cup in 1993, died Friday at age 58. The Canadiens confirmed the news Saturday in a statement.
“The entire Canadiens organization is saddened to learn of the passing of Lyle Odelein, who passed away Friday at the age of 58,” the team wrote. “The organization wishes to offer its most sincere condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Lyle Odelein.”
Odelein, originally from Quill Lake, Saskatchewan, scored 20 goals and added 75 assists in 420 games with Montreal between 1990 and 1996. He ranks second in team history for penalty minutes with 1,357. He was the first captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets when they joined the NHL in 2000.
Sass Jordan, Montreal-Raised Singer, Dies at 63
Sass Jordan, the rock singer raised in Montreal whose career spanned nearly four decades, has died at age 63. A message posted on her social media page Saturday says she died the day before, “surrounded by her loving family,” and calls her an “inimitable force of nature” and an “irreplaceable being of light and joy.”
Born in Birmingham, England, and raised in Montreal, she won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989. Her second album, “Racine,” released in 1992, included hits like “Make You a Believer.” No cause of death has been disclosed.
Debris Found from Missing Air Ambulance off U.S. Coast
The U.S. Coast Guard located debris from the missing Ontario air ambulance off the U.S. East Coast early Saturday morning. The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 owned by Hamilton-based Latitude Air Ambulance, was carrying six people, including four Canadians and two Bermudians.
The plane was en route from Bermuda to Boston when contact was lost around 1:30 a.m. The search continues off Nantucket, an island about 150 kilometres southeast of Boston. Latitude Air Ambulance said this was the first time it had lost contact with one of its planes.
Students Decry Lack of Choice in Election
Several hundred students gathered in Montreal and Quebec City under the slogan “Élections, piège à cons” (Elections, a trap for fools) to protest the lack of parties that truly represent them, two days before the vote. The Coalition de résistance pour l’unité étudiante (CRUES), which represents 30,000 members, denounced upcoming cuts to education and the high cost of living.
“The political class doesn’t give a damn about us,” said a spokesperson. Sophie Bouchard, CRUES’s internal affairs officer, said citizen actions like strikes and protests are more effective than voting. Isabelle Lacroix, a professor of applied politics at Université de Sherbrooke, explained that abstention doesn’t necessarily mean political disengagement.
Practical Corner
How to Vote on Monday?
Polls will be open across the province Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. This is the last chance to have your say. For those still undecided, leaders made their final rounds this weekend. Less than 48 hours remain to make up your mind.
Editor’s Pick
The story of students mobilizing even when they doubt the system reminds us that democracy isn’t just about a ballot. Their energy, even critical, is a form of engagement that counts.
To Close
Wishing you a gentle Sunday between two election deadlines. Take time to breathe, remember those we’ve lost, and prepare for Monday. ☕