MTLQC – Montréal QC

Good morning, Montréal. ☕

We hope your coffee is strong this morning, because there’s a lot to digest. Between the Olympics reaching their peak, our mayor’s first 100 days, and a few stories that remind us of the importance of sticking together, there’s plenty to fuel your morning. Get comfortable.

🔦 Main Story

100 Days of Martinez Ferrada: An Initial Review

Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada will reach her 100th day in office on Saturday, and it’s safe to say she hasn’t been idle. Several campaign promises have already been fulfilled: the borough mayors’ table has met twice, the tactical intervention group on homelessness now has 12 members including Quebec Health Minister Sonia Bélanger, and the controversial 20‑20‑20 regulation on mixed housing has been eliminated.

The City has identified 80 municipal sites for housing projects—the list will be made public on March 1. The 2026 budget includes $29.9 million for homelessness services and $578.7 million over 10 years for social and affordable housing. Martinez Ferrada also announced the elimination of 1,000 municipal jobs over four years, which will generate $16 million in savings in 2026.

Four existing bike lanes are under review, and an artificial intelligence laboratory has been created downtown to reduce the impact of construction work. But while the administration is ticking off its commitments, a group of residents claims the mayor’s office is ignoring their repeated requests to be heard about the disorder caused by changes to streets without real consultation.

It remains to be seen whether the promised public registry of vacant buildings will be launched soon. For now, nothing has been published. The real test begins now: when the snow melts, potholes will appear, and Montrealers will see if the nice promises translate into cleaner streets.

⚡ Worth Noting

The much-anticipated women’s hockey final.

Canada and the United States face off today at 1:10 p.m. for the Olympic gold medal—the sixth time these two nations meet in the final. Marie-Philip Poulin, with her 20 Olympic goals (an absolute record in women’s hockey), 39 career points, and an average of 1.75 goals per game in finals, remains Canada’s secret weapon. But there’s a catch: Canada has lost its last seven games against the Americans, including a crushing 5-0 defeat in the preliminary round at these Games. The American team, younger (average age 25.8 vs. 29.2 for Canada), has a goalie on fire: Aerin Frankel boasts a .983 save percentage with three shutouts. In short: it’s going to be tough.

Canadian curling also in the semifinals.

Brad Jacobs’ team finished the round robin with a 7-2 record after losing 8-6 to Norway Thursday. The Canadians will face Norway again in the semifinals today at 1:05 p.m. Winners go to the final Saturday; losers play for bronze Friday.

Steven Dubois wins gold in speed skating.

Laval native Steven Dubois won the gold medal in the 500 meters short track speed skating at the Milano Cortina Games, bringing Canada’s gold medal total to four. The women’s team took bronze in the 3,000-meter relay.

Nick Suzuki saves the day for Canada.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and Mitch Marner turned things around for Canada in the men’s hockey quarterfinal against Czechia. Canada survived a close game and advances to the semifinals.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested.

Thames Valley police in England arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a man in his sixties, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Authorities are investigating reports that he sent business reports to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. An investigation has been opened.

Vehicle theft down 25% in Quebec.

Quebec recorded a 25% decrease in vehicle thefts in 2025 compared to the previous year. Automotive industry experts warn, however, that organized crime groups are developing increasingly sophisticated methods despite the decrease.

Fourth complainant in Frank Stronach’s trial.

A woman now in her seventies testified Wednesday that Frank Stronach invited her to see his downtown apartment after a dinner at his restaurant in the fall of 1977. She claims he pushed her onto the arm of a chair and tried to rape her, describing the incident as a “betrayal.” Stronach, 93, pleads not guilty to 12 charges relating to seven complainants for incidents dating back to the 1970s. A fourth complainant is expected to testify today.

Ottawa funds the first Inuit-led university.

Ottawa will provide $50 million to help build the first Inuit-led university in Canada, as well as more than $170 million for tuberculosis eradication, food security, and support for children and families in Inuit communities.

LeBlanc to meet Trump’s trade representative.

Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced he will meet US trade representative Jamieson Greer in the coming weeks to discuss the revision of CUSMA. LeBlanc is leading a major trade mission in Mexico and has met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. He says his Mexican counterpart assured him they want to work with Canada so that the CUSMA revision strengthens trilateral relations. The Trump administration has praised Mexico, which faces lower tariffs than Canada.

Quebec opens the door to data centers.

The Legault government issued two decrees on January 28 asking the Energy Board to create two new categories of electricity consumers: one for data centers, the other for blockchain operations related to cryptocurrencies.

Data centers will pay rates reflecting the cost of new supplies rather than the average production cost. The current industrial rate is 3.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, but rates up to 15 cents per kWh have been mentioned for data centers.

Cryptocurrency mining will face even higher rates to discourage activity amid strong energy demand.

Hydro-Québec has increased its electricity supply forecast for data centers by 66%, from 664 megawatts to 1,102 megawatts per year by 2035.

Marwah Rizqy excluded from Liberal caucus.

Quebec Liberal Party leader Charles Milliard announced Wednesday that Saint-Laurent MP Marwah Rizqy will not be allowed to rejoin the Liberal caucus.

A Quebec father testifies he has no memory of drowning his children.

A Quebec man who drowned his two children in October 2022 told the jury in Laval that he has no memory of the day they died, as he testified in his own defense.

McGill improves conversion of urine into energy.

Researchers at McGill University announced they have improved a method of converting human urine into electricity using microbial fuel cells.

🏙️ Local Stories

Montréal cuts 90% of funding for the universal mobility program.

Montréal’s universal mobility program, which dedicates annual funds to making public spaces like libraries, pools, and parks accessible to people with reduced mobility, received $3 million in each of the last two years under the Plante administration. Mayor Martinez Ferrada’s budget allocates nothing for 2027.

Chinatown residents worried about Stella’s move.

The support organization for sex workers, Stella, received approval in December from the City’s urban planning advisory committee to move its headquarters from Hochelaga to a building on Hôtel-de-Ville Avenue in Chinatown. At a Ville-Marie borough council meeting, the new administration postponed final approval by one month.

Some Chinatown residents say they were not consulted and are concerned about the concentration of social services in the neighborhood. Stella says the space will mainly serve as an office for staff and to provide support services, not as a shelter or supervised injection site.

The organization offers individual counseling, workshops, supplies like condoms and menstrual products, and small group activities. Stella has worked in the neighborhood for over 30 years. The group fears the City-imposed delay could jeopardize the purchase of the building.

Chinatown celebrates the Year of the Fire Horse.

Montréal’s Chinatown welcomed the Year of the Fire Horse. Chinese culture will become more accessible to Canadians thanks to recent changes in China’s visa policies. Jimmy Chan, founder of the Montreal Chan Lion Dance Club, says the neighborhood offers much more than dim sum and bubble tea.

💛 Favorite

Third and fourth grade students at Mary Gardner Elementary School in Châteauguay, who form the Sparkle Club, are organizing a kindness week, teaching inclusion, respect, and bullying prevention… proof that kindness starts early and spreads far.

🚗 Practical Corner

Work on the Charles-De Gaulle Bridge and Highway 520 this weekend.

Highway 40 will have one lane closed in each direction between Gouin East Boulevard and Route 344 from 9:30 p.m. Friday, February 20 to Monday, February 23. The speed limit will be reduced to 50 km/h.

Highway 520 will be completely closed between Exit 5 and the Côte-de-Liesse interchange from 10 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday, then again from 10 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.

The ramps at the Côte-de-Liesse interchange will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. overnight from February 23 to 24.

Check Québec 511 before hitting the road.

👋 Final Thoughts

That’s it for this Thursday morning. Between our athletes’ Olympic achievements, local challenges taking shape, and small everyday victories, there’s plenty to be proud of. Take care, cheer on our teams this afternoon, and have a great day, Montréal. 🍁