Montréal QC ☕ Morning Chat
Good morning, Montréal.
We hope your coffee is hot and your weekend is off to a good start. With the Olympics coming to an end, some local news worth your attention, and stories reminding us of the importance of caring for one another, there’s plenty to fuel your morning. Settle in comfortably.
🔦 Main Story
Montréal adopts tolerance zones for encampments
The City of Montréal is changing its approach toward people experiencing homelessness with a new policy that creates “tolerance zones” on municipal land.
Inspired by a policy implemented in Longueuil, the new approach will allow encampments to set up in designated areas if they follow certain safety rules.
Boroughs will now have to identify places where encampments will be permitted. Encampments set up elsewhere will be relocated to these designated zones rather than dismantled.
This is a major change in how the City manages the homelessness crisis. It remains to be seen how this policy will be implemented on the ground and whether it will provide a lasting solution for those in need.
⚡ Noteworthy
Mayor gives herself an 8 out of 10.
Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada marked her 100th day in office on Saturday. She gave herself a score of 8 out of 10 for achieving her 10 key promises.
A rare exercise in self-critique in politics. Judging by the messages we received, let’s just say many Montréalers would give her a somewhat less generous score.
United States will face Canada in the final.
For the first time since 2010, Canada and the United States will face off in the men’s Olympic hockey final Sunday at 8:10 a.m. The Americans crushed Slovakia 6-2 in Friday’s semifinal.
Goals came from Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, Jack Hughes (twice), Jack Eichel, and Brady Tkachuk. Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves. Slovakia will face Finland for bronze on Saturday.
Cassie Sharpe withdraws from the final.
Former Olympic champion Cassie Sharpe will not compete in the women’s halfpipe ski final Saturday after a heavy fall during Thursday’s qualifiers.
The 33-year-old from British Columbia had to be evacuated from the hill by sled and taken to hospital. She has been released and is back in the athletes’ village, but medical staff have not cleared her to compete.
No further information has been given about her injuries. Sharpe won gold in 2018 and silver in 2022.
Alerts in Montréal about fake PEZ candies.
For the second time in a month, Montréal public health authorities have issued a warning to children, teens, young adults, and parents about fake candies circulating that are contaminated with a drug banned in Canada and responsible for fatal overdoses. Stay vigilant.
ChatGPT banned the account linked to the Tumbler Ridge shooting
OpenAI says it banned Jesse Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account in 2025 after it was flagged internally for violent activity.
The company considered reporting the account to law enforcement but determined the activity did not meet the threshold for imminent and credible risk of serious physical harm. After the shooting, OpenAI proactively contacted the RCMP with information about the suspect’s use of ChatGPT.
Van Rootselaar’s Roblox account was also banned after developers discovered it was being used in a game encouraging users to participate in a virtual shooting.
RCMP reserve program faces challenges.
An internal evaluation report from the RCMP says challenges related to recruitment, training, resources, and management are hampering the reserve program. The November 2025 report states that reservists filled the equivalent of about 173 full-time positions in 2024, up from 155 in 2020.
In December 2024, the RCMP had more than 300 fewer reservists than the national cap of 800 set by the Treasury Board. Many reservists did not meet training and physical health requirements, creating risks for the organization and the public.
Limits on death and injury benefits were the biggest concern raised.
Indigenous leaders outline their priorities.
Leaders of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis have outlined their priorities for the spring parliamentary session.
National Chief of the AFN, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, is calling for a meeting between First Nations leaders, the federal government, and provincial premiers, the first since the Kelowna Accord in 2005.
Ottawa announced Thursday $50 million to help develop Inuit Nunangat University, the first university in the North and the first in Canada focused on promoting Inuit languages.
Canada’s envoy to Greenland wants concrete progress.
Julie Crôteau, acting consul for Canada in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, gave her first media interview since taking office in November.
She says success would mean concrete progress in a few years to expand trade links and air and sea routes between Canada and Greenland, as well as greater collaboration on shared challenges like fighting climate change.
The consulate is temporarily housed in the Icelandic consulate, with plans to eventually appoint a permanent consul and have an independent building.
Bloc Québécois MP assaulted in Brussels.
A Bloc Québécois MP says he was assaulted and sprayed with cayenne pepper this week while in Brussels for a NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting.
Hydro-Québec wants to double rates for data centers.
Québec’s public electricity utility is seeking to significantly increase electricity prices for data centers and cryptocurrency operations.
Justice Minister withdraws abortion article.
Québec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette is backing away from his plan to enshrine the right to abortion in the proposed Québec constitution. His office confirmed he intends to remove the article from the legislation.
50% of Conservatives approve of Trump.
An EKOS study reveals that 88% of Canadians disapprove of U.S. President Donald Trump, while only 12% approve.
Among Conservative voters, 50% say they approve of Trump, compared to 2% of Liberal voters and 3% of NDP voters. A separate Angus Reid Institute study found that 50% of Conservative Party voters say they are proud to be Canadian.
Québec Ballet School facing financial difficulties.
The École supérieure de ballet du Québec is celebrating its 60th anniversary, but administrators warn that financial difficulties threaten the future of the only French ballet school in North America.
🏙️ Local Stories
A month after evacuation, still no return home.
A month after an emergency evacuation due to structural problems, residents of a building on Old Orchard Avenue in N.D.G. still don’t know when they can return home. Residents say the City’s claims of support do not match their lived experience.
Montréal band releases new music video.
Montréal alt-country band Bobby Gibson and the Winter Wail released a video for their new song “It Takes All Kinds,” recorded live at Ayer’s Cliff in Memphrémagog County, Québec.
Gibson describes the song as being about “being disappointed by people you admire when the world is at odds with itself.”
💛 Spotlight
Ottawa announced $50 million to help develop Inuit Nunangat University, the first university in the North and the first in Canada focused on promoting Inuit languages and supporting economic and cultural opportunities in the region.
👋 Before We Go
That’s it for this Saturday morning. Between new approaches to help the most vulnerable, upcoming sports feats, and ongoing challenges, there’s plenty to reflect on over your coffee.
Enjoy your weekend, take care of yourself and others, and have a great day, Montréal. 🍁
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