Hello Montreal ☕ Good morning! We hope you enjoyed your weekend. Today, we’re talking about doctors leaving Quebec, a fuel crisis disrupting vacations, and a few stories that remind us why our city is special. Grab your coffee, we’ll get you up to date.
🎯 Main Story
At least seven Quebec doctors accept offers in New Brunswick
It’s an exodus that hurts. At least seven doctors — including a thoracic surgeon and an ER doctor — are leaving Quebec for better working conditions in New Brunswick. This wasn’t an empty threat: they had warned they would leave if nothing changed after the adoption of Bill 2 last fall, the controversial law on physician compensation now being revised by the provincial government.
Frustration has reached a breaking point, and New Brunswick is benefiting. For Quebec’s already strained health system, it’s another blow. And for patients losing their doctors, it’s a reality they face every day.
⚡ Key Points
Trump threatens to block the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge
American President Donald Trump is threatening not to allow the opening of the new bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit, saying the U.S. should first be compensated. In a social media post Monday, Trump said the U.S. should own “at least half of this asset.” The bridge, scheduled to open this year after delays, cost $6.4 billion—fully funded by Ottawa. It will be publicly owned by Canada and Michigan.
Air Canada, WestJet, and Transat suspend flights to Cuba
The fuel crisis in Cuba is worsening, and Canadian airlines are responding. Air Canada is suspending all flights to Cuba after the aviation fuel shortage has reduced supply. The company will send empty planes to repatriate nearly 3,000 customers stranded on the island. WestJet is also suspending its winter flight program and beginning an “orderly shutdown” of its operations. Montreal vacationers were caught off guard.
Catherine O’Hara died of a pulmonary embolism, cancer the cause
A Los Angeles County death certificate reveals beloved Canadian actress Catherine O’Hara died of a pulmonary embolism on January 30 at age 71, with rectal cancer as an underlying cause. The oncologist who signed the certificate said he had been treating her since last March. The Toronto-born actress, star of “SCTV,” “Home Alone,” and “Schitt’s Creek,” died in a Santa Monica hospital in California.
Mark Carney gets Canadians’ support on trade diversification
A new Spark Insights study reveals that 77% of Canadians rate the Carney government’s work to “diversify Canada’s trade relations” as good or acceptable. The government also receives high marks for “developing new trade partners” (79%) and “attracting new investments” (76%). The study shows nearly 2 out of 3 Canadians (63%) would prefer a Carney government to one led by Pierre Poilievre.
Via Rail cancels trains between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal
Via Rail says its recent train cancellations in the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridor are in response to “increased operational pressure.”
Rent hits lowest level in 31 months in Canada
A new report shows that average rent in Canada has reached its lowest level in 31 months, with sharp drops in cities like Toronto and Vancouver as supply exceeds demand. It’s the “best time” to rent in Canada.
Marie-Philip Poulin injured in Olympic game against Czechia
The status of Canadian women’s hockey team captain Marie-Philip Poulin for Tuesday’s crucial game against the United States is uncertain after she took a hard hit in Monday’s game against Czechia and left the match. Poulin left the first period with a suspected knee injury and did not return for the second. She has scored the most goals of any active player in the Olympic women’s hockey tournament with 17. Canada won 5-1.
Conservatives propose changing rules for convicted non-citizens
The Conservatives plan to introduce a motion today to prevent non-citizens convicted of serious crimes from applying for refugee status. The motion also asks the government to block asylum claims from people whose cases are still before the courts. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said on social media that non-citizens who commit serious crimes “must be forced to leave our country.”
Canadian oil sector expected to keep consolidating
Oil sector advisors expect the wave of consolidation to continue after last year’s series of major Canadian deals. Companies have seen the value in merging through M&A as oil prices hover around US$60 a barrel.
Drainville asks Fréchette to support acquired rights clause for PEQ
CAQ leadership candidate Bernard Drainville is asking his rival Christine Fréchette to support an acquired rights clause for the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ). “We need to stop wavering and Christine must support the idea of acquired rights,” Drainville said at a press scrum in Saguenay Monday. Drainville promises to grant acquired rights to temporary workers in priority sectors like health and education. The next CAQ leader, who will also become Quebec’s premier, will be announced April 12.
Your Health portal to expand in coming weeks
Just over a year after Santé Québec was created, CEO Geneviève Biron gives a rather positive assessment of Quebec’s health system. A major digital project is underway: Your Health—a new portal for citizens and the primary care they receive. For now, two pilot projects have launched in Bas-Saint-Laurent and Saint-Donat. Other regions will join in the coming weeks. To date, Biron believes Santé Québec’s greatest achievement has been reducing by 45% the number of people waiting more than a year for surgery.
Protest demanding action against domestic violence at National Assembly
A delegation representing 50 shelters and women’s homes will gather in front of Quebec’s National Assembly Tuesday morning as reports of domestic violence surge in the province.
Use of abortion pill up 80% in one year in Quebec
In two years, the number of women using Mifegymiso has more than doubled.
School union sounds the alarm: “It’s not normal to get hit at work”
Nearly 10,000 violent acts have been recorded by the Champlain Union in less than two and a half years.
Quebec backs down on 2030 electric bus targets
Quebec Transport Minister Jonatan Julien announced he will reintroduce subsidies for buying hybrid buses by 2028.
Canadian imprisoned in Syria asks government to decide
A Canadian who says he was physically and psychologically tortured in Kurdish prisons in northeastern Syria is asking the Federal Court to force three ministers to rule on his repatriation request. The request has been ongoing since November 2024. The man identified as SS says he was beaten and that prison officials killed other prisoners in front of him. After a new agreement, detainees from the northeast are now being transferred to Iraq.
BEI investigates after person hospitalized in Nunavik
Quebec’s Bureau of Independent Investigations has launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the hospitalization of a person following their arrest and detention in the Nunavik community of Kangiqsujuaq.
Report on SAAQ scandal expected February 16
The commissioner who oversaw the public inquiry into the $500 million cost overrun scandal at the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec is expected to release his report publicly on February 16.
🏡 At Home
The Mayor Open to Helping La Tulipe and Protecting Other Performance Venues
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada says she’s looking to defend performance venues facing noise complaints in the city and is open to helping the concert hall La Tulipe, which she considers to have become symbolic of the issue.
Montreal Public Health Warns Against Deadly Cough Syrup
Montreal’s public health department is warning parents and teenagers about a fake cough syrup circulating that contains a highly addictive opioid and a depressant that can cause fatal overdoses.
A Montreal Parish Fights to Demolish a Dilapidated Church Turned TikTok Destination
Attached to the plywood fence keeping intruders out of the long-closed Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil church in Montreal, next to graffiti like “Free Gaza” and anti-police tags, is a poem. The church has become a TikTok destination.
Maestro SVP Targeted by Antisemitic Slur Before Closing
It’s been tough for Maestro SVP founder-owner Ilene Polansky in recent weeks after announcing her seafood restaurant on Saint-Laurent Boulevard would close in March due, among other reasons, to declining business on the Main. Things got worse last week when someone scrawled a virulent antisemitic insult on Maestro SVP’s storefront.
Sophie Nélisse from Heated Rivalry Visits St-Viateur Bagel
Heated Rivalry star Sophie Nélisse visited St-Viateur Bagel over the weekend to sign a shirt made famous by her character Rose Landry, who wore it on the show.
Should Montreal Try to Host the Olympics Again?
As the Canadian Olympic Committee hopes to bring the Olympics back to Canada, could Montreal play a role? Some financial experts and residents say the city isn’t in a position to think about hosting another Olympics.
💙 Favorite Moment
Sophie Nélisse taking the time to visit St-Viateur Bagel and sign a shirt that went viral thanks to her character—that’s the kind of simple gesture that reminds us our local cultural scene deserves to be celebrated.
📍 Practical Corner
Beware of Fake Cough Syrup
If you’re a parent of a teenager or know young people, be aware that Montreal public health warns about a fake cough syrup in circulation containing a highly addictive opioid and a depressant that can cause deadly overdoses. Stay vigilant.
Flights to Cuba Suspended
If you had planned a vacation to Cuba soon, check your itinerary. Air Canada, WestJet, and Transat have all suspended their flights due to the fuel shortage. Air Canada will repatriate nearly 3,000 clients with empty planes.
☕ Have a Good Day
There you go, you’re up to date for this morning. Take care of yourself and others today—and if you run into a doctor, thank them for their work. We’ll see you tomorrow with more neighborhood news.
EXCERPT:
At least seven Quebec doctors, including a thoracic surgeon and an ER doctor, are leaving Quebec for better working conditions in New Brunswick, making good on their threat to leave after the adoption of Bill 2 on physician compensation last fall, which is now being revised by the provincial government.
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