MTLQC – Montreal QC
Montréal QC ☕ The Daily Chat
Good morning, Montreal.
A difficult story opens the day: a baby taken into care near a downtown encampment, a case that has pushed homelessness to the centre of the election campaign. Elsewhere, Montreal police are turning the page on a controversial restraint technique, a north-end neighbourhood is asking why its building keeps burning, and downtown had a tense evening on the margins of a major artificial intelligence gathering. There is also cycling, soccer and some gas prices to keep an eye on.
Main Story
A baby taken into care near the Notre-Dame encampment, homelessness forces its way into the campaign
Montreal police say they received a call around 7 p.m. last Friday about a troubling situation involving a woman and a one-year-old child, right next to the Notre-Dame encampment. Officers observed what they describe as disturbing elements and contacted the Direction de la protection de la jeunesse. The baby was referred to the DPJ.
The SPVM will not confirm exactly where the child was found. No arrests have been made and the investigation continues. The woman involved is believed to be the child’s mother.
In the neighbourhood, reaction is sharp. Dayanna Rocha, who lives near the encampment, says she is outraged that there is “no supervision” on Notre-Dame Street. Lorraine Beaucage fears the situation will only get worse. Diane Bélair, a Saint-Sauveur resident, argues the mother needs help, and quickly, while admitting she does not know what to do given how many people are camping there.
Julien Montreuil, executive director of L’Anonyme, says rumours had been circulating for some time. Without ever witnessing the situation himself, the organization immediately notified Station 23 so that police would be aware and could act if the rumours proved true. He says he is stunned and saddened. To his mind, this case illustrates a collective failure: he is calling for massive investment, in the short, medium and long term, to house people and give them stability.
Homelessness forced its way into day 22 of the Quebec election campaign. Liberal Leader Charles Milliard says every elected official with the power to act should step in, because “serious failures have occurred.” Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon describes the City of Montreal as an important partner in changing a very heavy trajectory, one in which the number of people experiencing homelessness is climbing by the thousands, very quickly. CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette is asking whether the mayor wants to put an end to this kind of intervention, recalling that the City has carried out interventions before. Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada says she looks forward to having more room to manoeuvre and is examining every option, including legal ones.
At Home
SPVM bans its officers from using the “hog tie” restraint technique
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal has ordered its officers to stop using a controversial restraint technique that involves tying a person’s hands and feet behind their back. The directive follows the death of Abisay Cruz, a 29-year-old Montrealer, during a police intervention in 2025.
Deputy Chief Marc Charbonneau told the municipal council’s public security committee that an internal memo was sent to officers after the coroner’s report was published on August 12. He notes the technique is not taught by the SPVM or by the École nationale de police du Québec.
In her report, coroner Géhane Kamel concludes that Abisay Cruz’s death resulted from cocaine intoxication and probably positional asphyxia during the March 2025 intervention. She finds it “highly probable” that the position contributed to his death. The SPVM says it supports the coroner’s recommendations and is committed to continuing its analysis of the report and putting them into practice.
A commercial building in the north end hit by a third suspicious fire
Montreal police are investigating a suspicious fire at a commercial building in the north end of the city. According to police, the location has been targeted three times in less than three weeks.
Worth Noting
Man arrested after anti-AI protest downtown
A protest against artificial intelligence held Wednesday evening near the All In conference in Montreal turned unruly and led to one arrest. The march, organized by the group Résistance Montréal to denounce the risks of AI, was moving along Jeanne-Mance Street between René-Lévesque Boulevard and Sainte-Catherine Street.
According to authorities, the march was peaceful until people tried to push the fences toward police. An altercation followed. An object was thrown at an officer, leading to the arrest of a 19-year-old man for assault with a weapon. Slogans targeting police were heard and damage to a vehicle was reported. No other arrests were made.
Montreal panel asks whether AI can help ease the doctor shortage
Canada is facing a shortage of health professionals, and could artificial intelligence be part of the solution? That was the question debated by a panel of experts Thursday at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, as part of the fourth edition of All In 2026.
About 5.9 million Canadian adults have no regular primary care provider, according to the 2025 “OurCare” survey conducted by Unity Health Toronto in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. Muhammad Mamdani, director of the Centre for AI Research and Education in Medicine at the Temerty Faculty and clinical lead for AI at the University of Toronto, believes AI can help these patients. He points to Google’s AMIE project, which allows video consultations with AI and can pick up on a cough, see a person wrapped in a blanket, understand that they have chills. AI will not replace doctors, he says, but it will certainly ease the pressure.
The federal government launched “AI for All,” its new national artificial intelligence strategy, in June. Elissa Strome, executive director of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy at CIFAR, highlights the emphasis placed on health: about 30 per cent of the 150 Canada-CIFAR research chairs are working to advance the science and application of AI in the health system. Public trust and data protection were cited repeatedly as major challenges.
Ligue des droits et libertés sounds the alarm on economic and social rights
Representatives of 20 civil society organizations gathered Thursday to unveil their 2026 assessment of economic and social rights in Quebec, examining how those rights have evolved since 2020. The Ligue des droits et libertés believes living conditions have deteriorated and challenges have intensified.
“Voices from various sectors in Quebec are increasingly telling us that living conditions are deteriorating,” says Laurence Guénette, a spokesperson for the Ligue. The challenges are not new, she says, but they are accelerating and have intensified in recent years. The assessment covers the right to housing, health care, income security, work and decent working conditions, access to food and education, as well as the right to a healthy environment.
The group points to government action, and what it describes as inaction, in recent years. It is also calling on party candidates to take economic and social rights into account during the campaign, reminding them that the government has an obligation to ensure those rights are realized.
Gas prices jump in Montreal
The average price of gas climbed to $2.07 a litre in Montreal, a 3.5 per cent increase in a single day. The rise is being attributed to geopolitical conflicts.
Practical Corner
CF Montréal advances to the Canadian Championship final
CF Montréal beat defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 on Wednesday, and 3-2 on aggregate, to qualify for the Canadian Championship final. Prince Owusu scored twice in the first half.
A guide to the world cycling championships
The world cycling championships will be held in Montreal from September 20 to 27. Something to fill the coming weeks for cycling fans, and to complicate getting around downtown a little.
The metro and the buses: what changes for Metro customers
Grocery giant Metro and the striking union at its Laval fruit and vegetable distribution centre have finally reached a tentative agreement to renew the collective agreement. The strike, which began March 30, affects the Laval distribution centre that supplies stores, as well as the head office and transport.
The CSN says the strike will continue until workers vote. The meeting to present the offer and allow the vote will be held September 24, and the bargaining committee recommends supporting the agreement. The dispute was mainly over wages: the deal provides for increases of 22 per cent over five and a half years, including 6 per cent in the first year, retroactive to September 17, 2025. The union represents about 550 workers. Metro says its stores remain well supplied.
Editor’s Pick
There is something right about the fact that an organization like L’Anonyme notified the local police station as soon as the first rumours surfaced, without having seen anything with its own eyes. It is the kind of reflex that does not fix everything, but refuses to look away. In a file where institutions are still searching for answers, these acts of ordinary vigilance remind us that proximity is often the first line of defence.
In Closing
We wish you a day where the neighbourhood news stays quiet and the gas tank can wait a little longer. Take care of yourselves, and see you tomorrow. ☕