Montréal QC ☕ The Morning Chat

Good morning, Montréal.

Today we’re talking about a strike at city hall, safety in the metro, construction sites shaking up the roads, and a gentler project over at St. Mary’s Hospital. There’s also housing, health care, education, and a few very concrete signals about what’s changing around you. In short, a fully loaded morning — espresso style.

Top Story

Parc‑Extension raises the alarm after the death of an asylum seeker

In Parc‑Extension, a vigil was held in memory of Manjeet Singh, a 42‑year‑old asylum seeker who died earlier this year after being evicted from his home.

Those gathered emphasized that he was alone in Montréal, with his family still in India. The vigil took place outside the Accès Montréal office, just before the borough council meeting, with one clear goal: urging elected officials to respond to the neighbourhood’s calls for better support for migrant tenants.

According to community groups, Singh was found unconscious on the street on January 16 and died shortly after in hospital. They say his story is not an isolated case, pointing to three recent deaths in Parc‑Extension amid a long‑standing housing crisis.

Groups at the vigil also denounced the potential impacts of new federal immigration and asylum measures. Their message, ultimately, came down to one heavy line: this tragedy should never have happened, and the city needs shelters, warming centres, social housing, and real protections to prevent it from happening again.

Local Stories

Montréal blue‑collar strike: essential services deemed adequate

Montréal’s blue‑collar workers will go on strike from April 15 at 6 a.m. to April 18 at 6 a.m. The Administrative Labour Tribunal has approved the list of essential services agreed upon by the City and the union, ruling that it is sufficient to avoid compromising public health or safety.

In practice, some services will continue, but at a slower pace. For waste collection, regular crews will operate on April 15 in Mercier–Hochelaga‑Maisonneuve. Elsewhere, the decision notes that many collections are already handled externally.

For other municipal services, residents should expect reduced staffing, on‑call teams, or presence only when needed. It’s not a full shutdown, but it’s not business as usual either.

Three STM metro entrances closed for safety reasons

The STM has closed three metro entrances indefinitely: the Belmont entrance at Square‑Victoria–OACI, the Maisonneuve entrance at McGill, and the north entrance at De Castelnau.

The goal, according to the STM, is to concentrate cleaning and security efforts in smaller areas. The affected sectors had been associated with issues such as cleanliness, overcrowding, disorderly behaviour, and drug use.

The agency says it also reorganized the work of cleaning staff and station agents following a CNESST report and an increase in complaints. In short, some entrances are closing in an attempt to stabilize the network elsewhere.

Drilling machine at Lachine construction site falls onto passing car

In Lachine, a 39‑year‑old man was injured when a drilling machine at a construction site fell onto his car on Côte‑de‑Liesse Road near 23rd Avenue.

He was taken to hospital, conscious, with upper‑body injuries that were not life‑threatening. The SPVM has opened an investigation. The key word here appears to be “malfunction,” which is never reassuring when heavy machinery is involved.

More than half of Montréal’s pothole‑repair equipment is in poor condition

Montréal also has a very down‑to‑earth, and sometimes very hole‑ridden, problem. More than half of the equipment used to repair potholes has reached the end of its useful life.

Among the fleet, seven of the city’s 13 hot‑asphalt trailers were out of service in March, and 16 of the 24 heated autonomous dump boxes had also reached end‑of‑life. The four asphalt pavers are in better shape, rated as moderately worn.

The City says it complies with inspection rules for equipment and vehicles. Still, for a city already well acquainted with potholes, this isn’t exactly comforting news.

St. Mary’s Hospital offers virtual‑reality concerts to patients

At St. Mary’s Hospital, a new virtual‑reality concert project aims to offer patients a moment of calm during their care journey. The initiative was launched with pianist Alexandra Stréliski and is led by geriatrician Julia Chabot.

The idea is to build a catalogue of concerts accessible through VR headsets, both inside and outside the hospital setting. Stréliski is the first artist to participate.

It’s not a cure‑all, of course. But it’s a lovely reminder that care also includes comfort, attention, and sometimes a few well‑placed minutes of beauty.

A Quebec court authorizes class action over COVID‑related deaths in Montréal seniors’ residence

A class action has been authorized against the private Angelica residence in Montréal‑Nord over its handling of a 2020 COVID‑19 outbreak during which at least 68 residents died.

The lawsuit alleges that COVID‑positive patients were transferred into a unit with people who were not known to be infected, and that infection‑control rules were not properly followed. It covers residents who were at the facility between April 9 and June 26, 2020, as well as their families.

The case now moves into a new phase. For the families involved, it marks an important step in a chapter that remains deeply painful.

Montreal West parents welcome crossing guard at busy intersection

In Montréal West, parents saw the first full day with a school crossing guard stationed near Royal West Academy, one day after the assignment was officially announced.

The position comes after years of pressure and several incidents involving students being struck by vehicles. Families in the area say they already feel a concrete improvement in traffic around the school. It’s not a miracle fix, but for many, it’s one of those rare cases where local mobilization led to a tangible result — visible as early as the next morning.

Noteworthy

CBC investigation finds Montreal exporters shipped stolen vehicles overseas

A CBC investigation has uncovered how several Montreal exporters have been quietly feeding a growing stolen‑vehicle pipeline, using warehouses in Saint‑Laurent to ship cars overseas. One operation, Albert Logistique, was raided in 2024 after police watched workers load a stolen Honda Accord into a container alongside used cars and stacks of mattresses. Investigators linked at least 38 stolen vehicles to the site, yet the exporter named in police documents, Albert Tshiyoyo, has not been charged and continues to operate under a new company in the same borough.

CBC’s reporting shows this case is part of a broader pattern. Police documents, inspection reports, and freight‑industry sources describe an export sector deeply infiltrated by organized crime. Some freight forwarders keep internal “do‑not‑deal‑with” lists of companies repeatedly linked to stolen vehicles. Several exporters tied to past seizures are still active, and some deny involvement while acknowledging that stolen cars have passed through their shipments.

The SQ’s Project Submersible investigation remains ongoing, and delays are common in complex cases targeting criminal networks. Meanwhile, shipments observed by CBC continue to leave the Port of Montreal for destinations such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. For victims, like the Ontario man whose stolen Accord resurfaced in a Saint‑Laurent warehouse, the fact that the same exporter is still operating is a reminder that the problem is far from contained.

Quebec immigration minister Jean‑François Roberge under investigation by Ethics Commissioner

Quebec Immigration Minister Jean‑François Roberge is under investigation by the National Assembly’s Ethics Commissioner.

The inquiry focuses on whether analyses from his department regarding the Quebec Experience Program were shared with Bernard Drainville and Christine Fréchette while they were candidates in the CAQ leadership race. The core question is straightforward on paper but weighty in practice: was non‑public information used to benefit others?

Ottawa invests $64 million in Quebec steel companies hit by U.S. tariffs

Ottawa is injecting $63.9 million into 99 Quebec steel‑sector companies affected by U.S. tariffs.

Fourteen of the supported companies are in Montréal, with others in Laval, Montérégie, the Laurentians, and Chaudière‑Appalaches. Contributions range from $105,000 to $1.17 million, and the federal government estimates the funding could help create 1,100 jobs in Quebec.

It won’t change your morning commute, but it may shift the economic pulse of several regions… and that tends to be felt sooner or later.

Around the Region

Laval’s construction boom pushes city into North America’s top three for cranes

Laval now ranks third in North America for active construction cranes, behind Toronto and Los Angeles.

The city peaked at 33 cranes last summer and currently has 24. More than 4,600 housing units were launched last year, more than double the previous year, with nearly 90 per cent destined for the rental market.

Most of the activity is concentrated in what will become Laval’s future downtown, with residential towers reaching up to 25 storeys. The city is aiming for roughly 54,000 new housing units over ten years. Let’s just say the skyline is waking up faster than the rest of us.

Bill 94: School volunteers speak out after “filling gaps you created”

On the South Shore, parent volunteers connected to the Riverside School Board say Bill 94 would exclude them from school environments where they’ve been involved for years.

The bill extends Quebec’s secularism rules to education volunteers and also bans students from wearing face coverings. Parents say the restrictions could further reduce already limited support in schools, leading to cancelled activities or lost services.

Their message is blunt: they feel they’ve been helping hold the system together, only to have the door shut in their face.

In Quebec

Nunavik to open its first men’s shelter, in Kuujjuaq

Nunavik will open its first men’s shelter in Kuujjuaq. The facility will have six units, including three large enough for families.

Another project is planned in Puvirnituq to provide shelter and transitional housing for women and children fleeing violence. The numbers may be modest, but the impact is significant.

Quebec to create preventive‑leave program for pregnant and nursing construction workers

Quebec plans to create a preventive‑leave program for construction workers who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

The government says many lose access to the existing “safe maternity” program because of the temporary and mobile nature of construction work. The new program will be created by the Quebec Construction Commission and administered by the CNESST.

It’s a targeted fix that reveals a broader issue: systems designed in general terms often leave real workers falling between the cracks.

Quebec College of Physicians warns FMOQ registration method puts vulnerable patients at risk

The Quebec College of Physicians is raising concerns about how some patients are being prioritized in the effort to register 500,000 people without a family doctor.

The College says vulnerable patients already enrolled collectively in a family medicine group risk being disadvantaged in favour of so‑called “pure orphans,” because individual registration comes with a higher financial incentive.

The College stresses that access should be based on medical need, not on how incentives are structured. When paperwork starts bending the logic of care, eyebrows tend to rise — sometimes both.

Practical Corner

Closures around Highways 13 and 520

Expect closures around the Highway 13/520 interchange due to reconstruction of the 520 overpass above the 13.

Starting Friday at 8 p.m., Highway 520 will be closed between Exit 4 and the northbound 13 entrance, with one lane removed on Highway 13 until April 17 at 10 p.m. From Saturday at 1 a.m. to Monday at 5 a.m., several ramps and service roads will also be closed, especially near 23rd Avenue. Detours will be posted — best to check your route before heading out.

Coup de cœur

The virtual‑reality concert project at St. Mary’s deserves a moment of its own. On a day filled with tension, closures, and systems under strain, seeing a health‑care institution carve out space for calm and presence is a reminder of something important: a city also holds together through the gestures that lighten the load.

In closing

Take your momentum, go around what blocks you, and keep a little bit of gentleness in reserve for the day. Montreal is not always simple, but it still knows how to surprise where it is least expected.