“We are a part of society, we are part of this country,” said protester Mohamed Barry.

Demonstrators joined in a march on Sunday in Montreal to demand status for all undocumented migrants.

Protesters say more needs to be done.

“The real problem for migrants is they don’t have any access to health care and a lot of the mare exploited and you got some violence against women and you cant bring it out because they’re afraid of being deported or detained,” said Hady Anne, spokesperson for Solidarity Across Borders.

“They were in the hospitals, they were everywhere. In the grocery stores, in the manufacturers, doing all the work that we needed to make sure we were missing nothing during the pandemic. I think it’s time for us to do something for them. They work so hard for us, I think it’s the very least we can do,” said candidate for Quebec Solidaire Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.

“We are asking them for all non-status anybody who doesn’t have a paper and asylum seekers to be welcomed as citizens,” said Frantz André spokesperson for the Non-Status Action Committee.

 

Jewish groups in Montreal demand better education after trial of alleged neo-Nazi
CBC News |  July 18, 2022

Following the trial of an alleged Montreal neo-Nazi where the judge and defence lawyer argued over the definition of Nazism, Jewish groups are demanding better education about the Holocaust and genocide.

Gabriel Sohier Chaput's defence lawyer, Hélène Poussard, said the Crown was confusing Nazism and the Holocaust last Friday.

"According to the dictionary, Nazism is National Socialism. It was an ideology. It was not part of the original plan to exterminate the Jews. I learned in school that six million people died in concentration camps to save money," she said.

Sohier-Chaput has pleaded not guilty to a single count of wilful promotion of hate propaganda against Jewish people. The case hinges on a single article for a far-right online publication, the Daily Stormer, written in 2017, which Sohier-Chaput claims is satire.

 

Heat warning in effect for Montreal, other parts of southern Quebec
CBC News | July 19, 2022

Environment Canada issued a heat warning Tuesday morning for the Montreal area as the humidex continues to climb toward 40. 

The warning was also issued for Gatineau and the Lanaudière region north of Montreal. 

In Montreal, the temperature on Tuesday is expected to reach 28 C with a humidex of 37. On Wednesday, the humidex will reach or even surpass 40. 

Environment Canada issues a heat warning when very hot or humid conditions may present a high risk of heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

 

2 dead, 10 injured after truck crashes into multiple vehicles south of Montreal
CTV News | July 20, 2022

Two people are dead and 10 others are injured after a multi-vehicle pile-up on the South Shore of Montreal.

The incident occurred at 10:30 p.m. in a roadwork zone on the eastbound Highway 30 in Brossard, near the border of Longueuil.

According to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the driver of a large truck did not slow down as he approached a work zone near Grande-Allée Boulevard.

He crashed into seven vehicles in front of him.

The occupants of one car, 42-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy, were killed, and a 55-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were seriously injured.

Disability advocates sound alarm over Bill 96's effects on English-language students
Global News | July 15, 2022

Advocates for disability rights are sounding the alarm about the impact of Bill 96 on students who have language-based disabilities.

Bill 96, the province’s language law reform, will eventually require CEGEP students to complete more French courses.

One of those students is 32-year-old Leigh Smit, who is going to Dawson College for studies in social service.

Smit has been diagnosed with ADHD and struggles with school. Focusing and learning are not easy for her and she requires help.

The Mi'kmaw Language Act that recognizes Mi'kmaw as the original language of Nova Scotia officially became law Sunday at a proclamation ceremony held at Potlotek First Nation in Richmond County.

Minister of L'nu Affairs Karla MacFarlane first announced the government's intention to enact the legislation in October 2021.

MacFarlane said Sunday that the province will take further steps to invest in the promotion and revitalization of the language based on the recommendations of a joint team committee that is to be formed.

"We know right now that there are approximately 5,000 individuals that speak Mi'kmaw," the minister said. 

"If we don't try to revitalize this and promote it, by 2030 anyone that's under the age of three will lose the language and the opportunity to learn it."

Steven High's new book Deindustrializing Montreal explores the history of Little Burgundy and Pointe Saint-Charles through the oral histories of long-term residents. It includes over 200 historic photographs and other illustrations as well as the art-work of Emanuelle Dufour, Amina Jalabi, and Josh Toal. We learn what it was like to grow up in the two neighbourhoods before the factories closed and how people experienced the effects of urban renewal, factory closures, and gentrification.

Join in for this free event Sunday August 28th (1-3pm) at Batiment 7’s Les Sans Taverne (1900 rue Le Ber) in Pointe-Saint-Charles. It is wheelchair-accessible and has a large patio for maximum COVID-19 safety.