Montreal

Fighting the overdose crisis: Montreal workers on the frontlines

cutvmontreal — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 22:51:52 +0000

Fighting the overdose crisis: Montreal workers on the frontlines cutvmontreal Tue, 09/30/2025 - 18:51

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CUTV Montreal

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Quebec

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Montreal

Our recent coverage of safe injection sites and the work of frontline organizers has resonated deeply with the community, shedding light on a topic that often goes underreported. While much of the mainstream media coverage focuses on controversy, restrictions, or political debates, like recent proposals to limit safe injection sites with Bill 103, which organizers warn could effectively shut them down, our reporting sought to center the experiences of those directly involved: the workers, the volunteers, and the people relying on these services.

Since publishing, members of the community have thanked us, expressing that our reporting helped them understand how these sites actually operate and what the day-to-day realities are for the people who use and manage them. For some, this has been an opportunity to confront preconceived notions or prejudices about safe injection sites, demonstrating that informed coverage can challenge assumptions and foster empathy.

Organizers have also noted the practical impact of our work, telling us they plan to refer to our footage when explaining their sensitization campaigns and the scope of their work to others. In a media landscape where narratives about harm reduction are often filtered through political debate, this kind of representation, showing the human, nuanced side of harm reduction, is quite valuable.

Our coverage also counters the misleading rhetoric of high-profile political figures like Pierre Poilievre, who have described safe injection sites as dangerous “drug dens.” By amplifying the voices of those on the ground, our reporting challenges these narratives, offering an evidence-based perspective on the critical services these sites provide. In doing so, we aim not just to report, but to contribute to a broader understanding of public health, harm reduction, and the lives affected by these policies.

By giving visibility to people and organizations often overlooked in mainstream debates, we hope to foster informed dialogue, support harm reduction efforts, and highlight the human impact behind the headlines. In a field where misinformation can have real-world consequences, telling these stories responsibly becomes a service to the community itself.

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Montreal's Defund Fest: rethinking sex work and repression

cutvmontreal — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 15:02:08 +0000

Montreal's Defund Fest: rethinking sex work and repression cutvmontreal Sun, 09/28/2025 - 11:02

The fourth edition of the Defund La Police Festival took place on September 21, 2025, at the École de Danse et Culture Chinoise in Montreal, after political interference from Projet Montréal forced organizers to relocate from Sun-Yat-Sen Park. The bilingual, community-centered festival gathered close to 100 participants, including activists, residents, and allies, to reflect on policing, housing, sex work, and collective struggles for justice.

This year’s edition held particular weight, as it coincided with the third anniversary of Ronny Kay’s death at the hands of the SPVM on September 19, 2022. Kay, who was remembered for his involvement in the community, was honored with a moment of silence. Organizers emphasized that his family had been consulted during preparations, ensuring that his memory remained central to the event.

Among the day’s panels was a conversation featuring Stella, l’amie de Maimie, a Montreal-based organization by and for sex workers. Panelists highlighted the challenges of countering dominant narratives about sex work, often shaped by media, moral panic, or accounts of violence used to justify more repression. They noted that stories of those who exit sex work are amplified, while ongoing workers’ perspectives are erased, drawing parallels with narratives around substance use.

Speakers stressed that sex workers should not be required to “humanize” themselves to gain respect, and that much of the stigma and repression they face is enabled by criminalization. Language, they argued, plays a protective role, with terms like “sex worker” resisting labels such as “prostitute” or “victim of exploitation.” They also located sex work within broader landscapes of policing and state control, underscoring that the struggle is not only about individual rights but also about systemic forms of repression.

CUTV Montreal

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Quebec

Sun, 09/28/2025 - 12:00

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Stella at Montreal’s Defund La Police Festival challenge stigma, repression, and policing systems towards sex workers.

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defund la police; stella l'amie de maimie; sex work; sex worker rights; police repression; criminalization; collective organizing; labor rights; community panel; social justice; ronny kay;

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:47:01

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Sun, 09/28/2025 - 12:00

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The LJI Journalist

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Montreal’s Defund Fest: honouring lives, building community

cutvmontreal — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 01:40:54 +0000

Montreal’s Defund Fest: honouring lives, building community cutvmontreal Sat, 09/27/2025 - 21:40

The fourth edition of the Defund La Police Festival took place on September 21, 2025, at the École de Danse et Culture Chinoise in Montreal, after political interference from Projet Montréal forced organizers to relocate from Sun-Yat-Sen Park. The bilingual, community-centered festival brought together activists, residents, and allies to reflect on policing, housing, and collective struggles for justice.

This year’s edition coincided with the third anniversary of Ronny Kay’s death at the hands of the SPVM on September 19, 2022. Kay, who was deeply involved in his community, was honoured with a moment of silence by attendees and organizers. Organizers noted that his family had been consulted during the preparations of the events, ensuring that his memory remained central to the importance of the discussions.

Throughout the day, participants attended panels and discussions tackling pressing issues. Topics included the use of police body cameras and whether they serve accountability or bureaucracy, police interactions in Montreal’s historic Red Light District, and the financialization of housing with a focus on challenges facing Chinatown residents. Food sovereignty and community-building were also explored, highlighting the interconnections between economic insecurity and policing.

The festival additionally included space for cultural reflection, such as a retelling of Dionne Brand’s short story June’s, which sparked conversation about the “different windows on the city” and alternative visions for hope. Arts for Palestine was also present, emphasizing solidarity with global struggles against dispossession and state violence.

The Defund La Police Festival underscored its ongoing call to reimagine public safety, challenge systemic injustices, and build community-led alternatives.

CUTV Montreal

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Sun, 09/28/2025 - 12:00

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Montreal’s Defund La Police Festival marks Ronny Kay’s death anniversary with panels on policing, housing, and justice.

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defund la police; montreal protests; ronny kay; spvm; police violence; police abolition; sex work; police accountability; housing justice; food sovereignty; chinatown montreal; anti-racism; rent control;

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:15:29

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Sun, 09/28/2025 - 12:00

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Montreal tenants push back: rent reform under fire

cutvmontreal — Sat, 27 Sep 2025 18:55:24 +0000

Montreal tenants push back: rent reform under fire cutvmontreal Sat, 09/27/2025 - 14:55

In Montreal, hundreds of tenants gathered to protest the proposed reform to Quebec’s rent control system. Community organizers warn that the this reform's approach to calculating annual rent increases is deeply flawed and risks making housing even more unaffordable.

Under the reform, rent hikes would be tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). While this might sound neutral, the CPI itself includes housing costs. That means rent increases will drive up the CPI, which then justifies even higher rent hikes. Organizers describe this as a dangerous “self-feeding” or inflationary cycle, where tenants could see rents rising at an accelerating pace year after year.

Maryan Kikhounga-Ngot, a community organizer with P.O.P.I.R - Comité Logement, explained that this would push many working-class tenants out of their longtime neighborhoods, particularly in areas like St-Henri and the South-West of Montreal, which have already faced rapid gentrification. For tenants living paycheck to paycheck, even small annual increases add up, making it nearly impossible to stay in the communities where they’ve lived and built their lives.

Noémie Beauvais, an organizer from the Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ), emphasized that the impacts won’t be limited to Montreal. Demonstrations have already spread to towns and cities across the province, including Rouyn-Noranda, Amos, Joliette, Saint-Adèle, and Quebec City. With a new housing minister recently appointed, organizers hope this wave of mobilization will pressure the government to abandon the new rent calculation reform and strengthen tenant protections instead.

Tenants are calling for real rent control measures that prevent runaway increases, protect vulnerable renters, and make housing a human right.

CUTV Montreal

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Sat, 09/27/2025 - 12:00

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Tenants say Quebec’s rent reform may fuel runaway rent hikes, threatening affordability and communities.

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housing; housing crisis; rental market; landlords; tenant unions; housing advocacy; rent reform; rent increase;

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:19:28

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Sat, 09/27/2025 - 12:00

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Bill 97 sparks protest in Montreal: forests, sovereignty, and solidarity with Palestine

cutvmontreal — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 17:36:23 +0000

Bill 97 sparks protest in Montreal: forests, sovereignty, and solidarity with Palestine cutvmontreal Tue, 09/09/2025 - 13:36

On September 1, hundreds gathered at Place Émilie-Gamelin in Montreal before marching through the city to denounce Bill 97, Quebec’s proposed forestry reform. The bill would reserve at least one-third of public forests for industrial use, a move critics say prioritizes corporate profit at the expense of the environment, Indigenous sovereignty, and traditional practices.

The demonstration was organized in solidarity with Indigenous land defenders who have been blocking forestry companies from accessing their territories for weeks. Speakers drew attention to Canada’s long-standing pattern of valuing resource extraction over people, framing Bill 97 as part of this broader legacy. The protest also intersected with a Palestine solidarity march held the same day, highlighting the shared struggles against land theft, dispossession, and colonial exploitation.

Members of the Front de résistance autochtone populaire (FRAP), a grassroots group opposing Bill 97, addressed the crowd. Xan Choquet, one of its members, emphasized the pride that comes from resisting: “By opposing Bill 97, whether by being here today, whether by standing on blockades, or whether from your homes, that is what you are also doing. And for that too, I feel immense pride. In Québec, the forests are our pride. But for the government, that mostly means dollar signs. They see the forests as a finite bank to exploit, to empty until there is nothing left.”

Organizers linked the defense of forests to broader fights for justice, calling on Montrealers to recognize how struggles for land and sovereignty are interconnected, from Indigenous territories in Quebec to Palestine. Their message was clear: resistance to Bill 97 is not just about protecting trees, but about defending communities, cultures, and futures from the destructive logic of resource extraction.

CUTV Montreal

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Tue, 09/09/2025 - 12:00

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Protesters in Montreal march against Bill 97, denouncing forest exploitation and defending Indigenous sovereignty

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Bill 97; Indigenous sovereignty; land defenders; Montreal protest; forest reform Quebec; environmental justice; Indigenous rights; colonialism Canada; Palestine solidarity; land theft; Front de résistance autochtone populaire; Indigenous land defense;

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:45:42

Initial Air Date

Mon, 09/08/2025 - 12:00

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Fighting the overdose crisis: Montreal workers on the frontlines

cutvmontreal — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 19:40:34 +0000

Fighting the overdose crisis: Montreal workers on the frontlines cutvmontreal Fri, 09/05/2025 - 15:40

On August 28, people gathered at Place Émilie-Gamelin to mark International Overdose Awareness Day, an event highlighting both the impact of the overdose crisis and the advocacy work surrounding it. Organized by the Association québécoise pour la promotion de la santé des personnes utilisatrices de drogues (AQPSUD), the gathering brought together several community and harm reduction organizations.

Local 514 spoke with intervention workers and members of organizations such as AQPSUD, les Soeurs de la Perpétuelle Indulgence, and Moms Stop the Harm about the realities on the ground.

They emphasized the importance of harm reduction measures, safe consumption sites, and sustainable funding to address the crisis. While the long-term goal for many remains the legalization of drug use, immediate concerns centered on Bill 103, tabled by the provincial government. The legislation aims to regulate supervised consumption sites, but advocates warn it could restrict existing services and prevent the opening of new ones, leading to more harms and eventual deaths.

The fight against stigma was also a central theme. Soeur BibiCyclette de la Sativaparlà, of les Soeurs de la Perpétuelle Indulgence, spoke about the weight of judgment: “We get a lot of judgment from society. ‘Oh, he’s a damn junkie,’ ‘Oh, he’s filthy.’ After hearing it so much, people start judging themselves. They feel ashamed, ashamed of using, of being a sex worker, of loving someone of the same sex. That’s the reality,” they expressed, referring to how stigmatization and criminalization may lead to more issues, many of them long-term.

They later added: “Nobody chooses to be unhappy in life. Nobody chooses to become a regular, dependent user. Harm reduction is possible—and it saves lives. Support us. Let us live. Talk to your representatives. It’s important.”

Through testimony, advocacy, and resource-sharing, the interviewees underscored the urgent need for political support and community-driven solutions to the overdose crisis.

CUTV Montreal

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Fri, 09/05/2025 - 12:00

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Montreal community workers and families share truths on harm reduction, stigma, and safe consumption sites

Tags

international overdose awareness day; overdose crisis; harm reduction; safe consumption sites; bill 103; drug policy; public health; funding harm reduction; overdose prevention;

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:37:49

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Fri, 09/05/2025 - 12:00

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Are IMMIGRANTS causing CRIME in Montreal??

cutvmontreal — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 21:50:03 +0000

Are IMMIGRANTS causing CRIME in Montreal?? cutvmontreal Thu, 09/04/2025 - 17:50

Parti quebecois leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon has come under fire for comments he made linking immigrants to increased crime rates in Montreal. PSPP specifically cites a a special investigation undertaken by Quebecor which shows that 12 of 50 murders committed in Quebec so far were committed by people under the age of 21. The PQ leader goes out of his way to link the crime to “demographic changes”. Though, the arguments that PSPP makes are nothing new as Ted Rutland writes in an opinion piece published in The Rover.

Rutland, an associate professor in the Geography, Planning and Environment Department at Concordia University, our guest for this episode, maps out the long history of discourse that attempts to ring alarm bells between increased crime and increased immigration.

Today’s episode of Metropolis examines the history of fear mongering around immigration and crime in Quebecois political discourse. Once fringe concepts now they have entered the mainstream. Rutland points out the problematic histories of such discourse, naming arguments by the former lawyer for the Montreal Police brotherhood where he said “I’ve had enough of Blacks who live in the margins of society and make certain neighbourhoods unlivable and certain metro stations dangerous,” in La press.

Rutland and Kalden discuss the progression of white supremacist concepts of ethnic criminality and their slow creep into mainstream discourse. The two paint out the allyship between montreal police, historically known for numerous incidents of racial profiling and brutality, and right wing forces in quebec that seek to create a sense of fear that only a well funded police can fight. With the Parti quebecois currently polling in majority territory, could we see these kinds of conflations gain ground? Tune in to find out!

CUTV Montreal

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Thu, 09/04/2025 - 12:00

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Ted Rutland talks about the far right history of conflating criminality with increased immigration in Montreal.

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:50:10

Initial Air Date

Fri, 08/29/2025 - 12:00

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Are Quebec’s Rent Laws Built to Fail Tenants?

cutvmontreal — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 19:12:32 +0000

Are Quebec’s Rent Laws Built to Fail Tenants? cutvmontreal Sun, 08/24/2025 - 15:12

In this episode, Lina from Tenant Rights QC discusses the current state of tenant rights in Quebec following the May 31st rent control protest organized by RCLALQ. The protest, which drew wide participation from tenant advocacy groups, highlighted mounting concerns over housing affordability, rent regulation, and the imbalance of power between landlords and tenants.

Lina explains that many renters feel they are regarded as “lower class” citizens, a perception reinforced by the challenges they face when asserting their rights, while homeowners are often prioritized and framed as more legitimate stakeholders in housing discussions.

One central issue is Lina brought up is the province’s new rent calculation method. While said to add transparency to rent hikes, housing rights activists argue it risks enabling landlords to impose steeper rent increases at a time when affordable housing is already scarce.

The conversation also examines the tools and strategies tenants can turn to in order to protect themselves. These include recording conversations with landlords, demanding clearer regulations, and calling for the creation of a public rent registry to prevent arbitrary price hikes. Lina emphasizes that although individual tenants often feel powerless, collective action, whether through organized protests, local associations, or legal advocacy, remains essential to counterbalance landlord influence and power.

The episode also sheds light on the broader context of Quebec’s housing landscape. Rising demand, coupled with insufficient legislative protections, has left many renters vulnerable and close to being unhoused. According to Lina, protests such as the May 31st demonstration serve not only to voice dissatisfaction but also to place political pressure on lawmakers to consider legislative reforms aimed at strengthening tenant protections and ensuring fair rent practices.

Throughout the conversation, Lina aims to provide a clear picture of the evolving struggle for housing justice in Quebec and the ongoing debate over how best to safeguard tenants’ rights in an increasingly competitive rental market.

CUTV Montreal

Video

Sun, 08/24/2025 - 12:00

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Quebec tenants push back against rising rents, weak laws, and the power imbalance with landlords.

Tags

rent control; housing rights; lease; RCLALQ; tenant advocacy; housing crisis; rent regulation; inflation; policy reform; rent calculation, coalition avenir quebec; CAQ;

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:29:04

Initial Air Date

Sun, 08/24/2025 - 12:00

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The Failures of Fierté MTL

cutvmontreal — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 21:28:36 +0000

The Failures of Fierté MTL cutvmontreal Fri, 08/22/2025 - 17:28

“The first pride was a riot” so the slogan goes. It’s aim is to remind people that the origins of pride celebrations were within the Stonewall Uprising when gay community members in New York City defended themselves against the police raid of Stonwwall Inn, a popular gay bar. All pride marches emanate from that moment of radical queer resistance. Though some believe that Pride parades today have strayed far from that original fiery political moment. Montreal’s queer communities are tackling this question. Alternative Pride events have risen contrasting themselves against the mainstream Fierté Montreal. This year saw the first iteration of Wild Pride, billed as “a radical, anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, anticorporate, and uncompromising Pride”. Wild Pride has emerged as a longer festival of queerness rooted in community rather than corporations. It’s also gained much traction after Fierté came under fire for a lack of position on the genocide in palestine, and for awkward choices and statements made to try to remedy these malaises.

Another pride event, Rad Pride also saw its third iteration this year. Rad Pride was met with extremely heightened police violence, with participants and observers saying that the Montreal police force, the SPVM, used excessive force to interrupt the event. Tear gas was used indiscriminately and other members of the public who were not involved with Rad Pride, were affected by tear gas, including children.

Is pride a riot? Is it a party? Today on Metropolis, host Kalden Dhatsenpa asks this question and others to Celeste Trianon, a transfeminine jurist and activist who has been following these pride developments for years. What is the future of Pride? Tune in for the full conversation.

CUTV Montreal

Video

Fri, 08/22/2025 - 12:00

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Pride month this year in Montréal sees two alternative iterations of PRIDE celebrations as the mainstream one falters.

Tags

lgbtqia, queer

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:46:41

Initial Air Date

Fri, 08/22/2025 - 12:00

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What People Get WRONG About Montreal’s Housing Crisis

cutvmontreal — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:24:15 +0000

What People Get WRONG About Montreal’s Housing Crisis cutvmontreal Thu, 08/14/2025 - 10:24

Montreal’s housing crisis is frequently characterized by simplistic villains and quick solutions. Today’s episode of METROPOLIS, Host Kalden Dhatsenpa is joined by Montréal-based urban planning researcher and housing policy analyst Gavin Armitage-Ackerman to debunk some of the most persistent misconceptions and assumptions of the housing crisis.

To set the scene, asking rents in montreal have surged by 71% since 2019, and vacancy rates remain at a worrisome 1%. Consequently, public frustration is palpable. Nevertheless, Gavin contends that much of the prevailing public discourse is misguided.

We commence by examining the notion that homeowners benefit from the crisis. In reality, many are heavily indebted: only 23% of Canadians own their homes debt-free, and one in five mortgages at major banks are subject to negative amortization. The “homeowners vs. renters” narrative, Gavin observes, serves as a political wedge rather than a viable solution.

Next, we address the claim that foreigners, whether buyers or immigrants, are responsible for the crisis. Non-residents accounted for only 4.9% of purchases in 2019. Blaming them obscures systemic issues and diverts attention from domestic speculation.

Government programs designed for first-time homebuyers, Gavin argues, often exacerbate demand in an inefficient market, leading individuals into deeper debt without concomitantly reducing prices. Incentives for developers, such as Montreal’s “20-20-20” plan, exhibit similar flaws. Gentrification and loopholes can erode affordability, as exemplified in Vancouver’s Woodward’s Building project.

Finally, we conclude by emphasizing that rezoning alone is not a panacea. It can engender land banking, and supply growth does not necessarily reach the unhoused or low-income populations.

Gavin concludes by urging listeners to transcend scapegoats and simplistic remedies. Instead, they should advocate for structural and political transformations that recognize housing as a public responsibility rather than a mere market commodity.

CUTV Montreal

Video

Thu, 08/14/2025 - 12:00