This is Montreal

Christine Fréchette is only the second woman to serve as Quebec premier, but she won’t have much time to bask in her victory. With a provincial election looming in less than six months, her party is trailing in the polls. But she’s presenting herself as a pragmatic, resilient leader who’s ready to take on the challenge of rebuilding her party’s fortunes and reconnecting with Quebecers. CBC National Assembly Reporter Cathy Senay walks us through the road ahead for Quebec’s new premier, towards what's shaping up to be a battle of Gen-X party leaders.

Rent increases notices have gone out over the past few weeks and Montreal renters are deciding how to respond. This year, landlords and renters will be working with a new formula from Quebec’s Housing Tribunal that redefines what costs can be passed onto tenants. We’ll break down what’s changing and get answers to some of your questions about rent increases.

CBC reporter Ben Shingler looks at how Montreal-based security company GardaWorld, a company backed by Quebec public funds, is involved in the expansion of U.S. immigration detention through its U.S. subsidiary, prompting criticism from some Quebec organizations that say governments should be paying closer attention to what Quebec corporations do abroad.

The legal challenge of Quebec’s secularism law, Bill 21, before the Supreme Court of Canada has evolved from a fight over whether teachers can wear hijabs in the classroom into a debate over who should get the final say when deciding questions of rights and freedoms in Canada: courts or elected legislatures? Reporter Steve Rukavina breaks down the arguments and explains why the outcome of this case will have implications across the country.

When a massive hole opened up in the Sauvagine bridge in Chateauguay, it didn’t just provide a clear view of the frozen river below, it arguably gave us a pretty clear picture of the challenges facing Quebec's road infrastructure. By some measures, more than 40 per cent of the province’s roads aren’t in good shape. With the provincial budget coming, engineers and economists are calling for better investments in road maintenance. But with a maintenance deficit in the tens of billions of dollars, is it a budget hole we can actually patch?