This is Montreal

During one of the busiest times of the year for Montreal strip clubs, some strippers are boycotting work, in order to protest working conditions and to demand greater labour protections against things like arbitrary firings and violence in the workplace. CBC reporter Cassandra Yanez-Leyton speaks with two Montreal dancers who are pushing for change.

On one block in Verdun, tenants were displaced from four adjacent rental buildings, following two fires in the span of a few months in 2024. Since then, two of the buildings have been converted to undivided condos. Some tenants from another building have been struggling to hang onto their claim to apartments they haven’t been able to live in. Housing advocates worry that building fires are leading to permanent displacement of tenants, reshaping neighbourhoods in the process.

Beyond wins and losses, beyond the thrill of playoff runs, there’s a deeper thread woven through the bleu blanc rouge that ties together a city, its history and its people. Brendan Kelly, author of Habs Nation, explores what makes the Canadiens so central to Montreal’s identity.

One Montrealer who was forced out of his building by fire has noticed a lot of fires happening since. Is he just more attuned to them now, or have fires gotten worse? CBC Investigative reporter Leah Hendry crunches the numbers and looks at the role that vacant buildings play in serious fires.

It was a chance discovery. A reporter opened a can of Quebec maple syrup, only to find that something tasted…off. The resulting investigation by Radio-Canada’s investigative program Enquete revealed a Quebec company was selling syrup cut with cane sugar. We’ll wade through the sticky scandal and hear how Quebec producers are trying to defend the integrity of their product.