Fare Jumping Is Not a Threat to Public Safety But Some Montreal Metro Security Guards Are
Last week we learned that Montreal’s transit authority, the STM, wants its security guards to have more “police-like powers” (whatever that means) despite recent incidents like the assault on a commuter at Villa Maria metro. The STM claims that this won’t involve arming the officers who patrol the Montreal Metro and STM buses with more […]
Spectacularly Boring: ROXOR presents the XXV Edition of MONSTER SPECTACULAR
If there was ever a slice of stereotypical Americana to come to Canada, it was Monster Spectacular XXV. Set in Montreal’s controversial Olympic Stadium, scores of mostly white people, some with kids, some without, filed in wearing variations of denim and camo to see what was supposed to be “a three-hour show with no time-outs […]
FTB Survey: Quebec’s Bill 21 aka The Religious Symbol Ban
Lately, talk in Quebec political circles has focused on the CAQ Government’s proposed law 21. Currently a bill before the National Assembly, it is better known as the Religious Symbol Ban. In a nutshell, it bars people considered to be public servants, such as teachers, bus drivers, nurses and police officers, from wearing religious symbols […]
A Law that Hurts Everyone: A Crash Course on Bill 21
Canada is a secular society, but we are a society that has recognized that secular laws and practices can coexist with many people’s religious beliefs and expressions. It is why in Montreal, for example, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and seculars live together in relative harmony. If Quebec Premier François Legault gets his way, this might all […]
Anjou Borough Councillor Proves Just How Ridiculous the Argument for a Religious Symbol Ban Actually Is
On Friday, Anjou Borough Councillor Lynne Shand had a problem with her eye, went to an emergency room, received, as she later called it, “excellent” treatment and then complained about it on Facebook the next day. The problem, for her, was that the doctor who treated her eyes was wearing a hijab. In the post, […]
Is Higher Education Still Needed?
In the 2018 film Jennifer Lopez film Second Act, the main character is dealing with being passed over for a position because she does not have the educational criteria that are needed for the job. She then gets a job under the false pretense due to a fake resume. Despite not having the education she […]
Montreal Will Remove the Crucifix in the City Council Chamber and the Cover of Secularism Some Bigots Use Online and On TV
Today, the Plante Administration announced that after City Hall renovations are complete, they won’t put the crucifix back in the City Council chambers. Yes, this move is about secularism of the state, as the Mayor made clear: “The crucifix is an important part of Montreal’s heritage and history, but as a symbol, it does not […]
I Saw STM Officers Attack a Man in the Metro for No Reason
On Thursday night, I was riding the metro home from a vernissage in the Plateau. I got on the Orange Line at Sherbrooke with a plan to get off at Villa Maria and take the bus from there. I was reading a book as I tend to do on public transit, riding what felt like […]
Fraud, Corruption, and the Upcoming Federal Election: A Crash Course on the SNC Lavalin Affair
The past few weeks have been insanely eventful on the political scene. In the US, the Americans are dealing with a president who is a white supremacist, a misogynist, and a fraudster seeking to keep the poor fighting each other so he and his fellow billionaires can enrich themselves with the very institutions established to […]
FTB Podcast 1.01: The Outremont By-Election with Niall Ricardo
In the premier episode of the all-new FTB Podcast, hosts Jason C. McLean and Dawn McSweeney talk about the Outremont by-election and Canadian politics with special guest Niall Ricardo and we feature an interview with NDP candidate Julia Sanchez. Also: News Roundup, Survey Says (Should Major League Baseball return to Montreal?), Dear FTB, Things You […]
Julia Sánchez on Climate Change, Political Graffiti and Why She’s Running for the NDP in Outremont (AUDIO)
Julia Sánchez may be a first-time political candidate, but she has years of experience in highly politicized circles, tackling, for the most part, climate change. Now the former Managing Director for the Global Campaign for Climate Action is carrying the NDP banner in the Outremont by-election. FTB’s Hannah Besseau had a chance to speak with […]
A Refresher Course on Quebec Labour Law and a Crash Course on Some Recent Changes
First, let’s talk about our existing rights as workers. On June 12, 2018 the National Assembly passed legislation changing Quebec labor law, presumably for the better. Some of the changes came into effect immediately, others only as of this January, and others as of May 2019. This article will discuss those changes, what’s missing, as […]