Top 10 stories of 2018
Posted December 23, 2018 3:09 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MONTREAL (CITYNEWS) – This year has been a whirlwind news year from Canada legalizing recreational marijuana, to elections, to the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash that killed 16 players and support staff associated with the Junior A hockey team.
As the year comes to a close the world prepares to welcome 2019, we’re counting down the top 10 most popular stories on montreal.citynews.com.
10. Concordia renames engineering school
After the largest gift in the university’s history, Concordia’s engineering department was named after Gina Cody in September.
“This is my school and I say engineering and computer sciences for everyone regardless of gender [or] ethnicity…” said Cody as she had the school named after her. “My gift is for the next generation of women to support and inspire them to pursue their dreams and achieve their independence.”
She is an immigrant to Canada from Iran and is the first women to graduate with a doctorate from Concordia’s building engineering program. This school is one of first in the world to ber the name of a woman.
9. Indigenous women coerced into sterilization, claim says … What happens next?
This piece comes from our partners at The Big Story Podcast.
When we learn about the ways this country has failed its indigenous people, we assume the absolute worst of them are behind us. Which is why a pending lawsuit and the tales of 60 women and counting are so disturbing.
In places across the country, it’s alleged, indigenous women are being coerced during childbirth to agree, then being subjected to tubal ligation surgery—in less medical terms, being forcibly sterilized.
8. Is deprogramming racism possible?
Another Big Story feature: Everyone has that person in their online network. They started just fine, then they started to talk about someone taking their jobs. Then came the memes. Then the nasty rhetoric. And now you’re legitimately worried about how far it could go.
What do you say to that person? How can you tell when they’re being indoctrinated into a world of online hatred? What drives them from talking about it online to committing hate crimes in real life? And what can we do right now to stop it?
7. Feminist split in Quebec
As women’s groups move in support of sex workers, others break away. Three groups revoked their support for the Quebec Women’s Federation in November following a motion supporting sex workers.
La Cles told CityNews that it wasn’t about a woman’s choice in participating in the industry but instead continuing to allow men to buy sex. Meantime, sex worker organization Stellas said further marginalization in the community will force women on the edge further underground with fewer legal protections.
6. Concordia Hosts Montreal Mini Maker Faire
The gathering united “Makers,” do-it-yourself tinkerers and inventors using various techniques to create tools and art. The third-ever fair drew many people from academics to amateurs from across Canada.
One exhibitor showed the properties of mycelium, a root that grows with mushrooms, and how it can be used in household items like ceiling panels.
5. Forum Jeunesse reacts to CAQ win
Quebec saw a shocking win in the provincial election this year with a right-of-centre political group with an anti-religious symbol platform CAQ take control.
The CAQ also wants to limit the number immigrants let in the province by 20 per cent.
On the night of the election, Forum Jeunesse VP Ernest Edmond Jr. said the people’s choice was CAQ, and even if you’re not happy with the results, Quebecers need to work together to make the province a better place for all.
4. Will legalization make Canada a global dope destination?
The growth potential for this type of destination tourism, especially with Americans, is huge, says Trina Fraser, partner and head of the CannaLaw group at Ottawa-based Brazeau Seller Law.
Fraser sees a bright future for pot-friendly hotels and B & Bs, curated tours and private chef experiences.
“There’s so much interest in the concept of cannabis tourism that it’s going to happen, and people will find a way to do it,” she said.
3. McGill student accuses police of racial profiling
Jean Kagame, a Rwandan student at McGill, says a recent run-in with Ontario police left him terrified, confused and scared. The man alleges he was stopped unfairly, had his car impounded without being told why, and treated like dirt at the side of the road.
Kagame says he was pulled over by OPP and after waiting for 30 mins, more OPP officers showed up and the officers were rude and profane. Police accuse Kagame of stunt racing, something Kagame denies. He and his group were left stranded at the side of the road.
2. Montreal offering dog behaviour workshops
Montreal teamed up with a group of dog experts in September in response to a recent string of dog attacks. The city is counting on one woman to lead the charge.
The city also strengthened their animal control bylaw. “It’s very important to recognize the signs when the dog says ‘I’m not having fun right now’,” explained dog exert Nadine Caron.
Part of the course was understanding dog language and another part was how people should respond in the event of an attack.
1. Crime in rural Alberta town growing at a faster rate than elsewhere in Canada: Maclean’s
This Maclean’s analysis made news across the country. The feature from the magazine stated crime in Wetaskiwin, Alta., a town of 15,000 about an hour’s drive south of Edmonton, is getting worse at a faster rate than any other Canadian urban area.
From 2012 to 2017, Wetaskiwin’s crime severity index (CSI) — a measure used by Statistics Canada that accounts for the seriousness of crimes as well as their number — increased 100.63 points to 257.54.
For comparison, Red Deer, the community with the second-fastest growing CSI, saw an increase of 58.65 points over five years. Canada’s overall CSI fell 2.56 points to 72.87 over the same time period.
