Top 10 stories of 2018
Posted December 27, 2018 4:16 pm.
Last Updated December 27, 2018 4:52 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 a quickly-called provincial election.
As the year comes to a close the world prepares to welcome 2019, we’re counting down our picks as the top 10 stories for Montreal this year.
10. Historic English-language election debate
The first-ever English language debate was held leading up to the 2018 provincial election on September 17.
Journalists from all six of the media organizations (Global, CJAD, CTV, CBC, the Montreal Gazette, and CityNews) that formed a consortium to hold the historic debate fact-checked several of the statements made by the party leaders.
9. Massive cuts at Bombardier
Aerospace giant Bombardier announced massive cuts to its workforce along with the sale of an aircraft program in November. The company cut 5,000 jobs hoping to save hundreds of millions of dollars.
The company claimed tough decisions had to be made as it was in the midst of a turn-around plan.
8. Pittsburgh attack brings communities of all faiths together
A Rabbi, Imam, and Reverend come together to talk unity after the Pittsburgh attack and how their communities are breaking bread. “It could’ve happened to us, it could’ve happened here,” Rabbi Boris Dolin told Diverse City reporter Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed.
Imam Musabbir Alam said the Pittsburgh tragedy brought back memories of an attack on a Quebec mosque in 2017.
7. Energy drink death
Athena Gervais, 14, was discovered dead in a stream behind her school in Laval, Que., three days after she was reported missing in March. Two weeks later, Quebec banned the sale of sugary drinks with an alcohol percentage higher than 7 per cent in grocery stores.
Athena’s family and an advocacy group said it’s too little, too late.
RELATED: Energy drink ban for youths being sought by councillor
6. Spike in dog attacks
In August, a 42-year-old Laval woman was attacked by her son’s bull terrier. Laval Police says they had no choice but to shoot and kill the animal, but advocates say police need more help to handle those types of situations.
It was the latest in a string of dog attacks, leading the city to strengthen its animal control bylaws and hosting a series of free dog behaviour courses which touched on reading a dog’s body language and what to do in the event of an attack.
RELATED: Montreal offering dog behaviour workshops
5. Montreal police accused of racial profiling on numerous occasions
A Montreal-North man claimed he was singled out by police because of his skin colour during Grand Prix weekend. He was pepper sprayed in the face and handcuffed. It all allegedly started when the man honked his horn in celebration with a nearby crowd.
A video of the incident from last June has been viewed on Facebook over 325,000 times.
That incident wasn’t the only incident. More stories popped up over the year.
RELATED: 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.
Situations like these lead the Montreal Police to come up with a racial profiling plan.
MORE: Montreal Police Release Anti-Racial Profiling Plan
4. Gatineau residents grappling with aftermath of tornado
Three days after two tornadoes touched down in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, many remained homeless.
The September twisters saw 265 km/h wind rip through homes and causing mass destruction. Luckily, no one was killed in the storms, but many buildings had ot be torn down and people forced to start over.
3.Legalization of marijuana
Earlier in the year, federal legislation passed that would ultimately legalize recreational pot in Canada. The date was set and on October 17 hundreds of Quebecers and Canadians alike lined up outside new dispensaries to stock up on bud.
Hugo Senecal, 39, emerged to cheers as he brandished a brown paper bag containing three different strains and a couple of pre-rolled joints, one of which he immediately lit up on the street.
He and his friend Corey Stone arrived at 3:45 a.m. and waited over six hours to become the first customers allowed into the discreet beige and green storefront on Montreal’s Ste-Catherine Street when the doors opened at 10 a.m.
RELATED: Quebec to raise legal age to buy or use cannabis to 21
2. CAQ proposed ban on religious symbols
One of the major campaign promises that the newly-elected CAQ government ran on was a religious symbol ban for public staff.
After Francois Legault’s party was put in power, a Montreal teacher told CityNews she is angry over a proposed ban on religious symbols and she’s afraid she’ll be forced to choose between her job and her faith.
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1. Quebec Election: the shocking CAQ win
On October 1, it didn’t take long for the election to be called. CAQ leader Francois Legault shot to a healthy lead right at the start of the night and as more and more ballots were counted the victory became more clear.
Legault, the multimillionaire co-founder of the Air Transat airline, will become the first premier since 1966 to win a general election leading a party other than the Liberals or Parti Quebecois.
Legault guided his right-leaning, seven-year-old party to victory following a 39-day campaign. His win knocked Philippe Couillard‘s Liberals from power.
RELATED: Legault ready to enact notwithstanding clause on promises
A couple of months later a CityNews exclusive poll shows Legault has the most support among premiers in Canada within their home provinces, but the honeymoon phase for the new premier may not last much longer.
