Whether it was raising money for young people to go to school, showcasing the best of Black culture, or even challenging eurocentric standards of beauty, Gemma Raeburn-Baynes seemingly always had a plan to empower Black people.

While some are calling on Quebec to follow other provinces in liberalizing their rules for alcohol sales, the government has some clear incentives to maintain the status quo.

New regional ombudswoman addresses sexual misconduct complaints

By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

Complaints of sexual misconduct in elementary and high schools in the region will be treated “with the highest priority,” regional student ombudswoman for Estrie and Chaudière-Appalaches Caroline Audette has said.

Audette said her office has received five such complaints since she took office in August. Details surrounding the complaints, such as where the alleged incidents occurred and whether they concerned misconduct by a student or staff member, weren’t available due to confidentiality concerns. “Each complaint [of sexual violence] is one too many,” she said.

Audette took office at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year after the entry into force of Bill 9, which created a provincewide school ombuds office, headed by Jean-François Bernier, and 17 regional ombuds offices. Ombudsmen and ombudswomen are now appointed by Education Minister Bernard Drainville on the advice of a selection committee; before Bill 9, they were appointed by school boards and service centres. Their duties remain the same – when a parent or student believes a school has failed to provide adequate services, they can lodge a complaint with the ombudsman, who will first determine whether the complaint files within their remit, then listen to both sides and recommend solutions. Parents and students can also approach the ombuds office for information and referral requests. Audette said her office had received 91 information or referral requests and processed 34 formal complaints since August. Many complaints involved intervention plans for students with disabilities or concerns around the class a child was placed in.

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L’article “One is too many” est apparu en premier sur Sherbrooke Record.

A new Black community group in Montreal has plans to develop a mixed-use affordable housing project in the city's Saint-Michel neighbourhood. But after a year-long wait for approval, the group says Quebec's housing agency is putting the project in jeopardy by dragging its feet.

Quebec City police say four more were arrested in connection with a series of police operations targeting a violent conflict between criminal groups.

Emergency services received calls about a fire in the basement of a semi-detached home on Johnny-Parent Boulevard around 2:30 a.m. 

Eric San, better known as Kid Koala, talks about his show, Storyville Mosquito, which features puppets and live movie sets in the multimedia experience. He talks about the use of puppets to tell the story and how the audience will see it unfold at the Montréal en Lumière festival.

Demonstrators took to downtown Montreal to rally in solidarity of Ukraine on Saturday, marking the second anniversary since Russia's invasion. Other community members sold baked goods to raise money to send troops medical supplies.

Quebec's independent police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, opened on Saturday an investigation involving the Sûreté du Québec.

The Quebec romantic comedy-drama, Simple Comme Sylvain (The Nature of Love), beat Christoper Nolan's Oppenheimer.

Quebec's Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court ruling and ordered the ER to stay open 24 hours a day until March 4.

As the new head coach of CF Montreal, Laurent Courtois is stepping into the biggest coaching job he's ever had — putting his philosophy to the test like never before.

2022 Black Changemaker Keithy Antoine says achieving your dreams starts with honest self-reflection.

All in a Weekend went to the Benny Library in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood to help launch its Spice Club. Members get to try spices from different cultures and discuss their experiences. We spoke with Arik de Vienne, a second-generation spice trekker.

Amy Blackmore has been a cultural worker in the English-language arts scene for at least 20 years. At 17, she was already volunteering at the Montreal Fringe Festival. Growing up in the United Church has a lot to do with her being in service to the arts.

The cold open of Ethan Coen’s solo venture, Drive-Away Dolls, evokes mid-’90s Tarantino. Well, not like Tarantino… but more, the influx of copycat films that flooded the American screens after the success of Pulp Fiction — movies that weren’t quite good, but only occasionally terrible. Movies that once felt like throwaway copies now have a veneer of style lost in most American independent cinema: a sense of colour, rhythm and playfulness.

Set in the 1990s, Drive-Away Dolls follows the misadventures of two lesbians on a road trip. Unbeknownst to them, they’ve accidentally stumbled on a very secret suitcase (echoes of Pulp Fiction) that holds some penetrating secrets. It’s a broad queer comedy with odd-couple-style banter. Conventional, though absurd, the film is occasionally interrupted by psychedelic-inspired sequences that sometimes feature Miley Cyrus as a kind of mother-god of sex. It’s a movie that gets hung up on delicious little details: Henry James, wall dildos and Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou.” At just 84 minutes long, the movie crams as much life onto the screen as possible.

The film’s lifeblood is the two heavily contrasting lead characters. Margaret Qualley plays Jaimie, a free-spirited, free-love lesbian with a heavy drawl, a quivering intensity and a gap-toothed smile. She’s lanky and sensuous, always down to party. For the road, her companion is the buttoned-up Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), a lesbian desperately in need of getting laid. Viswanathan grounds the film in a performance as uptight as Qualley’s is loose, pulling out a deliciously straight, barely out-of-the-closet performance that brings a halting momentum to most social interactions, to great comic effect. 

The rest of the cast is equally fantastic. They’re colourful and strange. The movie has a few outright funny moments but is propelled more by the insane charm and playfully mismatched motives of everyone involved. It’s a comedy of errors with a lesbian twist, a film whose greatest asset is its slightness. Also, in an era of squashed libidos, it’s a movie that’s both raunchy and sexy, completely unafraid of embracing its character’s unbridled lust, even as they (only occasionally) suffer the consequences for their desire. It’s a lesbian movie that is neither overly serious nor overly chaste, capturing a happy middle ground of silly and sexy. 

While there are a lot of positives about the film, it’s also hard to fully embrace as a groundbreaking or cohesive experience. While its silliness is often an asset, it also unravels the films during key moments. It all feels a bit weightless and pointless, a movie with all the style and none of the weight. As far as the Coen brothers’ productions, it reveals Ethan as the humour heavyweight of the duo (a theory bolstered by how humourless Joel’s Macbeth adaptation was) but also how, as a team, their differences were complementary, filling the gaps of each other’s weaknesses. While, for my money, this film is far more interesting than Joel Coen’s solo ventures, it ranks very low on the overall Coens oeuvre. 

While there’s more to love than not, Drive Away Dolls can’t quite escape the feeling that it is easily forgotten. It’s a movie that is a good time, but in a rainy Saturday afternoon way, rather than a movie with real staying power. While it’s worth admiring for its unwillingness to couch its queer depictions with “important lessons” or “consequences,” it’s a pretty low bar to hold it to. So, what’s really missing here? It’s hard to say. It’s consistent but lacks one explosive comedic moment. It also lacks some of the depth of the comedic works of the Coen collaborations, feeling a little too untethered from reality, emotionally and ideologically.

Drive Away Dolls opens in Montreal theatres on Friday, Feb. 23.

For more film and TV coverage, please visit our Film & TV section.

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Quebec provincial police will send several officers specializing in organized crime to assist Quebec City police following several incidents of violence.

Jean-Guy Talbot, one of 12 Montreal Canadiens players to win five consecutive Stanley Cups between 1956 and 1960, has died. He was 91 years old.

Forbes Travel Guide has released the winners of their 2024 Star Awards, and three hotels, two restaurants and one spa in Montreal have been named among the best in the world.

On the hotels side are the Ritz-Carlton, Montreal, the Four Seasons Hotel and Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth. The two restaurants included in this year’s list are Maison Boulud and Toqué! The only Montreal spa on the list is the Guerlain Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal.

“Forbes Travel Guide compiles its ratings using an objective, independent and data-driven process. Incognito inspectors pose as everyday guests and stay at hotels, board cruises, receive spa services and dine at fine restaurants around the world. They test some 900 exacting standards—such as whether a room is designed to promote sleep quality or whether the food-and-beverage choices support a guest’s well-being—emphasizing exceptional service, which accounts for 70 percent of a property’s rating. Newer standards focus on the guest experience, such as ensuring ‘cocktails are dynamically interesting and photogenic’ and even asking if the inspector would ‘readily recommend this property to others.’ The remaining 30 percent comes from the quality and condition of the facilities. Finally, inspectors are now required to reflect on whether there was great value in the experience.”

For our latest in Montreal life, please visit the Arts & Life section.

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Taking a first glance at the lineup drop for Osheaga this year felt like getting that first huge blast of heat in your eyes when you enter a sauna.

Some of the names and poster pairings feel just slightly batshit: T-Pain next to Rancid?! Green Day AND the Smashing Pumpkins, next to Martin Garrix? Three artists on Friday with the names Mochakk, Bladee and Fridayy (I mean hey, if it helps make you easier to Google)?

All in all, though, this year’s edition of the festival looks to be as thrilling as ever, and there’s quite a lot to go over while analyzing this poster. Here are some of my first impressions.

A lot of repeat artists, but they’re damn good ones

A common criticism with every Osheaga lineup drop is with regards to how repetitive the bookings can be. Many artists from year to year are ones who’ve played the festival in the past, and 2024 is no different. Dominic Fike, Alvvays, Skepta, Jungle, Justice, Denzel Curry and the Smashing Pumpkins (who headlined Osheaga all the way back in 2007) are all examples of this, but none of those names feel stale or played out to me. As far as recycling artists year after year goes, they could’ve done far worse.

More punk acts than usual

Yeah, there was the edition two years ago with IDLES and Turnstile on the same bill, but having Rancid, Amyl and the Sniffers and a headline set from Green Day alongside local punks DVTR and No Waves definitely feels like they’re pandering a bit to those who’d usually go to the dormant ’77 Montréal festival. I’m not complaining though — I always want to see heavier bands share a place among the usual Osheaga fare, to give the programming the kind of oomph many other genres can’t.

The Billie/Billy headline duo on day two

No, I ain’t talking about Eilish, who headlined day two last year. I’m talking about two acts who got their big break years before she was even born. Green Day and the Smashing Pumpkins are a ’90s kid’s wet dream at the top of the bill, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the audience for both bands stays on the younger side, or if a huge Gen Xer contingent is inevitable. Regardless, it’s a hell of a way to cap that night off. (Side note: It’s weird seeing Martin Garrix — very much an îLESONIQ-type artist — right next to them.)

Freaking T-Pain!

That Tiny Desk concert truly reshaped T-Pain’s public image within the music world, didn’t it? The king of Auto-Tune himself is finally gracing Osheaga’s stages to hit festivalgoers with a cocktail of nostalgia, adrenaline and pure vibes. My only question now is, does he play his cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” early in the set, or does he save it for the grand finale?

Some artists should be wayyyyy higher up the bill

Maybe I’m getting more and more out of touch by the minute, but I admit to being wholly unfamiliar with a number of names high up this year’s poster (who on Earth are Teddy Swims and Stephen Sanchez?), while remaining perplexed as to why certain acts are relegated to the last couple of rows. Arlo Parks and the Japanese House immediately stand out as being in this category, as do the Linda Lindas, Mannequin Pussy and Confidence Man. The more sets to check out earlier in the afternoon, the better, I suppose!

For more on Osheaga 2024, please visit the festival’s website.

For more Montreal music coverage, please visit the Music section.

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Quebec’s permanent residency requirements, which include French proficiency tests and two years of work experience in a qualified position, could prevent some Ukrainians from settling here long term. 

Streaming guide JustWatch has revealed the latest market share figures among streaming services in Canada, with Netflix still in the lead at 24%, followed by Prime Video (22%), Disney+ (18%), Crave (11%), Paramount+ (8%) and Apple TV+ (5%).

“Throughout 2023, Paramount+ showed remarkable growth, gaining 3% in market share in December. Joining the positive uptick are major streaming providers Prime Video, Netflix and Apple TV+, who increased by 1% each.”

For previous updates on the most popular movies and TV shows streaming in Canada right now, please click here.

For our latest in film and TV, please visit our Film & TV section.

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The two Montreal English universities are both taking separate legal action following a significant drop in applicants.

Bill 31 was pitched as a way to strike a balance between tenants and landlords, but advocates say the most significant impact will be the power it gives landlords to deny a lease transfer for any reason.

Beverly Wilks, Montreal financial coach and founder of the blog Bacon and Heels, explains the differences between a TFSA, an FHSA and an RRSP, and shares tips on how to prepare for tax-filing season.

On Jan. 1, chef Catherine Couvet Desrosiers announced that she was leaving her position as chef de cuisine of Foxy to focus on opening her first solo restaurant project. The restaurant, which is located near her old Petit Mousso stomping grounds on Ontario E., will be known as Panacée. Panacée (Panacea in English) means cure-all or universal cure — a concept that Couvet attributes to the healing and restorative power of restaurants.

While the menu and concept are still crystalizing, Couvet’s vision is for a place that offers the option of a multi-course fixed menu for long dinners with friends and loved ones and an à la carte option for diners who want to pop in for a small plate and glass of wine before catching a show. The safe guess is that Couvet will continue to deliver her brand of cleverly composed and seasonally relevant dishes with a focus on vegetables and technique.

No official opening date has been announced but Couvet expects Panacée to open its doors sometime between May and August of this year.

For more on the food and drink scene in Montreal, please visit the Food & Drink section.

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Pablo Rodriguez's statement comes days after a group of Quebec ministers publicly called out the federal government for not doing enough to help their province cope with a wave of asylum seekers.

A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation has concluded the man charged with killing two women and seriously injuring a third in a stabbing attack west of Montreal is not currently fit to stand trial and must spent 30 days in hospital.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante released a statement yesterday after the announcement of additional funding from the Government of Canada to fight car theft in the city. Following the dismantling of a criminal car theft network that morning in Montreal, Plante also issued a direct message to car thieves, saying, “You will be arrested.”

The federal government is investing $15-million to deal with car theft, to be distributed among police forces across Canada.

“I want to thank the teams who worked on this important investigation and reassure the Montreal population. Safety is a priority and we are working as a team to curb the increase in thefts. I also welcome the announcement of this additional amount from the Government of Canada, which, in particular, helps us to carry out prevention and ensure that our young people do not fall into crime.”

For our latest in news, please visit the News section.

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Join us on a stroll back in time to Victorian-era Montreal, when some of Canada’s richest families settled on the slope of Mount Royal in the Golden Square Mile, in this week's episode of Good Question, Montreal.

Earlier this week, Premier François Legault said collective agreements recently signed with workers mean it will take longer for the government to balance the books.

The Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) building is moving, The Eastern Door has learned, but the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake has not come up with a plan B publicly yet, or even informed the community of the imminent departure of this vital service to Montreal.

“I think it will make it harder for people, especially our elders, to get services,” said a source close to the situation, who requested anonymity out of fear of professional repercussions.

The source found out about the move this past fall and was devastated.

A meeting from ISC in November with staff glossed over the move from Kahnawake to the Guy Favreau Complex with little information. Such a move would make it difficult for Kahnawa’kehró:non, especially elders and people with mobility issues, to renew status cards or get any kind of direct access to, or services from, Indigenous Affairs.

Along with the move, employees have a mandate to physically work in the new office in the city for two days a week, according to emails, which adds time, stress, and traffic concerns to all local employees.

Further, tax exemption considerations from working off-reserve are worrisome, but according to ISC, as long as the work is mostly done on-reserve (60 percent), Native workers would not have to pay tax on their income.

The date as it stands now is spring of 2025 to completely move from Kahnawake to Montreal.

The services provided at the white building across from the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre have changed in the last few years, with services for estates no longer being offered, which makes dealing with wills, burials, and other issues more time-consuming, and can lead to frustration when dealing with all of those stressful issues by email or phone calls to Quebec City.

But the services lost with the building’s move next year means just getting a band card renewed will be that much harder.

The building itself, owned by the MCK and rented to ISC, is old and in need of repair, with parts of it condemned and completely shut off to workers (including the upstairs portion).

“People won’t want to go to the city, to take public transportation, or deal with the language barrier,” said the source. “I think it will be a big loss for the community and none of the chiefs are fighting for it.”

As for the lack of communication with the public at large, the source was upset with how little information was out there, with just over a year to go.

“People should have a right to know what’s going on,” the source said. “It’s a service a lot of people use and once it’s gone, it’s not coming back.”

When The Eastern Door reached out to ISC in November 2023 for clarification, a clear answer was not provided.

“Indigenous Services Canada’s (ISC) priority is to maintain and improve accessible services for Indigenous communities,” replied Jacinthe Goulet, a spokesperson for ISC and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

“ISC is currently in discussions with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake regarding how services will be delivered in the community. We have no changes to communicate for now.

“Registration and status card services continue to be available in person at ISC regional offices and through Indian Registration Administrators (IRAs). Registration and status card services are also available by mail,” she concluded.

When reached for comment in November on the impending move, MCK chief Harry Rice said: “There’s no comment to be made right now. Stuff is happening, we are working on it and we’re going to be coming up with a sort of solution. So, there is no story to come out right now.”

In a follow-up in December, after TED reached out to employees and confirmed the move, Rice told TED reporter Miriam Lafontaine: “I told you, I gave you the back story. We’re working on stuff. When it comes out, we’ll call you. I can give you the phone to Cody (MCK chief Diabo) right now, he’s going to tell you the same thing.”

Rice is currently on medical leave and refused to comment on the move this week.

Other sources

Another person close to the situation who also has firsthand knowledge of what was going on in the lead-up to the March 2025 move, said they had their suspicions years ago, and they didn’t like where things were going.

The secondary source talked about a lack of support in the old building as it stands today, and the workers “are doing the best that they can with what they have,” including a lack of mentorship and proper onboarding.

When it was finally confirmed that Kahnawake (one of only two First Nations to have an ISC building on their own territory along with Fort William) would no longer have this kind of direct access in a short period of time, the source was shocked and disappointed.

“What a loss for our community,” said the secondary source, “specifically elders and people who don’t have access to a vehicle, people who might need assistance. For example, an elder specifically in the hospital. They need to renew their status card and they can’t get it done. You make accommodations to be able to help them and you get it done, and it works. But that’s not going to happen now.”

Getting assistance on specific documents necessary for things like registering a child will also be gone, in a building that will be too far for locals to easily get to, they said. “People just assume if they are born into Kahnawake they are registered under the band, but that’s not the case.

“They (workers) took on a position to help out the community, but now they’re being forced out of the community,” they said. “Is there no space for them?”

ISC had previously asked employees about alternative buildings in the community that could be more suitable, but nothing was found, according to the secondary source.

Other sources close to the situation said people have rolled their wheelchairs directly to the building for services in the past, and some people have even come from places like Manawan – 270 KM and almost four hours away from Kahnawake – for service.

With no male workers in the building, and after a scary situation of an unwanted visitor, a security guard was stationed full-time in the building in summer of 2023.

It is also very busy. Employees were told by ISC that the white building produces the third most band cards in the country by office, and the fear is if the office moves, services to people who are not on the Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawake Registry could be refused, even though there are employees at Council currently who could provide that service, but rely on the ISC building instead to do band cards.

“I was a little bit surprised at the lack of concern, and possibly the lack of community,” the secondary source said about the MCK chiefs’ inaction to this point, in not bringing this issue to warn the community or fight for ISC to stay.

“These are your people and if you’re not caring that they’re going to have struggles to try and reach the new location, why are you in those positions? Isn’t this what you’re here for, to help our community, or to represent us?”

[email protected]

This article was originally published in print on February 16 in issue 33.07 of The Eastern Door.

The Eastern Townships health authority is issuing a call for vigilance after confirming two cases of invasive meningococcal infection in the region — one that resulted in a death last week. 

The Santa Teresa festival in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec announced its 2024 lineup this morning, featuring Montreal indie rock vets Karkwa, French rapper Ziak, Belgian rappers Caballero & Jeanjass and renowned Quebec singer-songwriter Daniel Bélanger.

Also on the bill are Montreal acts Bibi Club, les Deuluxes (opening for Daniel Belanger), Robert Robert and old-school rap-Queb act Muzion. Fellow locals Samwoy, Night Lunch and Unessential Oils, a new project by Warren Spicer (the singer from Plants and and Animals), are among the acts playing free shows.

On the comedy front, Montreal comedian Arnaud Soly will host Soly Teresa, a music and comedy show with a number of special guests, while Brick et Brack will record a podcast and Julien Bernatchez, as DJ White Russian, will close out the first night on the main stage.

Four-day festival passes will be available this Saturday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m.

For more on the Santa Teresa festival, which runs from May 9 to 12 at various venues in Sainte-Thérèse, please visit their website.

For more Montreal music coverage, please visit the Music section.

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Daybreak host Sean Henry speaks with Fernando Belton, the co-founder of the Clinique Juridique Saint-Michel and with Erich Preach, a comedian, actor and YouTuber who will host the comedy event on Saturday.