Weeks after the federal government ordered all travellers flying into Canada to provide a negative test before boarding, authorities continue to report flights into Montreal that carried passengers with COVID-19.
Montrealistan
Montreal synagogue associated with legendary Leonard Cohen vandalized with swastikas
A series of large swastikas were daubed in black paint on the doors of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, a 160-year-old Modern Orthodox synagogue that performed Cohen’s funeral when the performer passed away in 2016.
Arrest made after Montreal synagogue vandalized
Police say the suspect likely suffers from mental health problems and will remain in custody until he can be brought before a judge. A court-ordered psychological evaluation is likely.
Schools are spreading COVID-19 in Montreal, new study finds
Concludes elementary schools reopening will probably undermine any possible benefits from the partial lockdown in effect.
Ultra-Othodox Jewish congregations ready to sue over Quebec’s ban on gatherings
The Jewish Community Council of Montreal, the Jewish Hasidic Council of Quebec and several other ultra-Orthodox Jewish congregations have sent a lawyer’s letter to the Legault government urging it to reconsider its ban on gatherings in synagogues and other places of worship during the latest pandemic lockdown.
The letter, prepared by the law firm of Dunton Rainville and delivered to the provincial government last Friday, warns that failure to rescind the ban will see their clients “regretfully” seek redress before the courts.
KNIGHT: Curfews are a breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Fifty years ago, I was a young teen growing up in Montreal. The fans of separation were being fanned by a group called Front de libération du Québec (FLQ).
The FLQ kidnapped British High Commissioner James Cross and days later, Quebec Minister Pierre Laporte. Laporte’s body was found in the trunk of a car at St. Hubert airport a week later.
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau imposed the War Measures Act, which allowed him the ability to deploy troops to the streets of Montreal and extraordinary detention powers.
I remember some older teens in my neighbourhood were arrested just for going for a cocktail in a downtown club. In another incident, a bomb blew apart the mailbox at the corner of my street triggering a military response. It was a frightening time.
Looking at the video clips of the streets of Montreal on the weekend, when a curfew was implemented, triggered many memories for me. People just walking down the street were arrested just for drinking a coffee in public or trying to flag a cab in the downtown area.
‘A bit mind-boggling’: Montreal streets empty during first curfew in 50 years
The city’s busiest areas were deserted save for the occasional worker, dog walker, or homeless person wandering the streets.
From tents to converted 4-star hotel, pandemic prompts changes for Montreal homeless
While tent cities like this are new to Montreal, shelter workers and experts say it’s not necessarily a sign that significantly more people in Montreal are homeless.