This is Montreal

CBC

Dive into the Montreal stories you’re curious about and the issues you want to understand. From Laval to Longueuil and across the island, host Ainslie MacLellan explores the complexities of our colourful, vibrant and sometimes frustrating, but always interesting city. Every Thursday.

Play

Open in

24 episodes
weekly
Avg 22 min
English

Episodes 24

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

Wednesday · 23 min
Hot races and ridings to watch — days before Quebecers vote
What could the map of Quebec look like, after voters go to the polls this October 5th? With tight races in many ridings, the political landscape could change dramatically. That’s what CBC's Sudha Krishnan’s is watching for our election night special. She joins hosts Ainslie MacLellan and Alison Brunette with a look at what you need to know about the race to be next premier of Quebec, in a special cross-over episode between This is Montreal and This is Quebec.
September 24 · 18 min
Is public transit getting shortchanged in this Quebec election?
Public transit hasn’t exactly been front and centre during the campaign, despite many municipalities and transit advocates calling for major investments. Montreal’s metro needs fixing, off-island municipalities need better service and transit corporations everywhere are asking for more stable funding. So with so many demands, what should the transit priorities be? Plus, host Ainslie MacLellan rides along with a committed Huntingdon transit commuter and has a humbling revelation about the chal
September 17 · 23 min
The 'Anglo' Vote: What place does it have, this Quebec election?
With no English-language debate and a legal controversy over English information on voter cards, some English-speaking Quebecers are calling for more attention to their concerns in this election. This is Montreal producer Rebecca Ugolini joins Ainslie MacLellan to look at how English-speaking groups have tried to assert themselves on the political scene over the years, including by forming new political parties. And young English-speaking voters share what really matters to them in this elect
September 10 · 19 min
Quebec campaign promises you may have missed — with CBC’s Platform Tracker
Which party wants to cut temporary immigration by half? Which party would privatize management of some hospitals? Who wants to extend Quebec’s language laws to adult education? What about creating a provincial telehealth system? Or raising the minimum wage? CBC’s Quebec election platform tracker takes you through each party’s stance, issue by issue. Reporter Holly Cabrera gives us a behind-the-scenes look at putting the platform tracker together and highlights some promises you may have misse
September 3 · 15 min
Should Quebec cut taxes to tackle the cost of living?
It’s often repeated that Quebecers pay the highest taxes of any jurisdiction in North America. CBC reporter Ben Shingler breaks down how the tax burden on Quebecers compares to elsewhere and what we get for it. And we’ll hear why some economists are saying that any government intervention to help with the cost of living needs to be targeted to the people who need it the most.
August 27 · 29 min
Tariff turmoil & referendum rumblings: Quebec’s election kicks off
The Quebec election campaign has only just begun but already party leaders have been running a gauntlet of complex issues: from the trade war with the US, to Quebec sovereignty, to the cost of living crisis. There are several new party leaders in the mix, the incumbent Coalition Avenir Québec and the Quebec Liberal Party are trailing the Parti Québécois and polls show many voters are still undecided. So how are candidates trying to find their footing in this uncertain landscape before Quebece
August 20 · 28 min
Beyond batons & pom poms: The many eras of the Montreal Alouettes cheerleaders
The Montreal Alouettes have bid farewell to their in-house dance and cheerleading program. For the first time this season, Montreal’s football team has partnered up with the Université de Montréal Carabins stunt cheer squad instead. For some, it’s the end of an era. For others, it’s just another evolution. CBC journalist Douglas Gelevan takes us through the legacy of the Alouettes cheerleaders, from the baton-tossing Majorettes of the 50s, through the pom-pom shaking era of the 60s and 70s, t
August 13 · 22 min
SPVM chief faces big questions over police racism investigation
At a meeting at city hall on Tuesday night, Montreal police chief Fady Dagher spoke publicly about an internal investigation into allegations of racist, violent acts by police officers at Station 39 in Montréal-Nord. While Dagher is proposing internal reforms, columnist Noémi Mercier believes we also need to examine bigger questions about the place of police in Quebec. She crunched the numbers for L’actualité magazine and found that Montreal has more police officers per capita than a
August 6 · 22 min
As Montreal’s population shrinks, people are flocking to the Laurentians
While the Island of Montreal is projected to lose nearly 10 per cent of its population in the next 25 years, some other nearby regions like the Laurentians are growing. CBC’s Aatefeh Padidar spoke with some new Laurentians residents — including some former Montrealers — about what prompted them to move. And we’ll hear what this population shift could mean, both for the regions that are losing residents and those that are gaining them.
July 30 · 26 min
Montreal's most dangerous intersections for cyclists
July is peak season for biking in Montreal. It’s also one of the months when the most cyclists are hit by cars. The numbers show that a handful of intersections account for a large number of collisions involving bikes. CBC reporter Patricia Kozicka breaks down what makes these intersections so dangerous and what can be done to fix them.
July 23 · 23 min
A Blainville teen’s international fight against the Stablex toxic waste dump
A teenager from Blainville is asking international groups to investigate the environmental impact of Stablex, a US-owned hazardous waste site  in his community. 14-year-old William Guindon argues that Canada and Quebec have failed to apply their own environmental protection laws, so now he’s taking his fight global by filing requests to the United Nations and to an environmental watchdog under the Canada-US-Mexico agreement (CUSMA). CBC journalist Sarah Jesmer looks at the controversy ar
July 16 · 22 min
What does it mean to be a Quebecer?
In the lead up to the fall election, CBC Montreal host Sudha Krishnan is launching a series of conversations on Quebec identity — from two women with South Asian roots talking about how they’ve seen identity issues evolve since the 1970s, to young supporters of Quebec independence, to anglophone Montrealers defending their linguistic institutions.
July 9 · 26 min
Will Montrealers get on board the high-speed nation-building train?
The federal government’s proposed Alto high-speed train would link cities from Quebec City to Toronto with trains travelling 300 km/h or more, cutting travel times by up to half. But not everyone is on board. Farmers and rural land owners are worried about expropriations — some haunted by the legacy of the Mirabel airport. And with a Quebec election looming and sovereignty on the table, the Parti Québécois is not interested in jumping on the Canadian nation-building train.
July 2 · 19 min
How Montrealers got squeaky clean before they had plumbing
Water restrictions this summer have brought the importance of clean running water into focus. But how did Montrealers get clean before they had indoor plumbing? For much of Montreal’s history, it was a dangerous proposition: People risked drowning in the Saint-Lawrence river or catching diseases from a backyard privy. The solution? Public baths. Reporter Gloria Henriquez dives into the history of Montreal’s public baths — and why not everyone was allowed to use them at first.
June 25 · 21 min
Heavy rains force Montreal to look at new flood solutions
As parts of Montreal were once again hit with flooding during heavy rains, we’re bringing you excerpts from our Oct 2024 episode looking at why parts of Montreal are prone to this type of flooding. Plus: an update on what solutions Montreal and surrounding cities are considering to better protect homes against storms like these.
June 18 · 45 min
Reckoning with police racism allegations in Montréal-Nord
Sixteen police officers from Station 39 in Montréal-Nord are facing an internal investigation following allegations of racist, violent and hateful acts against Black and Arab people. Community organizations and some Quebec politicians are calling for an independent inquiry, while others say the solutions to racism and police brutality are already known and should be implemented more quickly. In this episode we’ll hear from three Montrealers who are calling for a broader political reckoning wi
June 13 · 14 min
Weekend Listen: The messy end of session marathon at the National Assembly
This is Montreal introduces…This is Quebec! In this first episode of our sister show, host Alison Brunette looks at the end of the legislative session in Quebec City. As the National Assembly shut down for the summer, the CAQ government had a few key bills and reforms it wanted to push through. But the party had to say goodbye to some of its flagship ideas. For more episodes, follow <a href=": https://app.magellan.ai/listen_links/SweJhH" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">This is Quebe
June 11 · 22 min
Montrealers built their own skatepark. Now the city wants to change it.
From a DIY skatepark to an old rail lot turned urban forest, Montrealers have reclaimed public spaces to create something new in their neighbourhoods. But what happens when a city and its citizens don’t agree on what a public space should be? CBC’s Boshko Maric explores Montreal’s informal spaces: who do they belong to and who should decide their futures?
June 4 · 18 min
How can Montrealers use less water this summer?
The city of Montreal is asking more than 1.2 million Montrealers to reduce their water consumption this summer, because of water main work. Experts say it’s an opportunity to take stock of just how much drinking water is wasted in Montreal, either through leaky pipes, or bad habits. So how can Montrealers reduce their consumption? And would paying for water make a difference?
May 28 · 23 min
Moving out?? In this economy?
Young Montrealers are more likely than previous generations to still be living with their parents. A big reason why, according to researchers, is just how much it costs to move out. We’ll hear from Montrealers about the ups and downs of living at home in your 20s & 30s and from parents whose nests are not yet empty.

Showing 1–20 of 24 episodes