• Joël Bouchard remembers getting black eye at his first NHL training camp

    Laval Rocket head coach Joël Bouchard will never forget his first NHL training camp as a defenceman with the Calgary Flames.
    “What I remember is I came back with a black eye from it,” Bouchard said after running a Canadiens’ rookie camp practice Saturday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.
    The Flames selected Bouchard in the sixth round (129th overall) at the 1992 NHL Draft after he had posted 9-37-46 totals and 55 penalty minutes in 70 games with Verdun College-Fran&c
  • Quebec election: Legault concedes skeptical anglos might not vote CAQ

    QUEBEC – It may take more than one election to convince the English-speaking community to vote for the Coalition Avenir Québec, leader François Legault conceded Saturday.
    Since the sovereignty-federalism debate has been the ballot question in every Quebec election for the last 50 years, Legault said it’s natural that he has his work cut out to convince anglophones it’s safe to vote for him.
    “Most anglophones are against (sovereignty) and still think that the
  • Man who killed woman in Dorval by stomping on her head to be released

    A West Island resident who killed a woman he had just met by stomping on her head during an argument has been ordered to reside at a halfway house while he continues to serve what remains of his twelve-year prison term.
    On April 23, 2010, James Gould received an overall sentence of 15 years following his manslaughter conviction in the death of Karina Paola Esquivel-Moya, an 18-year-old woman he killed in 2007 in an apartment in Dorval while he was high on drugs and alcohol. By the time his case
  • Habs prospect Michael McNiven more confident entering second pro season

    The Montreal Canadiens gave goaltender Michael McNiven a vote of confidence when they elected not to extend a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Zach Fucale.
    McNiven was part of a three-way battle for ice time with Fucale and Charlie Lindgren at the AHL level last season. While Fucale was the only member of the trio with a winning record at Laval, the Canadiens decided Lindgren and McNiven had more potential.
    McNiven, who is scheduled to start Sunday when the Canadiens face the Toronto Ma
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  • Quebec election: Québec solidaire details $950m dental care policy

    SHERBOOKE, Qc — Québec solidaire detailed its vision of universal dental insurance on Saturday, estimating that it will cost $950 million per year.
    The party promised free care for Quebecers on social assistance or under the age of 18, with the exception of cosmetic procedures.
    For adults, the party’s plan would cover 80 per cent of preventative care costs and 60 per cent of reparative care costs.
    Appearing in Sherbrooke this morning, party co-spokesperson Manon Massé t
  • Quebec election blog Sept. 7: Vineyards and beer on campaign trail

    This was the Montreal Gazette’s live blog on the Quebec provincial election for Friday, Sept. 7.5:25 p.m.: Wine stops
    Both CAQ leader François Legault and Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Manon Massé stopped by vineyards today.
    ⁦@francoislegault⁩ hams it up with a bunch of grapes at Vignoble Prémont as tour continues. pic.twitter.com/Iodn6VstQD
    — Philip Authier (@PhilipAuthier) September 7, 2018Deuxième arrêt : dans un vignoble pou
  • Canadiens prospect Jake Evans released from hospital

    Canadiens prospect Jake Evans, who was taken off the ice on a stretcher during Friday night’s 4-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators in the first game of the NHL Rookie Showdown, was released from hospital later in the evening.
    The Canadiens announced that Evans was at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard Saturday morning for treatment and is following the team’s concussion protocol.
    Midway through the third period Friday night, Evans was stood up at the blue line with a high hit from Senato
  • Quebec election: Lisée calls daycare religious symbol proposal 'a typo'

    Despite what the party’s platform says, a Parti Québécois government would not tell workers in family-run daycares how to dress in their homes, leader Jean-François Lisée said Saturday morning.
    “It’s a typo. You can decide to put it on the front page of the Gazette if you wish, but it’s a typo,” Lisée said after the party had presented its vision for boosting the French language in the province if it is elected after the Oct. 1 vot
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  • Quebec election: CAQ pledges more money for services and tax cuts

    QUEBEC -– A Coalition Avenir Québec government would not increase any fees or taxes beyond the inflation rate and invest massively in the health and education system while also throwing $10 billion in new money at the debt.
    Releasing a financial framework on how a theoretical CAQ government would manage Quebec’s finances at a Saturday morning news conference, CAQ leader François Legault said he wants to square the circle: improve services affected by the Liberal governm
  • Go out and play: Admission to Quebec's provincial parks is free today

    Good news if you’re looking for a late-summer taste of the great outdoors: All 24 of Quebec’s provincial parks can be accessed for free today.
    The Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (SEPAQ) is holding its ninth annual National Park Day, and it’s an opportunity for Quebecers to discover or rediscover the province’s natural environment.
    Each park is holding its own set of activities throughout the day. In some spots, local art
  • Quebec election: Liberals promise free or cheap parking at hospitals

    Parking at a hospital would be free for the first two hours and limited to $7 for a whole day under a re-elected Liberal government, Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard promised Saturday.
    And if you are visiting an elderly relative on in a long-term care home, parking would be free, Couillard said at a news conference at Laval’s Cité de la Santé hospital.
    Hospital parking would also be free for patients with chronic conditions who undergo treatments like hemodialysis. At hospit
  • Karl Lohnes: All-white room has a soothing effect

    I love the look of an all-white room, but only imagine them in my dreams. Being influenced by trends — and as an avid decor shopper and collector — I just could not live without colour.
    That said, there is something soothing about an all-white room. Painting various elements white, such as wood furniture, trims or walls, can instantly modernize a space and highlight a room’s more current colours. There are many ways to incorporate white into your home — adding a quick lic
  • Shelter: Some lovely rooms of one's own in Point St-Charles

    Shannon Thomas, an elementary school educator, grew up in the borough of LaSalle, where her mother still lives, and loves it to this day for the “green spaces and the friendly communities.”
    But when she hit her late 20s and became a mother herself, it was time to find her own neighbourhood.
    Looking in 2016, the single mom and toddler Kaia (now 2 ½ years old) wanted to remain more or less in the southwestern area of Montreal. The first target was Verdun.
    The high rents in that
  • While you were sleeping: Restaurant fined over anti-dog pee sign

    Here’s what happened while you were enjoying some restorative shut-eye.
    Construction on the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) light-rail project is starting in the Technoparc Montréal site. The preparatory work, mostly near Alfred-Nobel Blvd. in Montreal’s St-Laurent borough, will consist of establishing work sites to prepare for the future construction of REM infrastructure and stations, the REM said Friday. The company said the work will in
  • Week in Review: Gonna hurl, thats rude, I'm Irish, Turcot hell and bras

    Catch up on what stories you might have missed this week in Montreal.
    Hold on to your lunch: La Ronde’s getting a big new spinny ride in 2019
    It could do a trick on your stomach. Thrill-seeking riders will be in for multiple spins — both forward and backwards — around the ride’s seven-storey-tall loop. It’s a bit like a washing machine’s spin cycle, which is what your outfit may require if you eat lunch before strapping in. Naturally, the creation is call
  • Quebec election: Presenting Manon Massé

    It is Aug. 28, Day Six of Manon Massé’s sixth provincial election campaign. At 9:30 a.m., it’s already uncomfortably hot on the terrasse of the chalet in Parc La Fontaine. Another very hot day in what has been a sweltering summer.
    Massé, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, is about to announce the party’s climate change plan, which involves unprecedented investment in public transit infrastructure and a phaseout of gas-powered cars by 2050.
    Climate c
  • A whiter shade of elegance in country-style Île-Bizard home

    This sumptuous residence on Île-Bizard would certainly not be out of place somewhere in the south of France, with its octagonal shapes, half-moon windows and multi-gabled roof evoking sophistication and elegance.Set on a lot measuring 1,400 square metres (15,000 square feet), the house has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and luxurious amenities such as a temperature-controlled cellar, an exercise room and a sauna.
    Though the house looks like a brand new construction, it was built in 19
  • Acadie Blvd. restaurant firebombed overnight

    A Lebanese restaurant in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough was firebombed overnight.
    The incident took place around 3 a.m. at Restaurant EZO D, when the eatery on Acadie Blvd. near Louvain St. was closed.
    The incendiary device triggered the sprinklers, which limited damages.
    At least three other similar incidents have taken place at this restaurant since the beginning of the year.
    No suspect was arrested.
    Investigators will be going through surveillance camera footage in an attempt
  • Josh Freed: Phoneless in New York — a harrowing tale

    In the last few days, I’ve cemented my reputation as a “designated loser.”
    I was visiting New York last weekend, where my wife and I spent Monday cycling in Brooklyn. When we got near Coney Island in the gruelling heat, I decided to stop for a quick ocean swim.
    Big mistake. When I got out of the water a half-hour later and put my shorts back on, my brand new iPhone 8 wasn’t in them.
    Yikes! I’d gotten it two months ago for almost nothing with a new phone plan &m
  • Quebec election: TV rivals ready to team up on historic English debate

    CBC News anchor Debra Arbec is most curious to learn what specific plans the four Quebec provincial party leaders have for the English community. Global News anchor Jamie Orchard, who has two kids in school, would like to learn what plans the leaders have in mind for the English educational system. CTV News anchor Mutsumi Takahashi would love to know how the leaders conduct themselves when they think they’re addressing a different audience.
    The three anchors should get answers to their que
  • Montreal weather: Break out your woolies

    It will be a cool start to the weekend under sunny skies and a nip in the air at night.
    Environment Canada predicts a high of 19 Celsius and a UV index of 6, or high.
    Tonight: Clear and cold with a low of 7.
    Don’t forget to submit your photos of Montreal via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by tagging them with #ThisMtl. We’ll feature one per day right here in the morning file. Today’s photo was posted on Instagram by @katja.rohleder.
    Quote of the day:
    Conformity
  • Archbishop Lépine: No refuge in the Church for sex assault perpetrators

    No one can remain indifferent to the turmoil experienced by the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of some members of the Catholic clergy during past decades. On this continent and elsewhere, reports related to abuse and coverups have multiplied, hurting us all, irrespective of our faith or our belief.
    As archbishop, the impact of these scandals weighs heavily upon me, all the more because this abuse was committed mainly by men in positions of moral authority who pledged to live according to t
  • A night to forget for Canadiens rookies and Jesperi Kotkaniemi

    Jesperi Kotkaniemi played his first game in a Canadiens uniform Friday night at Place Bell in Laval.
    It did not go well.
    The Canadiens lost 4-0 to the Ottawa Senators in the first game of the NHL Rookie Showdown. Kotkaniemi, selected with the No. 3 overall pick at this year’s NHL Draft, was held pointless and was minus-2. He was also in the penalty box for one of the Senators’ goals.
    Things went very well for Brady Tkachuk, the player the Senators selected with the No. 4 pick at this
  • Montreal police seeking mother, 92, and son, 72, last seen in N.D.G.

    Montreal police are seeking the public’s help in finding two seniors last seen a week ago.
    Jasmatee Mohan-Basdeo, 92, and her son, Mahandranauth Basdeo, 72, were last seen boarding a grey Prius taxi in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce around noon on Aug 31.
    Police fear for Mohan-Basdeo’s health as she left without her daily medication.
    Mohan-Basdeo is 4-foot-11, weighs 80 pounds, has brown eyes, white hair and speaks English. She was wearing a red tuque and a white T-shi
  • In case you missed it: Here's what happened on September 7

    A look at the day’s events in and around Montreal:
    Quebec election notebook: Putting French, immigration stats in context
    Jack Jedwab has been poring over Quebec language and immigration statistics for three decades and he has some facts and figures to share with Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault. Legault says he wants to slash immigration to Quebec by 10,000 to 40,000 per year to save the French language from oblivion, darkly warning of “a risk
  • Man charged with harassing C.D.N.—N.D.G. mayor to face new accusations

    A 58-year-old man who was scheduled to begin a trial next week on a charge alleging he criminally harassed Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough Mayor Sue Montgomery will instead make his first court appearance on a new charge and possibly more on Monday.
    Robert Michael Edgar, a Notre-Dame-de-Grâce resident also known as Robin Edgar, was scheduled to have a trial on a charge alleging he caused Montgomery “to reasonably fear for her safety or the safety of anyo
  • Quebec election: Legault soft peddles through hostile Island territory

    One sees immigration as a huge asset for Montreal. The other believes that without stricter rules it represents a risk to Quebec’s identity.
    Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault stood together on the same sidewalk in Montreal East Friday — keeping all things cordial despite differences on several key issues.
    Plante made a point of not rocking Legault’s world on the immigration issue, which has dominated his campa
  • Health agency chief outraged after elderly Anjou couple found dead

    A Quebec coroner and a provincial health agency have launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of an elderly couple in their Anjou home.
    Police were called to their home on Roche-sur-Yon Ave. on Wednesday by neighbours concerned that they had not seen the 87-year-old man or his 86-year-old wife for several days and that their mail hadn’t been picked up or their garbage taken out.
    Once inside the home, police found their bodies. There was no sign of forced entry,
  • REM light-rail work set to begin at Technoparc Montréal site

    Construction on the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) light-rail project is starting in the Technoparc Montréal site.
    The preparatory work, mostly near Alfred-Nobel Blvd. in Montreal’s St-Laurent borough, will consist of establishing work sites to prepare for the future construction of REM infrastructure and stations, the REM said Friday.
    The company said the work will include “the removal of branches and shrubs and cutting trees” but will b
  • Aussie cyclist Michael Matthews edges hard-luck Belgian for Quebec win

    QUEBEC — Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet just can’t take that last step.
    With the winner of the previous two Grand Prix cycling races occupied (three-time world champion Peter Sagan of Slovakia), the path seemed to be open for his perennial rival in the twin Quebec-Montreal event.
    But it was not to be, with Van Avermaet finishing in second place for the third straight time, edged out in a sprint to the finish line by 27-year-old Australian Michael Matthews, riding for Team Sunweb.
  • Weekend traffic: Highway 15, Turcot Interchange closings expected

    Here’s what you need to know about major road closings in Montreal from Sept. 7-10:
    Highway 15 / Turcot Interchange
    Highway 15 northbound will be completely closed between Exit 58 (for downtown) and the entrance to the Décarie Expressway at Édouard-Montpetit Blvd. from Friday at 11:59 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday.
    The De La Vérendrye Blvd. and St-Patrick St. entrances will be closed during the same time.
    The eastbound De La Vérendrye Blvd. will also be completely
  • Quebec election notebook: Putting French, immigration stats in context

    Jack Jedwab has been poring over Quebec language and immigration statistics for three decades and he has some facts and figures to share with Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault.
    Legault says he wants to slash immigration to Quebec by 10,000 to 40,000 per year to save the French language from oblivion, darkly warning of “a risk our grandchildren will not speak French.”
    Legault, who says immigrants who don’t learn French within three years sho
  • Inside the CFL: Former Als coach Jim Barker finds fit in TV studio

    Jim Barker laughs, admitting it was somewhat strange the first time he had makeup applied. And, while always loquacious and media friendly throughout his lengthy and extensive Canadian Football League career, he sees the irony behind what’s considered crossing over to the dark side.
    He has become one of us in the media.
    “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m really enjoying it. It’s a totally new world for me and it’s harder than you think,”

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