Canada and the European Union are pursuing the EU's first associate membership, a deeper partnership Prime Minister Mark Carney announced at a Montreal press conference. Carney expects the arrangement, involving more than 20 new measures, to be finalized by June 2027.
An 1898 Montreal Star account described the Convent of the Holy Face, an unorthodox Catholic community founded by Dr. Louis A.G. Jacques in his Amherst Street home. Reports say about 14 nuns, mostly teenagers, slept in coffins and practiced extreme asceticism before the group relocated.
A museum devoted to Salvador Dalí is set to open in Montreal in May 2027 in the restored 1875 Harbour Commissioners' Building. Founded by Félix Bélanger and directed by Lorraine Pintal, it will emphasize his printmaking, illustration, fashion, theatre and design work.
— via CultMTL, Lorraine Carpenter
Quebec's Parti Québécois government plans to end the twice-yearly clock change starting next year, per Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. Specialists will help decide between permanent daylight saving time and standard time; a 2025 consultation found 91% of respondents favour abolishing the change.
— via CultMTL, Lorraine Carpenter
Quebec has ordered its Bureau of Independent Investigations and the Police Ethics Commissioner to probe a Montreal police officer accused of urinating on homeless people. Two Station 21 officers were suspended on Oct. 16 over alleged humiliation of homeless and racialized people, pending an internal review.
— via CultMTL, Lorraine Carpenter
Hundreds of people, by one account over 1,000, gathered at Station 21 in Montreal to protest alleged police misconduct. The largely peaceful rally saw pepper spray and four arrests, following the suspension of two SPVM officers over accusations including urinating on homeless people.
— via CultMTL, Lorraine Carpenter
With Oct. 31 landing on a Saturday this year, Montreal's Halloween events will be competing hard for crowds and cover charges. The list runs from a $6.66 queer bar party and a roller-skating dance floor at SAT to a $69 all-night cult-film bash with RuPaul's Drag Race alumni.
— via CultMTL, Dave MacIntyre
Projet Montréal filed an emergency motion demanding SPVM Chief Fady Dagher appear before city council within seven days over allegations that two Station 21 officers urinated on homeless people and an internal probe into racist acts at Station 39. Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has since amended it to delay his appearance until the investigations are finished.
— via CultMTL, Lorraine Carpenter
A Montreal show ties Lizzo and Napoleon to the same rare Claude Laurent crystal flute, and plays it alongside music by Beethoven and Black composers who faced racism in the 19th century. The Emperor's New Flute runs Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Salle Joseph Rouleau, with tickets at $65.23 or $33.28 for students.
— via CultMTL, Lorraine Carpenter
A one-woman show that toured Canada, the U.S. and Europe for 10 years starting in 1985 is being rebuilt as a 360° dome production at the Montreal Planetarium on Oct. 20 and 21. Dulcinea Langfelder, who died in early 2025, worked on the adaptation until near the end of its completion.
— via CultMTL, Aysha White
Jay-Z walked onto the stage at the Stade de France in a one-of-a-kind football-inspired shirt by Louis Vuitton, designed by Pharrell, with a 30 on the back for 30 years of Reasonable Doubt. The author reads it as proof that football, music and fashion aren't crossing over, because they were already together.
— via CultMTL, Paul Desbaillets
An EKOS poll finds 51% of the most disinformed Canadians support secession, against 7% of the most informed. Overall national support is 16%, and 29% in Alberta, where a referendum is coming.
— via CultMTL, Matthew Renfrew
A Montreal police officer is suspended after deliberately urinating on a homeless man in the street, and the SPVM is now probing other alleged "inappropriate urination" incidents by the same officer. A second Station 21 officer was also suspended for mocking a suspect in a "humiliating position" during an arrest.
— via CultMTL, Lorraine Carpenter
Montreal's metro hits 60, and more than half its stations are falling apart. The author argues chronic underfunding, not bad design, is to blame, and says some stations could end up closing.
— via CultMTL, Taylor C. Noakes
Montreal's Mount Royal cross has been lowered to the ground for the first time in decades, vanishing from the skyline mid-restoration. The city didn't mention that part, but a worker on site says it could be back up in three weeks.
— via CultMTL, Lorraine Carpenter
Canada and Switzerland tie for the top spot with net perception scores of +36 in a new global survey of 94,146 people across 98 countries. Israel, North Korea and Afghanistan land at the bottom of the list.
— via CultMTL, Matthew Renfrew
A new EKOS poll finds 84% of Canadians scoring highest on a disinformation index back the Conservative Party, far outpacing Liberal and NDP supporters. The index tracked belief in claims on vaccine deaths, Russian war crimes and climate science.
— via CultMTL, Matthew Renfrew
A new EKOS poll puts Mark Carney's Liberals at 47% support, 21 points ahead of Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives at 26%. Carney's approval sits at 67%, more than double Poilievre's 30%.
— via CultMTL, Matthew Renfrew
Nearly 40 Afro-queer and Indigenous films hit Montreal screens this month, plus an Afro-drag night, a live art exhibition and a free opening party. Unlike most festivals, Massimadi skips geo-blocking, streaming its lineup to Haiti, France and beyond through Nov. 8.
— via CultMTL, Justine Smith
Mike Flanagan's Carrie reboot has claimed the #1 spot on Canada's TV streaming charts, according to JustWatch. The Prime Video series reimagines the Stephen King classic through a bullying scandal fueled by social media, with Below and Lanterns rounding out the top shows.
— via CultMTL, Matthew Renfrew
