Bloc, Libs set for rematch in federal riding of Terrebonne
Following a Supreme Court decision back in February overturning its 2025 federal election result, the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne is heading back to the polls, CBC News reports.
The two front-running candidates, the Bloc Québécois’s Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné and Liberal Tatiana Auguste will face off once again. Auguste was found to have won the riding by one vote after a judicial recount and has been serving in the House of Commons ever since.
However, the results were successfully challenged all the way to the Supreme Court by Sinclair-Desgagné, as one of her supporters’ mail-in ballots was not counted. A Quebec superior court ruled against the Bloc’s challenge in October, but the highest court in the land overturned that decision on Feb. 13.
The race is of particular note, since the federal Liberals are extremely close to forming a majority government, having lured several MPs across the aisle in recent months.
Investigation into fatal Old Montreal fire nears completion
Quebec’s Crown prosecutor’s office is wrapping up its investigation into a fire in Old Montreal that claimed the lives of seven people and injured nine, reports CBC News.
The tragedy took place on Mar. 16, 2023, and the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) released a statement just prior to the third anniversary, saying it’s deploying resources so that a “conclusion to the investigation may be made public in this case shortly.”
Many of the people inside the building at the time of the fire were staying in illegal Airbnbs, which led to lawsuits against the building owner and the City of Montreal. In Aug. 2023, authorities announced that the fire had been intentionally set, and Radio-Canada has identified the primary suspect, though no charges have been laid as of yet.
English Montreal School Boards spent millions on legal challenges to CAQ legislation
The Montreal Gazette reported on Mar. 13 that the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) has spent more than $2.7 million fighting the CAQ government in court over various issues.
The report follows criticism of the spending from Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.
The Gazette’s report shows that $1.65 million was spent challenging Bill 21, the province’s 2019 law that banned public servants, including teachers, from wearing religious symbols. Another $1.12 million was spent fighting Bill 96, legislation from 2022 strengthening the province’s language laws.
EMSB chair Joe Ortona defended the spending, stating that it represents a fraction of the board’s roughly $450 million annual budget.
“Unfortunately, it is an expense that we must incur because the cost of not fighting the government on these bills is far greater,” he said. “It’s about the autonomy of school boards and our very existence as the last English-language institutions in Quebec.”
