🚑 Breaking & Incidents
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BEI probes death after shootout with SQ in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. The Bureau d'inspection indépendant (BEI) opened an investigation after a man died following a confrontation with the Sûreté du Québec in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield; the incident occurred this week and prompted an on-scene BEI response, the agency confirmed. The BEI is examining police conduct and use of force, as required under provincial rules for officer-involved deaths.
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Trial begins in 2023 killing of Montreal hair salon owner. The accused in the 2023 fatal shooting of a Montreal hair salon owner has gone on trial this week in a court in Montreal; court documents named in the story outline charges stemming from the 2023 incident. Victim and case details are being presented to jurors as the prosecution proceeds through opening statements and witness lists.
💼 Economy & Business
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Hydro-Québec seeks to roughly double data-centre rates to 13¢/kWh. Consultants Dunsky told the Régie de l’énergie that North American data-centre electricity demand could rise about 133% between 2024 and 2030, driven largely by AI workloads, as Hydro-Québec defends a proposal to raise rates for sites of 5 MW or larger from about 6.82¢/kWh to an average of 13¢/kWh. Hydro-Québec said average production costs are near 12¢/kWh and the regulator is reviewing the proposal.
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Quebec has one operational nuclear reactor — this is its use. The report notes there is only one operational nuclear reactor in Quebec and explains that its current use is for research and isotope production rather than large-scale power generation, as described in the article summarizing the province's nuclear status. The piece outlines the reactor's role in medical isotope supply and research activities in Quebec.
🏛️ Government & Politics
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Montreal pledges 3,000 emergency-shelter beds for this winter. Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced the city plans to provide 3,000 shelter spots for people experiencing homelessness this winter, saying homelessness is the city's biggest humanitarian crisis and linking the promise to a recent pledge by premier-elect Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to prioritise homelessness. The announcement followed a fatal encampment fire in Montréal-Nord this week that killed a woman.
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Study finds ~40% of Quebec voters used chatbots, many got wrong election info. McGill researchers told a parliamentary committee that an estimated 40% of Quebec voters asked AI chatbots for election information and that 39% of recent ChatGPT voting advice in the study period came from a single error-prone hobby website, because many Quebec newsrooms blocked chatbots from indexing their content. Researchers warned the de-indexing left chatbots sourcing lower-quality sites during the campaign.
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Quebec coroner to probe five doctors' deaths by suicide. Quebec's coroner has opened an investigation into five recent physician suicides, the coroner's office confirmed, with the probe intended to examine circumstances and systemic factors tied to the deaths. The inquiry will collect files and testimonies as part of a formal coroner's investigation into multiple physician suicides in the province.
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Experts debate whether Christine Fréchette faced a 'glass cliff.' Political scientist Melanee Thomas said in an interview that women like former Quebec premier Christine Fréchette often assume leadership when parties are struggling, a pattern described as a "glass cliff" or a "gendered political opportunity structure," and that Fréchette's rise and recent resignation fit that broader trend, as discussed this week in political analysis.
📰 Also Today
- Explainer: Is it better to buy or rent?
- Quebec Anglo groups say they are 'cautiously optimistic' about PQ government.
- Calls for electoral reform after Parti Québécois win with record-low vote share.
- Pro-Palestinian protesters gather near McGill on Oct. 7 anniversary.
- Montreal Jewish community marks three years since Oct. 7 attacks.
- Quebec Conservative leader outlines plan to lead mostly first-time MNAs.
