Bilingual Voter Cards, Downtown Homicide & Terror Plot Charges — Montreal Thursday

🚑 Breaking & Incidents

1. Driver dead after crash into construction machinery on Highway 13 in Laval. Police and highway crews responded to the collision on Highway 13 in Laval that killed one driver; provincial transport authorities closed lanes for crash clearance and investigation. The incident occurred on Thursday and caused delays on a major commuter route into Montreal. ↗
2. 45-year-old Leila Ben Salem found dead in downtown Montreal condominium; homicide unit handling case. Montreal police say officers entered an apartment on René‑Lévesque Blvd E near St‑Christophe St after a welfare check and found Ben Salem seriously injured; she was pronounced dead at the scene and the case has been transferred to the homicide unit, marking Montreal’s 19th homicide of 2026. ↗

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. Elections Quebec will send bilingual voter reminder cards, but most Quebecers won’t receive them until next week. A court ordered bilingual mailing after a challenge by Geoffrey Chambers; Elections Quebec confirmed cards have been sent and also issued a directive telling poll workers to greet voters in French and switch to English only when a voter identifies as a historic anglophone or Indigenous. ↗
2. Final leaders’ debate produced five key takeaways as Quebec’s Oct. 5 election nears. Radio‑Canada hosted the debate featuring CAQ leader Christine Fréchette, Liberal Charles Milliard, Québec solidaire’s Ruba Ghazal, PQ leader Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon and Conservative Éric Duhaime; leaders debated sovereignty, cost of living and health during two hours of exchanges that included a delayed round on referendum plans. ↗
3. PQ leader Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon says Quebecers should not fear a referendum and pledges a vote in a first PQ term. During Wednesday’s debate he reiterated a referendum promise timed after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office and faced Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime’s pledge to try to block such a vote; Liberal leader Charles Milliard labeled himself the lone federalist on stage. ↗
4. Former Canadiens and Liverpool owner George Gillett Jr. dead at 87. The owner associated with the Montreal Canadiens franchise has died at age 87, according to obituary reports. ↗

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. Québec City man Louay Angoud, 24, charged with terrorism after alleged chemical‑weapon plot. RCMP allege Angoud communicated with Islamic State members and gathered information to build a chemical weapon; he faces charges including using property for terrorist purposes and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and was scheduled to appear in Montreal court on Thursday. ↗
2. Investigators still searching for a suspect in Leila Ben Salem’s death; no arrests announced. More than 48 hours after officers found Ben Salem, police continued processing the Ville‑Marie apartment and reviewing surveillance footage with no arrest reported as of Thursday. ↗

📰 Also Today

• High lead levels reported near Kahnawà:ke high school, near Montreal. ↗
• N.L. prosecutors couldn’t speak French in Quebec man’s court appearances, report says. ↗
• PQ leader’s claim on costs of 3+ children questioned in campaign fact checks. ↗
• RCMP say Quebec man researched chemical weapons and planned ISIS attack, police allege. ↗
• Analysis: could government‑run grocery stores work in Quebec, study examines. ↗
• Missed the debate? Key takeaways from Quebec leaders’ final showdown summarized. ↗
• SQ investigating suspected injection incidents at western festival, police say. ↗
• Quebec party leaders to face off in final debate before Oct. 5 election. ↗