This is Montreal

Beyond wins and losses, beyond the thrill of playoff runs, there’s a deeper thread woven through the bleu blanc rouge that ties together a city, its history and its people. Brendan Kelly, author of Habs Nation, explores what makes the Canadiens so central to Montreal’s identity.

One Montrealer who was forced out of his building by fire has noticed a lot of fires happening since. Is he just more attuned to them now, or have fires gotten worse? CBC Investigative reporter Leah Hendry crunches the numbers and looks at the role that vacant buildings play in serious fires.

It was a chance discovery. A reporter opened a can of Quebec maple syrup, only to find that something tasted…off. The resulting investigation by Radio-Canada’s investigative program Enquete revealed a Quebec company was selling syrup cut with cane sugar. We’ll wade through the sticky scandal and hear how Quebec producers are trying to defend the integrity of their product.

Christine Fréchette is only the second woman to serve as Quebec premier, but she won’t have much time to bask in her victory. With a provincial election looming in less than six months, her party is trailing in the polls. But she’s presenting herself as a pragmatic, resilient leader who’s ready to take on the challenge of rebuilding her party’s fortunes and reconnecting with Quebecers. CBC National Assembly Reporter Cathy Senay walks us through the road ahead for Quebec’s new premier, towards what's shaping up to be a battle of Gen-X party leaders.

Rent increases notices have gone out over the past few weeks and Montreal renters are deciding how to respond. This year, landlords and renters will be working with a new formula from Quebec’s Housing Tribunal that redefines what costs can be passed onto tenants. We’ll break down what’s changing and get answers to some of your questions about rent increases.