Laval QC ☕ The morning chat
Good morning!
Montreal police have struck a major blow against organized crime on social media with the arrest of 20 young people.
Canada, meanwhile, has slipped to 25th place in the World Happiness Report.
And Pierre Poilievre is settling into Joe Rogan’s studio for a podcast episode set to air this afternoon.
Grab your coffee and let’s dive into today’s news.
🚨 Top Story
Montreal police arrest 20 youths in operation targeting organized crime on social media
Montreal police say 20 young people have been arrested as part of a new initiative aimed at detecting and preventing serious crimes organized through social media.
The project, known as Aurora, is a 24‑hour surveillance operation designed to help the SPVM intervene before violent crimes targeting business owners take place.
Early findings suggest the suspects come from a variety of backgrounds, with many between the ages of 14 and 17.
Police say that over more than six weeks, specialized teams increased monitoring of online platforms where alleged criminal contracts, including arson, shootings, and home invasions are shared.
Investigators were able to prevent several planned incidents by analyzing coded language used on these platforms and identifying imminent threats. Information was also shared with other law‑enforcement agencies.
According to the SPVM, targeting these online networks helps curb youth crime and reduces the risk of escalation.
Police report 86 violent incidents targeting business owners in recent months and say 46 suspects have been arrested, about a quarter of them minors.
Authorities also note that young people recruited through social media are often not paid as promised after carrying out illegal acts. Police say this highlights the unstable and deceptive nature of these exchanges and reinforces the need for early intervention.
The SPVM says the launch of Project Aurora builds on ongoing efforts to combat violent crimes against business owners.
⚡ Noteworthy
Oil climbs to $119 a barrel as global markets plunge
Oil prices continued to rise Thursday due to the war with Iran, tightening their grip on the global economy and sending stock markets tumbling worldwide.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, briefly surpassed $119 a barrel in the morning before falling back to $112.20, still a 4.5 percent increase from the previous day. U.S. benchmark crude rose 0.8 percent to $96.23 as Iran intensified attacks on oil and gas facilities around the Persian Gulf in response to an Israeli strike on a major Iranian gas field.
Stock markets plunged: down 3.4 percent in Japan, 2.7 percent in South Korea, 2.2 percent in Germany, and 2.3 percent in the United Kingdom. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 slipped 0.7 percent.
Concerns are so high that traders now see little chance the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates this year.
Pierre Poilievre on the Joe Rogan podcast
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sat down for an interview with The Joe Rogan Experience for an episode set to air Thursday afternoon.
A spokesperson for Poilievre said he and Rogan recorded a full episode, which can run up to three hours.
Poilievre said Thursday morning that he used the podcast to argue that the United States should remove tariffs on Canadian sectors such as steel, autos, aluminum, and softwood lumber. “I think we had a great conversation about how the United States would be better off eliminating all tariffs so we can make life safer and more affordable for Americans, while increasing paycheques and strengthening our economy for Canadians,” he said at a news conference in New York.
Poilievre recorded the episode in Austin, Texas, where he also met with Governor Greg Abbott.
Rogan’s podcast regularly tops Spotify’s charts and has 20.8 million subscribers on YouTube.
Canada slips to 25th in the World Happiness Report
A new report shows Canada has fallen to 25th place in the World Happiness rankings, with researchers pointing to heavy social‑media use as a key factor in declining well‑being among young people.
The annual report from the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford finds Finland is the world’s happiest country for the ninth straight year. Canada, which ranked 18th last year, now sits behind the United States, ranked 23rd.
In 2015, Canada ranked fifth. Since then, it has steadily declined, and this 25th‑place finish is its lowest since the report launched in 2012.
Researchers note that life‑evaluation scores among people under 25 in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand have dropped significantly over the past decade. They suggest long hours spent on social media are a key factor in this trend.
🏠 At Home
Altercation in Pierrefonds–Roxboro sends two people to hospital
A 51‑year‑old man and a 41‑year‑old woman were taken to hospital after a physical altercation inside a home in Montreal’s Pierrefonds–Roxboro borough early Thursday morning.
Montreal police say the incident occurred around 3 a.m. near Athéna Street and Callas Street. According to the SPVM, the man is considered the suspect and is believed to have injured the woman as well as himself.
The woman was transported to hospital with serious injuries but is now in stable condition. The man, who was initially in critical condition, is also stable.
The investigation is ongoing.
Can the Canadian Armed Forces exclude white supremacists?
A recent investigation revealed that several members of the Canadian Armed Forces had accounts on a whites‑only dating site that allegedly promoted white supremacist ideology.
This comes nearly a year after the RCMP arrested four men, including CAF members, for allegedly plotting to forcibly seize land in Quebec using military‑grade weapons.
CFIA fines Loblaw and investigates Sobeys
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has begun issuing fines and launching investigations into major grocery chains accused of misleading shoppers by marketing imported foods as Canadian.
In a statement to CityNews, the CFIA listed five food companies penalized for misleading labelling or advertising, including Real Canadian Superstore and Fortinos Etobicoke, both operated by Loblaw Companies Limited. Real Canadian Superstore in Ontario and Fortinos in Etobicoke each received a $10,000 fine for incidents that occurred in October 2025.
The CFIA also confirmed it is investigating labelling and advertising practices overseen by Sobeys’ national headquarters.
Three additional companies were fined for falsely presenting foods as Canadian:
- Oxford Frozen Foods in Atlantic Canada, fined $10,000 for misleading blueberry labelling
- Fresh in The City Inc. in Western Canada, fined $7,000 for misleading claims about banana bread
- Meatex Farms Ltd., also in Western Canada, fined $10,000 for misleading labelling on imported ghee products
Genie the bear finally emerges from hibernation
Genie, a black bear at the Écomusée Zoo, has now emerged from hibernation after a brief delay in her expected wake‑up date.
The zoo had initially anticipated that Genie would wake up on Tuesday and enjoy her first meal of the season, but her emergence was postponed and rescheduled for later in the week. She has now successfully come out of hibernation.
Genie’s reappearance is widely seen as a seasonal milestone. She has been hibernating since November.
Located in Sainte‑Anne‑de‑Bellevue, the Écomusée Zoo is dedicated to the preservation of Quebec wildlife.
Spring forecast: wet in the East, dry in the Prairies
As Canada prepares to welcome spring on Friday, CityNews chief meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai says much of Eastern Canada should expect wetter‑than‑usual conditions, while the West is expected to be drier.
Ramsahai says the jet‑stream pattern will likely bring very wet conditions to northwestern British Columbia, but very dry conditions to the Prairies and western Newfoundland.
From March through at least mid‑April, temperatures are expected to be cooler than average from the Great Lakes region eastward to Newfoundland.
🏙️ Around the Region
🚚 Massive fraud: thousands of trucks driving with disabled anti‑pollution systems Thousands of trucks are circulating on Quebec roads with their emissions‑control systems deliberately disabled.
📉 Canada’s population dropped by 102,000 people New estimates from Statistics Canada show the country’s population fell by roughly 102,000 people in the final months of 2025.
🚫 Court bans sperm donations by father and son Philippe Normand and Dominik Seelos are no longer allowed to promote their sperm‑donation services.
🔫 Supreme Court to review federal firearms ban The Federal Court and the Court of Appeal both refused to overturn the ban on certain firearms, and the case is now headed to the Supreme Court.
🎖️ Ottawa signs deal with Colt Canada for new assault rifles The federal government is replacing aging C7 and C8 rifles with a similar but more modern weapon.
💰 CRA seizes condo belonging to former fugitive Jean‑François Malo The federal government is seeking to recover a $2.5‑million tax debt owed by another entrepreneur.
✈️ Two men arrested at Montreal‑Trudeau Airport One of the airport’s two runways had to be temporarily closed due to an “investigation.”
✂️ Federal cutbacks: unions fear declining service quality Staff reductions outlined in departmental plans have unions worried about the impact on public‑service quality.
🎓 Higher‑education sector welcomes the budget “with relief” The Fédération des cégeps says it is relieved overall but notes a lack of investment in infrastructure.
⚽ Iran at the World Cup: FIFA can no longer “save face” A conversation with sports‑geopolitics expert Yann Roche explores Iran’s presence at the World Cup.
💫 Spotlight
Kudos to the SPVM for Project Aurora, which uses smart social‑media monitoring to protect business owners and intervene before young people commit serious crimes, a preventive approach that safeguards both potential victims and the youths themselves.
🌤️ Practical Corner
Spring officially arrives on Friday. Expect wetter conditions across Eastern Canada and drier weather in the Prairies. From the Great Lakes to Newfoundland, cooler‑than‑average temperatures are forecast through mid‑April, with plenty of mixed precipitation, rain, snow, and freezing rain, at least until the end of March.
👋 Before We Go
A busy day marked by a major police operation showing that organized crime on social media is firmly on the authorities’ radar, a Canada that’s a little less happy than before, and a Conservative leader settling into the studio of the world’s most‑listened‑to podcast.
Spring arrives tomorrow. We’ll be back then with new stories.
Happy Thursday! ☕🌸