Laval QC ☕ The morning chat
Good morning. A historic day is unfolding. Three years after the deadly Old Montreal fire that killed seven people, the owner of the building has been arrested and is now facing manslaughter charges.
Meanwhile, Quebec is tabling its budget, and the war in Iran continues to escalate.
Settle in. There is a lot to cover this morning.
⚖️ Main Story
Arrest made in the deadly Old Montreal fire
Three years after the fire that killed seven people in Old Montreal, the Montreal police service (SPVM) has arrested the owner of the building.
Émile Haïm Benamor, 63, was arrested Tuesday by the SPVM’s arson and explosives unit under an arrest warrant related to the March 16, 2023 fire at Place D’Youville.
He is facing 15 charges that were pre-authorized by the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP): seven counts of manslaughter and eight counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
Two separate criminal investigations are underway. One, led by the major crimes unit, is examining the alleged intentional cause of the fire. The other, led by the arson and explosives unit, is focused on the owner’s alleged negligence in managing the building and how that may have contributed to the spread of the fire and the resulting deaths and injuries.
“We are not accusing him of setting the fire,” Chief Inspector David Shane told reporters at Montreal police headquarters. Shane also said police are not accusing Benamor of asking someone else to set the fire.
“We know the families of the victims have been waiting a long time for answers. We hope this major development can ease their suffering in some way,” Shane said.
“This case will now proceed before the Quebec Superior Court. At the same time, the investigation into the intentional ignition of the fire will remain open until it is resolved.”
Police said the investigation took time because of the complexity of the case. The arrest announced Tuesday stems from the second investigation.
Police also said traces of an accelerant were found at the scene, which may explain how the fire spread so quickly through the building.
Six of the victims were staying in illegal short-term rentals. Twenty-two people were inside the building at the time of the fire and nine were injured.
The victims were: Charlie Lacroix, 18; Walid Belkahla, 18; An Wu, 31; Dania Zafar, 31; Saniya Khan, 32; Nathan Sears, 35; and Camille Maheux, 76.
“We continue to think of the victims and their families. We also have not forgotten the other people who were there and survived the night of March 16, 2023,” Shane said. “Our priority is to deliver justice and provide all the answers. We are committed to seeing this through.”
The William-Watson-Ogilvie building, a heritage property, originally housed the offices of a flour mill. It was gradually converted into a residential building between the late 1960s and the 1980s.
The suspect is expected to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.
⚡ Noteworthy
Budget Day in Quebec
Finance Minister Eric Girard will table his budget today for the upcoming fiscal year. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, he said Quebecers should not expect costly new measures as the province works to reduce its deficit.
Today’s budget is likely Girard’s last before the fall general election, and it comes shortly before the Coalition Avenir Québec chooses a new leader next month to replace Premier François Legault. Girard said the budget will include a financial envelope for Legault’s successor, Christine Fréchette or Bernard Drainville, to use for campaign commitments.
In his fall fiscal update, Girard said the province is projecting a deficit of 12.4 billion dollars for the 2025-26 fiscal year, or 1.5 percent of GDP. The budget will focus on core services and infrastructure, as well as issues such as domestic violence and homelessness.
Quebec converting 5,000 unsubsidized daycare spots into subsidized ones
Finance Minister Eric Girard announced the conversion of 5,000 unsubsidized daycare spaces into subsidized spots at 9.65 dollars per day. The measure will be included in Quebec’s 2026-2027 budget, which the minister will present Wednesday in Quebec City. The cost is estimated at 400 million dollars over five years.
Because of the deficit, Girard promised a “responsible” and “moderate” budget with a few “targeted measures.” “The cost of living is difficult, so this is a measure for families, to help them,” he told reporters, adding that the budget will also target homelessness and domestic violence.
Since 2021, the CAQ government will have funded “60,000 subsidized daycare spaces, a major achievement,” the minister said. When asked whether he planned to help drivers, Girard answered without hesitation: “No.” He said it is still unclear whether the spike in gas prices will be temporary or persistent.
Suspected arson in vacant Saint-Michel building
A vacant commercial building was set on fire early Wednesday morning in Montreal’s Saint-Michel neighbourhood. Calls to 911 alerted Montreal police (SPVM) shortly before 1 a.m. about a fire in a building on Jean-Talon Street East, near Pie-IX Boulevard.
Authorities say incendiary materials were found at the scene. No injuries were reported and the building sustained only minor damage. Two neighbouring homes were evacuated as a precaution.
According to initial information, a suspect broke a window of the commercial space, set the fire and quickly fled on foot before police arrived. No arrests have been made.
Still 35,000 Hydro-Québec customers without power Wednesday morning
Hydro-Québec had warned that some customers would remain without electricity overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, and more than 30,000 indeed spent the night in the dark. Despite this, the number of affected addresses continues to decline.
Early Wednesday, about 35,000 households across the province were still without power, down from 50,000 late Tuesday night. The peak, reached Tuesday morning, was roughly 320,000 addresses.
The outages were caused by branches and trees falling onto the electrical grid during Tuesday’s strong winds. Some gusts exceeded 100 km/h in certain regions.
The Montérégie remained the hardest hit Wednesday morning, with just over 10,000 customers still without power. About 8,000 were without electricity in the Laurentides-Lanaudière region. Other outages were mainly in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Capitale-Nationale, Centre-du-Québec, Chaudière-Appalaches, Laval and Montreal.
Environment Canada forecasts a sunny day for most of Quebec on Wednesday, but cold temperatures are expected. In Quebec City, the wind chill reached minus 21 C before dawn, while Montreal recorded minus 18 C at the same time.
Israel kills a third senior Iranian official
Israel said Wednesday it has killed another senior Iranian official, the third in two days, as Iran responded with attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbours and on Israel, using some of its newest missiles to evade air defences and killing two people near Tel Aviv.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an overnight strike. Iran has not immediately confirmed Khatib’s death. On Tuesday, Israel killed senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the Basij paramilitary force of the Revolutionary Guard.
In Lebanon, Israel maintained heavy pressure with strikes that hit several apartment buildings in Beirut, killing at least a dozen people.
Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, remained stubbornly above 100 dollars a barrel in early trading Wednesday, up more than 40 percent since the start of the war.
Israel said two people were killed in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv. According to the Lebanese government, Israeli strikes have displaced more than one million people in Lebanon, about 20 percent of the population. The government says 912 people have been killed and 2,221 injured.
In Israel, 14 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire. At least 13 American service members have been killed. More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict began on February 28, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.
At Home
FMSQ issues formal notice to Santé Québec
The Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ) has denounced what it calls “illegal reprisals bordering on bad faith” by Santé Québec in response to the union’s latest pressure tactic in ongoing negotiations.
Marie-Josée Crête, the FMSQ’s director of legal affairs and negotiations, sent a letter Tuesday to Santé Québec CEO Geneviève Biron regarding the Centres de répartition des demandes de services (CRDS).
As negotiations with the province continue to drag on, the FMSQ launched a new pressure tactic Monday and asked its members to stop offering appointments through the CRDS platform. The union argues the system is “deficient and does not meet expected standards.”
Unless Santé Québec changes course, the FMSQ says it will take “all necessary legal measures” to protect its members’ rights.
Potential strike for Quebec maple syrup workers
About one hundred workers could launch a strike at Citadelle in Plessisville, a cooperative where maple syrup from several producers is bottled. The workers, members of the United Steelworkers and affiliated with the FTQ, already hold a mandate for an unlimited general strike, approved by 85 percent.
Late Wednesday afternoon, union members will vote on a final comprehensive offer from the employer. A rejection would trigger an unlimited strike, the union said.
Local section president Marc Jalbert said the offer on the table does not meet members’ expectations and that this has been made very clear. The bargaining committee is not recommending acceptance of the offer.
Ontario clinic faces 5 million dollar lawsuit after hepatitis C diagnosis
A Burlington man is suing a local walk-in clinic and its doctor for 5 million dollars, alleging he contracted hepatitis C after being injected with a non-sterile needle during a routine medical visit. The lawsuit, filed in Ontario Superior Court by Diamond and Diamond lawyers, names the Halton Family Health Centre Inc. and Dr. Timothy Salter as defendants.
According to the claim, Allen visited the clinic in September 2023 after cutting his heel. During treatment, Dr. Salter allegedly injected him with lidocaine using a needle that was not sterile.
More than two years later, in November 2025, Allen received a letter from Halton Region Public Health warning that the clinic had used non-sterile needles with multi-dose vials of anesthetic medication. He later tested positive for hepatitis C in December 2025.
Doug Ford urges B.C. and Quebec to drop electric vehicle targets
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on his counterparts in Quebec and British Columbia to abandon their electric vehicle sales targets, arguing they make the country less competitive. Last fall, both provinces reduced or dropped their previous goals that required all new vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2035, but Ford says they should go further.
He argues that as the United States pulls back on electric vehicle policies, maintaining sales targets and mandates in some Canadian provinces creates a fragmented and uncompetitive environment that drives investment and production out of the country.
Quebec now aims for 90 percent of new vehicle sales to be hybrid or electric by 2035, and British Columbia has eliminated its mandate but has promised to introduce legislation this year to set new targets.
WestJet and Air Transat extend suspension of flights to Cuba
WestJet and Air Transat are extending their suspension of flights to Cuba, which has struggled this week with an island-wide power outage amid a growing energy crisis. In an email, WestJet said most travel to Cuba is cancelled until October, although two of its vacation package divisions aim to resume service in June.
Air Transat said in a travel advisory that it plans to resume flights on June 20, with refunds available for affected passengers on both airlines. The two carriers, which transport more than half a million travellers between Canada and Cuba each year, also said they will reduce flight capacity on routes to the island this summer.
Air Canada has suspended its flights to Cuba until November.
Ottawa commits funding for ammunition plants in Quebec and Ontario
Defence Minister David McGuinty says the federal government is giving a major boost to the munitions industry to strengthen domestic supplies of heavy artillery shells. Ottawa will invest more than one billion dollars in new facilities in Ingersoll, Ontario, and Repentigny, Quebec, for heavy munitions used in artillery.
The funding will be split between IMT Precision and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a subsidiary of a major American defence contractor. The goal is to rapidly increase production of 155‑millimetre shells used by howitzers and to begin producing nitrocellulose, a chemical compound used as a propellant in artillery shells.
The aim is to have nitrocellulose production operational within the next three years.
Caufield scores his 40th goal of the season
Cole Caufield scored the winning goal with 22 seconds left in overtime as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 3–2 in a tightly contested rivalry game Tuesday night. Caufield buried a pass from Nick Suzuki for his 40th of the season, becoming the first Canadiens player to reach that mark since Vincent Damphousse in 1993–94.
Suzuki and Josh Anderson also scored, while Jakub Dobes made 26 saves for Montreal (37‑20‑10), which snapped a two‑game losing streak. Brendan Gallagher recorded an assist in his 900th NHL game, all with Montreal.
Poll: Two in three Canadians say Canada should remain neutral in Iran war
As war intensifies in the Middle East, a new Leger poll suggests most Canadians believe the federal government should remain neutral, while one in four says Canada should support the United States and Israel in their attacks on Iran. The poll surveyed 1,608 Canadians between March 13 and 16.
Sixty‑seven percent said Ottawa should stay neutral and support neither side, while one quarter said Canada should support the United States and Israel. Fifty‑eight percent said they oppose the war, while 25 percent said they support it.
Ninety‑one percent of Canadians said they are concerned about rising gas and grocery prices. And 82 percent said they are worried about the threat of a global economic recession leading to job losses in Canada.
Nearly 60 percent said they would support sending troops to defend a NATO member attacked by Iran. Nearly three quarters said they support expanding oil and natural gas production to offset the global shortage caused by the war.
🏙️ The Daily Rundown
- Childcare: Quebec criticized for refusing to help single mothers The reform of daycare access ended agreements between CPEs and community organizations.
- Lebanon sees the “daily erosion” of its territory by Israel The state is struggling to meet the needs of a “relatively large population,” says Ghassan Salamé.
- Saskatchewan budget compared to “worn-out shoes” Scott Moe promised the deficit will be lower than Nova Scotia’s, which stood at 1.2 billion dollars.
- Record deficit in New Brunswick The province is freezing university funding, reducing the size of the public service and introducing tolls.
- Trump says he “no longer needs help” to open the Strait of Hormuz The U.S. president had asked allies for assistance earlier this week.
- CHUM transformation aims to better support Indigenous patients A single needle changed the relationship between the CHUM and Indigenous patients dealing with addictions.
- MAGA movement divided over the Iran war The conflict is deepening fractures within the movement since Donald Trump’s return to office.
- Aircraft carrier Gerald Ford faces multiple issues The world’s largest aircraft carrier measures more than 335 metres long and 75 metres wide.
- Asia hit by rising fuel prices The region imports 80 to 90 percent of the oil that passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Emergency Measures Act: Ottawa turns to the Supreme Court A lower court ruled the government’s use of the act during the COVID‑19 pandemic unconstitutional.
- Condo developers facing delivery delays of more than two years Buyers of new condos waited more than two years beyond the promised delivery date.
- Africa Cup: Senegal stripped of title, Morocco declared winner The CAF appeals board announced its decision Tuesday.
- Deportation for involvement in “African organized crime” Guy Kwadjo Kouassi served as a “money courier” for a West African criminal network.
- Vaccination coverage declining in alternative schools Immunization rates are sometimes half the Quebec average for several diseases.
👋 Before We Go
A busy day with a historic arrest three years after the Old Montreal tragedy, a provincial budget expected to be restrained, and a Middle East war that continues to escalate.
Stay warm if you are among those still waiting for power to return.
See you tomorrow with more stories. Have a good Wednesday. ☕