Laval QC ☕ The morning chat
Good morning and happy Monday! Two Canadian pilots have died in an accident in New York, gas prices in Montreal are nearing $2 per litre, and 55,000 Quebec students have launched a week‑long strike to protest austerity in education. Grab your coffee — here’s your morning news roundup.
✈️ Top Story
Tragedy in New York: Two Canadian pilots killed in collision at LaGuardia Airport
A regional Air Canada aircraft struck a fire truck on a runway while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night.
A pilot and co‑pilot based in Canada were killed, authorities confirmed.
The airport is expected to remain closed until 2 p.m. Monday as the investigation continues.
There were 72 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft, a Jazz Aviation flight operated on behalf of Air Canada.
🏙️ The Daily Rundown
🎗️ Amber Alert lifted: Two children found safe The two children were abducted Saturday evening in the Trois‑Rivières area.
🍀 St. Patrick’s Day Parade marches on through the snow in Montreal As tradition dictates, the 201st edition of the Irish parade kicked off at noon.
💧 Water infrastructure: A public safety issue Political parties in Quebec are being urged to prioritize water infrastructure. “Funding water services is now a matter of public safety.”
🗳️ Jani Bellefleur‑Kaltush running in Duplessis for Québec solidaire Bellefleur‑Kaltush is a filmmaker from the Innu community of Nutashkuan.
💼 PSPP stands firm on federal job cuts PSPP says federal public servants would lose their jobs in an independent Quebec.
⚖️ Bill 21: Pivotal debate begins at the Supreme Court The Supreme Court will hear the challenge to Quebec’s secularism law this week.
💔 Removing the hijab at work: A heartbreaking choice for some The secularism law in schools forces some workers to comply or lose their jobs.
🤝 Quebec’s community sector demands emergency bargaining table On the eve of an 11‑day strike, community groups say they’re running out of patience.
👶 $10‑a‑day daycare: Cheaper, but not accessible The federal program launched in 2021 has led to a surge in demand.
🧩 Autism in women: Rising diagnoses spark debate More and more adult women are receiving this diagnosis — a trend dividing experts.
🌾 Quebec farmers feeling the impact of the war in Iran Soaring oil and fertilizer prices could send production costs skyrocketing.
🦆 Avian flu: Alberta poultry farmers on alert More than 2.5 million birds have died in Alberta since 2021.
⛷️ Significant avalanche risk in British Columbia The northeast, the Sea‑to‑Sky region, and the Interior are all at risk.
🌡️ Earth accumulated record heat in 2025 According to the UN, 2015–2025 are the 11 hottest years ever recorded.
🚗 Ottawa–Stellantis deal: Brampton plant could have closed The 2022 agreement allowed for a potential closure before 2035 under certain conditions.
🎥 Gisèle Pelicot opens up on Tout le monde en parle “That woman wasn’t me”: Pelicot appeared on the show to discuss her new book Et la joie de vivre.
🎲 Can betting sites predict the future? News‑related betting platforms are exploding in popularity — raising major ethical concerns.
🏗️ Waterloo real estate project raises ethical questions A development involving local officials is drawing scrutiny. One expert says it raises “reasonable doubt” about ethics.
⚖️ Sexual harassment at the Canada Border Services Agency Women experienced sexual harassment at CBSA, according to seven reports. “It’s horrible, but at least they spoke out.”
🏒 Team Canada falls in world curling final The national team led by Kerri Einarson came up short against Switzerland.
🌍 Israel strikes Tehran, IEA issues warning Israel says it expects “several weeks of fighting” and launched new strikes Monday morning.
🇮🇷 Trump announces ‘very good negotiations’ with Iran The president says he delayed strikes on Iranian energy sites by five days.
🛂 ICE deployed in some U.S. airports starting Monday ICE officers will assist agents with passenger security screening.
🇨🇺 Cuba prepares for possible U.S. invasion “Our army is always ready,” said the deputy foreign minister.
⚡ Power restored in Cuba after nationwide blackout It was the second nationwide outage in less than a week.
🇫🇷 Former French prime minister Lionel Jospin dies at 88 He is remembered for the 35‑hour workweek, universal health coverage, and the PACS.
🗳️ Municipal elections in France: The left keeps Paris, Lyon and Marseille Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire succeeds outgoing mayor Anne Hidalgo in Paris.
⚡ Economy & Society
Montreal gas prices heading toward $2 per litre
Driving in Montreal became more expensive over the weekend as gas prices crept closer to the $2‑per‑litre mark, with the war in the Middle East now entering its fourth week.
The average price for a litre of gas in Montreal was $1.90 on Monday. Some Montrealers reported paying as much as $2.34 on Sunday, according to Essence Montréal.
Diesel prices were significantly higher, with some drivers saying they paid up to $2.55 per litre. The national average on Sunday was $1.72.
Global oil and gas prices have been rising steadily since the United States and Israel launched missile strikes against Iran.
55,000 Quebec students launch week‑long strike over austerity
More than 55,000 CEGEP and university students across the province have begun a week‑long strike to protest austerity measures in the education sector.
Thousands of students from various student unions voted in favour of the strike, organized by the Coalition de résistance pour l’unité étudiante syndicale (CRUES), running from March 23 to 27. CRUES is planning a rally in Montreal on Monday evening.
The group has denounced cuts to education, saying hiring freezes have weakened student services and led to deteriorating infrastructure on campuses.
CRUES argues that the 2.4% increase in education spending announced in the 2026–2027 budget is insufficient.
According to estimates from the Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques (IRIS), the education sector would have needed a 3.8% increase to keep up with rising costs.
Global economy threatened by war in Iran
The head of the International Energy Agency warned Monday that the global economy faces a “major, major threat” due to the war in Iran. “No country will be spared from the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction,” Fatih Birol said at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra.
The crisis in the Middle East has had a worse impact on oil than the two combined oil shocks of the 1970s, and a worse impact on gas than the Russia‑Ukraine war. Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran early Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump also warned that the United States will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
The oil crises of 1973 and 1979 resulted in a combined loss of 10 million barrels per day. “And today — just today — we have lost 11 million barrels per day, meaning more than two major oil shocks combined.”
The International Energy Agency has released 400 million barrels of oil — “a historic move. We have never released this much oil onto the markets.”
🏠 At Home
Victory at the Housing Tribunal: “No‑pets” clauses violate the Charter
The Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL) has ruled that “no‑pets” clauses in leases violate tenants’ rights. In a decision issued on March 12, the tribunal found that clauses prohibiting tenants from owning animals contravene the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
In her ruling, administrative judge Suzzane Guévremont wrote that “a general prohibition on keeping an animal in a dwelling constitutes an oppressive and unacceptable intrusion into a person’s family life, at the very centre of their private life: their home.”
In a statement released Monday, the Montreal SPCA — which intervened in the case — welcomed the decision. The organization notes that, on average, nearly two animals per day are surrendered to the SPCA for this reason.
MPs return to Ottawa: Auditor General’s reports and the war in Iran
Members of Parliament return to the House of Commons today, where the government is expected to face tough questions about new Auditor General reports and the ongoing war in Iran.
Canada’s Auditor General, Karen Hogan, is set to table three audit reports this morning: on reforms to the international student program, recruitment at the RCMP, and the overhaul of the federal public service pay system. MPs will likely be pressed on these reports as well as the conflict in Iran.
Ottawa has indicated it is considering helping Gulf nations and could contribute to efforts to unblock fuel shipments, while stressing it has no intention of joining the U.S. military campaign.
Rumours of party‑switching continue to circulate on Parliament Hill. Three by‑elections will be held on April 13, which could potentially give the Liberals a majority in the House of Commons.
Three April 13 by‑elections could reshape the House of Commons
Three by‑elections will take place on April 13, and the results could affect both the composition and the lifespan of Parliament.
The votes will be held in two safe Liberal seats in the Toronto area and in a contested riding in Quebec, north of Montreal.
Voters in Scarborough Southwest and University—Rosedale will choose new MPs after two former Liberal cabinet ministers resigned.
Bill Blair left his seat to become Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, while Chrystia Freeland has taken on several new roles, including economic adviser to the Ukrainian president and CEO of the Rhodes Trust.
The third by‑election is in Terrebonne, which was the closest race in the country last April — the Liberals won by a single vote on election night. A legal challenge was filed, and the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the result in February.
If the Liberals hold the two Toronto seats, they will have 172 MPs and a majority in the House of Commons. And if they win in Terrebonne, they will gain that crucial extra vote.
Annette Ryan appears before the Finance Committee
Ottawa’s pick for the next federal budget watchdog must face questions from MPs before she can be confirmed as the next Parliamentary Budget Officer.
Annette Ryan, a longtime public servant and current deputy director at Canada’s financial intelligence agency, Fintrac, was named earlier this month as the cabinet’s choice for the role.
Her appointment must be approved by both the House of Commons and the Senate, and she will take questions from MPs at the Finance Committee this afternoon.
The interim PBO, Jason Jacques, saw his mandate expire in early March, leaving the position vacant… meaning the office cannot publish reports or undertake new work for parliamentarians.
💡 Society & Consumer Affairs
Canadians increasingly choosing ad‑supported streaming
Canadians subscribed to streaming platforms faced rising costs again last year, as a new report estimates that the 10 largest providers increased prices by an average of 7%.
The annual Couch Potato report, released Monday by Convergence Research, says consumers continue to turn to services like Netflix, Crave and Disney Plus, even though these streaming giants have raised prices repeatedly in recent years.
The report says ad‑supported plans offer “significant” savings — on average 42% less — compared to similar ad‑free options.
Last year, Netflix increased the monthly cost of its Canadian standard plan with ads from $2 to $7.99, while the price of its standard ad‑free plan rose by $2.50 to $18.99.
Disney Plus also rolled out a price increase for its ad‑free plans in the fall.
Wealth inequality in Canada: 86 billionaire families equal 6.2M households
Canada’s wealth gap is widening, to the point where concentration at the top offsets much of the gains at the bottom.
A recent report from Canadians for Tax Fairness and B.C. Policy Solutions found that 86 billionaire families held as much wealth in 2023 as the 6.2 million least‑wealthy families in the country.
Dylan Dusseault, executive director of Patriotic Millionaires Canada — a group of wealthy Canadians advocating for higher taxes on the rich to combat extreme inequality — reacted to the findings.
Economist Jim Stanford, director of the Centre for Future Work, highlights the loopholes wealthy Canadians benefit from, including preferential tax treatment on capital gains.
🌨️ Weather & Practical Corner
Montreal Weather
Days will be milder this week, but nights will remain cold.
Monday: Cold start with a wind chill of –13°C. High of 2°C. 60% chance of snow showers this evening. Low of –8°C.
Tuesday: Sunny with a high of 4°C. Gusts up to 40 km/h. Clouds moving in late afternoon.
Wednesday: Mix of sun and cloud, high of 2°C. Possible snow in the evening. Low of –2°C.
Thursday: Snow or rain, high of 6°C. Rainy evening. Low of –9°C.
Friday: Sunny, high of –4°C. Low of –14°C.
Practical Info
Gas: The average price in Montreal hit $1.90 per litre on Monday, with some stations posting as high as $2.34 per litre.
💫 Spotlight
Kudos to the Administrative Housing Tribunal for ruling that “no‑pets” clauses in leases violate Quebec’s Charter of Rights — a decision that could prevent nearly 730 animals a year from being surrendered to the Montreal SPCA.
👋 Before We Go
A day marked by tragedy in New York, soaring gas prices, and thousands of students mobilizing for the future of education.
Meanwhile, the war in Iran continues to send shockwaves all the way here.
Stay warm, keep an eye on your gas budget, and take care of yourself. Have a good Monday! ☕