Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up and join us on a magical and magnificent journey, a show that'll knock your socks off, the likes of which have never been seen this side of the stratosphere: The intrigue and suspense of the city of Montreal!

Marvel at colourful construction cones and crumbling metro tunnels! Pop queens and drag queens! A slanderous history that goes from Confederate spies to day raves and roller disco of the present—all in one splendiferous locale of good times and sublime stupidity, guaranteeing spectacles you have never before seen in your life and may never see again.

Gorge on poutine and bagels, guzzle maple syrup, or drink one of those weird and unnecessarily giant Sloches from a Couche-Tard! Or try your luck on our amazing obstacle pothole course!

All that, and more, in this week's issue of the Montreal Bulletin. Aweille!

Weekend events you don’t want to miss

Catch up on what's happening during the final weekend of the month.

What you need to know

ICYMI: A weekly round-up of the latest local news, from food and entertainment to current affairs and more.

It's just a little broken, it's still good, it's still good

Simpsons references aside, news this week's been on a metro system shutdown following cracks found between the Berri-UQAM and St-Laurent stations on the Green Line, apparently spotted 11 days before the STM shut 'er down. It's back up and running now, but... yeesh. (Montreal Gazette)

Monday’s métro shutdown a sign of aging network, STM admits

The transit authority’s director general says repair crews will fix the damaged concrete between St-Laurent and Berri-UQAM stations at night — work that is likely to last several months.

Montreal GazetteJason Magder

Is there treasure buried in Parc Jean-Drapeau?

Some are starting to think that an American publisher may have hidden one of 12 boxes of treasure in Montreal back in 1981, and the only way to find it is to decipher 12 short poems and 12 elaborate paintings from his book. If that sounds crazy, two of those boxes have been found in Chicago and Cleveland. (Le Devoir)

Y a-t-il un trésor caché à Montréal?

Des citoyens sont persuadés que l’Américain Byron Preiss a enterré une boîte quelque part dans la métropole en 1981.

Le DevoirJeanne Corriveau

♫ There are nine millions cones in Montreal... ♫

Well, maybe not that many, but it's looking like we can't go singing about Montreal like Katie Melua anymore: The city's taking aim at any "useless" fluorescent pillars if they're kicking around for more than 72 hours. The solution? Putting up smaller cones and fences instead. What could possibly go wrong? (La Presse)    

Entraves à Montréal | Québec veut mettre fin au règne des cônes inutiles

Fini les cônes laissés à l’abandon ? La ministre des Transports, Geneviève Guilbault, veut croire que oui. Québec ramassera dorénavant les cônes orange au bout de 72 heures d’inactivité sur un chantier, a-t-elle annoncé lundi. Dès décembre, le gouvernement installera aussi des « glissières métalliqu…

La PresseHenri Ouellette-Vézina

Ain't so pretty in the rearview mirror

Non-Parisians don't like Paris, non-Torontonians don't like Toronto, and—shocker—non-Montrealers don't like Montreal, specifically out-of-town Quebecers and especially people from Quebec City. But hey, at least international visitors still like paying us a visit. (Montreal Gazette)  

You and your out-of-town friends probably see Montreal differently: study

Most visitors find downtown accessible — as long as they’re not driving — and Montreal Centre-Ville believes: “To try downtown is to adopt it.”

Montreal GazetteFrédéric Tomesco

Say hello to our New York ambassador

No, we're not talking about Anthony Bourdain, though the guy could pass for a relative: When this Au Pied du Cochon alumnus is asked what's Quebecois on the menu at his restaurant Mr. Wells, his answer is: Him, but also the maple syrup he pours on everything. (Caribou)

Hugue Dufour, l’inclassable chef canadien-français de New York - Caribou

Au Québec, on le connaît comme un des disciples de Martin Picard. Mais à New York, Hugue Dufour est le propriétaire du M. Wells, un réputé restaurant de Long Island City.

CaribouAudrey Lavoie

More than just a "Centre for Ants"

The Montreal Insectarium—renovated and reopened in April 2022—took home the Grand Prize for Excellence in Architecture by the Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) at an event that saw a total of 11 Quebec projects receive awards. We can only imagine how proud Zoolander would be. (Journal Métro)

We've got, like, such an underground scene here

We're not talking art: John Wilkes Booth was in Montreal bars talking about how Abraham Lincoln’s "goose was cooked" six months before he would put a bullet in the back of his head. Turns out the city was a huge haven for Confederates back then as they conspired against the not-so-United States. (The Main)  

Montreal: A nest of spies during the American Civil War

The director of the Crave Original documentary Kings of Coke recently sat down with The Main to talk about the release of his latest book, The North Star.

The MainDaniel Bromberg

Meet the Queen of the Village

Back in 1987, an out-of-the-ordinary figure appeared in the bars of Montreal: Drag queen Mado Lamotte, the extravagant character who's become a local icon of the nightlife scene in the city since Luc Provost created her over 35 years ago. (Radio-Canada)

Archives | 35 ans de carrière pour la drag queen Mado Lamotte

La drag queen Mado Lamotte célèbre cette année ses 35 ans de carrière.

Radio-CanadaRadio-Canada

Her home will go on

26 kilometres northwest of downtown Montreal, there's a 24,000-square-foot mansion on a private, 19-acre island once owned by Céline Dion. There are dreams to convert the building into a reception hall or restaurant in addition to 660 condominium units and a 35-room hotel—turns out that's not so easy. (CoStar)

Not in my mailbox, you don't!

Métro Média says local print is dying following cuts it will make to its newsroom as the Montreal prepares to limit leaflet and advertising delivery in May. The city announced it would give lump-sum payments to local media dealing with digitization costs last year, but will that staunch any bleeding? (CTV News)

Metro Media says Montreal flyer ban will force newsroom layoffs: ‘the local press is dying’

Metro Media says it be forced to make ‘significant cuts’ to its newsroom as the the City of Montreal prepares to limit leaflet and advertising delivery in May. ’The inaction of the municipal administration is pushing certain press groups, like ours, to make heartbreaking decisions in the coming week…

CTV News

Posts of the Week

The best local moments this week from socials:

Special Mentions

Pop by Argo Bookshop tonight for the book launch of Julian Sher's newest book, The North Star, recounting Canada's involvement in the American Civil War.

Launch: Julian Sher, “The North Star”

Launch of Julian Sher’s history of Canada’s involvement in the U.S. Civil War

Eventbrite

And in case you missed our recent IG post, local organization Corridor Culturel is launching a new event down on the Lachine Canal starting next week. Here's a quick summary of the initiative—with early bird tickets now on sale.

Major New Jazz Event to hit the Lachine Canal this May

Corridor Culturel presents “Les Machines”: a musical event celebrating the modern heritage of jazz in Montreal on the Lachine Canal.

The MainThe Main

That wraps up this week's edition. We’ll be back with more curiosities, local stories, and events to discover next week.

And if ever you catch something we should know, reach out to us on Instagram.