The Bulletin: The End of Summer? Say It Ain't So [Issue #43]

The Bulletin is a collection of what's happened, what’s happening, and what’s to come in and around Montreal.

The Main

September 21, 2023- Read time: 9 min

RIP, Claude Cormier. / Photograph: © @jfsavaria - Tourisme Montréal

Don't shoot the messenger: This weekend marks the official end of summer. Put away those bike shorts and crop tops and break out your flannel, Montreal.

The weather's likely been indication enough, as it quickly and consecutively creeps below 20 degrees with each passing week. We're sad to see the hottest season on record go, but like any first fling you have in your life in the city: It was a hot and heavy time that was full of great moments, even if it ended on a messy note.

We hope you made the most of it.

True to form, the city's dusted itself off proper and continues to pump out collaborative pop-ups like they're going outta style. Cider houses and heavier comfort foods are making their way back, too—why hello there, PdC's foie gras poutine—as if the cosmos are warning us to start putting on a few extra before the cold sets in.

It's a transition period that shows in this week's Bulletin, as summery events based outdoors are pulled back a bit lieu of heading back inside, but you'll still find plenty of things going on.

Pick your poison, and enjoy.

Activities, parties, points of interest, art exhibitions, you name it: These are the weekend events you don't want to miss.

Thursday

Jump onto the open-air dance floor of the Esplanade de la Place des Arts and explore dance styles from different cultures with TEMPÉO.
Plateau seafood-forward restaurant Josephine is selling wines by the glass for only $10, plus a new tapas menu.
To celebrate 50 years since the birth of the hip-hop movement, Aire Commune invites everyone to come and dance to the rhythm of the best of the genre's beats.

Friday

The meetUP conference is back with a transformative experience to consult on the Digital Transformation of Black Canadian Businesses.
evenko, Greenland et Blue Skies Turn Black present Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Beanfield Theatre in Little Burgundy.
The sensual boutique Oui is holding a Fête Foraine Sexu to celebrate one year of fabulousness (see: free cocktails).
Check out Vino Disco's line-up of DJs this week, always playing at 10pm; they've also got a snack bar with soon-to-be famous smoked meat grilled cheeses – you heard it here first.
Love erudite history? A talk at McGill will focus on 18th and early 19th century Indian bird paintings by Indian artists both known and unnamed.

Saturday

Ciele Athletics is hosting a 5km MTL marathon shakeout run and carb load dinner at espace | MTL, followed by an after-party at Siboire.
Local dance studio 100Lux invites one and all to come celebrate and discover what they're up to with an Entrepôt 77 block party.
Squeeze that last little bit of summer out of the weekend by hitting up the urban beachside party at Village au Pied-du-Courant.
If you love Pétanque, the Poetry and Botany Club's annual pétanque tournament is going down in Parc La Fontaine.
Le paysage abstrait is a new major exhibition from world-renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky over at Arsenal art contemporain Montréal.
The celebration of Martinican cuisine and culture, Martinique Gourmande, continues at the Grand Quay until September 24.
Seriously, don't miss this: Expo World Press Photo Montréal is presenting the results of the 2023 World Press Photo Contest in Old Montreal.

Sunday

77 Montreal and Greenland present Jeff Rosenstock with special guests Sidney Gish and Gladie at the Beanfield Theatre.
Get in that fall spirit as Citrouilleville, the pumpkin village, reopens its pumpkin houses and pick-your-own-pumpkin farm.
Love Renaissance fairs? The Montpellier Medieval Festival is back, and you can come dressed for the period or however you want with sword tournaments, food, and all kinds of other ribaldry.

WHAT TO EAT & DRINK IN AND AROUND MONTREAL

Scope the latest restaurant openings, recommendations on where to eat, plus new menus, old classics... you name it.

Head out to Caffe Un Po' Di Piu on September 24 or 25 for a special Ital-Asian menu from the restaurant's chef Kyle Davis and visiting chef Jian Hui Cheng.
On September 24th from noon to 5pm, Candide will transform itself into an afternoon buvette as it makes room for new deliveries of Quebec wines.
Poincaré Chinatown is celebrating its 4th anniversary with poolside-style cocktails, beers, 'a real magician', lots of great wine, and BBQ eats.
After Bar Bello and now the newly opened Negroni Room on Sept 21, it's official: The Negroni has officially made a comeback in Montreal.
On that note: From September 18 to 24, more than 50 bars and restaurants in Montreal are taking part in Negroni Week, mixing classic Negronis and variations for charity.
The 10th edition of Invasion Cocktail continues, a festival for discovering cocktail culture through events running from September 13 to 30.
JIAO Dim Sum is celebrating another year in business with a DJ-fuelled brunch service.
From September 22 to 24, Messorem's slapping on its lederhosen to celebrate Oktoberfest.
On Sept 21, Satay Brothers alumni are doing a gnocchi night over at Atwater Market.
On Sunday, September 24, Bistro La Franquette is welcoming guest chef Brandon Olsen of Le Melon for one night only.
Cabaret l'Enfer's launched OFF MENU, with three courses going for $40 from Tuesday to Saturday—a more accessible option over their tasting menus.
Inspired by the canteen-style cafés in Hong Kong, Cha Chaan Teng, Mayhem is serving three-course, fixed brunch menus that'll give you a taste of those viral dishes you've probably seen on your feed lately.
On Sept 27, An Choi Plaza is hosting a night with a $90 4-course discovery menu with wine pairings in collaboration with Vin Oui.
Grab a bottle while you can: The first boutique specializing in Quebec wines, La Boîte à vins, is closing its two branches in the Montreal region.

Here, you'll find a weekly round-up of the latest local news, from entertainment to current affairs and more.

RIP 💐

Claude Cormier, the celebrated Canadian landscape architect who helped design some of Montreal's best-known public spaces like the Ring and the 18 Shades of Gay art installation in the Village, has died at 63 following complications from Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare genetic condition that predisposes patients to multiple cancers. (AZURE)

Mmmmm, basement sushi

Platforms like Uber Eats continue to not only be used, but grow as well, and not all of those names are the real deal. In fact, in this case, a restaurant in Montreal was found to be making its sushi in the basement of a residential building. (Radio-Canada)

Guess it takes a brewery to build a village?

Following Molson's sale of the old brewery in 2019, the Molson district—which could see as many as 5,000 homes built over 10 years, among other features like a museum, riverside park and a school—is one step closer to a reality. (La Presse)

Photograph: FOURNIE PAR LE FONDS IMMOBILIER DE SOLIDARITÉ FTQ

So THAT'S where it all comes from

Tucked between residential buildings, there's a one-storey warehouse in the Mercier–Hochelaga–Maisonneuve borough that normally wouldn't turn any heads. Inside, however, a team works on the pieces that fill public spaces with oddities and activities throughout the year. (CBC Montreal)

RTO? GTFO...

One of Montreal's biggest video game publishers has mandated a two-day-a-week minimum return to work (RTO) policy on-site, but recent reports from IGN and employee intranet comms suggest this seemingly innocuous move has far more insidious underpinnings. (IGN)

We know a place where no cars go

Arcade Fire reference aside, Montreal plans to fundamentally alter Mount Royal Park by closing up the scenic Camillien-Houde Way. It's part of a century-old debate over how to balance conservation of the wooded refuge in the city centre with the transportation needs of the metropolis. (Montreal Gazette)

"Includes scenic view from stairwell"

As housing continues to be limited and inaccessible, particularly in bustling downtown neighbourhoods, developers and tenants are repurposing overlooked spaces into unconventional homes—including this tiny brick structure in Montreal. (CTV News)

How much do we learn from media?

Here's what an unprovoked verbal attack on a Bangladeshi-Canadian living in Montreal—and how much it echoes word-for-word rhetoric seen routinely plastered on some of the front pages of this province’s most-read tabloid—tell us about immigration fear-mongering and targeted hate. (Cult MTL)

The bell tolls for Métro

It's officially the end for Métro Média. The company's CEO, Andrew Mulé, posted on X to say the sale of assets had been approved, which will officially end the existence of the newspaper as well as several other regional publications. (Radio-Canada)

Historic feats of strength

On September 7, 2003, the Great Antonio passed away on a bench in Montreal, a lonely end to the strong man's life who had thrilled the crowds with his exploits. Thanks to some archival footage, however, his memory's living on as a folkloric character from Quebec. (Radio-Canada)