Local 514

Shi Tao Zhang joins host Kalden Dhatsenpa on Local 514 to talk about Chinatown community organizing in Montréal. The neighborhood has a long history of fighting gentrification and racism and unfortunately not much has changed. Shi Tao Zhang details the organizing done by the Resistance Chinatown Mobilization project and their multi-pronged campaign fighting for social justice in the last Chinatown in Quebec.

Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa is joined by regular guest, Katia Lo Innes to help viewers and listeners familiarize themselves with the different options available to them at the ballot box for the 2025 Montréal municipal elections. With new parties, and new mayoral hopefuls what is there to know before casting a vote November 2nd? Tune in to learn more about the different parties vying for your vote!

Sergio Da Silva is one of  Transition Montréal’s star candidates this municipal election. Host Kalden Dhatsenpa sits down with the city councillor candidate for Saint-Jacques to discuss nightlight, expropriation, and some tweets of his that have bothered right-wingers. Listen now to hear the full conversation.

On this episode of Local 514, host Kalden Dhatsenpa speaks to Projet MTL ‘s candidate Logan Littlefield who is running to become borough councillor in the Champlain—L’Île-des-Soeurs district of Verdun. Logan Littlefield is a landscape architect with a vision for Verdun’s future. Can he defend the Projet administration? Tune in to find out.

In this episode of Local 514, host Kalden Dhatsenpa and filmmaker and professor Nicolas Renaud discusses the afterlives of Quebec’s Bill 97, a controversial forestry law prioritizing industrial access over conservation and Indigenous rights. Despite being removed off the table Dhatsenpa and Renaud reflect on land defenders, ecological collapse, and the colonial logic of “Crown land.” Renaud critiques how consultation processes exclude Indigenous authority, turning collaboration into performance while forests, waters, and caribou disappear. The bill exposes the human, cultural, and environmental costs of what Renaud calls “radical capitalism” in Québec.

In this episode of Metropolis, host Kalden Dhatsenpa speaks with Ted Rutland, associate professor at Concordia University, about the resurgence of racist narratives linking immigration and crime in Quebec politics. Following Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s recent comments tying demographic change to rising crime, Rutland traces the long history of such fearmongering in political and media discourse. Together, they unpack how these ideas—once fringe—have entered the mainstream, fueling white supremacist rhetoric, police power, and public fear in Québec.

Montreal’s housing crisis is frequently characterized by simplistic villains and quick solutions. Today’s episode of METROPOLIS, Host Kalden Dhatsenpa is joined by Montréal-based urban planning researcher and housing policy analyst Gavin Armitage-Ackerman to debunk some of the most persistent misconceptions and assumptions of the housing crisis.

To set the scene, asking rents in montreal have surged by 71% since 2019, and vacancy rates remain at a worrisome 1%. Consequently, public frustration is palpable. Nevertheless, Gavin contends that much of the prevailing public discourse is misguided.

We commence by examining the notion that homeowners benefit from the crisis. In reality, many are heavily indebted: only 23% of Canadians own their homes debt-free, and one in five mortgages at major banks are subject to negative amortization. The “homeowners vs. renters” narrative, Gavin observes, serves as a political wedge rather than a viable solution.

Next, we address the claim that foreigners, whether buyers or immigrants, are responsible for the crisis. Non-residents accounted for only 4.9% of purchases in 2019. Blaming them obscures systemic issues and diverts attention from domestic speculation.

Government programs designed for first-time homebuyers, Gavin argues, often exacerbate demand in an inefficient market, leading individuals into deeper debt without concomitantly reducing prices. Incentives for developers, such as Montreal’s “20-20-20” plan, exhibit similar flaws. Gentrification and loopholes can erode affordability, as exemplified in Vancouver’s Woodward’s Building project.

Finally, we conclude by emphasizing that rezoning alone is not a panacea. It can engender land banking, and supply growth does not necessarily reach the unhoused or low-income populations.

Gavin concludes by urging listeners to transcend scapegoats and simplistic remedies. Instead, they should advocate for structural and political transformations that recognize housing as a public responsibility rather than a mere market commodity.

On this episode of Metropolis, host Kalden Dhatsenpa interviews Rose, a housing rights organizer with the Comité de Logement de La Petite-Patrie, about a practical new resource she co-authored: “How to Investigate Your Landlord.“The guide aims to equip tenants with the tools to research landlords before signing leases, empowering them to recognize potential red flags and avoid harmful situations.

Rose explains that in housing justice work, it is common to encounter landlords who use deceptive tactics to force tenants out or justify steep rent increases. These abuses often go unpunished due to weak enforcement mechanisms, leaving tenants vulnerable The current rental market in Montréal is a sort of wild west where bad actors operate with relative impunity.

A 2020 study by the Comité found that 85% of renovation projects involving repossession or eviction were never completed—suggesting that many landlords use renovations as a pretext for removing tenants. Such findings highlight the scale of fraudulent practices and the lack of consequences for those responsible.

Rose argues that part of the solution lies in tenant education and proactive investigation. By understanding their legal rights and researching a landlord’s history—such as past disputes, code violations, or patterns of eviction—tenants can make informed decisions and reduce the risk of exploitation. The guide outlines methods for gathering this information and stresses that awareness is a key defense against abuse. Such information scraping can make for strong arguments if disagreements with your landlord ever escalates to the TAL (Tribunal Administrative du Logement).

Ultimately, Rose’s message is clear: tenant empowerment begins with knowledge, and knowing a landlord’s track record can be as important as understanding the terms of a lease.

In this episode of Metropolis, host Kalden Dhatsenpa sits down with journalist Perle-Merode to explore the experiences of the Congolese diaspora in Montreal and the ongoing humanitarian and political crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The conversation centers around Réseau Mayele, a grassroots community organization founded to empower Congolese youth, bridge generational gaps, and foster a stronger sense of identity and solidarity within the diaspora.

Pearl shares how many young Congolese in Canada feel disconnected from their heritage due to systemic erasure, lack of representation, and the trauma of displacement. Réseau Mayele works to address this disconnection through cultural education, political awareness, and youth-led initiatives that emphasize community building and activism.

Kalden and Pearl also discuss the importance of understanding the DRC’s historical context, especially the colonial legacies and resource exploitation that continue to shape the country’s struggles today. They highlight how this awareness is essential not only for Congolese youth but also for allies who want to stand in solidarity.

The conversation underscores that youth are not only the future, they are already leading change. From organizing protests to building safe, affirming spaces, young people are playing a vital role in resisting oppression both locally and globally.

Réseau Mayele’s work is rooted in intergenerational collaboration, recognizing the wisdom of elders while championing the energy and vision of youth. Pearl and Kalden stress the need for allyship, political education, and continued engagement to build a stronger, more informed movement that can support justice for the Congolese people, here in Montreal and beyond.

On this episode of Metropolis, we cover some significant developments, including Québec’sQuébec’s controversial Bill 97, Carney’s Bill C-2, and the anti-immigrant sentiment in Montreal, as well as the major strike by STM maintenance workers. Today, host Kalden Dhatsenpa is joined by guest host Nashwa Lina Khan, a community educator and cultural commentator on Habibti Please, a Substack and podcast.

Bill 97 has been receiving fierce pushback from Indigenous leaders, conservationists as well as unions. The bill aims to divide all of Québec’s forests into three distinct zones. One zone will be dedicated to conservation, another to timber production, and a third to multiple uses.

Nashwa and Kalden point out the larger context of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s drive to turn Canada into an “energy superpower.” This resource drive has empowered provincial governments and extractive industries to walk all over Indigenous land rights. Kalden and Nashwa relay this indigenous resistance as essential to fighting climate change.

Anti-immigration policy has led to massive protests across the United States. Notably, the resistance in Los Angeles has caught a lot of attention for its organization and for the volume of resistance reached. Nashwa and Kalden discuss the trajectory of Canada’s anti-immigration policy and the ways that such policies could play out. Nashwa, for one, does not believe the level of resistance in Canada would be the same.

It was the first STM strike in 18 years, and it has been incredibly disruptive. Two thousand four hundred of Montreal’s maintenance staff are going on strike from June 9-17, 2025. Employees are fighting for a better work-life balance, stronger safety protocols, and improved wages.

Nashwa and Kalden talk about how impactful the strike has been and why we should support these workers despite the inconvenience faced by Montrealers. Especially with metro and bus drivers from the STM looking to strike, the need for solidarity will be tested more.