The Big Five Podcast

David Heurtel is joined by Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government and Anne Lagace-Dowson, political analyst on The Big 5.

• McGill’s downtown University campus is closed as the Pro-Palestinian encampment is being dismantled.
• Several boroughs of Montreal discourage their employees, even those trained in first aid, from administering naloxone, an antidote against overdoses
• Santé Quebec’s “top gun” Geneviève Biron has not yet chosen her vehicle as the big boss.

David Heurtel is joined by Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy. He was previously a diplomat, ministerial advisor and broadcast journalist on The Big 5.

• At the height of the homelessness crisis in Montreal, a merchant on Milton Street near Parc Avenue was unable to open her store on Monday due to the presence of a homeless person who categorically refused to leave the premises.
• McGills President Deep Saini has denounced Friday nights vandalism and alleged assault on a security guard by pro Palestinian protesters.
• Greece is the first country in Europe that will try out a 6 day work week.

David Heurtel is joined by Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media and Justine McIntyre, Strategic Consultant and former City Councillor on The Big 5.

• Montreal police made 1 arrest of a (66 year old man) and deployed tear gas after some pro-Palestinian proterstores smashed windows at McGill on Friday evening.
• The City of Montreal dismantled the encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Victoria Square on Friday.
• A scooter causing parking problems.

• Here in Montreal this morning the City seems to finally be making moves to dismantle the encampment over at Square Victoria.
• Britain's Labour Party has won in a landslide victory today. With Keir Stamer now elected as the new Prime minister and Rishi Sunak conceding defeat.
• An advertisement on the windows of about fifteen SAQ branches in Quebec praising "proudly Quebec" products, when they were only bottled in Quebec, has aroused strong reactions.

David Heurtel is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance and Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government on The Big 5.

• The Minister of Public Safety, François Bonnardel, has denounced the inaction of the City of Montreal in the face of the multiplication of encampments.
• The sanctions and fines imposed on real estate brokers who place themselves in a conflict of interest are not severe enough'
• A homeless shelter moving from borough to borough is already causing a stir in the neighbourhood.

David Heurtel is joined by Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia and Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program on The Big 5.

• A flashy advertising campaign created by mobile phone company Koodo has attracted the wrath of the Plante administration.
• A Montrealer finding one of his homes in a dire state on July 1.
• Real estate brokers are taking advantage of elderly or vulnerable clients to line their pockets by buying their home at a discount

David Heurtel is joined by Political analyst Karim Boulos and Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies.

• More than 1,300 households are still without housing as of July 1st, according to a compilation from the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ).
• The retail council of Quebec is seeking financial help to meet signage rules. They want the government to help its members with the hefty costs of replacing or adjusting hundreds of outdoor commercial signs and business facades.
• Do some corporate accounts go too far on social media? At what point does it go from being provocative to crude? The STM’s official TikTok account shows a video of a woman wearing a bikini standing in a pool. With no warning she pushes water through her thighs as the video quickly cuts to an STM bus being washed. "This is how we wash our buses," the caption reads. The video of the woman and the trend of cutting to something else is nothing new…. It’s been circulating on social media.

David Heurtel  starts the week off with Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• During the first round of legislative elections, more French people than ever supported the Rassemblement National, previously confined to the margins
• The greatest public service that Joe Biden can give the US right now is to step down
• The recent defeat of the Liberal Party of Canada in the by-election in Toronto-St. Paul's seems to have caused a stir within the party 

David Heurtel is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Weekend News Anchor at Noovo and a commentator at RDS, and Akil Alleyne, Reporter, commentator and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• Last night President Joe Biden faced off against former president Donald Trump in the first US presidential debate
• Crimes continue to increase rapidly in the Montreal metro, their number having almost doubled last year
• Less than a few days until July 1st and organisations in the field of housing, homelessness and mental health are sounding the alarm to the Quebec Government

David Heurtel is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Greater Montreal's public transit companies are making purchases that are raising eyebrows
• Just a few days before July 1, the City of Montreal expects to have to loosen their purse strings to accommodate households who will lose their homes 
• Valerie Plante on encampments…. She calls this unacceptable yet we have continued to accept it
• Companies are facing confusion as they prepare for Quebec’s new language rules to be implemented next year