MONTREAL -- Throughout the year, there have been numerous stories that caught the public’s attention – whether it be observing a Quebecer in space or watching an everyday Montrealer put himself in harm’s way to save a group of complete strangers.
Here are some of the most notable stories that happened in Quebec in 2019:
Remembering Polytechnique, 30 years later
Hundreds of people stood atop Mont-Royal on Dec. 6 to remember the 14 women slain in a violent anti-feminist attack in Montreal 30 years ago.
Their names were read aloud by two École Polytechnique students as 14 beams of light lit up the Montreal sky as part of the emotional ceremony.
Read the story: Polytechnique: Solemn ceremony caps 30-year anniversary of shooting that killed 14 women
David Saint-Jacques returns to Earth
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques returned to Earth in June after six-months aboard the International Space Station.
Upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere – and reuniting with his family – the Quebecer said his mission gave him a renewed sense of love for the "extraordinary, varied, and complicated" details of life on this planet.
Read the story: Astronaut David Saint-Jacques greeted with thunderous applause at space HQ
'I don't think I'm a hero'
A Montreal man was named a hero after using his SUV to block a speeding car from potentially ramming into a dozen pedestrians in downtown Montreal.
Erick Marciano says he felt bashful to receive so much attention for his good deed – but if he had to do it all over again, he would.
The Mercedes SUV, which Marciano has had for the last 10 years, was totalled in the incident.
Read the story: 'I don't think I'm a hero,' SUV driver who used his car to save pedestrians humbled by experience
Racial profiling a problem in Montreal
Visible minorities and activists in Montreal say they weren't surprised by the findings in a report commissioned by Montreal police.
The report found that black, Arab and Indigenous Montrealers are more likely to be stopped by police than people of Caucasian descent.
The issue caused controversy throughout the year, with numerous cases of ‘driving while black’ and other matters of racial profiling surfacing continuously.
Read the story: Racial profiling: visible minorities in Montreal not surprised by SPVM report
Not guilty, 10 years later
In a case that spanned the course of the decade, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of a woman who was fined for refusing to hold onto an escalator handrail.
Bela Kosoian was coming down an escalator in the Montmorency metro station in Laval when a police officer ordered her to respect a pictogram on the escalator that was written, in French, “Caution, hold the handrail.”
She argued with the officer, who detained her for 30 minutes, searched her bag and then released her with a $100 ticket for failing to hold the rail and a $320 ticket for failing to identify herself.
Read the story: Supreme Court rules in favour of Montreal woman fined for not holding escalator handrail
A state of emergency
Arguably, one of the biggest issues of 2019 was climate change – including when 10 Quebec universities united to sign an international declaration, committing them to making changes to how they operate.
The universities agreed to become carbon-neutral by 2050 at the latest (2030 if possible), allocate more resources for research into climate change and increase the number of environmental and sustainability-related academic programs and other resources.
Read the story: Ten Quebec universities have declared a climate emergency
