Montreal writer and actress named queen as St. Patrick's Day parade returns
A queen has been crowned for the upcoming Montreal St. Patrick's Day parade, which makes its first full-scale return to the city since 2019.
The United Irish Societies of Montreal named actress, writer and Irish studies student Samara O'Gorman queen of the court, on Saturday night.
"I was shocked," said O'Gorman. "When they announced the five finalists, that means you're automatically in the court, and I was almost in tears at that point because I just wanted to be part of it. I didn't mind which role I got to play. I was fine with just being princess."
She said it hasn't quite sunk in that she is, indeed, the queen of the court and wins a trip to Ireland.
The queen and court are chosen after competing in a public speaking contest surrounding Irish knowledge and community involvement.
"It might be a stereotype that it's a pageant, but it's not at all," said O'Gorman, whose poetry collection "What If the Sun Died" was published in 2021. "It's how you speak and how you present yourself on stage and how well you present yourself in front of others... It's a history competition almost. You have to know Ireland and the Irish diaspora."
Last year, O'Gorman won a scholarship and went to Ireland to spend time in a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking community).
She used the experience in her speech, and connected it to the unique and special place of Montreal's Irish community.
"There's something so inherently special about the Montreal Irish and how they interact with their heritage and how Montreal interacts with tradition," she said. "It's so special and it always leaves me wanting to come back for more every year."
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Meet this year's Montreal St-Patrick's Day Queen and court
O'Gorman was crowned queen of the Hudson St. Patrick's Day parade in 2019 and first tried out for the Montreal parade in 2020.
"I came back this year after COVID with quite the bang," she said.
The other thing coming back with a bang is Montreal's St. Patrick's Day parade which returns Sunday, March 19, for the first time since 2019, two days after the actual holiday.
O'Gorman said she's not nervous leading one of Montreal's biggest cultural events that was first hosted in 1824.
She's restless.
"I feel like a lot of the Irish, we've been waiting a long time, we've been cooped up, and something we do very well is celebrate our heritage," she said. "To have it at full-scale again this year for the first time in three years, I don't think there's a word to describe it."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Federal minimum wage, taxes on alcohol: Here's what's changing in Canada April 1
The federal minimum wage is increasing from $15.55 per hour to $16.65, and taxes are going up on gas and alcohol nationwide starting April 1.
Unable to leave Syria, mothers of Canadian children forfeit repatriation to keep their families together
In a choice forced upon them by the Canadian government, four mothers have made the agonizing decision to forfeit an opportunity to repatriate their children from open air prisons in northeast Syria.
Interim RCMP commissioner would support Criminal Code changes for stricter gun laws
Interim RCMP commissioner Michael Duheme says he would support the Criminal Code changes recommended in the Mass Casualty Commission report to implement stricter gun laws.
Akwesasne: Bodies of two more migrants found, bring total dead to eight
Police say the bodies of eight migrants have been retrieved from the waters off the Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne, straddling the Canada - U.S. border. The people whose bodies were recovered Thursday and Friday consisted of two families of Romanian and Indian origins who were likely trying to enter the U.S. illegally, police said Friday.
Donald Trump facing at least one felony charge in New York case: AP sources
Former U.S. president Donald Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offence, in the indictment handed down by a Manhattan grand jury, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday.
Canadian cottage market expected to see price drop this year: Royal LePage
A recent report from Royal LePage is predicting a drop in prices for Canadian cabins and cottages this year as demand softens from economic uncertainty and low housing stock.
Trudeau defends appointment of cabinet minister's sister-in-law as interim ethics commissioner
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending the appointment of senior Liberal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc's sister-in-law as Canada's interim ethics commissioner.
Gwyneth Paltrow scores court win that means more than her $1 countersuit
Gwyneth Paltrow 's motivation to go to trial to fight a lawsuit accusing her of sending a fellow skier “absolutely flying” at a posh Utah ski resort in 2016 was about vindication. She got it when a jury found her not at fault in the collision, granting her exactly the $1 she sought in her countersuit
A 106-year-old from the Philippines is Vogue's oldest ever cover model
Vogue Philippines has revealed Apo Whang-Od as the cover star of its April issue, a move that makes the 106-year-old tattoo artist from the Philippines the oldest person ever to appear on the front of Vogue.
Toronto
-
Uninsured patients denied scheduled C-sections unless they pay $6,000, midwife says
In one day, Ontario midwife Manavi Handa saw three patients who will have to pay thousands of dollars to be able to schedule a C-section beginning on Sunday.
-
Ontario driver charged for driving too slow on Highway 401
An Ontario driver has been charged for driving too slow on Highway 401.
-
Suspect chased people with sharp object yelling racial slurs at Kennedy Station, police say
Toronto police are looking for a suspect who allegedly yelled racial slurs while chasing people with a sharp object at Kennedy subway station on Friday morning.
Atlantic
-
'Impervious to change': doubt, disappointment after initial RCMP response to inquiry recommendations
After the RCMP commissioner admitted he didn't read the Mass Casualty Commission’s final recommendations, family members of those killed in the April 2020 tragedy say they have doubts the force will change.
-
N.S. doctor denies alleged negligence in case of woman who died after long ER wait
A doctor named in a lawsuit after a Nova Scotia woman died in hospital following a long wait to see a physician has denied allegations from the family that he failed in his duties.
-
'Nova Scotians' sense of safety was rocked': RCMP failures dominate inquiry's final report into 2020 mass shooting
A long list of failures by Nova Scotia RCMP leadership and policing systems dominate the final report into Nova Scotia's April 2020 mass shooting.
London
-
U.S. citizen charged with death threats targeting Justin Trudeau makes court appearance from London, Ont.
A U.S. citizen charged with threatening death or bodily harm to Justin Trudeau made a virtual court appearance from a London jail Friday. Jeremy Joseph, 40 — who is living in Sarnia, Ont. — was arrested on Feb. 4, 2023 after Sarnia police were notified of emails containing threats.
-
Man injured while fleeing police on Highway 401, SIU investigating
The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating after a man was seriously injured while attempting to flee from OPP on Highway 401 Thursday afternoon.
-
Stunt driver clocked going nearly double the speed limit
A London, Ont. police officer stopped a driver in the city’s north end Friday afternoon after they were seen travelling 99 km/h in a posted 50 km/h zone.
Northern Ontario
-
Northern Ont. man receives lifetime hunting ban, fined $5,000 for grouse stash
A northern Ontario man has been banned from licenced hunting and fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to having more than six times the legal limit of grouse and obstructing conservation officers.
-
‘Nobody wants this’: Opposition grows to renaming Chippewa Secondary School
The plan to rename a North Bay high school is receiving tons of backlash online and has sparked outrage from some school alumni and the community.
-
Six arrested, 2.7 kilos cocaine seized in massive drug bust in Sudbury, GTA
Ontario's guns and gangs team says with the help of police in Sudbury and Durham, it has disrupted a large drug trafficking operation, seizing 2.7 kilograms of cocaine and arresting six.
Calgary
-
Motorcyclist killed in Macleod Trail crash
Emergency crews say a motorcyclist has died in a crash on Macleod Trail and it's suspected that speed was a factor in the incident.
-
Dangerous suspect has 50 warrants for his arrest, Calgary police say
Calgary police are warning the public, and looking for their help, about a man wanted on 50 warrants, including firearm and assault charges.
-
2 people, 2 dogs rescued by CFD after falling in Bow River
A dog walk turned into a successful rescue mission Friday afternoon that left one person in hospital.
Kitchener
-
Family of Beau Baker 'deeply concerned' after inquest jury rules his death a suicide
The inquest jury found that Beau Baker, 20, died by suicide with the cause of death being a gunshot wound in the torso.
-
Packing up Portraits of Honour: Cambridge memorial on the move
A Cambridge memorial that pays tribute to Canada’s fallen soldiers is on the move.
-
Vancouver
-
No more paying for prescription birth control: B.C. to make Canadian history April 1
Paying for prescription birth control will be a thing of the past in British Columbia starting Saturday, marking a Canadian first.
-
Boat recovered, operator missing in Fraser Valley, RCMP say
Mounties in the Fraser Valley are asking the public for help locating a missing man last seen in a boat on the Harrison River Thursday evening.
-
Man charged after string of arsons in downtown Vancouver over one night: police
A man is facing multiple charges in connection with a series of fires that police say were deliberately set in Vancouver's downtown core earlier this week.
Edmonton
-
Harm reduction group alleges excessive force by Edmonton police officers
A local harm reduction group says force used by Edmonton police officers during a recent arrest on Whyte Avenue on Sunday was "appalling."
-
1 in custody after death of man downtown: EPS
A man is dead after an altercation in Edmonton’s downtown core.
-
Smith vs. Notley: Here are the leaders' promises to the municipalities ahead of the May election
Municipal leaders from across the province heard a lot of promises during the Alberta Municipalities Association Leaders’ Caucus on Friday.
Windsor
-
‘I will not support’: Windsor councillors eye ways to bring budget increase below 5%
Windsor city council will debate the 2023 budget on Monday, and ratepayers are looking at a much higher than normal property tax increase, but not if some councillors get their way.
-
‘We were in the trenches together’: Healthcare staff reflect on bittersweet final day of COVID-19 assessment centre
By day’s end Friday, the COVID-19 assessment clinic at Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) will close, more than three years after opening at the height of the pandemic.
-
Windsor sees largest drop in Canadian household income growth ranking
Windsor experienced the largest drop in its ranking for median household income growth, following a new report from Fraser Institute ― but local employment leaders say the city has all the tools to bounce back in future rankings.
Regina
-
Accused's mother testifies during second-degree murder trial
Chelsea Whitby notified her mom every time her son, Emerson, got a bump or bruise.
-
Sask. government offers pay bump for family doctors who work later hours
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
-
'It’s bullying': Regina TikTok account faces backlash for sharing videos of vulnerable people in crisis
Videos posted on TikTok showing people in Regina in the midst of mental health crises show the stigma still attached to addictions, advocates say.
Ottawa
-
Akwesasne: Bodies of two more migrants found, bring total dead to eight
Police say the bodies of eight migrants have been retrieved from the waters off the Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne, straddling the Canada - U.S. border. The people whose bodies were recovered Thursday and Friday consisted of two families of Romanian and Indian origins who were likely trying to enter the U.S. illegally, police said Friday.
-
These are the top 10 intersections for red light camera tickets in Ottawa
King Edward Avenue is the red light district for Ottawa drivers, with three cameras on the busy road issuing thousands of tickets for running red lights last year.
-
Ontario minimum wage to increase to $16.55 per hour on Oct. 1
Ontario's minimum wage is set to rise to $16.55 an hour on Oct. 1.
Saskatoon
-
Sask. government offers pay bump for family doctors who work later hours
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
-
Saskatoon police want to know where security cameras are
Police in Saskatoon are hoping to create a list of homes and businesses that have security cameras.
-
'Learn to live with this': Humboldt focuses on future 5 years after bus crash
Kevin Garinger says it feels like the passage of time is inexplicable. The five years since a deadly bus crash changed his city, his hockey team and his life sometimes feel like a lifetime. Other times it feels like yesterday.