Pop Montreal founder describes the beautiful diversity out-of-province students bring to Quebec
Pop Montreal music festival founder Dan Seligman credits his career to one simple decision he made as a young person: moving to Montreal from Toronto in 1996 to study at McGill University as an out-of-province student.
After his studies, he says he "accidentally" started working in the Montreal music industry, decided to stay and eventually founded the annual music festival.
READ MORE: Amid tuition hikes, former students share why choosing Montreal was the best decision of their lives
"I got lucky, but it was a lot to do with wanting to stay in Montreal and live here and figure this out," he tells CTV News.
Seligman says he worries that others won't be able to have the same life-changing experience he did.
New tuition hikes imposed by the Quebec government promise to raise fees by 30 per cent from $9,000 to a minimum of $12,000 per year for out-of-province students.
International students would now have to pay a base rate of $20,000, with the government collecting $3,000 in fees.
"It seems quite short-sighted and a bad idea in the long run," said Seligman. "It seems kind of vindictive."
He points out many of his friends came from elsewhere in Canada, fell in love with the city and stayed.
"What makes Montreal interesting is a mix of all kinds of different cultures: French, English, immigrants, students, young people, old people," he tells CTV News. "It's such a great mix of all these things."
Seligman says he worries the tuition hikes could take away from the city's diverse and vibrant arts and culture scene.
"A lot of people, whether they're artists or not, they want to come to Montreal... but secretly, they just want to be in a band," he said. "A lot of young musicians, students, do that because it's an affordable place to live. If tuitions go up drastically, people just won't be able to do that."
Seligman laments the increase could likely affect the festival's future, which is largely supported by young English speakers.
"The success of Pop Montreal is linked to the success of a lot of independent bands," he said, pointing to Arcade Fire, Grimes and Patrick Watson as examples. "A lot of these bands have made their careers in the Montreal indie scene."
The tuition fee increases are set to be implemented at the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
The Quebec government is also demanding that students graduating from English-language universities be evaluated at a Level 5 on the Quebec scale of French-language proficiency by the end of their undergraduate degree program.
Explore the stories of people who have made Montreal their home:
Can't see or scroll through the interactive feature below? Click here for the full-screen presentation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi found dead at helicopter crash site, state media says
Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after a search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who matched with a 15-year-old girl on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Toxic drugs circulating in northeastern Ont., police say
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.