News Roundup: secret OQLF shoppers, protected cheese curds and a new Defence Bank w/ Katia Lo Innes

Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa is joined by journalist Katia Lo Innes for a look at the stories making headlines in Montreal this month.The OQLF is planning on unleashing “secret shoppers” across Quebec but more than half of the visits will be in Montreal. The secret shoppers will report back to the OQLF on how often french is used by service staff. The operation will be carried out by a private firm at a cost estimated at up to $350,000.The mayor of Montreal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada is fulfilling one of her campaign promises of cutting 1,000 jobs over 4 years all while mainting a hiring freeze. the union representing the city’s administrative workers decry the move saying it will affect services given by the city.Cheese curds in quebec could soon receive be “protected” so as to maintain authenticity. This move lobbied by the quebec dairy industry aims to secure a geographical indication similar to that for wines from Champagne and Bordeaux. Kalden and Katia discuss the standardization of culture and the stasis it promotes.The episode also touches on a Supreme Court challenge to Quebec’s secularism law, and a recent housing tribunal decision that could make it harder for landlords to enforce no-pet clauses in leases. The two also discuss Montreal’s role in upcoming international defence bank negotiations.