Latest news with #musique
CBC
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Quebec City faces 10-day transit strike as popular music festival kicks off
Ferry and bus maintenance workers in Quebec City say they will walk off the job Friday for over a week just as the 57th edition of the city's most popular music festival gets underway. Festival d'été de Québec (FEQ), which began Thursday, draws tens of thousands of spectators for shows in the downtown core. This year, it will host headliners including Rod Stewart, Avril Lavigne, Benson Boon and Shania Twain. In 2024, 300,000 trips were made using the Réseau de transport de la capitale (RTC) during the 11-day festival, according to the transit network. On Thursday, the union representing over 350 bus maintenance workers with the RTC announced it would be going ahead with a strike starting Friday, halting bus service in the capital region until July 14. Ferry workers with the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ) will also begin striking on Friday for nine days. Bruno Marchand, mayor of Quebec City, said the RTC workers are using the city's music festival as leverage in the negotiations. Two years ago, a strike was averted at the last minute, just before the start of the event. "We're not sacrificing the FEQ. We want this to be resolved, resolved as quickly as possible, but not at any price," said Marchand. Negotiations took place Wednesday and Thursday. According to the RTC, employees are demanding pay increases amounting to 30 per cent over five years. Claude Villeneuve, the leader of the opposition at city hall, says the wage demands are unrealistic and that it is obvious that the maintenance workers are specifically targeting the FEQ as a negotiating strategy. "I think it's a shame that the public is being held hostage like this," he said. He questioned the ability of RTC's general manager Nicolas Girard to bring these negotiations to an end. Request to establish minimum service rejected In 2024, Quebec's labour tribunal concluded for the second time that the RTC is not an essential service. The judgment from November 2024 said there was no danger for the health and safety of the population in the absence of public transport. But last month, Girard wrote a letter to the president of the union for RTC maintenance employees reiterating a request to establish a minimum service offer in the event of a strike. He cited Montreal as an example, saying an agreement was reached between the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and the Montreal union for transport workers to ensure a level of minimal service in the event of a strike. He wrote that a joint agreement in Quebec City is necessary to mitigate the effects of a complete service disruption. "Our objective is not to call into question the right to strike, but to find a fair balance between the legitimate rights of workers and the fundamental needs of the population," read the letter. "For several low-income residents, families, the elderly and people with reduced mobility, public transport is the only way to get to work, the hospital, the pharmacy." The union rejected this request, according to RTC president Maude Mercier Larouche. What's considered essential? Public transport is generally not deemed essential, despite the attempts to characterize it as such, says Barry Eidlin, associate professor of sociology at McGill University who specializes in labour movements and policy. "This is a constant effort to expand the notion of essential workers in an effort to circumvent the collective bargaining process by undermining workers' ability to strike," he said. He says there's a tendency to force people back to work as a "knee-jerk reaction." But essential work, and what is deemed as such, can differ significantly based on the context, he says. Ultimately, when workers go on strike, it's meant to be a reminder of the employees' essential role. "If employers are truly concerned about the well-being of their clients and customers, they also have the ability to negotiate and reach agreement with workers," said Eidlin.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Legendary Quebec singer-songwriter Serge Fiori to receive national funeral
Serge Fiori, founder of the rock band Harmonium speaks during an interview in Montreal, Tuesday, November 15, 2016, during the launch of L'Heptade XL, a remastered, remixed version of the band's 1976 double album L'Heptade. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) A national funeral will be held in honour of Quebec singer-songwriter Serge Fiori, who died Tuesday at the age of 73. Quebec Premier François Legault made the announcement in a social media post on Friday, saying the funeral will be held 'in the form of a national tribute ceremony' in accordance with the family's wishes. En accord avec les souhaits exprimés par la famille et les proches, Serge Fiori aura droit à des funérailles nationales sous forme de cérémonie d'hommage national. Le drapeau du Québec sera mis en berne, de l'aube au crépuscule, sur la tour principale de l'hôtel du Parlement le… — François Legault (@francoislegault) June 27, 2025 The Quebec flag will be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on the main tower of the Quebec legislature building on the day of the ceremony, Legault added. The date and location of the ceremony have not yet been announced. A book of condolences is now available online to allow people to express their sympathies to the family of the late singer, who founded the band Harmonium. Legault said in a statement that Fiori's death was 'an immense loss' for Quebec, 'We will pay him a national tribute worthy of his legacy,' Legault said. Fiori's musical career took off in 1974 with the release of the eponymous album Harmonium. The song Pour un instant became a classic of Quebec music. The group released only two other albums—Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison and L'Heptade—before splitting up, but they left a lasting mark on Quebec's cultural landscape. With files from The Canadian Press
CBC
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
From New York to L.A. ... but originally from New Brunswick
Singer-songwriter Patsy Gallant of Campbellton reflects on her 70-year career in entertainment as she wraps up her latest tour "Patsy Gallant: 70 ans de carrière" with a stop in Moncton.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Chart-topping French rapper Werenoi dies aged 31
Werenoi, one of the most successful rappers in France, has died aged 31. His record label Believe confirmed the news, writing on Instagram: 'It is with immense sadness that we learned of Werenoi's passing … may he rest in peace.' The rapper, real name Jeremy Bana Owana, died at La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris early on Saturday morning. A cause of death has not been officially announced, though French media have reported him suffering a heart attack. Owana was born to Cameroonian parents and raised in the eastern suburbs of Paris. After he broke through in 2021 with debut track Guadalajara, three of his four studio albums – 2023's Carré, Pyramide and Pyramide 2 in 2024, and Diamant Noir released last month – topped the French charts. SNEP, which monitors music sales in France, stated that Owana had the biggest-selling album in France in both 2023 and 2024. As well as collaborating with the cream of the Francophone rap scene, including Aya Nakamura, Damso and Hamza, he also collaborated with major names in the US, with Gunna and Lil Tjay appearing on Diamant Noir. He had been due to perform in Lyon on the night of his death. Earlier in the week, he had won album of the year for Pyramide 2 at Les Flammes, a French award ceremony honouring the best in rap and other music of Black origin. He was unable to attend and sent a video message showing his arm in a sling, describing a 'a big injury'. Nakamura and Lil Tjay were among those paying tribute, along with other artists such as Gims.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS French rapper dies of cardiac arrest aged 31 just hours before concert
French rapper Werenoi has died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 31 just hours before he was due on stage. Jeremy Bana Owana, known as Werenoi, was hospitalised on Friday night after going into cardio-respiratory arrest, according to French outlet Pure Charts. After being admitted into intensive care, he reportedly died in the early hours of Saturday morning. Werenoi had been due to appear at the Azar Club in Lyon for an exclusive showcase on May 17. No official statement has yet been shared by his family or management but tributes were quick to flood in from the French music scene on social media. Spotify France shared a tribute to X which, translated from French, read: 'Werenoi left us last night. 'In just five years, the Montreuil rapper left a lasting mark on rap and French music as a whole. Our condolences to his family and loved ones.' In a post believed to be in tribute to Werenoi, music producer Babs wrote: 'Rest in peace my brother I love you!!!' French hip hop duo Djadja & Dinaz added: 'The release of the new music video has been postponed. All our thoughts to Werenoi's loved ones.'
