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Instead of the guilty in the Shafia case, we focus on the innocent -- three young women, their lives ended:  Zainab at 19, Sahar at 17 and Geeti at just 13. They were known to Montreal's Youth Protection Services prior to their mother, father and elder brother murdering them. We spoke with Madeleine Bedard, the director of youth protection for Batshaw Youth and Family Centres.

Couple on a mission after their bleoved dog, Lola, killed on a designated nature trail. We spoke to Leila Basen and Don McEwan and also to the mayor of Hemmingford.

Basen with Lola in happier times (Photo: Don McEwan)

Lea Pool is Quebec film director who's been making films for more than 30 years.
Her next opens on Friday, and it's creating a lot of buzz -- and controversy.
It's called Pink Ribbons Inc, and it calls into question the ever-expanding pink ribbon campaign against breast cancer.

Pool (far right) shooting Pink Ribbons Inc (photo: courtesy NFB)

Two members of  the Montreal Afghan community react to the verdict in the Shafia trial. From disbelief to concerns about use of the term honour killing -- the reaction expressed is very mixed.

Cartoonist and musician Rick Trembles is furiously packing up his apartment.
His landlord called him just a few days ago to say Rick had to be out by today because his building could be demolished by the end of the day. Rick says he's barely been sleeping  just filling boxes as fast as he can.

Rick Trembles' building (on the right) is not supposed to be demolished. But he fears the landlord might demolish it at the same time as the condemned building on the left (photo: Shawn Apel/CBC)



Shawn Apel revisited the building 2 days later. He heard talk of redevelopment and found one hold-out.

A Radio-Canada investigation has learned that the Canadian government intends to keep as much as half of the assets it seized from former members of the Tunisian regime with business interests here. Daybreak speaks to two Tunisian-Montrealers, who say they're outraged.



photo: (left) Sonia Djelidi, president of the Canadian Collective of Solidarity with the Tunisian Struggle for Social Justice. (right) Haroun Bouazzi is an activist and spokesperson for the Association for Human Rights in the Maghreb.

We had the chance to speak to the new executive director of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute.She comes from a nursing background. For 25 years, she worked at the Jewish General Hospital, where she held the position of Director of Nursing and Clinical Operations. Now she's two weeks into her new position as head of the Douglas.

Headlines from back in July -- the story of a 35-year-old woman named Chantal Lavigne who died after receiving what were called at the time "unusual treatments" at a spa in Durham South not far from Drummondville. It turns out this was more than just a spa. Our Radio-Canada's investigative Enquete has been looking into the details. Enquete's Allan Johnson came to the Daybreak studio to tell us about it.

The Glen site -- soon to be home of the Royal Vic, the Montreal Children's, the Shriners Hospital and more is set to open in three years. The buildings are going up fas and that means lots of construction work, lots of roadwork and lots of changes in the area.Shawn Apel takes us to the MUHC's first community outreach meeting.

(Photo: Shawn Apel/CBC)

The New York City Police Department has finally released more information about the cycling death of Montreal artist Mathieu Lefevre.
The NYPD initially suggested in reports that Lefevre was at fault.
His family never believed those reports. They pushed and filed an access to information request.
And now NYPD documents released to his family contradict those initial reports and suggest the police investigation was not handled properly.
We spoke to the lawyer representing the Lefevre family. And his friend Montreal art critic and curator Nicolas Mavrikakis.

(Photo: courtesy Chieu-Anh Le Van)

Staunch conservative and former adviser to Brian Mulroney on Stephen Harper's Quebec failure  

Federal Transport Minister on the new Champlain bridge project. Tolls. A lane for trains or trams. And talk of letting the province taking over jurisdiction. 

Shawn Apel on the housing trend that has hit the local real-estate scene. What do you think about about living in a 400 square-foot home?

(Photo: Shawn Apel/CBC)

Bernie on Gilles Duceppe's failed attempt to take over the leadership of the PQ.

Shawn Apel reports on the latest trendy must-haves -- headphones -- and the Montreal company that's trying to grab a share of the lucrative market.

CEGEP student Russell Scwartz in his Beats by Dr. Dre (photo: Shawn Apel/CBC)

Foster parents and people who run group homes in Quebec are furious that the Charest government is trying reduce the amount of money they receive to help the people in their care.
They are currently in negotiations with the government.

Ian Davidson was found dead in a hotel room shortly after his name was first published in the media. Police say he was trying to sell a top-secret list of names of confidential police informants to the mafia. We spoke to Alain Gravel, the host of Enquete on Radio Canada, one of the first to report the story of a mole ready to sell secrets to the mob.

Neither the ADQ nor the CAQ have had many high-profile anglophone adherents. During the first week of January, Marlene Jennings told Daybreak she had been approached and is tempted to run for the CAQ. Dino Mazzone is well known in Montreal-West where he's a town councilor. He's also a member of the ADQ who supports the merger with Francois Legault's CAQ.

The Montreal police has a new plan to tackle racial profiling. It was was announced on Jan 17 with much fanfare. We got reaction from the head of the human rights commission and a community worker who has been a victim of racial profiling.

Father of murdered girl to protest parole board aboriginal ceremony for the man who killed his daughter. "I don't understand it -- he's Haitian not aboriginal," says Michael Manning.

Manning came by the Daybreak studio before flying to Winnipeg for the hearing (photo: Dimitri Katadotis/CBC)


We also spoke to Manning after the hearing in question. Listen here:

A new law before the Quebec National Assembly that has some Montrealers arguing that a crucial part of community democracy is in peril. The Charest government's Bill 47 would jeopardize the ability of neighbours to controversial development projects to hold a referendum on it if enough people sign a municipal register. Two grassroots activists gave us their reactions to the bill.

Resident grassroots group and opposition councilor fight to stop the development of parkland in St-Bruno.
Marilou Alarie, spokesperson for the Regroupement des citoyens pour la sauvegarde dela Forêt des Hirondelles, and councilor Michèle Archambault (photo: Dimitri Katadotis/CBC)

Bernie returns to talk about a new show showing the slipping fortunes of the CAQ, Pauline Marois' spin on party defections and Bernard Drainville weekend Devoir outing. 

The AMT is in hot water with the province for its handling of the new Train de l'est project. Treasury board president Michelle Courchesne says she is very disappointed with the AMT after costs for the project doubled.So Courschene and the province are reviewing all aspects of the project, scaling it back, and taking over from the AMT.
    We spoke to Chantal Rouleau, mayor of Riviere des Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles, one of the places that was meant to benefit from the new line.
     

Just five years ago, electric cars were being destroyed by the thousands by the very companies building them. Not so today as automakers rush to produce new models. A new film called the Revenge of the Electric Car will be screened on Monday with the Quebec environment minister in attendance. It stars the latest available model of electric cars: the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt.
We talked to two Montreal, one who owns the Volt, the other the Leaf.

It was a night of suspense, anger and tears and joy for parents who came out for the English Montreal School Board vote on school closures and relocations last night.
Daybreak's Ange-Aimee Woods was there. We also spoke to Angela Mancini, chair of the English Montreal School Board.


Parents show their support for their schools (photo: Ange-Aimee Woods/CBC)

Blogger and PQ insider on defections, the fate of the party and the Cunneyworth affair. 

Farshad Mohammadi, the man Montreal police shot and killed in the Bonaventure metro following an altercation on Friday had only been back living on the streets for a few weeks. He'd been participating in a program called Chez Soi  that helps homeless people with mental health issues find housing, but was evicted just before Christmas.
    
 

The EMSB announced its list of final recommendations for school closures on Tuesday. We focused in on one of the schools on the block, in Montreal's Southwest because the recommendations came as a big surprise to parents at St-John Bosco Elementary School in Ville Emard and St-Gabriel in Point St-Charles. The EMSB wants to move St-John Bosco students to St Gabe's.

In the wake of the shooting of Farshad Mohammadi by Montreal police on Frida, many voices are calling for changes in the way our health-care system handles homeless people with mental illness. Daybreak's Shawn Apel looks at who -- if anyone -- is ultimately responsible.

Much loved CBC broadcaster is hanging up her headphones. We talk to her about her love of radio, jazz and hear from some of the people on whom she has made an impact.

The director general of a local shelter and the president of the Police Brotherhood on the latest police shooting of a homeless man.

Ben Boudreau gets nervous every time his name is called during attendance in his University classes. He is a transgender, male identified student, in his 2nd year at Concordia. His female birth name is on all official documents but he prefers to be called by his name, Ben. He is petitioning Concordia University to show more sensitivity to transgender students and to implement a name change policy. Daybreak also spoke with Chris Mota she is the director of media relations for Concordia University.

 

Benjamin Mak is a grade 3 student at Willingdon School.
He is one of the winners of our CBC Holiday Story Contest.

Some people in Montreal's film community are crying foul at the way they say they are being treated by the Canada Council for the Arts.
They say the Council is witholding grant payments and threatenign to ban them from the program. Erik Cimon and Yanick Letourneau are case in point for their film Montreal Punk.
Paul Thinel is the Media Arts program officer from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Today on Daybreak former Liberal MP Marlene Jennings announced she is seriously considering an offer to run for the CAQ.  

Owen Carson is a grade 3 student at Willingdon Elementary. He is one of the winners of our CBC Holiday Story Contest.

NDP leadership hopeful Brian Topp was in our Daybreak studio this morning.
Click here to listen to his interview with Mike Finnerty:

Cynthia Denis is a grade 6 student at McCaig Elementary.

It's finally time for American voters to start having their say about who will face off against Barack Obama as the Republican Party's nominee.The Iowa Caucuses take place this evening.  Following the campaign from Montreal are Republican Jeff Karowich, who lives in Valleyfield but is originally from Balitmore And Democrat Amy Glatzer who lives in Ahuntsic but is originally from New York City.

Billy Paulo Desmarais is one of the winners of our CBC holiday story contest.
He is a grade 6 student at Nesbitt school in Montreal.
Billy's familly adopted Nanuk from the SPCA in October 2009. He is from Rankin Inlet in Nunavut. He is about 110lbs and three years old.

A Montreal-woman who purchased a 10-thousand dollar piece of "non-visible" art demanded a refund and won. Aimee Davison purchased a piece of art last summer entitled "Fresh Air" from James Franco's controversial art project, the Museum of Non-Visible Art. Aimee Davison is a Montreal-based social media producer and model.    

A Montreal man was admitted into the United States over the holiday weekend after he showed border guards a scan of his passport on his iPad.
Martin Reisch is a Montreal-based photographer and a videographer.
http://www.safesolvent.com/

All through the month of December we are bringing you stories from kids who entered our CBC Montreal holiday story contest. Benjamin Couto is a grade six student at McCaig Elementary School. 

Loreen Pindera discusses staying in shape in the New Year with Robert Marcoux of the Running Room and Jonas Caruana of Training Mob. 

Loreen Pindera speaks with the creator of the lifestyle design website Puttylike.com.