🍦 This week in MTL: Taste of the Caribbean, soul music, shelter stories

Bonjour-hi to you today mon ami / amie,

I had lunch with a colleague who's the ultimate super connector—the guy you go to for any introduction. When I asked how he developed this skill, his answer was surprisingly personal.

First, he grew up as the youngest of seven siblings who competed for everything. Rather than joining the chaos, he became the family mediator, naturally learning to bridge conflicts and find common ground.

Second, and this blew my mind, there's a 25-year age gap between him and his next youngest sibling. His sister was paying off a mortgage while he was still in the womb. Talk about perspective.

In this week’s issue…

• City News: Taste of the Caribbean lights up Old Port + Blue Line extension digs deep

• Feel-Good: Game-changing heart care + Canada Day magic in Pierrefonds

• Non-Profit: Carolyn’s Community hits charity status after 22 years of giving

• People of MTL: Maria Kinoshita: From café shelters to coliving dreams, one rooted nomad’s journey

• Events: Sketch shows, street fests, jousts, and DIY bread—your week, fully stacked

• Live Music: Surprise Chef, soulful Daby Touré, and EDM under the Piknic sky

Edited by Eleanor R.

CITY NEWS

🏙️ What's Happening Around Town

1. Taste of the Caribbean returns July 10–13 to Old Port with live reggae, soca, and zouk, rum masterclasses, Caribbean eats, and family fun. New this year: nightly Caribbean films under the stars, 8–10 PM. Free entry, 12–11 PM daily.

2. The STM announced all five future Blue Line Extension stations are now under construction as of July 2025. Excavation work is underway at all sites, tackling Montreal's hard limestone subsurface with specialized equipment for the eight-kilometer tunnel extension.

FEEL GOOD

💗 Stories That Make Me Fall In Like With This City

The Montreal Heart Institute opened its groundbreaking Heart Valve Centre, aiming to double patient treatments by 2028. The innovative centre uses transcatheter procedures that eliminate open-heart surgery, allowing 65% of patients to go home the next day and resume activities within one week—revolutionizing cardiac care.

Pierrefonds-Roxboro's Canada Day celebration drew over 20,000 people with a morning parade, rides, food trucks, and a free concert by local band Simple Plan. Mayor Jim Beis called the fireworks moment "magical," highlighting how the event united all generations in community spirit.

NON-PROFIT

🤲 A Cause Just Cause

Carolyn's Community

Recently Gained Charity Status - July 2025

Carolyn's Community has exciting news for the week of July 10, 2025 - they just received their registered charity status after operating as a non-profit for over 22 years. Founded by Carolyn Bouchard-MacNeil in 2002, this grassroots organization has evolved from a small toy drive among friends to become one of Montreal's largest community support networks.

Key Programs:

• Carolyn's Toy Drive: Their flagship program that collected over 4,000 gifts for children in more than 75 women's shelters and organizations in 2024.

• Back-to-School Collection: Currently active in July/August 2025, collecting new backpacks and school supplies for children in shelters and newcomers2

• Regifting Program: Year-round collection of furniture, household items, clothing, and essentials for families in need2

• Food Drives: Organizing school and community food drives throughout the year.

Why Feature Them: They're celebrating their new charity status with a fundraising campaign to raise $22,000 in honour of 22 years of service. They now support over 70 local shelters including Shield of Athena, Elizabeth House, and the Native Women's Shelter

FOOD

🍽️ Food & Drink Buzz

🧁 Carlota Boulangerie Mexicaine (Plateau-Mont-Royal)

A rising star in the Plateau, Carlota brings authentic Mexican baking to Montréal with tamales made from freshly milled masa, buttery scones, and more—all for $5–10. Come for the tamales, stay for the heart.

🍷 Bar Vivar (Plateau‑Mont‑Royal)

A cozy Spanish-style wine bar from former Joe Beef vets, Bar Vivar blends classic tapas, jamón ibérico, croquetas, tortilla de patatas, with inventive bites like bagel con calmar (fried calamari on a St‑Viateur bagel). Priced affordably, it's perfect for afternoon snacks or a casual evening with a warm and social.

Got more? Reply to this email and tell us!

PEOPLE OF MONTREAL / GENS D’ICI

🧍Maria Kinoshita

Between Worlds, Building One of Her Own

Maria’s story doesn’t begin in Montreal—but it was always headed here.

Born in France to a Japanese mother and Sudanese father, she grew up between cultures and never quite belonged to any. In Japan, she was seen as a foreigner. In France, she was a girl from the suburbs. At 14, she arrived in Montreal, excited but alone; no family network, no job connections. While others got their first gigs through uncles or cousins, Maria hustled. She DJed at night. Worked in restaurants. Slept little.

Then she found purpose. At 25, she helped open a shelter-based café for at-risk youth; many immigrants like her, some kicked out over culture clashes, others fleeing violence or poverty. She saw it all: grief, addiction, resilience. She hired a former drug dealer who became her best accountant. She was invited to a teen’s graduation because she’d changed that kid’s life.

Later, she dove into Montreal’s cultural scene—circus, comedy, music—until she realized the model was broken. Artists weren’t surviving. So she pivoted again, founding a digital training company. It let her travel, reconnect with nomads, and build new visions of home: coliving spaces not for influencers, but for friends.

Now back in Montreal, she’s dreaming bigger: a shared space where people can live, grow food, move their bodies, and make things together. A rooted nomad building something lasting, for all the others who’ve had to build from scratch.

Check out Nomad Coliving here.

EVENTS

🎟️🎪 Weekend Plans That Don't Suck

THURSDAY (July 10)

FRIDAY (July 11)

SATURDAY (July 12)

SUNDAY (July 13)

LIVE MUSIC

🎶 Music & Nightlife

For those still possessing the energy for after-dark activities:

🎤 SoulFest Montréal
Parc Jean‑Drapeau | Fri–Sun, Jul 18–20
Rhythms, retro vibes & soul grooves 🎷🌟

✨ Daby Touré at Nuits d’Afrique
Parc Jean‑Drapeau | Friday, July 11th | 8 PM
Oceans of guitar soul 🌊🎸

🎶 Surprise Chef – Featuring Kendra Morris
Bar Le Ritz PDB | Saturday, July 12th | Show 8:30 PM
Unexpected grooves, star vocals ✨🎤

🔋 Piknic Électronik — Parc Jean-Drapeau
Sunday, July 13 | 2 PM–9:30 PM
A prized summer fixture: DJs spinning house, minimal techno, and EDM—perfect for picnic vibes and dancing in the sun.

OUTRO

Well I had fun, did you? If you found something useful, share it with a friend. If you didn’t, share it with that one person who still owes you a favor.

Until next week,

In our effort to promote more local businesses and services we will be asking our community what they’d like to see more of here.