Today is Montreal’s Birthday! EC Montreal is throwing a huge Birthday bash for this magical city! We will be serving cake and champagne in the student lounge and later this evening, we will be taking our students to the illumination of the Jacque Cartier bridge show! It doesn’t take long for our students to fall in love with our city and to call it their home! There are festivities all over the island of Montreal. All the church bells rang their bells at the same time this morning and there was a special celebration at the Notre Dame Basilica. Montreal’s mayor, Denis Coderre, as well as Quebec’s premier, Philippe Couillard and our beloved Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau were there to honor Montreal! We are so proud to share Justin Trudeau’s statement with all of you: “Three hundred and seventy-five years ago today, French colonists led by Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, and Jeanne Mance established the fur trade settlement of Ville-Marie. Centuries later, we celebrate this major anniversary for the diverse and thriving Montréal we know today. “The fourth largest Francophone city in the world, Montréal is a hallmark of the central role Canada’s Francophone community has played, and continues to play, in building our country. We honour the foundational contributions the French-speaking community has made to Canada, and we celebrate Montréal as a dynamic economic and cultural hub. “We also recognize the Indigenous People who originally inhabited this island and knew it by its Indigenous name, Hochelaga. Thanks in great part to its Francophone and Indigenous roots, Montréal represents the best of Canada’s openness, diversity, and inclusiveness. Today, Montréal is home to people from all over the world who speak different languages, practice different religions, and represent different cultures. This diversity sets the city apart as … Read more