You’ve certainly heard about the massive wildfires in Canada–there have been over 160 in Québec alone. The drifting smoke is choking East Coast cities and causing airlines, baseball games, and Broadway shows to cancel.
But we’re fine here in Montréal, thanks for asking. Oddly, we’ve got great air quality today; the winds are sweeping the worst of the smoke away from us, plus we’re having light, intermittent rains that keep the particulate level down.
But there’s an upwelling of other fires in MTL: gunfire and arson, attributed to Montréal’s Mafia and its rival factions.
The killing of prominent Mafia figure Francesco del Balso last week and an increasing number of firebombings (like the torching of a brand-new restaurant terrasse and multiple arson attacks on one business in the St-Laurent neighborhood) indicate a steep uptick in organized crime intimidation and infighting that has law enforcement and government officials very worried.
Because violent escalations like this have happened before–many times before.
Organized crime in Montréal is not new. The “mafia Montréalaise” has been active for over a century, initially an outgrowth of an Italian organized crime family in New York City that sought control over Montréal’s ports. Over the years its dealings expanded into construction, drugs, firearms, money laundering, “business protection”–the usual rackets. Over time, white-supremacist French-Canadian biker gangs came into the fold to act as on-the-ground distributors and enforcers.
Despite multiple campaigns by the government and law enforcement to rid Québec of organized crime rings, the number of corrupt cronies, gangs, and rivals grew.
Since the 1970s, regular waves of Mafia-related crime and violence have waxed and waned in Montréal. They have become part of the city’s lore, spawning at times a twisted dread plus admiration. Quasi-celebrity criminals are vaunted for their charisma and courtesy as they foment gang wars, commit rape, terrorize business owners, and murder their enemies. Online bulletin boards seethe with personal stories about encounters with local mobsters, their comportment, and their bloody deeds.
The uptick in Mafia-related violence since last year is fomenting fear that something akin to the 1994-2002 Biker Wars could happen again. This deadly rivalry resulted in shootings, bombings, and arsons that left 162 people dead, including an 11-year-old civilian, far outstripping any New York gang war in casualties.
Though the city and provincial government are once again dedicating significant funds to fighting organized crime in Québec, nothing seems to stem the tide for long. More recently, murders in both the U.S. and Canada related to The Wolfpack (a younger, ethnically diverse, and tech-savvy criminal association) indicate the threat posed by a new generation of organized crime syndicates.
Mais oui, Québec is burning, with fires that may never fully be extinguished; the only question is who will be left standing when the smoke clears. This may be hard of me to say, but it makes me glad I don’t have kids or a business here.
In other news, I’m going to a friend’s art opening tonight. There’s still hope for humankind, maybe.