As much as professional sports tries to distance itself from the political world, politics always finds sports. Recently FBI director Kash Patel and president Donald Trump embroiled themselves in scandal for their ugly gold medal celebrations with the US mens national hockey team. Some of which had to return to their local Canadian teams and answer for their soft support of these authoritarian figures. Even outside of international tensions, policy decisions around sports arenas, recreational centres, and funding for young talent make up many chains of political choices. If it wasn’t clear already sports are tied up with identity, culture, territory, and power in ways we do not always talk about.
In Montreal especially, hockey is more than just a game. It is connected to language politics, nationalism, class, and community identity. Governments help fund arenas. Taxpayers pay for transit, infrastructure, and policing around games. National anthems and military displays are also a regular part of the spectacle.
In this episode, we talk with Andrew Berkshire, president of the Game Over Network and former managing editor of Habs Eye on the Prize. After years covering hockey and the NHL, he has also spent a lot of time thinking about the politics surrounding the sport.
We talk about toxic masculinity, public money in sports, culture wars, and the power structures behind the NHL, and ask a simple question. Are sports are recognized as a public good? and if so should they be administered like one?

So far in 2026 US Immigration and Customs enforcement, also known as ICE, have killed at least 9 people according to reporting by Al-Jazeera. Two of those were the high-profile killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both Minneapolis residents.

Today on Local 514, host Kalden Dhatsenpa, interviews Michael Lipset, who is originally from the Twin cities area where these high-profile killings took place. Michael spoke to us about the motivations behind co-organizing the ICE OUT protest in Montréal.

Tune in for the full conversation.

On this episode of Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa speaks to CSU campaigns coordinator Julianna Smith about a 5-day curriculum called Anti-Capitalist week. Julianna describes some of the workshops as well as how the campaign evolved from prior Anti-Consumerism campaigns. Tune in to listen to the full conversation.

AI is everywhere, but can it really fix Montreal?

From city permits to urban planning, municipal leaders are betting on artificial intelligence to solve local problems. In this episode of Local 514, Kalden Dhatsenpa talks with tech critic Paris Marx about the hype, the limits, and the hidden social consequences of Montreal’s AI push.

From scandals in the Liberal Party of Québec to an increasingly domineering attitude from the Parti Québecois, to a massive projected crash from the governing Coalition Avenir Quebec this moment marks a tumultuous point in Québec politics where much is uncertain. Editor-in-chief of the Rover, Christopher Curtis joins Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa to make sense of this political mess.

“We are one of the white races with fewest children!” - Lucien Bouchard

Today’s episode of Local 514 explores the renewed relevance of sovereignty in Quebec at the 1995 referendum’s 30th anniversary. How did that pivotal moment change Quebec and has the sovereignty movement changed as well? One expert suggests a fundamental issue within the movement, whiteness.

Tune in for the full discussion.

As Quebec approaches the 2026 provincial election, the government has introduced Bill 9, a legislation that would restrict public prayer in certain settings. Officials say the measure is meant to reinforce state secularism, while civil liberties groups argue it disproportionately affects Muslim communities. To better understand the legal implications and the broader context, Local 514 spoke with Stephen Brown from the National Council of Canadian Muslims. Here’s what Bill 9 proposes, why it’s generating debate, and how it fits into Quebec’s ongoing discussions around secularism.

Nashwa Lina Khan of Habibti Please joins Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa to unpack the recent visit of the Swedish royal couple. They were not here to inaugurate a new Ikea but instead to lobby on behalf of the infamous Swedish defence giant Saab. Tune in to learn more about this shady company and how they want to set up base in Montreal.