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<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/the-montreal-skyline-during-summer.jpg?id=60214990&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=132%2C0%2C132%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The long weekend is upon us, Montreal. </p><p>Whether you know it as Victoria Day or Journée nationale des patriotes, the result is the same: Quebecers get a well-deserved Monday off to fire up the grill, hit the road, or soak in the city's early summer vibes.</p><p>This year, the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/quebec-stat-holidays-2025-calendar" target="_blank">stat holiday</a> lands on Monday, May 19. As always, a mix of closures and reduced hours will apply, so it's good to double-check before heading out. Here's a quick guide to <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/open-and-closed-in-montreal" target="_blank">what's open and closed in Montreal</a> on National Patriots' Day 2025.</p> <h3>What's open in Montreal on National Patriots' Day 2025?</h3> <p><strong>Espace pour la Vie museums:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Montreal Botanical Garden</li> <li> Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium</li> <li> Montreal Insectarium</li> <li> Montreal Biodome</li> <li> Montreal Biosphere</li> </ul> <p><strong>Société de transport de Montréal (STM):</strong></p> <ul> <li> Transit will operate on a holiday schedule you can consult on the <a href="http://stm.info/en" target="_blank">STM website</a>. Plan ahead if you're relying on buses or the metro.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Garbage and recycling pick-up:</strong></p> <ul> <li> The City of Montreal confirms that household waste, recycling, compost, and bulky items will still be collected as usual.</li> </ul> <p><strong>311 City Services:</strong></p> <ul> <li> You can still call 311, but service hours will be reduced (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).</li> </ul> <p><strong>Ecocentres:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Most locations remain open but may have reduced hours. Check your local ecocentre before heading out.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Montreal public markets:</strong></p> <ul> <li>All of Montreal's public markets — including Atwater, Jean-Talon, and Maisonneuve — will be open throughout the long weekend, with slightly reduced hours on Sunday. You can find full schedules on the <a href="https://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/en/news/market-hours-for-victoria-day" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marchés publics de Montréal website</a>.</li> </ul> <p><strong>SAQ and SQDC:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Most SAQ and SQDC branches will be open, including online services (note: Canada Post delivery does not run).</li> </ul> <p><strong>Most malls and shopping centres:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Including CF Fairview Pointe Claire, CF Carrefour Laval, Alexis Nihon, Centre Eaton, Place Montreal Trust, and more.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Grocery stores and dépanneurs</strong></p> <ul> <li> Most will operate as usual, such as Costco, IGA, Maxi, etc., but some smaller or independently owned spots may close or reduce their hours.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cinemas</strong></p><ul><li><strong> </strong>Most movie theatres in Montreal — including all Cineplex theatres, Cinema du Parc, Cinéma Moderne Ciné-Starz, and Cinéma Starcité— are open all weekend.<strong></strong></li></ul><p><strong>La Ronde:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Weather permitting, La Ronde will be open for the long weekend crowd.</li> </ul> <h3>What's closed in Montreal on National Patriots' Day 2025?</h3> <p><strong>Banks</strong></p><ul><li>Most financial institutions will either be closed or will operate under reduced hours. </li></ul><p><strong>Canada Post</strong></p> <ul> <li> No mail pickup or delivery. Some private post offices inside pharmacies may remain open.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Federal and provincial government offices:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Including Passport Canada and SAAQ branches.</li> </ul> <p><strong>City of Montreal offices:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Accès Montréal offices</li> <li> Permit counters</li> <li> Borough halls</li> <li> Municipal court (except for urgent custody cases at 775 Rue Gosford)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Some museums and cultural institutions:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Montreal Museum of Fine Arts</li> <li> McCord Stewart Museum</li> <li> MAC Montréal (Contemporary Art Museum)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Parking and local facilities:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Regular parking restrictions still apply.</li> <li> Public libraries, pools, and community centres vary by borough, so be sure to check local schedules online.</li> </ul> <p>And as for the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/quebec-weather-june-2025" target="_blank">weather</a>, <a href="https://weather.gc.ca/en/location/index.html?coords=45.529,-73.562" target="_blank">Environment Canada's latest forecast</a> is showing sunny skies with a high of 18 C on Monday, making it a holiday worth taking advantage of. </p><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p> <p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p>
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/mcgill-university-downtown-campus-includes-old-gothic-stone-buildings-and-a-museum-of-natural-history.jpg?id=61069429&width=1200&height=600&coordinates=0%2C39%2C0%2C39"/><br/><br/><p><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/mcgill-university" target="_blank">McGill University</a> is often hailed as one of Canada's academic heavyweights, but on a new <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/university-ranking" target="_blank">global ranking of top universities</a>, the Montreal institution found itself a little further down the list than many might expect.</p><p><a href="https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings" target="_blank">U.S. News & World Report</a> just released its 2025–2026 Best Global Universities ranking, which evaluated 2,250 schools across 105 countries. The annual report looks at 13 performance indicators — including research output, international collaboration, global reputation, and publication influence — to highlight top-performing institutions around the world.</p><p>According to the ranking, McGill came in at #62 globally, making it the third-highest ranked university in Canada. While that's still an impressive showing, it places the Montreal school well behind a couple of its Canadian peers.</p><p>The University of Toronto landed at #16, cracking the global top 20, while the University of British Columbia came in at #41. Both outpaced McGill by a noticeable margin, especially when it comes to international research strength and global academic reputation.</p><p>McGill did, however, post solid rankings in several specialized areas. It scored especially high in neuroscience and behaviour (#16), public, environmental and occupational health (#45), radiology and medical imaging (#23), and psychiatry/psychology (#36). It also placed within the top 100 worldwide in fields like clinical medicine, ecology, and genetics.</p><p>Other programs, however, saw the school land further down the list — including economics and business (#207), education (#77), and computer science (#140). <a href="https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/mcgill-university-499986#uniData" target="_blank">McGill's overall score</a> was 74.3 out of 100, according to U.S. News.</p><p>The Best Global Universities ranking is designed primarily for students considering international study, offering a broad look at how schools compare on the world stage, beyond national rankings or undergrad experience. It's worth noting that these rankings focus on research and academic impact, not things like campus life or tuition costs.</p><p>You can browse the full 2025–2026 report on <a href="https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. News' website</a>.</p><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p><p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p>
