Smoke bombs paralyze Montreal metro network

Smoke bombs at multiple stations brought Montreal’s Metro network to a standstill on Thursday morning.

CTV News reports that the STM notified commuters at 8am of trouble on the orange line and eventually closed the entire network. Full service returned about two and a half hours later. In the meantime, the transit agencies that serve Montreal, rearranged for more buses to bring commuters into town.

Three of the four suspects have been identified by the arson squad. La Presse reported on Friday morning that the three are students at UQAM and that they are members of a more radical wing of the CLASSE.

Also on Thursday, CTV News reports that CLASSE delegates have rejected the deal reached with the government late last week. Spokesman Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said the group is ready to return to the bargaining table with the government as soon as possible.

The FEUQ will hold their vote on Friday while the FECQ have not announced when they would vote.

Flickr photo by: (Guerrilla Features/Jason Tester)