After nearly 110 years of treating some of Montreal’s poorest patients — including the homeless and drug addicts — St-Luc Hospital closed for good on Sunday. All of St-Luc’s 113 patients were transferred to Canada’s newest and most modern hospital next door, the $2-billion Nouveau CHUM on St-Denis St. at Viger Ave. Each patient was assigned a private room with a floor-to-ceiling window. More than 600 CHUM employees, 30 volunteers and a crew of 100 from Health Care Relocations took part in Sunday’s move.

Valérie Plante vows to cut millions spent on Coderre’s “whims”

Valérie Plante says that if she is elected mayor of Montreal, she won’t need to raise taxes to balance the budget, since her administration can already see $35 million in unnecessary expenses the city has accrued at the “whim” of her opponent, Denis Coderre. Plante said a Projet Montréal administration would start by cutting $21 million in extra employees and contracts hired in connection with the city’s 375th birthday celebrations. Next her administration would save $10 million by renegotiating the deal by which the city obtained the Formula E race and by moving the event to the Gilles-Villeneuve race track.

With three games left in season, Alouettes officially eliminated from playoff contention

The inevitable end came Monday afternoon. At least it occurred at home, in familiar surroundings, while family and friends sat at the bedside of the patient. It was, somewhat tragically, the perfect setting for a funeral; it rained throughout most of the day at Molson Stadium, and while the air was warm for this time of year, a bitter wind from the south made it seem colder.

The patient, of course, has been on life support most of the season — this now infamous Alouettes eight-game losing streak began Aug. 19, at Toronto. History will note the official time of death came at 4:54 p.m., when the final gun was fired; Montreal’s 42-24 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos officially eliminating the team from Canadian Football League playoff contention for a third consecutive season, something that hasn’t happened to this franchise in nearly 50 years.