Montreal Str*ppers Planning Massive Strike During F1 Canadian Grand Prix Weekend

The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the busiest weekends in Montreal’s sporting calendar, a time when millions of dollars are poured into the local economy. Scheduled for the upcoming week, the race on May 24, the city’s exotic dancers are pursuing a walkout that would stagnate the local massage parlors and str*p clubs’ money-making chances.

In Montreal and much of Canada, str*ppers aren’t paid a salary and depend on tips and private dances. As unsalaried, self-employed workers, these dancers don’t have access to the same protections as workers in other professions. They face several struggles, including loss of pay while being sick and inaccessible s*xual harassment reporting.

Ivy, who dances in one of the clubs in the city, said that she suffered an injury during one night at the workplace. She also told the Montreal Gazette that these injuries are common in str*p clubs where the floors are slippery and walking in high heels on uneven floors leads to accidents. According to the provincial labor rules, she should be entitled to have a pay, but she wasn’t.

And they are demanding change. The Montreal Grand Prix invites more than 330,000 spectators every other year with a serious influx of fans from Latin America, Europe, and the United States of America. It pours more than $185 million into the city’s economy, and the workers doing a walkout would make a palpable difference.

In an interview with the Gazette, Francine Tremblay, a former str*pper who left the industry in 1988, said that this strike would be noticed as it’s “when the bars make their money.” She added that, “If they decide to walk out, the bosses will freak out.”

The walkout is scheduled by the Comité autonome du travail du s*xe (CATS), an organization started for the welfare of s*x workers.

Montreal strippers plan walkout for F1 weekend https://t.co/hvvFZZSd6Z pic.twitter.com/kXfXzCU8lv

— Montreal Gazette (@mtlgazette) May 14, 2026

The Habs may add more logistical challenges for the Canadian Grand Prix

The Montreal Canadiens, the most successful franchise in the National Hockey League with titles, are once again a contender. The Canadiens are currently leading the series against the Buffalo Sabres, after a high-scoring win to go 3-2. The winners of this series will advance to the Eastern Conference Final, scheduled to start from either May 19 or May 21.

If the Canadiens win tomorrow, they clinch the series in six games, and the ECF will start on Tuesday. If there’s a Game 7, ECF will start on Thursday. In case the Habs win the semi-final series against the Sabres in six games, there will be a game on the 23rd in Montreal after two away matches in Raleigh. If the win comes in the seventh game, the match on the 23rd will be in Raleigh.

Though this is a situational probability right now, Formula One is taking the possibility of two major events in Montreal seriously. The Canadian Grand Prix spokesperson Sandrine Garneau acknowledged that having both events in Montreal at the same time would provide logistical difficulties, for which organizers are already preparing.

Earlier, the Canadian Grand Prix was shifted to an earlier slot in the yearly calendar. The Montreal race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is much closer to the Miami Grand Prix, from mid-June to May 24, in an effort to minimize travel and environmental impact.

The Mercedes team has been in stellar superiority this season, heading into the fifth race as the clear favorites. After George Russell took home the first race, the young Italian Kimi Antonelli won the Shanghai, Suzuka, and Miami races.

If Russell or Antonelli clinches the crown next Sunday, Mercedes will once again have a consecutive Canadian Grand Prix win since Lewis Hamilton went three straight titles from 2015 to 2017. Additionally, Antonelli could also become the first Italian to win here in over four decades.

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