P.K. Subban Journal de Montréal
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Journal de Montréal is shaming P.K. Subban for raising only $6.3M for the Children’s Hospital

by Lorraine Carpenter

Today’s cover story is an “investigative” exposé accusing the former Habs star of intentionally misleading the public about the $10-million donation announced in 2015.

Former Habs star P.K. Subban is being taken to task in today’s Journal de Montréal cover story for falling short of his $10-million donation to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation — and shaming him (as well as the foundation) for calling it a donation in the first place, when it was technically a fundraising effort and not his own money.

Subban, who was in town last week for a tribute by the Canadiens at the Bell Centre following his retirement from pro hockey, is revered in the city for his donation and involvement with the Children’s Hospital, which was announced in 2015. Journal‘s supposed 10-day “investigation” apparently elicited an “admission” from Subban’s foundation yesterday that only $6.3-million was raised for the hospital so far. Subban initially pledged to raise the money over a seven-year period, but according to a Metro report, this period has been extended to 2025 due to the interruption in fundraising efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reaction on social media to the Journal‘s cover story today has been negative. Several people joked that the Journal seems to think Subban wasn’t “the perfect immigrant” — referring to their cover story from last week that identified white, French-speaking immigrants as “perfect” — while two people who directly criticized the publication were blocked by Journal on Twitter.

The funds raised by Subban and his foundation are providing services to over 9,000 kids per year, including mental health support for suicidal teens, medical equipment, financial assistance for families, free meals, books for babies, free TV and internet access and summer activity programs.

P.K. Subban has so far raised $6.3-million for the Children’s Hospital, and that’s not good enough for the Journal de Montréal.

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by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.