This week on Focus Montreal: Sept. 10

Focus Montreal introduces Montrealers to people who are shaping our community, bringing their stories into focus.

It airs on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and at midnight.

Take a look at who we’re meeting this week on Focus Montreal:

6:09 Focus Montreal: AMOS-6 communications satellite

AMOS-6 and the Montreal connection

We begin with a little-known Montreal connection to a news story heard across the globe: the explosion of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in Cape Canaveral.

The unmanned rocket went up in smoke during a routine engine test ahead of a planned Sept. 3 launch of the AMOS-6 communications satellite.

AMOS-6 was also destroyed in the blast – along with its entire communications payload – a $100-million project spearheaded by staff at MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.(MDA) in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

Joanna Boshouwers, MDA vice-president and general manager, joins senior anchor Jamie Orchard to explain what it all means.

7:50 Focus Montreal: EMSB launches new campaign

EMSB launches new campaign

Wednesday, Aug. 31 was the first day of school for thousands of English-speaking students and for the English Montreal School Board (EMSB), it was also the perfect opportunity to launch their brand new bilingual campaign.

And while their French-only promotional signs caused a bit of controversy, the message was not lost in translation.

The aim of the new promo is to show that the EMSB not only provides exceptional English education, it prides itself on teaching excellent French as well.

EMSB chairperson Angela Mancini dropped by Focus Montreal earlier this week to discuss the new campaign.

6:30 Focus Montreal: Burkini social experiment

Burkini social experiment goes viral

The burkini made headlines around the world when it was banned in France this summer.

By late August, the ban was suspended by that country’s highest court  but only after images of French police forcing women to uncover themselves on the beach made it around the world.

Now a local YouTuber, known as Davison, is weighing in on the debate with an interesting social experiment.

A video posted by Davison shows women trying on a burkini for the first time.

So far, 80,000 people have watched the video.

And while the models’ overall perception of the burkini was positive, some of the comments were not.

Davison, the woman behind the social experiment, was in Focus Montreal studios to talk about her project.