Calling at TVNZ, TV3, ABC & SBS reporters...

The province of Quebec is the only place in the world where leases end on
the same date: June 30. This uncommon practice was introduced in 1973, when
a provincial law that made July 1st the annual moving day was created. To a
lot of observers, the exact reason might be nebulous; and it might even be
considered weird for people outside of Quebec.

Particularly, in Montreal, since three-quarters of residents are tenants,
the volume of people moving can be somewhat impressive and even creates
quite a mob, which leaves sociologists puzzled. In some popular Montreal
neighbourhoods, up to one tenant out of two will move on that day. In fact,
according to Danielle Dionne, spokesperson for the city of Montreal, more
than half of the city population has moved in the past five years.

For the moving industry, July 1st is a godsend. It is quite common to see
moving fees double and even triple around this time. A distant cousin with a
pick-up truck can be quite appreciated!

The phenomenon is so unique that foreign filming teams often come to
Montreal to cover this spectacle.