Just saw this thread. John, where was that church located? St Catherine St?

There was the Yellow Door which housed (I think) an office for Americans to get help regarding getting settled in Canada until the Vietnam War was over.

In the early 1960s jazz clubs were hubs for people disenchanted with some things.

The Aylmer Street area was a focus. The drugs of choice were grass and oil. I don't know that through personal experience; some friends told me about it.

The Penelope was mostly a bar, but there were other establishments very near-by that attracted some 'heavier' folks.

Old Montreal housed some art galleries and lofts that were party areas, but the discussions were very anti-establishment.

Too, that was a time when there was very much ethnic movement around the city. When there is unrest, it crosses cultures and languages.

In the late 1960s there was a club called Johnny's Hideaway. Second and third floors of a building near the corner of Aylmer and Sherbrooke. Many of the clients spoke as though they were involved in efforts to 'free Quebec'. I know that some folks there carried friends, and possession of a knife didn't disqualify a person from having a beer or wine to enjoy in the ambiance of the rooms.

Bob will have lots to add, and I'll get in touch with a few folks from back in the day and see what they recall.