Author name: The Suburban

Westmount council presents major development plan in public Town Hall

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

The proposed redevelopment of Westmount’s southeast sector continues to stir controversy for some of the city’s residents. Knowing that last week’s public consultation evening to inform residents of the latest version of the Southeast Special Planning Program would draw more people than council chambers could hold, council held the event at Victoria Hall.

Mayor Christina Smith and her Urban Planning team repeated several times throughout the meeting that the proposal is just that, a vision rather than a concrete plan.

“What we will present this evening is not a construction project,” Smith said, “it is not building applications. It’s a roadmap. It’s a planning tool that will help guide the future development of this area while respecting its architectural and heritage identity.”

The new version was prepared by Lemay Architects last month. It addressed concerns about density. The original proposal called for a 25-storey tower at the south-west corner of Ste. Catherine and Atwater, next to the Atwater Library. The new proposal now calls for just 20 storeys with three more towers further along Ste. Catherine.

The new proposal also calls for the use of podiums in the construction of new towers, which would mean the buildings could be set further back from the street.

“What can we do,” Smith asked, “to ensure that younger generations can continue living in our city? What solutions can we offer our growing number of seniors residents who want to continue living in our city in suitable accommodations?”

Jessica Winton, a recent graduate of Concordia University’s Urban Planning program, said she appreciates the new proposal’s improvements over the original, but expressed concern about affordable housing.

Westmount Urban Planning Director Frédéric Neault responded that the proposal will increase housing, adapt existing standards in terms of dwelling size from 700 square feet to 550 square feet – “the equivalent of a one-room apartment.”

The proposal is supposed to go to a vote on September 8. Former Westmount Mayor Karin Marks called on council to hold off on the vote until after the next election, asking that the vote not be rushed, but be handed over to the next council “to complete the project.”

Resident James Murphy supports the plan, referring to the area in question as “the blight in Southeast Westmount.” He praised the mayor for taking community feedback into account with the new version of the plan, saying “I think we’re at the point, now, we just need to move forward, do it as soon as possible so that we can start welcoming the new neighbours and the new businesses that can bring that area to life.” n

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Woman’s death after plastic surgery ruled “preventable”

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

The death of a woman who had gone into a private Westmount clinic for elective cosmetic surgery was “preventable,” says a Quebec coroner.

“Actions were performed by unauthorized personnel,” the coroner’s report said. “Some alarms were deactivated or not heard.”

The woman, whose identity is protected throughout the coroner’s report, was from Mirabel. She went into surgery on November 1, 2022. She died 12 days later of severe cerebral anoxia, meaning her brain had been deprived of oxygen. According to the Bureau du coroner, the procedure was supposed to have been done under local anesthesia with minimal sedation, but the woman was put into “deeper sedation.”

The surgeon, Dr. Sandra McGill, is also the owner of the clinic where the surgery took place, Espace MD. Her assisting team included a respiratory therapist and three nurses.

Coroner Karine Spénard noted in her report that sufentanil, a synthetic opioid seven to 10 times stronger than fentanyl, had been administered. “I questioned the protocol applicable to the cosmetic surgery clinic regarding the use of this substance,” Spénard wrote in her report. “According to the surgeon, she did not authorize the use of sufentanil and was not informed of it.”

The surgery – liposuction, fat transfer, and scar revision – began 5:10 p.m. on November 1. Half an hour later, toward the end of the procedure, the respiratory therapist told McGill he could not get a reading on the oximeter. The patient’s hands were pale and cold. McGill, noting that the patient’s heart rate had slowed, instructed that she be intubated and put on medication.

The clinic’s anesthesiologist, who had already left for the day, was called to come back around 6:30 p.m. He returned at 7:00 and was told that the patient had suffered “a hypoxic and bradycardic event while under local anesthesia and sedation.”

The patient was transferred to the Montreal General Hospital where she was admitted to intensive care where she was diagnosed with “bilateral and symmetrical cerebral edema, consistent with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.” Her condition deteriorated over the following days. Her family agreed that it was time to take her off life support. She died on November 13.

Spénard noted in her report that the respiratory therapist was not registered with the Ordre professionnel des inhalothérapeutes du Québec at the time. “A disciplinary hearing was held in 2024, at the end of which the respiratory therapist pleaded guilty to the offences with which she was charged.”

McGill pleaded guilty to two professional charges. The Collège des médecins du Québec is still investigating. n

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Montreal’s Canada Day parade cancelled again

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

For the second year in a row, Montreal will not have a Canada Day parade.

Organizer Nicholas Cowen announced that the parade is off, with just over ten days to go before July 1, “due to ongoing planning disruptions, strained relations with city departments, and unresolved challenges stemming from municipal worker strikes.”

City officials blame Cowen for the cancellation, saying that this is the second year in a row that Cowen allegedly did not submit a project application, even though the city had encouraged him to do so several times.

This seems like a repeat of last year’s cancellation, also announced with less than ten days to go in June of 2024. Cowen complained, at the time, that dealing with the city proved too difficult, even the year before. City officials had the same response last year as they did this week, that Cowen did not put in a request for a permit.

The Montreal Canada Parade is less than 50 years old. The first was organized in 1978 by Dr. Roopnarine Singh, who died in 2022 at the age of 86. Singh, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago was said to have been appalled that there was no formal recognition of Canada’s birthday. Although his parade had humble beginnings, his efforts to get an annual parade running earned him the nickname Mr. Canada.

Cowen cites “disruptions” including “municipal worker strikes.Disruptions have increased over time, particularly after the reopening of large-scale events following the COVID-19 pandemic. These interruptions have only grown more unpredictable and difficult to navigate. While the Mayor’s Office had previously assured the organizers that these issues would be resolved, no meaningful or lasting solution has been implemented. With its cancellation not only does the city lose a major tourism draw, but Canadian culture itself takes a hit on one of the most important national holidays.”

The parade had also been cancelled in 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, according to what Cowen said that time, insufficient sponsorship. n

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Montreal appoints director of its Bureau de la langue française

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

The City of Montreal has appointed a director of its newly-created Bureau de la langue française. The bureau was created last February on a recommendation by the city’s French Language Committee, under the leadership of Louise Harel, former interim PQ leader.

The new director Aurélie Arnaud has held key positions within the City of Montreal since 2016, including Indigenous reconciliation, ecological transition, transportation, and of course the promotion of the French language. She has been involved in the linguistic file since 2017, drafting the very first Action Plan for the Promotion of the French Language, successfully obtaining francization certificates in all boroughs.

Arnaud’s appointment “marks an important step in fulfilling our commitment to making French a living, inclusive language that is fully anchored in Montreal life,” says Caroline Bourgeois, Executive Committee member responsible for the French language. “As a Francophone metropolis of the Americas, we have a responsibility to be exemplary and promote our language in all spheres of municipal life. This Office will play a central role in supporting our services and strengthening our collective action in favor of the French language.”

Arnaud’s role will be to support municipal services in the implementation of actions aimed at promoting, enhancing, and protecting the French language throughout Montreal.

The Bureau’s mission, according to the City, “is to strengthen the use of French in the City’s services and activities, in line with the recommendations of the French Language Committee, in addition to accelerating the City’s transition to exemplary behavior and the implementation of the new provisions of the Charter since the adoption of the Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French. It also manages funding agreements with the Ministry of the French Language, particularly through the Program for the Promotion and Valorization of the French Language.

Arnaud will oversee the implementation of the City’s next Action Plan for the Promotion of the French Language, mobilize municipal departments around common objectives, monitor commitments made, and lead concrete initiatives to support the presence and vitality of French in communications, services, and administrative practices. She will also play a key role in establishing strategic partnerships, ensuring accountability, and promoting the City’s actions to the public and partner institutions.

Her appointment, the press release reads, is part of the city’s desire to make French a lever for social cohesion, inclusion, and collective pride, while affirming its role as a French-speaking metropolis of the Americas.

The creation of the bureau has its critics, those who question its need, given that the provincial language laws already apply to the city. As Andrew Cadell of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy told The Suburban in February, it will come down to how the new Bureau applies that law. The hope, he said, is that the office will offer the non-Francophone community some flexibility. n

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St. Laurent company’s complaint prompts China probe

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By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The St. Laurent company Media Cash Register Inc. was one of several complainants prompting a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) probe into the “alleged dumping and subsidizing of thermal paper rolls from China,” the agency announced.

The St. Laurent firm, founded in 1980, is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of point-of-sale paper rolls in North America.

The CBSA says it is looking into whether the thermal paper rolls originating in or being exported from China are “being sold at unfair prices and/or subsidized. Thermal paper is used in such devices as adding machines, cash registers, credit card terminals and portable printers.

“These practices can harm Canadian industries by undercutting Canadian prices, which undermines fair competition,” the agency stated.

The other complainants were McDermid Paper Converters Limited of Markham, Ontario and Custom Paper Ltd. of Richmond, B.C..

“The complainants allege that as a result of an increase in the volume of the dumped and subsidized imports from China, they have suffered material injury in the form of lost sales and market share, price undercutting, reduced capacity utilization, price depression and suppression, losses of profitability, and negative impacts on employment, wages, and investments,” the CBSA says.

The CBSA added that it and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) “both play a role in the investigations.The CITT will begin a preliminary inquiry to determine whether the imports are harming Canadian producers and will issue a decision by August 11, 2025. Concurrently, the CBSA will investigate whether the imports are being sold in Canada at unfair prices and/or are being subsidized, and will make preliminary decisions by September 10, 2025.”

The agency added that there are “158 special import measures in force in Canada, covering a wide variety of industrial and consumer products. These measures have directly helped to protect approximately 31,000 Canadian jobs and $11.6 billion in Canadian production.” n

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Sharp rise in attempted murders and assaults in WE and WI

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Crimes against individuals greatly increased in the areas served by the western sector of the SPVM, including the West Island and the west end, says the recently released SPVM 2024 annual report.

As a whole, for the entire island, the report said that firearm crimes decreased by 19 percent from 2023, and by 47 percent from 2021. Thefts of vehicles decreased by 25 percent compared to 2023 — some west end councils have warned owners of Japanese SUVs to be especially vigilant.

“The upward trend in many crimes against persons, seen in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada before the pandemic, continued in 2024,” the report points out. “In Montreal, the number of crimes against persons reported in 2024 increased by 7.3% compared to 2023 and by 27.8% compared to the average for the last five years.”

The report says that, overall, Criminal Code offences increased by 3.4 percent, while crimes against property “remained stable.” The Suburban has reported in recent years about numerous incidents of arson at businesses and of vehicles, including in parking lots and at private homes.

The western sector of the SPVM covers Station 1 (Baie-D’Urfé, Beaconsfield, Kirkland, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Senneville), Station 3 (Île Bizard, Pierrefonds, Ste. Geneviève, Roxboro), Station 4 (Dollard des Ormeaux), Station 5 (Dorval, Dorval Island, Pointe Claire), Station 7 (St. Laurent), Station 8 (Lachine, St. Pierre), Station 9 (Côte St. Luc, Hampstead, Montreal West, NDG), Station 13 (LaSalle), Station 26 (Côte des Neiges, Town of Mount Royal, Outremont), and Station 55 (Trudeau Airport).

As a whole for the western sector, crime against people increased from 8,294 in 2023 to 8,804 in 2024. Murders decreased from seven to six, and in 2024, they occurred in DDO (one), St. Laurent (one), Lachine (three), and LaSalle (one). There was one offence resulting in death in 2024, taking place in the Station 26 area.

Attempted murders increased significantly from 19 in 2023 to 32 last year in the western sector. The most, eight, took place in the Lachine area, followed by six in the Station 26 area, five each in Dollard and St. Laurent, and four in the Station 9 area.

The bulk of the crimes against people in the western sector was assaults, with 4,988 taking place in 2024 compared to 4,808 in 2023. The highest number of these took place in the Station 26 area (1,233), with 718 taking place in the Station 9 area. As well, 565 sexual assaults took place in the western sector in 2024, compared to 539 the year before. The highest number of these (111) took place in the Station 26 area, followed by 95 in St. Laurent, 84 in LaSalle and 66 in the Station 9 area.

There were 846 robberies in the western sector in 2024, compared to 753 the year before. The highest number of these (200) took place in the Station 26 area, followed by 121 in the area covered by Station 9.

There were 2,366 other offences in the western sector in 2024, compared to 2,168 in 223. The highest number of these by far was 561 in the Station 26 area, followed by 347 in the Station 9 area.

In other categories, crimes against property amounted to 15,943 in the western sector in 2024, compared to 16,866 in 2023, a significant decrease. The highest number of such crimes were instances of petty larceny. As mentioned above, The Suburban has reported on several instances of arson, and 26 of those took place in St. Laurent followed by 21 in the Station 9 area. n

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Canadian Party of Quebec launches 2026 campaign in Pointe Claire

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By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The Canadian Party of Quebec (CPQ) opened its 2026 campaign on Saturday with a policy forum and candidate recruitment event at the DoubleTree Hilton in Pointe-Claire. About 50 attendees gathered as party officials outlined their positions on education, health care, economic management, and minority rights, framing the CPQ as a federalist, centrist alternative in Quebec’s political landscape.

“We’re really excited to get the core of the party together for the first time at this convention,” CPQ party leader Joseph Cianflone said to The Suburban. “We launched the CPQ heading into the last election on a tight timeline, and now we’re building core teams and refining our platform priorities for the year ahead.”

Cianflone positioned the party’s core values as “economic market centrism and a centrist tone on social matters.” He added, “We want to make it clear where we stand, and that’s about practical solutions for Quebecers, not ideology.”

Education and health care dominated the day’s discussions. Cianflone pointed to what he described as the “collapse of the education system” as his personal motivation for entering politics. “I have four francophone stepchildren, so I’ve seen firsthand the challenges at the elementary and secondary levels,” he said. “We want to give families the freedom to choose French or English education without bureaucratic hurdles. That means eliminating the need for a certificate of eligibility and removing extra French course requirements for anglophone CEGEP students.”

He also spoke about the party’s aim to revisit university tuition fees for out-of-province and international students, and to align fees for students from France and Belgium with those paid by other international students. “It’s about fairness and making Quebec accessible,” Cianflone explained.

On health care, Cianflone was blunt about what he sees as the failures of the current system. “As part of the sandwich generation, I’ve watched the health care system fail both my elders and my kids,” he explained to The Suburban. “We under-resource training programs for doctors and nurses, and we’re trying to fix system-wide problems with human processes, when technology and workforce expansion are what’s really needed.”

He outlined the CPQ’s proposal to redirect the Santé Québec budget toward hospital infrastructure and to focus on recruiting new hires—including family doctors, specialists, nurses, and lab technicians. “We need to fast-track the recognition of health care credentials from other countries. Quebec is missing out on qualified professionals because of bureaucratic delays,” he said.

Cianflone also addressed the need for federal-provincial collaboration on health care. “Right now, in Canada, we have 13 isolated data pools and purchasing programs. It’s inefficient and drives up costs. If we could integrate systems, get hospitals off fax machines, and use data-driven technology, the federal government would be more willing to come to the table,” he explained. “We need to get serious about modernization.”

Myrtis Fossey, the CPQ’s deputy leader and health critic, also spoke to The Suburban about the party’s health care strategy. “One of my personal goals is the ability for a student trained in Manitoba to be able to work anywhere in Canada,” Fossey said to The Suburban. “We should loosen cross-border provincial restrictions so that health professionals can move where they’re needed and have their credentials recognized more easily. It’s not just about filling jobs. It’s about giving professionals the chance to grow and train in different environments.”

Fossey, a clinician with experience in both public and private sectors, addressed the ongoing debate over public versus private health care delivery. “Rather than pit private and public against each other, we want unified approaches and real collaboration. I’ve seen problems in the public system that private resources could help solve, and vice versa. We shouldn’t vilify either side,” she said.

She called for a more patient-centred system. “We need to move away from one-size-fits-all models. Instead, let’s look at the whole lifespan of a patient—what do they need at different stages, whether it’s physiotherapy, psychology, dentistry, or occupational therapy? Insurance coverage should reflect individual needs, not arbitrary caps,” Fossey argues.

“We also need to see more leadership from professionals who actually provide care, not just administrators or bureaucrats. Right now, decisions are being made by people far removed from the realities on the ground,” she explained The Suburban. “Patient care should be directed by those who understand the specific needs of local communities.”

The CPQ’s platform also proposes eliminating government spending on major sporting events and redirecting any surplus to the Provincial Generational Fund to reduce public debt. The party is calling for the abolition of Revenue Quebec in favour of having the Canada Revenue Agency handle tax collection, as is done in other provinces.

On language laws, the CPQ has taken a clear stance against Bill 96, which expanded French language requirements in public services, education, and business. The party is critical of the Quebec government’s use of the notwithstanding clause to shield Bill 96 from constitutional challenges and judicial review, describing it as a move that limits the rights of English-speaking Quebecers and other minorities.

On minority and language rights more broadly, the party states it would make all government services available in both French and English. The platform also opposes restrictions on wearing religious symbols in public-sector positions, a direct contrast to Quebec’s Bill 21. The CPQ has also called for broader representation of anglophone, allophone, and Indigenous communities within the provincial civil service.

Several prospective candidates were introduced at the event, including Audrey Baillairge, Will Twolan, Jonathan Gray, and Fossey. The CPQ has opened its nomination process for the 2026 election, with requirements including party membership, community engagement, bilingual communication skills, and collection of 175 signatures from voters in each riding.

Canadian Party of Quebec launches 2026 campaign in Pointe Claire Read More »

Strangers in the Night kicked off summer 2025 with Beach Boys beats

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The sky over Pointe-Claire still carried the last blush of daylight when the first notes rang out beneath the white sweep of tents. For twenty years, Strangers in the Night has been the West Island’s unofficial summer jammer. It is a night that gathers everyone, from lifelong locals to new arrivals, and lets them forget routine in favour of music, food, and a cause that matters.

This year, you could sense the organizers’ intention to push it further right from the start. The usual energy was there, but everything seemed to hum just a little brighter—maybe it was the build-up from the VIP kickoff event earlier in the year, a first for SITN, that primed the community for something bigger. That night at 40 Westt had set the tone: leaders from every corner of Montreal, a palpable sense of anticipation, and the sort of early momentum that carries through to the main event.

Back at the gala, the grounds felt transformed. Over eighty of the city’s best restaurants circled the event, each booth offering a different take on summer—from flame-grilled skewers and sushi rolls to decadent pastries disappearing two at a time. Attendees drifted between tables, swapping bites and stories, debating which dish deserved to be crowned the best of the night. SITN now resembles a food festival as much as a charity gala, with a culinary lineup that’s become a centrepiece in its own right.

Philanthropist Nadia Saputo’s VIP section was impossible to miss; a masterclass in summer elegance. Her tent glowed in crisp yellow and white, decked out with palm trees, glowing string lights, and just the right splash of playful beach balls rolling between tables. The effect was a private paradise within the party, equal parts sophistication and pure, unfiltered fun. “I chose a summer theme to go with the Beach Boys vibe,” Saputo told The Suburban, and her vision was everywhere you looked, there were guests lingering under the lights, cocktails in hand, as the last daylight faded and the music built toward its peak.

Once the crowd had eaten their fill, the attention shifted to the main stage. The Beach Boys walked out to a roar, and for the next hour, Pointe-Claire could have been mistaken for a beach town on the Pacific — every chorus of Good Vibrations and Surfin’ USA met with arms in the air and strangers harmonizing like old friends. The show carried a touch of poignancy, too, as the band played on in the wake of a recent loss — one of the Beach Boys’ own, Brian Wilson, remembered in the music and the mood of the crowd. Meanwhile, the Ultra VIP beach party offered a different rhythm. Exodus brought Bob Marley’s warmth and ease, the sand crowd swayed with every reggae beat, and the night took on that unmistakable SITN glow. The Damn Truth and Ford Miller Band kept the tempo rolling, making sure this year’s anniversary never lost its edge.

The real story always comes back to the giving. SITN is a party, but it’s a party with purpose. This year, instead of a silent auction, organizers went live. Midway through the night, Sophie Lalonde stepped onto the stage on behalf of Kat Beaulieu, delivering a message that cut right through the music and chatter: Kat was personally pledging $50,000 to the event’s causes, and she was challenging everyone in the room to do the same. You could feel the air shift — people leaned in, conversations turned from small talk to genuine plans about stepping up. That’s the hallmark of SITN: the ability to turn a crowd into a movement, and a night out into a catalyst for change.

If collective generosity needed a little extra spark, the champagne glass draw took care of it. Every guest who bought a flute had a shot at a $5,000 diamond. Glasses clinked and anticipation built. When the winner was announced, the celebration was a shared one-a moment that perfectly blended fun and philanthropy, and left people talking long after the music faded.

The heart of SITN has always been the causes it champions. This year’s proceeds, a total of $300,000, are fueling the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation’s $2 million pavilion campaign, giving hope to families across the city. The Make-A-Wish Foundation, with more than 1,200 children waiting for their dreams to come true, is seeing renewed support. The West Island Women’s Shelter continues its vital work, supported by a community that refuses to look away. Corporate sponsors showed up strong: Rolf C. Hagen Group leading as presenting sponsor, Air Canada marking a milestone 15 years, Genesis West Island and Gabriel Groupe joining a who’s who of local backers.

Twenty years in, Strangers in the Night is more than a fundraiser. It’s a West Island tradition-a proof that when this community gathers, it does more than celebrate. It creates momentum, raises the bar, and makes a difference that lasts far beyond a single summer night. As the tents come down and the music echoes away, the spark lingers-and you know, without question, that they’ll push it even further next year. n

Strangers in the Night kicked off summer 2025 with Beach Boys beats Read More »

Fifth suspected femicide in five weeks

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By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Quebec provincial police (SQ) are investigating what appears to be the fifth suspected femicide in as many weeks.

Officers responded early Tuesday last week to Parc des Ancres in Pointe-des-Cascades, where they found Francis Legault, 38, dead.

After confirming his identity, the officers went to his residence on Pie-XII Street in Vaudreuil-Dorion. Inside, they found Joanie Imbeault, 32, a mother of two, also dead.

Police stated that they believe Legault killed Imbeault before taking his own life.

Forensic and background checks are ongoing. The case is being handled as a murder-suicide linked to conjugal violence.

Advocates say the pace of suspected femicides in Quebec is alarming. SOS Violence Conjugale received 60,000 calls for help between April 2024 and March 2025. The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability counts more than two dozen suspected cases so far this year, most involving intimate partners.

SOS director Gabrielle Bouchard and Laval University law professor Julie Desrosiers say more prevention, faster intervention, and systemic change are needed to address gender-based violence in Quebec. n

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Lachine mourns drowned mother and son

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By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A wave of grief has swept through a Lachine neighbourhood following a devastating accident that claimed the lives of a 34-year-old mother and her three-year-old son last week.

Emergency crews rushed to a home near the corner of 20th Avenue and Provost Street responding to a call about two people found unresponsive in a residential pool. First responders arrived within minutes, but efforts to revive both the woman and her son were unsuccessful. Their deaths were confirmed at the scene.

Neighbours describe a sudden tragedy: the young boy, who did not know how to swim, ended up in the pool. His mother, in a desperate attempt to save her child, jumped in after him. She also could not swim. Within moments, both were submerged.

Police established a perimeter around the home while investigators tried to reconstruct the sequence of events. The incident was ruled an accident, and the file has been transferred to the Quebec coroner’s office for further review.

The Lachine neighbourhood is left reeling with the reminder of how quickly the ordinary can turn tragic.

Another recent tragedy involving a mother and child in Quebec waters occurred just days earlier, in the Mauricie region. A woman lost her life when the watercraft she was on capsized. A child who was with her was pulled from the water in critical condition.

Despite the efforts of first responders, the woman could not be saved. The child remains hospitalized in critical condition. The Quebec provincial police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Last summer, The Suburban reported on the story of Catherine Couture from Coteaux-du-Lac, whose toddler nearly drowned after slipping back into the pool during a family lunch break. In a matter of seconds, what should have been an ordinary afternoon nearly turned tragic. Fortunately, her daughter survived. Like many parents who have faced similar scares, Couture chose to share her experience publicly, hoping to remind others how quickly drowning can happen—even when adults are nearby. n

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Police seek public’s help in Claire Bell’s disappearance

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By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

June 18 at 2:30 PM UPDATE

The communities from Lasalle to Casselman Ontario are on edge, holding out hope for the safe return of Claire Bell, missing since Sunday June 15.

Authorities confirmed on Wednesday morning that Claire was seen alive with her mother in Casselman Ontario hours after they left their Lasalle home at 9:45 a.m. Sunday.

Claire’s mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, left her phone at home when she left with her daughter on a six-hour trajectory which police were not able to map out using geolocation. Instead, investigators have relied on alternative methods.

What is clear is that Todd entered a souvenir shop at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday not wearing shoes and had visible scratch marks on her legs. There, she told an employee that she did not know where she lost her daughter.

Todd has been in police custody since she reported her daughter missing at the gift shop. Police have been conducting air and ground searches without pause since Sunday afternoon.

______________________________________________________________

June 17 UPDATE

Quebec provincial police (SQ) are asking for the public’s assistance in finding Claire Bell, a three-year-old girl who was last seen in Montreal’s LaSalle borough.

Claire was last spotted on Saturday, June 14, at 11 a.m. near Newman Boulevard. According to police, the person caring for her at the time reported her missing on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Investigators believe Claire may now be in Coteau-du-Lac, in the Monteregie region, though her current whereabouts remain unknown.

Police have not issued an Amber Alert, stating that the situation does not meet the established criteria, but friends and family remain worried for her health and safety.

Claire is described as three feet tall, weighing about 35 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

The SQ released a video Monday afternoon stating that the last time Claire was seen by her mother was on Sunday at 9:45 a.m. in Lasalle. According to authorities – at 3 p.m., the mother presented herself at a store (in Coteaux du Lac) stating that she did not know where she lost her child.

Searches began immediately Sunday with multiple specialized units. Verifications were conducted at the Ontario-Quebec border, in Lasalle and in areas in between.

In a video shared to social media, SQ officer J-R Drolet, responded to the public question as to why there is no Amber Alert launched “The type of event that we are covering right now does not respond to the criteria for those types of alerts. We don’t have information at this time that leads us to believe that there is a kidnapping that represents an imminent danger for the child’s life. However, we have launched a media alert and we are counting on you (the public) to share that information across Quebec in order for as many people as possible to be alert and we are also asking persons living in proximity to this site (Coteaux du Lac) to be aware and observant of their surroundings,” the SQ agent stated.

SQ officer Drolet also said that the portrait is not clear at this time regarding the circumstances that led to the disappearance of the child in regards to the timeline communicated by the custodial parent.

The mother, 34-year old Rachel Todd, reported the child missing Sunday afternoon around 3:45 p.m. at a souvenir shop in Coteau-du-Lac. The mother told an employee that she lost her child and did not know where she was. The child was last seen in Lasalle at 9:45 a.m.

Earlier that day the mother posted a TikTok video, with the headline “I know more than you think” saying “You try that again and this is going to get ugly” while holding Claire in her arms. In the subtext, she wrote “Have you come up against a mother with nothing to lose?”. The video that circulated on social media has sent shockwaves through the community, concerned for the well being of little Claire. The SQ has not commented on the video. 

On Monday afternoon, a dog matching the description of Claire’s dog was found dead on the side of Highway 30. 

Police are searching for information about a grey 2007 Ford Escape with licence plate number K5O FVE. The vehicle has a “baby on board” sticker. Police are asking for the public to come forward with information if they saw the SUV between 9:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. Sunday.

On Tuesday, police confirmed that the mother has been arrested and charged with child abandonment. She will appear at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courthouse on Tuesday. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact 911 or the SQ confidential criminal information center at 1-800-659-4264.

Police seek public’s help in Claire Bell’s disappearance Read More »

Multi-force police sweep arrests 11 alleged major crime figures

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Montreal police (SPVM), working in tandem with Quebec Provincial Police (SQ), carried out a sweeping operation last Thursday that led to the arrest of 11 men believed to be central figures in Quebec’s criminal networks.

The result of a three-year investigation, the coordinated action dubbed Project Alliance targeted individuals connected to the Mafia, the Hells Angels, and criminal street gangs and focused on solving a series of murders and attempted murders that occurred between 2011 and 2021.

The raids unfolded across Montreal, Laval, Blainville, Shefford, Saint-Lazare, Repentigny, Quebec City, and Rosemère. Nearly 150 officers participated in the operation. Among those in custody are alleged high-ranking members of Montreal’s organized crime scene. Notably, Leonardo Rizzuto, 56, the son of former crime boss Vito Rizzuto, was apprehended. Another alleged leader, Stefano Sollecito, 57, was also arrested. The list of suspects includes Davide Barberio, 45, Michel Cliche, 54, Pietro D’Adamo, 54, Patrick Gilbert, 51, Daniele Guarna, 45, Richard Larivière, 57, Darius Perry, 27, Vito Salvaggio, 50, and Nicola Spagnolo, 50.

Five additional suspects remain wanted by police: Sacha Krolik, 56; Pierry Philogène, 38; Mario Sollecito, 54; Gianpietro Tiberio, 52; and Jean-Ismel Zéphir, 46. Authorities are urging anyone with information about their whereabouts to come forward.

Three of those arrested were taken into custody while already incarcerated on unrelated matters. All 11 suspects were detained on outstanding warrants, and police allege they played various roles-from masterminds to direct participants and collaborators-in a string of murders and attempted murders linked to organized crime over the past decade.

According to investigators, the suspects are connected not only to the traditional Mafia, but also to the Hells Angels and criminalized street gangs from other communities. Project Alliance was designed to untangle the web of alliances and rivalries that developed after the death of Vito Rizzuto and to address the instability that followed. No new search warrants were executed during the operation, as police had already secured key evidence in earlier phases of the investigation.

Police officials believe this operation will further destabilize criminal networks that have grown under various fractions in the absence of the unifying force that Vito Rizzuto once provided. The impact is expected to be significant, as the individuals arrested are alleged to have orchestrated or participated in some of the most serious violent crimes that occurred in Quebec in recent years.

For families of victims, the arrests may offer long-awaited answers and move several cold cases forward in the justice system. Officials emphasize that, while this is a major step, their work continues as they seek to bring the remaining suspects into custody and prevent further violence. n

Multi-force police sweep arrests 11 alleged major crime figures Read More »

Thousands of families unplug for screen-free challenge

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

In a bold move to tackle rising concerns over excessive screen time, thousands of Quebec families put down their phones, tablets, and remote controls recently for the annual 24-hour Family Break Challenge.

The initiative, organized during Mental Health Awareness Month, encouraged families to take a complete break from screens, TVs, computers, and mobile devices for a full day.

The challenge, now in its second year, was spearheaded by Carolanne Campeau, advisor on screen use risk prevention at Capsana. The initiative is supported by government funding aimed at raising awareness about the impact of screen time on mental health. Last year, 25,000 families participated, and organizers say this year’s numbers matched or even exceeded that tally.

Participants were provided with a comprehensive list of activity ideas to help fill the screen-free hours, rediscovering board games, outdoor adventures, and simple conversations. For many, the list was a gateway to forgotten pleasures, from family walks and picnics to reading, crafting, and playing backyard sports. “We want families to break the automatic reflex to reach for a device,” Campeau told The Suburban. “It’s about bringing intentionality back to how we use our screens.”

Many parents admitted the first few hours were tough. “It was hardest at the beginning,” one participant shared in a post-challenge survey. “But we found we had more time than we realized, suddenly, we were baking together, playing cards, and really talking.” Some families even reported the experience prompted deeper conversations and laughter that had been missing from their routines. Others said it gave their children a chance to discover hobbies that had taken a back seat to television and video games.

The initiative wrapped up with a survey asking families to report their usual screen habits. The results were striking, 85 percent of parents said they struggle to manage their children’s screen time, 86 percent found it difficult to put devices aside, and 90 percent expressed a strong desire to cut back. Most notably, 82 percent believed screen use negatively affects family life. Parents described the constant pull of notifications and the daily battles over when to put down the phone or turn off the TV. Some said they were surprised by just how much of their day revolved around screens, even for simple things like checking the weather or reading the news.

Organizers point out that screen time has become a public health concern, especially given the growing body of research linking excessive device use with anxiety, sleep issues, and social isolation in children and teens. Experts warn that unchecked screen use can lead to disrupted sleep patterns, lower academic performance, and strained family relationships. The Family Break Challenge aims to offer a practical, community-led solution to these growing problems, starting with a single day of disconnecting.

To motivate participation, a $5,000 Club Piscine gift certificate was offered as a prize. But for many families, the real reward was rediscovering the fun and connection that comes without a glowing screen. Parents reported that children were more engaged, siblings played together, and even household chores felt less burdensome when everyone pitched in.

“We hope this challenge will help families rethink their habits long after the 24 hours are up,” Campeau said. In the meantime, many families are already looking forward to making screen-free time a regular tradition. n

Thousands of families unplug for screen-free challenge Read More »

Montrealers mark Philippine Independence Day

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Sunday marked the 127th Filipino Independence Day. The Montreal community celebrated in Mackenzie King Park in the CDN-NDG borough on what turned out to be one of the nicest days of spring.

The day began with a parade through the borough, and a procession through the park. The main field was festooned with kiosks selling Filipino crafts, clothing, and food, with dancers and singers providing entertainment throughout the day.

Dario Boco, President of the Council of Canada Filipino Associations of Quebec (CCFAQ) opened festivities, recalling how the federal parliament passed a motion declaring June Filipino Heritage Month in 2018. Independence Day, he said, marks “the biggest battle fought by the Filipino people, the battle for sovereignty and self-determination.”

The Philippines declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898 becoming the first democratic republic in Asia.

“Here in Canada,” Boco said, “we also give special recognition to all Filipino Canadians who have shared their skills and talents with their adopted homeland.”

Darlington district councillor Stephanie Valenzuela addressed the crowd in both Tagalog and in English. “It’s such an honour, such a privilege to be with you all as your local representative, and also as a member of our Filipino community,” she said. “Growing up here in Cote des Neiges-NDG, Independence Day weekend was always something I looked forward to. It was always something that brought me closer to my roots as a Filipina growing up in Montreal, in Quebec, and Canada. And I’m so happy to see that twenty years later the CCFAQ is continuing this longstanding tradition of keeping the generations close to their heritage, to the pride of being Filipino.”

Mackenzie King Park is in the Snowdown district, which Valenzuela called the heart of the Filipino community in Montreal. Sonny Moroz represents the district. He tells The Suburban that he’s been a staunch supporter of the Filipino community since he started in council, and that the annual Independence Day celebration highlights “what makes Filipino culture in Montreal special.”

Ensemble Montreal leader and Montreal mayoral candidate Soraya Martinez Ferrada was called up on stage, as well. “We are proud to be who we are, where we come from,” she said. “We’re proud to be Montrealers, and that’s what makes this city so great.”

St. Laurent city councillor Aref Salem, former interim leader of Ensemble Montreal, spoke briefly, highlighting the executive and volunteers of the CCFAQ for building bridges with other communities. “The world lives in Cotes des Neiges,” he added.

CDN-NDG Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa thanked the community for sharing its culture. “We have the most important Filipino community here in Montreal. It’s here in Cotes des Neiges, and I’m really proud to be your representative. I also want to thank you for your strength,” she added. “We know it was a difficult year for the Filipino community all over Canada, and I want to commend your strength, your sense of community to be able to pass through those difficult times.” It was just weeks ago that the community gathered in the same park to remember the eleven victims of the attack at a Lapu Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver.

Liberal MP for Mount Royal Anthony Housefather was the Grand Marshall of the parade. He paid homage to the CDN-NDG borough, the first in Montreal to mark Filipino Heritage Month, where “the diversity and plurality of Montreal is always respected.” n

Montrealers mark Philippine Independence Day Read More »

Walmart Decarie store is fine despite sign confusion

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Walmart is not closing, just Francizing, Steeve Azoulay of Walmart Canada has confirmed to The Suburban.

In an emailed statement, Walmart said “Walmart Canada has been proud to operate in Québec for more than 30 years. We remain dedicated to being a responsible and respectful partner in every community where we operate, including our commitment to respecting the French language.”

Calls started coming into The Suburban office last week from people wondering what was happening at the Walmart Supercentre on Decarie Boulevard. The sign on the big blue awning that said “Supercentre Walmart” is gone, which had people wondering whether the store is set to close.

There had even been reports on social media, complete with pictures, of empty store shelves further raising concern in the community that the store was packing up and moving on. The Suburban’s Mike Cohen had gone to the Decarie location to investigate. Sources suggested that the rumour of empty store shelves was actually a falsehood; the pictures were apparently of the store shelves at the Toys r Us store next door (earlier this year several Toys r Us stores closed across the country).

Last Wednesday the parking lot at the Decarie location and the store itself were both busy, and the shelves inside abundant. The signs at the Dorval and Pointe Claire locations are also gone. But those stores are also busy with fully-stocked shelves.

Staffers inside the Decarie location did not seem particularly informed. Some told Cohen that the sign was simply being repaired, that it hadn’t been lighting up properly. Others said that the sign was being changed to comply with sign and packaging regulations under Bill 96. However the sign does appear to have already been compliant with the law in terms of the French – and Canadian – spelling of “Supercentre,” and the word itself placed on top of the name “Walmart”.

One assistant manager, who asked that her name not be used, said that at first, she hadn’t noticed that the sign had been removed, but did say, although would not officially confirm, that it was being changed to comply with Bill 96.

“We take our legal and regulatory responsibilities seriously,” the statement said, “and will continue to comply with all applicable laws and regulations in Québec.  We’re collaborating closely with local authorities, including several municipalities across Québec, to secure the necessary approvals needed to make the required adjustments to our exterior signage.”

Walmart Decarie store is fine despite sign confusion Read More »

Court did not overturn tuition increases, says Déry

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Quebec Education Minister Pascale Déry took to her X account to denounce the media last Tuesday, accusing two newspapers of publishing “misinformation.”

There were at least two reports, last week, indicating that the CAQ would not be appealing the Quebec Superior Court ruling ordering the government to eliminate the 33 percent tuition hike for students from outside Quebec. It is indeed the case that the government had not filed an appeal by deadline last Monday. But that did not mean, Déry said, that the government accepted the decision.

The ministry argues that the April ruling did not take issue with the 33 percent tuition hike itself, but rather with how the government got there in the first place.

“I want to be clear,” Déry said in her X post, “the court did not overturn the increase; we are sticking to the decision. We firmly believe that it is not up to the Quebec government to guarantee financial accessibility to education for non-Quebeckers.”

Last February McGill University and Concordia University filed suit against the Coalition Avenir Québec’s plan to charge out-of-province students higher tuition fees ostensibly to protect the French language and to effectively reduce the number of non-Francophone students in the province. They argued that the government’s plan violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In April, Quebec Superior Court Justice Éric Dufour ruled in the universities’ favours, saying the rise in tuition for non-Quebeckers was “unreasonable,” and that the available data did not support Déry’s position on the ability of non-Quebec students to integrate. He also said that the French-proficiency requirement was “equally unreasonable.”

However, he upheld the government’s rules on funding international students.

Déry continued in her X post: “The judgment not only supports the measure aimed at correcting the financial imbalance between English-speaking and French-speaking universities, it also recognizes the government’s responsibility to take the necessary steps to protect French in Quebec.”

“Regarding the arrangements surrounding knowledge of French for students outside Quebec,” Déry added on X, “we will continue discussions with English-speaking universities over the coming weeks.”

The universities have also chosen not to appeal the ruling. For its part, McGill University issued a statement to The Suburban, saying “The judgment is quite clear. We will abide by it, as we hope others will. We remain committed to maintaining a constructive and respectful relationship with the Quebec government.”

Concordia was not as conciliatory. In a statement emailed to The Suburban, spokesperson Vannina Maestracci says the university was “astonished” by Déry’s comments. “We had hoped that the decision by the Superior Court in April could mark a reset of our relationship with the government. The comments made today by the Ministry – one day after the end of the appeal period – make it clear that this is not the case.” She added that it seems “the government simply plans to come back with a new set of arguments to justify an increase of tuition fees for out-of-province students – which would be inconsistent with the judgment.” n

Court did not overturn tuition increases, says Déry Read More »

Arnold Bennett’s Housing Hotline needs help

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Arnold Bennett says he will continue to work for tenants’ rights “until they carry me out on a stretcher,” but he is going to need help from the community to keep his Housing Hotline open.

The long-time social activist recently launched a GoFundMe campaign. Until now he had for the most part been funding the hotline himself. He did have some government funding at the beginning, but he says government money comes with conditions and limitations. His work as a professional translator, writer, and consultant afforded him enough steady income to do that. But competition from AI, he says, is starting to eat away at that revenue.

The actual hotline, a phone number that people could call for advice on tenants’ rights, was launched in 1980. Soon after, Bennett was running two in-person legal clinics a week with a staff of paralegals, access to lawyers, and other experts, in NDG, and then downtown, right up until the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Covid did a number of things,” Bennett says. “Whatever staff I had I either had to lay them off, or people retired.” Since then it’s just been the phone line. He still has lawyers he can refer people to, and an assistant. “It’s not like the old days where I would have people doing three shifts a day.”

The Arnold Bennett Housing Hotline had its beginnings about fifty-five years ago, when Bennett was at McGill University studying toward a BA, and then an MA, specializing in community and labour history. He wrote an article for the McGill Daily about the fight, spearheaded by late housing activist Lucia Kowaluk, to save the McGill-Parc area from development. He was 18 at the time. After that, he wrote a full-page article on the Quebec government’s rental board reform, detailing “all the new rights that people had, and suddenly I was the expert.”

His activism led, a few years later, to his being elected to city council in NDG with the fledgling Montreal Citizens’ Movement. It wasn’t his intention to seek office. But after suggesting to the party that they run a candidate in the neighbourhood, the party convinced Bennett that he should be the guy.

By the time Bennett spoke with The Suburban the GoFundMe campaign had been up for less than a week, but had garnered twice the amount he had asked for. “I knew we had some support out there,” he said, “I didn’t realize people were going to be so generous.” Which speaks to what the Housing Hotline has come to mean to the community over the years.

Bennett had originally hoped to raise $5,000. At the time of this writing donations totalled $10,429. He’s upped the goal to $15,000.

“Look, it’s a necessity,” says Bennett, now 73. “There are plenty of tenant groups around, even some good ones now operating in English which, when I started, we didn’t have. But there’s a certain type of advice you can give people that goes beyond what they can find on the (Tribunal administratif du logement) website, even with the jurisprudence that’s on there.”

“Every day or so,” he adds, “somebody calls me with something that’s really outrageous, and it really motivates me to keep going and do what I gotta do.” n

Arnold Bennett’s Housing Hotline needs help Read More »

Pablo Rodriguez elected Quebec Liberal Party leader

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Pablo Rodriguez has been elected leader of the Quebec Liberal Party.

Until last September Rodriguez was the Minister of Transport for the Trudeau Liberals. He resigned from his post, and from federal politics, to seek the provincial Liberal leadership.

His goal, he has said, is to unify the party, which has suffered setbacks, losing to the CAQ in 2018 and 2022.

He was elected with just over 52 percent of the vote, beating out Charles Millard and Karl Blackburn who came second and third respectively.

The party has been under the leadership of Marc Tanguay, who took over the party when Dominique Anglade stepped down in 2022.

Rodriguez was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004 in the Honoré-Mercier riding. Prior to transport, he was minister of Canadian Heritage, and had been the chief government whip.

Winning the leadership, he said, is the honour of a lifetime.

He received congratulations via X from both Premier Francois Legault and Parti Québécois leader Paul St. Pierre Plamondon. n

Pablo Rodriguez elected Quebec Liberal Party leader Read More »

Judge stays proceedings against Robert Miller

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Robert Miller appeared in court, Monday, via video link, too sick and too frail with Parkinson’s and heart disease.

In Quebec Superior Court, Miller’s lawyer, Isabella Teolis, argued before Justice Lyne Décarie calling for a stay of proceedings in the criminal cases Miller is facing, citing the disgraced billionnaire’s health issues.

His deteriorating health was attested to by six physicians, including a court-appointed neurologist.

Crown prosecutor Delphine Mauger agreed with the defense.

Justice Décarie has agreed to the request.

A stay of proceedings is not an acquittal, the judge explained.

As is now well known, Miller is facing several sex charges stemming from allegations that he recruited and paid underage girls for sex. Those encounters took place in hotels, and in Miller’s Westmount home.

“Sexual exploitation crime concerns itself with human dignity,” Mauger said in court, particularly the human dignity of the minor victims. She pointed out that the eleven victims in the cases were between 14 and 18 years of age. Some younger than 14. “Their human dignity deserves to be honoured and respected,” Mauger said.

She then acknowledged that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees “rights to life, security, and human dignity,” even that of the accused.

“Mr. Miller is gravely ill with no change of recovery,” she said, accepting that he is too sick and frail to make it through a trial. “We agree that there is no other remedy than a stay of proceedings.”

The judge acknowledged that Miller’s health will not improve, so a postponement of the trial would not be in order. However, the stay of proceedings does not apply to all the cases in which Miller is named as the defendant. There is a case that was filed last spring but that only made it to court last week. In that case the stay does not apply.

As of last May 2024 Miller faced 18 charges including sexual assault. He faced similar charges brought up in December. n

Judge stays proceedings against Robert Miller Read More »

Centennial Academy saved!

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Centennial Academy has announced that it will stay open and continue to operate for the next school year and beyond.

Last April The Suburban reported that the private high school in the west end of downtown was facing financial issues that put its future in jeopardy. But community support, along with a short-term commitment from the Quebec government, has turned things around.

Centennial has been around since 1969, educating students with learning challenges, ADHD, autism, anxiety, and other issues. in early June the school highlighted an initiative led by the Léger Family Foundation, with the support of the Molson Foundation, for helping secure the school’s future.

Both are family foundations that are well-known to Montrealers. Jean-Pierre Léger and his daughter, Amélie, are the vice-president and president of the Léger Family Foundation. Jean-Pierre’s parents, Hélène and René, were the founders of the St. Hubert rotisseries chicken restaurant chain. The foundation’s mission is to help vulnerable people in the community. The Molson Foundation, founded in 1958, similarly works toward the betterment of community, focusing on education, health, and the arts and humanities.

“By mobilizing their philanthropic networks,” the school said, “these two foundations have rallied, and continue to bring together, other foundations in support of Centennial Academy’s mission.”

It added “the school’s survival depends on the commitment of an entire community: donors, families, partners, employees, and volunteers have joined forces in recent months to defend a school they consider essential for their children.”

Head of School Angela Burgos says “for more than 50 years, Centennial Academy has been transforming the lives of students with diverse learning profiles. We are proud to be able to continue this vital mission thanks to the generosity and trust of our partners.”

Last spring the school was the subject of debate in the National Assembly. At the time, Liberal MNA Madwa-Nika Cadet warned that the school might not have had made it through the summer. Education Minister Bernard Drainville said that should the school come up with a recovery plan the government would provide emergency funding. Burgos confirmed to The Suburban that, true to his word, the minister did indeed issue emergency funding of $900,000, but just for the coming year. That amount is the equivalent of what the French stream would get annually if it received regular funding. Centennial had originally been an English institution, but added a French stream in 2016, and is now evenly split linguistically. But the school only gets government funding for one – the Anglo side – due to a government freeze on private school funding.

Burgos says they will continue lobbying to see that the French stream receives the same funding as the English stream – $6,000 per student. Centennial is not two separate schools, she says, it is one school with an English and a French stream. “It’s important, long-term, that we have this sense of justice, and know that the French sector is treated (the same) as the English sector is.”

The school confirms that there are still some spaces available for the coming school year. n

Centennial Academy saved! Read More »

Hampstead resident victim of elaborate grandparents scam

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

A Hampstead resident, who does not want to be named, said she is a victim of the grandparents scam phenomenon, in which a relative claims to be in trouble and needs money urgently.

The resident said that very recently, she received a call from a person claiming to be her son, a Toronto resident — her phone does not have caller ID. The caller claimed to have been in an accident and suffered a broken nose after a female driver suddenly slammed on her brakes, and that his nose was repaired on the scene by paramedics. The victim says she may have called the scammer by her son’s name and possibly provided him with family information.

“It was exactly his voice, except that it sounded a bit muffled. The voice and intonation, I don’t know how they did it. The whole story was 100 percent plausible.”

The “son” then claimed that someone witnessed him using his phone just as the accident took place and he was going to be charged with reckless driving, and that he was calling from a courthouse and did not want anyone to know what took place. The scammer, invoking the name of an actual Montreal lawyer, said if $8,450 was paid, the woman driver would not press charges. He also claimed not to have his phone or wallet.

“He was almost in tears.”

The resident was then put in touch with the “lawyer”, who warned that her “son” could have a criminal record and a court case could take years. After a conversation, they agreed to about $4,000, and only in cash.

“I fell for this hook, line and sinker, it’s just pathetic! I went to the f–kin’ bank and took out the money, all in $100 bills. The fake lawyer sent over a driver, who he said would be in a white Mazda X3.”

The resident later called her son back, and eventually received a text saying he had guests over for Shabbat dinner.

“That’s it!”

The resident, notwithstanding numerous arrests in the West Island for a grandparents scam, said the police seemed to her to be blasé, telling her the scammers were likely not in Canada. She says she was also told that the cash given to the scammer is quickly converted into cryptocurrency, “so you can’t chase it.

“It’s crazy! There’s so many red flags, but you get so caught up.”

The victim called the real Montreal lawyer to let him know what had happened, and he told her that he received a similar call from another individual regarding the scam — in this case, the call was made to confirm whether the lawyer was involved in the claimed situation.

The resident wants the community to know that “even if it sounds real, you can’t proceed with an urgency. There has to be other ways. It sucks. They pull at your heartstrings.

“But it’s only money, at the end of the day.”

Police have issued warnings, saying “if someone calls you and asks if you recognize them, be alert. Do not answer and instead ask him to identify himself; ask personal questions that only the person he or she claims to be knows the answer to, such as where she was born, a family memory, etc.:;” and “take the time to verify the information the person has given you by calling a family member, caregiver, or your local police department, even if you have been asked not to. Never transfer or hand over money, even if you are pressured to do so and told it is urgent.” n

Hampstead resident victim of elaborate grandparents scam Read More »

Judge allows report on SSMU’s alleged antisemitism in student’s case

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Superior Court Judge Patrick Ferland ruled recently that a former McGill student can use a report by Concordia professor emeritus Ira Robinson as part of the plaintiff’s case against the Students’ Society of McGill University.

The student, who was a member of the SSMU, is represented by lawyers Michael Bergman and Patrycja Nowakowska.

The plaintiff, who is asking the court not to allow the adoption of the SSMU’s “Policy Against Genocide in Palestine” as well as for $125,000 in moral and punitive damages, argued that the anti-Israel policy “violates the SSMU’s constitution and breaches its obligation to represent all its members, that it contains false statements and that it promotes antisemitism.”

The SSMU argued that Robinson’s report is “not based on any specialized knowledge, not likely to inform the court, that “he does not have the required qualifications to act as an expert” and that “the admission of his report risks diverting the debate and prolonging the proceedings.”

Robinson, who was asked to determine whether the SSMU policy contained antisemitic tropes, said he “adhered to generally accepted principles in the humanities and social sciences.”

Robinson’s report argues that the SSMU policy’s references to Israel “must be seen as a reference to its Jewish character,” and that claims of genocide by Israel “allegedly omit to address certain aspects of the situation in the Gaza Strip.” He adds that use of the terms, in relation to the Israel-Palestinian issue, such as “settler colonialism”, “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing” all “originate in contexts unrelated to Israeli-Palestinian relations, and that they are used in the policy without making the necessary distinctions.”

Robinson’s report concluded that “virulent criticism of Israel has become a convenient substitute for antisemitism, which is no longer acceptable [and] the pro-Palestinian discourse frequently uses symbolic language drawn from other contexts in order to shock and evoke feelings of hatred and revulsion against Israel.”

The judge found that the SSMU can “hardly maintain that Professor Robinson is insufficiently qualified to provide an analysis that it otherwise considers requires no specialized knowledge,” as he is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Religions and Cultures at Concordia University, and has written books on antisemitism.

“Professor Robinson’s training, professional experience, and publications suggest that he likely has specialized and in-depth knowledge of several of the concepts discussed in his report, beginning with the notion of antisemitism and its various manifestations, including what his report calls antisemitic tropes, antisemitic clichés and stereotypes.”

On the other hand, the judge did agree with the SSMU that the report opines on the intentions of its authors.

“The report does not identify on what basis Professor Robinson would express such opinions—neither the qualifications that would allow him to draw such conclusions, nor the information on which he would base his judgment.”

But the judge added that this does not mean the report should be declared inadmissible.

“A report should therefore only be rejected on the basis of an alleged insufficiency of qualifications in clear cases which is not at all the case here.”

The judge concluded that the SSMU policy and Robinson’s report “deal with complex concepts, susceptible to different interpretations but always inevitably laden with weighty significance.

“Their use in the Policy also takes place within a historical, social, cultural, and political context that is itself complex and that gives rise to vigorous debate, including, presumably, among student members of the SSMU. In such a context, it cannot be concluded that expert evidence on these issues would be of such limited utility that it would necessarily be outweighed by its prejudicial effect.”

For this reason, the court rejected the SSMU’s claim, and ordered legal costs to be paid after the outcome of the original lawsuit. n

Judge allows report on SSMU’s alleged antisemitism in student’s case Read More »

11th annual D’Arcy McGee medals awarded

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

By: Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The 11th annual D’Arcy McGee medal ceremony took place June 12 at the Ashkelon Gardens at Côte St. Luc city hall, hosted by riding MNA Elisabeth Prass.

The ceremony was initiated by Prass’s predecessor David Birnbaum, to recognize individuals and organizations who have had a positive impact on the area covered by the riding, which includes Côte St. Luc, Hampstead and CDN-NDG.

This year’s honourees were Heidi Berger, founder and president of the Foundation for Genocide Education; Nicole Nashen, a McGill University student and advocate for Jewish students; Agence Ometz, a community organization serving Montreal’s Jewish community and the Côte des Neiges Black Community Association, a “longstanding advocate against systemic racism and a pillar of Montreal’s Black community.”

“You represent different communities, different generations and different spheres of work, but you are united by a shared belief in the power of community, the necessity of justice and the importance of taking action,” Prass told the recipients.

Prass described Heidi Berger as “a woman whose work reminds us that education is not just about knowledge, it is about responsibility.

“Heidi has taken on the mission that many find daunting or uncomfortable, to teach the difficult truths of our world’s darkest chapters, so that they are never repeated. She has travelled across schools, spoken to students, developed resources, and worked hand in hand with educators to integrate genocide education into Quebec’s curriculum. And she has done this not just with academic rigour, but with deep moral conviction.”

Berger could not be present, but in a message by her read by Prass, she thanked Prass and Birnbaum for “their tireless support in our ongoing campaign to have genocide education made mandatory in Quebec. I know you both believe strongly as I do that the best way to develop future leaders and citizens is through education.”

The organization’s administrative coordinator Anna Mazur accepted the medal on Berger’s behalf.

Of Nashen, Prass said that “at a time when Jewish communities in Quebec and around the world are facing a troubling rise in hate speech, harassment, and acts of violence, Nicole has chosen not to look away. She has chosen instead to educate, to engage and to act.”

Nashen could not be present, but her mother Dr. Judy Hagshi read a message from Nashen, saying last week’s recognition is “especially significant as it marks the end of six intense, rewarding and often challenging years of student leadership.”

The third recipient was Agence Ometz, represented by CEO Dominique McCaughey. Prass said that for more than a century, Ometz, and previously as Jewish Immigrant Aid Services, “has been a pillar in our city, helping individuals face their challenges with dignity, compassion and practical support. A central community organization for the Montreal Jewish community, Ometz has provided holistic support to individuals and families in areas such as mental health, employment, newcomer integration and youth services. Its inclusive, proactive and collaborative approach strengthens the resilience and autonomy of people through empathy, accessibility and social connection.”

McCaughey thanked Prass “for being an incredible advocate. Our services are really wraparound services in immigration, employment and social services — really, everything starts with having a wonderful team.”

Prass said the Côte des Neiges Black Community Association has been a “pillar of Montreal’s English-speaking Black community” for more than 50 years.

The association “has long recognized that systemic barriers, whether in education, employment, housing or access to services, must be actively dismantled. The association combats systemic racism through impactful programs in education, social services, culture, entrepreneurship and food security.”

“This is a great honour,” CDNBCA executive chair Ayanna Alleyne told the ceremony. “We’ve been trying really hard to make an impact and stay relevant.”

On hand for the event were David Birnbaum, Côte St. Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and members of CSL council, former D’Arcy McGee MNA Robert Libman, Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather, English Montreal School Board chairman Joe Ortona and former commissioner Ellie Israel, former CSL councillors Allan Levine and Glenn Nashen, Nicole’s father; United Against Hate Canada’s Marvin Rotrand and many others. n

11th annual D’Arcy McGee medals awarded Read More »

Quartier Cavendish taking action after complaint about locked door

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Suburban has been told by Mandevco, owner of Quartier Cavendish, that it will make changes to its exit door near the IGA supermarket following a complaint that it was locked at night.

A text message was sent to CSL Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, by a visitor who had seen a movie at the CineStarz theatre. Brownstein says he and the city never received such a message, and that he was first hearing of this issue from The Suburban.

The texter not only says that the doors near IGA were locked, but did not have an “emergency exit push bar.” “Had there been a fire, we would have all perished,” the text says. “Very not cool.”

Despite there being some emergency exits on that side of the mall, They were not well identified and could be impossible to reach depending on the situation.

When The Suburban received a copy of the text, it contacted Mandevco.

Mandevco has now told The Suburban that it agreed to look into the issue after it was brought to its attention and has ordered parts to create a safety bar for the exit near the IGA, so that it could become an emergency exit. n

Quartier Cavendish taking action after complaint about locked door Read More »

The LPQ leadership race: Pablo Rodriguez

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

By Beryl Wajsman and Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Beryl Wajsman: A Léger poll showed that with Pablo Rodriguez at the head of the QLP, the Liberals are at 31, 32 percent, and is ahead of the PQ with the CAQ at just 16 percent. Any other candidate, the numbers basically stay the same with the PQ in front. Is there a challenge for you with your supporters to keep the pressure up on them to make them understand they can’t sit back and relax?

Pablo Rodriguez: This shows that people want to get rid of the CAQ, but even now [in other polls],when people want to get rid of the CAQ they’re voting PQ. In this case, for the first time, we have a shot. This is what puts a smile on my face and also among the Liberals across Quebec. It shows that when you have someone that’s perceived as a strong leader, we can beat the CAQ and the PQ.

BW: The party has certain challenges. Not the language issue — we understand that the QLP has been the voice of non-francophones on language rights. The party has had trouble not so much from the CAQ, but in major ridings like Verdun, St. Henri-Ste. Anne, the QLP is not representing those voters on the question of basic economic justice. Is that something that is important in your campaign and that you have top of mind?

PR: This is extremely important. It’s what I did all my life as a minister, I won six elections and I was in cabinet four times. This is part of my signature. You know, they say, “francophone Quebec, the regions are a challenge for you guys.” Well, it is. But there’s a difference now. People are ready to listen to us. That doesn’t mean they’re ready to vote for us, but at least they’re ready to listen. This allows us to present what we’d like to do. That’s a big difference. Also, I want to stop what Legault is doing, dividing Quebecers. For me, a Quebecer is a Quebecer is a Quebecer. And the first job of a premier is to unite people. I’m a strong promoter of French, I love French. I learned it when I was a kid. I didn’t speak a word of French or English. But you don’t do that (divide) against another community. You don’t say immigrants are a threat. You have to change that kind of speech and I think Quebecers are there today.

BW: We understand that unfortunately, too many politicians, too many parties, if they see their numbers going down, they bring in the question of language, the politics of division. They think that by putting the language issue forward, it gets them more points. It hasn’t helped the CAQ in the past year.

PR: It did help in the beginning in some regions and they did it twice. Now they did it again. They brought another bill on secularism.

BW: Secularism and language are two different things.

PR: I know but but they’re just trying to divert. We have a $14 billion deficit. We have hospitals falling apart. We have kids dropping out of school. We have one of two teachers that quit within five years. Did they present bills for that? No they said, we have to do something more for secularism or identity issues. Why? They don’t want to talk about the deficit or the fact that they are a really bad government.

BW: Money has to be found somewhere. We have problems in health, in education. A staggering statistic, 58 percent of French boys in French public high schools drop out. And yet there’s never talk about cutting non-essential programs, the whole multiculturalism complex. Is there any thought being given to that? It’s a hard thing to do, but to say to Quebecers, we’ve got an emergency. We’ve got to turn things around. We don’t want to tax you more. So we’re going to have to cut some of the goodies.

PR: You can’t tax Quebecers more than what it is now. We have to become more competitive. There’s a lot of things we have to do. The regions feel left out. They don’t feel respected. We have to invest in productivity, artificial intelligence, automation and all of that to increase the productivity of our businesses and bring in more money. At the same time, you have to increase the productivity of the government. Do you know what the problem is? We don’t know how productive the government is because there’s no numbers. One of the first things we’re going to do is work with research centres and universities to be able to evaluate how the government is delivering their services. I’m pretty convinced we can do more with less.

BW: What’s your message to non-francophone Quebecers, in Montreal, which has been such a big base of Quebec Liberal support? What do you want them to know today?

PR: We’re there for you. We’re not going to try to be everything to everyone, like sadly we’ve been in the past. We have to be honest, we have to be true to ourselves and true to our values. People know who we are. We’re Liberals. Let’s not pretend we’re something different. Let’s be inclusive. We’re there for francophones, we’re there for immigrants, we’re there for anglophones, we’re there for everyone and that makes you a strong society.

BW: I get a lot of mail and a lot of calls from and about seniors. Quebec has a particular problem with seniors. Canada has a particular problem with seniors. Seniors are the biggest growing bloc. By 2030, they will represent one-third of the Quebec population and the Canadian population. They’re serious voters. They’re regular voters. Yet 40 percent of Canadian seniors — and the same is true in Quebec— have neither private pensions nor RSPs. Yet our pensions keep them below the poverty line. Is there a message you want to get across to them?

PR: They’re more than voters. Before being a voter, they’re humans. They’re the people that built this society. We owe them everything. We have to do way more, especially in terms of health care. For example, investing in home care. Not only because it’s good for health, it’s good for their mental health. Where do they want to be? Where do they want to stay? Do they want to go to a residence or stay home? They want to stay home. Where they live, close to their family and friends. They know the surroundings. We have to be able to increase the capacity to do some home care, which means to also involve the social economy because if you want to treat people at home you also have to make sure that you take the snow away, that you clean the house. I have a very detailed program on that for seniors. It’s a way of respecting them and also to keep people outside of the hospital, so it allows people who are really sick and really need the hospital to go there.

BW: I have to ask you this question because it concerns not only the Jewish, but the Montreal urban community. Would a Liberal government encourage a new Mayor of Montreal to start applying fundamental laws and stop the demonstrations that we have on our streets — we’re not talking about what people are saying, but they are physically stopping people from being able to locomote downtown.

PR: It’s also what people are saying.

BW: It’s also what people are saying, the hate speech is there. But the police are not being allowed to apply three sections of the Criminal Code that would stop them.

PR: We’re looking for a balance. People have a right to demonstrate in a free and democratic society. What I have a problem with is some of the things that are said during those demonstations— those are hate speech. That’s extremely serious. And we can’t let that happen. But that starts also sometimes in the streets, sometimes on the internet.

BW: The Mayor controls the police, elected authority federally controls the army and security authority responds and is responsible to the elected authority. Would you use moral suasion? I believe what a leader says means a lot.

PR: You use what’s in the law. You make sure that they respect the law and they apply it. I just want to go back to the Web. What starts there goes down in the street. Online hate is real hate and hate doesn’t stay there, it goes to the street. We have to make sure that we have those kinds of control in the street, but we also have to hold the big tech giants responsible. We have to! n

The LPQ leadership race: Pablo Rodriguez Read More »

The LPQ leadership race: Charles Milliard

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Beryl Wajsman and Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Beryl Wajsman: You have a very interesting history. You’ve been an executive vice president of Uniprix. You know big pharma. You know how a critical industry such as healthcare works. You’ve been at National Communications. You were president of the Fédération des Chambres de commerce du Québec. You understand public policy. Clearly, you’re a leader in civil society but some would say with those positions, you could make more of a positive impact on Quebec society than in elective office. Why go and take the plunge?

Charles Milliard: That’s a good question. I started my involvement in the Liberal Party of Quebec, when I was 18 years old back in 1998, in Lévis, which is not that Liberal of a riding. It has always been my political family and I was always interested in getting more active in public service. In politics, you need two things. Conviction and timing, and I think the timing is great for me because we’re at the start of a new political cycle in Quebec. I think Mr. Legault is almost done. We’ll have a new offer coming both from the PQ and the PLQ in a year and a half from now. I think the party needs to give the keys to a new generation and that’s why I thought it would be interesting to give all of my experience to my party and Quebec.

BW: But not giving the keys to a new generation for the sake of age. Is it not more about change for the politics of conviction, not of consensus, especially at a time of crisis?

CM: I agree with that.

BW: Part of that is political leaders telling people, look, we’ve given away a lot of money to make people happy not just in Quebec, but particularly at the federal level. We spend a great percentage of our budgets not on what is critical but on nice things like multiculturalism and diversity. Meanwhile, our seniors are in dire positions. They’re below the poverty line. Our healthcare system, I don’t have to tell you, you know better than I. What convictions will you not compromise on? And what convictions set you apart from Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Blackburn?

CM: As you mentioned, we cannot distribute money that we don’t have. So we’re going to need more fiscal responsibility in Quebec City and Ottawa. And I’m quite happy with what I’m seeing in the past weeks coming from the Carney government but we’ll see what happens in the coming months. As for Quebec, I think there’s three main issues, healthcare, economy and the vitality of our different regions. That’s the reason I’m going into politics. I want to give more access to healthcare. Obviously, this is where I come from as a pharmacist. I put a lot of ideas on the table. The first being having a telemedicine service. I think that has worked great in the private sector for the past few years. We need to bring that to the public system. In education, we need to work on the level of dropouts that we have in Quebec. I think we should raise the minimum age you need to stay in school from 16 to 18 years old. I think we need a new Estates General, a national commission on education. It’s been way too long since the last time we spoke about education in a larger sense in Quebec. The youth commission has asked for a commission, which is something I think we need to do 60 years after the creation of the Ministry of Education. Those are things that I’m not going to compromise on because they’re the basic services that the Quebec government has to give. It’s more important to talk about education and health care than about identity, language and all those issues that have been dividing us for decades.

BW: You brought up two things that we’ve written a lot about. You talk about telemedicine, education and the dropout rate. Just several days ago, Newsweek named Dr Lawrence Rosenberg, director-general the Jewish General Hospital, one of the 25 best global CEOs of medicine.

CM: Coming from one of the top hospitals in North America also.

BW: To what you were saying, his pet project that he has installed is what’s called a command centre is telemedicine, the most advanced one. He’s been begging Quebec for more resources and just to make an alliance with apparently one of the best programs of one of the hospitals in Israel, this could really make telemedicine, particularly for seniors, extraordinarily available.

CM: Especially in the rural areas of Quebec where there are no doctors available.

BW: You mentioned the dropout rate. For whatever reason, 58 percent of francophone young men in French public high schools drop out.

CM: It’s even worse in some regions of Quebec.

BW: This is a critical issue and nobody knows why it is happening.

CM: Well that’s one of the main ingredients for our collective success, to have more youth with diplomas. We need to work on that.

BW: What would you say are the vital things that differentiate you from Mr. Blackburn and Mr. Rodriguez?

CM: We’re all Liberals, so I would say similar issues.

BW: It’s a very civilized race.

CM: Maybe too much, but again we’re Liberals, so we know how to behave. I think it’s a question of style and a question of what is our narrative for the upcoming general election. Our main opponent will be Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. He is popular with Quebecers right now, and if there’s an election tomorrow, he’s going to become our Premier, according to the polls. I do know that we should not always count on the polls. But with that being said, I think people like the way he does politics much more than what he says.

BW: I think they like his style.

CM: And it contrasts with Mr. Legault, who has more of an old school style of politics. I also enter with a new way of doing politics but with much more different content, a more Liberal one. I think it would be a very interesting thing to see a leaders debate in a year and a half from now with myself, Mr. Plamondon and Mr. Legault. When you’re talking about renewal, it’s not a question of age, you’re right, it’s a question of what you represent for the future and the fact that so many young Liberals have supported me from day one. It’s been 300 days I’m on the road, having been the first to declare. I’m actually the dean of this campaign! Can you believe that? From what I’m hearing from Liberals that are 70 years old and 16 years old, I think they believe it’s time to write a new chapter of the party. When I see my co-president of the campaign chatting with [former MNA] Clifford Lincoln, I think there’s going to be a connection that is going to be fruitful for the future of the party.

BW: This is a major issue not only for the Jewish community, but the businesspeople downtown. Will you use your moral suasion if you become Premier to push Montreal police to enforce Criminal Code provisions against what we’re seeing in our streets, both the attacks on Jews directly but also the attacks on businesses downtown, the clogging up of traffic all the time at the drop of a hat?The Premier’s authority over security is Montreal is limited, obviously, but will you use moral suasion like Premier Legault tried to do to push Madame Plante to enforce the law?

CM: The short answer is yes. I think we need to show more leadership as to what’s happening in our streets in Montreal right now. I’ve been very clear that I’m standing with the Jewish community. A lot of people from the community are officially or discretely supporting my campaign. So, I’ll be very adamant about that and I think the municipality has all the regulations in place to implement that. But we need more leadership from Quebec City as to what the municipalities should do. We need freedom of speech, but we need safety as well. Maybe more empowerment and responsibility coming from the university campuses as well. n

The LPQ leadership race: Charles Milliard Read More »

The LPQ leadership race: Karl Blackburn

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Beryl Wajsman and Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Beryl Wajsman: Your reputation is well known and respected. Everybody knows you had medical challenges late last year. Hopefully, you’ve overcome them. Karl Blackburn: Yes. BW: But you’re a man who knows politics. And you’re a man who knows the odds. Because it turned out to be so late, why enter the race? KB: As you said, last year I received bad news about my health, when my doctor told me I have prostate cancer, but I had surgery in 2024 and last March, a few weeks ago, my doctor said “you don’t have any more signs of cancer in your blood. With the surgery that we did, I can say you’re now in remission, which means you don’t have any professional restrictions.” The final date to be able to enter the leadership race for the PLQ was April 11. Yes, it was late but it was not too late. This is why I decided to launch the leadership race. In the last few weeks, I feel I have very great support everywhere, in every region. BW: You have not only been an MNA and president of the Conseil du patronat du Québec, you were also chief organizer of the Liberal Party of Quebec. What do you feel is the support in the regions? KB: This year is completely different than the last leadership race. Every member will have the possibility to vote for the new leader. We need to create a buildup with a lot of people. When I decided to jump into the race I was sure of one thing — I have a strong economic point of view about what we need for Quebec and what we should put in place to be able to avoid the economic war declared by the Trump administration, but also, how can we bring together all Quebecers. This is my focus on this very important issue for the PLQ, but also for every Quebecer. BW: This is very important what you said about the vote. KB: it’s the same number of points for every riding. If we have 1,000 members in D’Arcy McGee or 1,000 members in Roberval, they are equal in in the voting system and this is a very important gain for the PLQ and its members. BW: How do your priorities differ from the other candidates? KB: I have a very strong economic vision. I know exactly what we need to be able to regain strength, regain growth and regain prosperity in our economic system. This is exactly what I am proposing. BW: What do we need to regain? KB: Lower fiscality, lower regulation and lower taxes. We have to find some new markets and we have to invest in our national defense industrial politics. I think I have a very important mission and a vision about the economic sector. Also, I know one thing, it is very important for all of Quebec if we are working all together, Montreal, Quebec and the regions, where we will be stronger than ever. I know the regions very well, and the importance for the regions to have the capacity to build, to create things, made from our natural resources, but to also work closely with Montreal. Montreal is the heart of Quebec, Montreal is supposed to attract the best talent from all around the world. BW: I think the Montreal region is two-thirds of Quebec GDP. KB: When we look at the recent decisions made by Mr. Legault, it’s completely bad news for Montreal. I think we need to fix it, to address it. I’m talking about the university tuitions and the last few bills passed by the CAQ government. I have a strong parliamentary experience. I know the party and the members very well, and the members know me very well. This is a very important distinction between the other candidates and myself. I think I am the most complete candidate to be able to remobilize the PLQ, to reconnect with the regions, but also to bring all Quebecers together. I’m not going to place francophones against anglophones. I’m not going to place regions against Montreal. We must all work together. In this way, we’re going to be stronger. BW: The Liberal party lost Verdun and St. Henri-Ste. Anne. They lost it on economic justice issues. Can you bring back the voice of economic justice for working men and women in urban Montreal? KB: Honestly, I will. We lost our economic identity. In 2018, Mr. Legault stole this identity, and you’re right what you said. But one thing is sure, the most important thing we will have to discuss is that we understand each other and this is always what we’re going to promote. I have an open leadership. I have the determination to bring together all Quebecers. We need to create prosperity. If we want to preserve our health and education systems, and support the [more marginalized in society], we need to have a strong economy to make sure that we are going to evolve. To share this prosperity with all Quebecers. BW: Would you use your moral suasion to press Montreal’s mayor to allow police to enforce the Criminal Code against violent and hate-filled demonstrators that plague downtown Montreal and threaten Jews and attack synagogues and churches? KB: The right to protest ends where hate and violence begin. As leader, I would urge the Mayor of Montreal to act firmly so that the law is enforced, and all Montrealers—regardless of their faith or background—can feel safe in their own city.

n

The Suburban’s editor-in-chief Beryl Wajsman sat down with the three leading candidates for the Quebec Liberal Party leadership recently. Here is his interview with Karl Blackburn.

Beryl Wajsman: Your reputation is well known and respected. Everybody knows you had medical challenges late last year. Hopefully, you’ve overcome them.

Karl Blackburn: Yes.

BW: But you’re a man who knows politics. And you’re a man who knows the odds. Because it turned out to be so late, why enter the race?

KB: As you said, last year I received bad news about my health, when my doctor told me I have prostate cancer, but I had surgery in 2024 and last March, a few weeks ago, my doctor said “you don’t have any more signs of cancer in your blood. With the surgery that we did, I can say you’re now in remission, which means you don’t have any professional restrictions.” The final date to be able to enter the leadership race for the PLQ was April 11. Yes, it was late but it was not too late. This is why I decided to launch the leadership race. In the last few weeks, I feel I have very great support everywhere, in every region.

BW: You have not only been an MNA and president of the Conseil du patronat du Québec, you were also chief organizer of the Liberal Party of Quebec. What do you feel is the support in the regions?

KB: This year is completely different than the last leadership race. Every member will have the possibility to vote for the new leader. We need to create a buildup with a lot of people. When I decided to jump into the race I was sure of one thing — I have a strong economic point of view about what we need for Quebec and what we should put in place to be able to avoid the economic war declared by the Trump administration, but also, how can we bring together all Quebecers. This is my focus on this very important issue for the PLQ, but also for every Quebecer.

BW: This is very important what you said about the vote.

KB: it’s the same number of points for every riding. If we have 1,000 members in D’Arcy McGee or 1,000 members in Roberval, they are equal in in the voting system and this is a very important gain for the PLQ and its members.

BW: How do your priorities differ from the other candidates?

KB: I have a very strong economic vision. I know exactly what we need to be able to regain strength, regain growth and regain prosperity in our economic system. This is exactly what I am proposing.

BW: What do we need to regain?

KB: Lower fiscality, lower regulation and lower taxes. We have to find some new markets and we have to invest in our national defense industrial politics. I think I have a very important mission and a vision about the economic sector. Also, I know one thing, it is very important for all of Quebec if we are working all together, Montreal, Quebec and the regions, where we will be stronger than ever. I know the regions very well, and the importance for the regions to have the capacity to build, to create things, made from our natural resources, but to also work closely with Montreal. Montreal is the heart of Quebec, Montreal is supposed to attract the best talent from all around the world.

BW: I think the Montreal region is two-thirds of Quebec GDP.

KB: When we look at the recent decisions made by Mr. Legault, it’s completely bad news for Montreal. I think we need to fix it, to address it. I’m talking about the university tuitions and the last few bills passed by the CAQ government. I have a strong parliamentary experience. I know the party and the members very well, and the members know me very well. This is a very important distinction between the other candidates and myself. I think I am the most complete candidate to be able to remobilize the PLQ, to reconnect with the regions, but also to bring all Quebecers together. I’m not going to place francophones against anglophones. I’m not going to place regions against Montreal. We must all work together. In this way, we’re going to be stronger.

BW: The Liberal party lost Verdun and St. Henri-Ste. Anne. They lost it on economic justice issues. Can you bring back the voice of economic justice for working men and women in urban Montreal?

KB: Honestly, I will. We lost our economic identity. In 2018, Mr. Legault stole this identity, and you’re right what you said. But one thing is sure, the most important thing we will have to discuss is that we understand each other and this is always what we’re going to promote. I have an open leadership. I have the determination to bring together all Quebecers. We need to create prosperity. If we want to preserve our health and education systems, and support the [more marginalized in society], we need to have a strong economy to make sure that we are going to evolve. To share this prosperity with all Quebecers.

{div}BW: Would you use your moral suasion to press Montreal’s mayor to allow police to enforce the Criminal Code against violent and hate-filled demonstrators that plague downtown Montreal and threaten Jews and attack synagogues and churches?{/div}

{div} {/div}

{div}KB: The right to protest ends where hate and violence begin. As leader, I would urge the Mayor of Montreal to act firmly so that the law is enforced, and all Montrealers—regardless of their faith or background—can feel safe in their own city.{/div} n

The LPQ leadership race: Karl Blackburn Read More »

Montrealers react to The Bay closure

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer, Joel Goldenberg and Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The Suburban reached out to Montrealers before The Bay’s final closing to gauge their reactions and what the iconic chain meant to them. How people felt seemed to differ along generational lines. Derek Alleyne, responding to The Suburban via Messenger, says The Bay remained for many years as the sole survivor of the Big 3; Eaton’s and Simpson’s being the other two (note the apostrophes). “When I purchased gifts for people from The Bay I felt a sense of pride.” He says he’ll miss walking into the building on Ste. Catherine Street, getting Christmas gifts packed in The Bay boxes, and hearing jingles for The Bay on TV and radio. Whenever he walked past the downtown location he’d think “I’m happy this place is still around.”

Dylan Heisler remembers his first trip to The Bay in 2019. It was at the Rockland location, where he went to buy his first adult wristwatch for his high school graduation. That was also the last time he shopped there. “It’s the oldest store in Canada,” he says. “It’s kind of foundational, so it’s unfortunate.” His sister, Maya, was more matter-of-fact. “It’s sad, I guess,” she shrugged. “I mean sometimes they had good deals. My friends and I would browse there sometimes, but we didn’t spend a lot of money there.”

At the downtown flagship Bay, which has been a department store — first as Morgan’s — since 1891, The Suburban saw at least one employee with a sad, distressed expression. She did not want to be interviewed.

Other longtime Bay shoppers did offer their reactions. “It’s very sad, people are losing their jobs, that’s not so good, but there are reasons they are closing,” said Lise, who did not want to give her last name. “Their systems are archaic. We were waiting two and a half hours in line to place an order for a piece of furniture on the fourth floor.” “We remember Eaton’s and Simpson’s,” said Gilles. Lise added that they have been shopping at The Bay “forever. We’re wondering what will be the next institution with a long life expectancy. I’m sure there will be something else in this building.”

Robert Aubin and Diane Boutin also said they were longtime shoppers, also at the time Eaton’s and Simpson’s existed as department stores. “We shopped in the men’s and women’s departments, for beauty products, many things, and we bought clothes for our two young girls, who are now wives,” said Aubin. “We will remember La Baie, and we’re very sorry about it closing.””I feel the same,” said Boutin.

Rose Marie Perugino said she started shopping at what was then Morgan’s in 1965, when she was working for Bell Canada. “I feel bad that it’s closing, it’s a staple in our Canadian history,” she added. “They should keep the downtown store open, it’s a beautiful place, so well known and the Métro’s there. If the building is not occupied, it would be very sad.”

For some West Islanders however, the reaction to The Bay closures was quite different. When asked how the closure affected them, residents like Nancy Weir’s response to The Suburban was “Not at all. It was a very expensive store.”

Though in agreement regarding high price points, for Steven Zeitz, the closures also represent the loss of Canada’s last standing department store, but that was in a way already losing its charm. “We lost the only department store left in Canada. Once Bonnie Brooks left, The Bay lost sight of who their customer was. They were carrying higher end brands and the stores were old and worn. They lacked value and service. Customer service was almost non existent. They did not respect mall hours, often closing early. Escalators were broken. You can’t serve expensive wine in a paper cup. They did have a pretty good e-commerce business that was quite easy to use but since it was based on in-store inventory, it can not continue. Sad but online sales brands will fill the gap.”

Didier K., a prominent businessman in the West Island, told The Suburban “It’s unfortunate that after all this time, they are closing. It really is an institution. Unfortunately their entire way of doing business was to raise prices, only to put things on special. Their real estate footprint made it impossible for them to survive. And their inability to pivot made it so that they couldn’t sell what they needed in a timely fashion. Trying to find anyone (for service) was worse than trying to find anyone at Rona or Home Depot, and that’s saying something. RIP to the oldest retail store in Canada.” n

Montrealers react to The Bay closure Read More »

The Hon. Marc Garneau is gone

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Marc Garneau was in the pages of The Suburban just last fall with the publication of his book, aptly titled A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream.

The astronaut-turned-politician died Wednesday at the age of 76 after a short illness.

“It is with deep sadness that I share the news of my husband Marc Garneau’s passing,” his wife, Pamela, said in a statement. “Marc faced his final days with the same strength, clarity, and grace that defined his life. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family.”

Garneau entered politics at the age of 56, with an already impressive career behind him. He was the first Canadian to venture into outer space on the space shuttle Challenger in 1984 – and became the first non-American to serve as CAPCOM (capsule communicator) – the voice of mission control in the space shuttle program. He made three shuttle trips into space. He headed the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005.

He was first elected to the House of Commons from Westmount-Ville-Marie in 2008 (later redistricted as Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount), winning with 46.5% of the vote and served until 2023.

He served as Minister of Transport and then Minister of Foreign Affairs under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In 2013 he ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party, but eventually bowed out, throwing his support behind Trudeau.

While he did not explicitly say why he resigned his seat in 2023, speculation circled around his being dropped from cabinet two years prior. What he did say in his farewell speech is that he promised his family he would leave politics once he tabled the final report on medical assistance in dying.

He also called on politicians to do better, to be better. “Let me issue a challenge to everyone in this chamber,” he said. “Arrive each day in this House with the firm intention of showing respect for colleagues and for this extraordinary place. Be dignified. We must remind ourselves that when emotions run high, as they do for all of us, those emotions need to be channelled in a positive way, whether when supporting something or criticizing it.”

“My challenge to members,” he continued, “is to find their better angels and put away the anger and false indignation.”

As he told The Suburban last October, “What I set out to do… was to live to the fullest of my capabilities rather than shrink from the challenges life threw at me, to stay curious, and to carry myself with dignity. I’ll let the reader be the judge of whether I succeeded.” n

The Hon. Marc Garneau is gone Read More »

QCGN rebrands as TALQ, celebrates 30 years

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Last week the organization formerly known as Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGM) launched its new rebrand. At its annual general meeting the group took the occasion of its 30th anniversary to officially announce its new name: TALQ – Talking Advocating Living in Québec, to re-elect its executive, to add new people to its board of directors, and to party.

“The QCGN gave itself a birthday present with a new look,” said spokesperson Sylvia Martin-Laforge. The colour is different – a solid blue reminiscent of the colours of Quebec – with the accent aigu retained in the word “Québec” to signal that “we’re taking our place in Quebec as an English-speaking community.” The rebrand, reads a press release, is “to better fulfill its mission as stewards of the English voice in Quebec.”

In 1995, after the Quebec referendum, a handful of Quebec-based English community groups came together and eventually formed what became the QCGN to advocate for the English-speaking community of Quebec. The rebrand is part of the network’s natural evolution, says president Eva Ludvig. “A key takeaway was a desire to dispel the ‘us-vs.-them’ perception once and for all. We celebrate the vibrancy of the English-speaking community in a proudly French Quebec. We are citizens and neighbours,” she adds, “enthusiastically integrated into the fabric of Quebec society.”

The name change was a challenge, says Martin-Laforge. They had to come up with something that better represents what TALQ has become while not running afoul of the province’s language laws. The organization has also come to represent individuals as well as groups, so “groups network” no longer applied sufficiently. And Martin-Laforge points out that it’s easier to say; many have said over the years that “Quebec Community Groups Network,” and even “QCGN,” were unwieldy.

“TALQ reflects our commitment to fostering open dialogue, amplifying diverse voices, and uniting communities across Quebec,” Ludvig said. “Talking is as much about being heard as it is about listening. We want to expand a movement that people want to be a part of, one that is positive and inclusive – a conversation everyone is welcome to join.”

The executive remains the same, with Ludvig as president and Katherine Korakakis as vice president. Journalist Leslie Roberts was named to the board, as was English Montreal School Board chair Joe Ortona (also president of the English School Boards Association). “As Chair of the EMSB and President of QESBA,” Ortona posted on Facebook, “I’ve fought to defend the constitutional rights of English-speaking Quebecers and to protect the vitality of our institutions. I look forward to continuing that work at TALQ, alongside inspiring advocates from across the province. Together, we will ensure that our community’s voice remains strong, united, and impossible to ignore.” n

QCGN rebrands as TALQ, celebrates 30 years Read More »

Canada Post and union go back to negotiating table

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Late last week the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post returned to the bargaining table. The union says a potential arbitration process is in the works.

“Our goal has remained the same from day one,” reads a June 5 news release signed by CUPW national president Jan Simpson, “to reach new collective agreements that meet the needs of postal workers, while ensuring a strengthened public post office.”

The union had threatened to walk off the job on Friday, May 23. Instead, it instituted a ban on overtime, meaning union members have been refusing to work more than eight hours a day or more than 40 hours a week.

On Friday CUPW announced that negotiating committees were drafting Terms of Reference for a binding interest arbitration process to settle new collective agreements for both postal bargaining units.

Terms of Reference delineate the scope of negotiations to ensure that they remain fair and balanced. “We need to make sure that the criteria that will guide the arbitrator’s decision are neutral. If the Terms of Reference favour the Employer’s positions,” the union says, “it could bias the arbitrator in the Employer’s position – before we’ve even had a chance to present our case.”

Earlier in the week Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, called both sides back to the negotiating table, saying negotiations would be preferred to binding arbitration. Canada Post agreed, saying that arbitration “would be long and complicated.”

The crown corporation says it is seeking “a timely and fair resolution.” CUPW says it wants “a fair and balanced arbitration process.We will not agree to any criteria that clearly undermines our chances of achieving fair settlements.”

Meanwhile, the nationwide overtime ban remains in effect. n

Canada Post and union go back to negotiating table Read More »

Montreal man linked to Bin Laden arrested for uttering threats

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Mohamed Abdullah Warsame, 51, who was connected with 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden, was arrested in Montreal and appeared by video in court accused of uttering threats that could cause death or bodily harm.

A judge ordered the accused to undergo 30 days of psychiatric examination at the Philippe-Pinel hospital to determine the extent of his criminal responsibility.

Warsame, a Canadian citizen of Somali descent, had been convicted in the United States in 2009, sentenced to 92 months in jail and then accepted back into Canada. According to the RCMP- Eastern Region, the accused “allegedly told a worker at the Old Brewery Mission that he intended to commit an attack with the goal of killing a large number of people.

“Montreal Police Service (SPVM) officers responded quickly to the report. The SPVM immediately informed the RCMP of this incident, after which the investigation was taken over by the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.”

According to the United States Department of Justice, Warsame was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 92 months in jail and three years of supervised release in federal court in 2009 for “conspiring to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda.”

Warsame had met Bin Laden before the 9/11 attacks. According to various sources, Warsame emigrated to Canada in 1989 and married an American woman from Minnesota in an arranged marriage, during which he still lived in Toronto and visited her periodically. He then went to Afghanistan in 2000, attracted by what he considered to be a utopian society. n

Montreal man linked to Bin Laden arrested for uttering threats Read More »

CSLDS’s The Wizard of Oz an enchanting delight

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

I saw the Côte St. Luc Dramatic Society’s latest production of The Wizard of Oz on its opening night Saturday May 31 and it was a most enjoyable experience.

The production came up with interesting methods for the parts of the 1939 colour movie classic that included special effects. The cast, led by Sophie Eiser as Dorothy as part of Cast A (there are two sets of casts) and including Mayor Mitchell Brownstein as the Wizard and his brother Herb as Uncle Henry, was delightful. Some of the cast, particularly the Cowardly Lion (James Alloul), the Tinman (Jonah Zoldan) and the Scarecrow (Dawson Barman-Tao), not only resembled the original actors, but all offered a mix of 1930s style movie dialogue inflections and some clever and humorous added lines of a more modern nature. The many musical numbers were delightful as well.

As director Anisa Cameron pointed out to us in a recent interview, the play reinstated the Jitterbug sequence that was cut out of the 1939 movie, and it was fun and jazzy. Fun applies to the production as a whole.

The CSLDS production runs until June 15 and can be seen at the Harold Greenspon Auditorium at the Bernard Lang Civic Centre. For more information and for tickets, go to www.csldramaticsociety.com.

CSLDS’s The Wizard of Oz an enchanting delight Read More »

New Bill 96 signage, packaging laws now in effect

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Bill 96, now Law 14, French-language provisions regarding commercial signs and packaging are now in effect.The provisions include:

• “A business name that contains a specific (store name) in a language other than French and that appears in a display visible from outside a premises must be accompanied by terms in French – such as a generic, a description or a slogan – that will ensure a clear predominance of French. The same applies to a recognized trademark that is entirely or partially in a language other than French and that appears in a display visible from outside a premises. A display visible from outside a premises is a display that can be seen: from outside a space, whether enclosed or not; · on a building or group of buildings; · inside a shopping centre; ·on a terminal or any other independent structure, including a pylon sign.”

The Quebec government has provided examples of what does and does not comply with the new provisions — the description of the enterprise and its English name cannot be equal in size, the description can be larger than the store name, the store name can be the same size as the French descriptor and a French slogan; and several French descriptors can be the same size as the English store name.

• “Trademarks may be written in whole or in part only in a language other than French if no French version of these trademarks has been registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). If there is a French version of the trademark registered with CIPO, this French version must be displayed both inside and outside premises. A business that displays the French version of its business name or trademark and the version in a language other than French at the same time must ensure that, in the same field of vision, the rule of clear predominance of French is respected throughout the display.”

• The government further explains that the clear predominance of French is not required in the display of a business name or trademark when this display is “inside a premises and cannot be seen from the outside; is on a vehicle; is on a terminal or any other independent structure, including a pylon sign type, which includes more than two business names or trademarks. However, the business name must always be accompanied by a generic term in French.”

In terms of products, such descriptors as ingredients, colour, fragrances “must also appear in French on the product or on a medium permanently associated with it. The name under which the product is marketed and the name of the company may remain only in another language.” From what we’ve seen, most products sold in Canadian stores have bilingual descriptions.

• There is also a two-year transition period: “Until June 1, 2027, a product bearing a trademark that contains a generic or descriptive term only in a language other than French, or that contains a generic or descriptive term only part of which is only in a language other than French, may be marketed if it: was manufactured before June 1, 2025, and no French version of the trademark has been filed as of June 26, 2024; or was manufactured between June 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, and is subject to the new labelling standards set out in the Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations.”

Fines range from $3,000 to $30,000 a day of there is non-compliance after a written warning from the OQLF to follow the law. n

New Bill 96 signage, packaging laws now in effect Read More »

Ex-Mayor removed by police after Hampstead council disruption

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi had the SPVM expel former Mayor William Steinberg from the June 9 council meeting following a fractious debate between the two men over reimbursed expenses for hotel stays during conferences and council salaries.

“I hereby order you to leave these premises at once,” Levi told Steinberg.

Steinberg, who was accused by a member of the audience of violating council meeting decorum rules that he himself enforced, had declined to depart from the microphone after approaching it a second time. Levi had told Steinberg to wait for the second question period at the end of the agenda, but the former mayor remained at the microphone. A lengthy recess then took place.

(According to Article 12 of the town’s Bylaw 740, if a resident insists on speaking “without being granted the floor,” this may “justify the expulsion from the meeting by order of the Chairperson (Mayor).” Levi told The Suburban this bylaw was adopted by Steinberg and council and “I was enforcing his own rules.)

“This is exactly what I told everyone you would do,” Steinberg told Levi after officers entered the council chamber. The police then escorted Steinberg outside the Adessky Community Centre, where they told him he committed no crime but had to stay out of the council meeting.

During the meeting, Steinberg brought up pre-2024 allegations he posted at billsteinberg.ca, including a salary hike of 40.5 percent for councillors, Levi staying at a $900 per night hotel in Dallas, Texas during a conference and councillors travelling outside Canada to various locales for conferences.

Regarding councillors’ salaries, Levi responded that his predecessor (Steinberg) “erroneously advised council that the mayor’s salary had to have been three times the councillors’ salary. We looked into that and that was never the case. I looked at the amount of work that council puts in — this is not just about showing up to a council meeting. You know better than anyone else the amount of work involved.They deserve every single dollar.”

Steinberg countered that the salary difference between mayors and councillors is the norm, but not a rule.

Steinberg added, “We kept the salaries in line with the size of the town. [The councillors] conned you, Mr. Mayor, because of their greed, and you fell for it! Many residents want the councillors to pay back the money!”

As for the Dallas hotel stay, Levi said the Omni was the hotel of the conference, and that he did not book it. The hotel was $480 US a night, plus taxes.

Levi then countered with his own allegations about Steinberg’s own reimbursed expenses, including mileage. The former Mayor told The Suburban the mileage figures came from driving to agglomeration meetings and conferences in Canada.

Following Steinberg’s departure, Levi said slanderous accusations were made against the council, and that the items at billsteinberg.ca were incorrect. One audience member interrupted, calling the council “crooks”.

“Some of these councillors use their personal vacation time from their full-time employment [to attend conferences],” Levi said. “They are in constant communication [with the town] when they are away on personal vacations.”

Levi added that what happened at the meeting was “very unfortunate.This is not the way to address concerns about the allocation of resources. There is a proper way to ask questions, and it was not adhered to at all.”

Levi added that “there were accusations against me that I should reimburse the town. I haven’t taken a single dollar. Thank God I’m financially stable, I don’t need the town to pay for anything, certainly not to travel away from my family so that I can bring back better insights and resources to better serve the town. Every single dollar I’ve been paid as Mayor, I have donated to local charities. I take nothing from this town!” n

Ex-Mayor removed by police after Hampstead council disruption Read More »

The Beach Boys come to the West Island

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

2025 is a year of milestones for the Beach Boys. It is the 60th anniversary of three of their landmark albums — Today!, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!) and Party!, and the standalone single The Little Girl I Once Knew.

But this past Feb. 19 also marked the 60th anniversary of the group’s first concert in Montreal, at the Maurice Richard Arena, where, according to the book The Beach Boys in Concert by Ian Rusten and Jon Stebbins, the show turned into a near riot as fans tried to mob the stage, while drummer Dennis Wilson “barely made it to his dressing room with his hair intact.”

Lead singer Mike Love, 84, in a phone interview with The Suburban last week, didn’t specifically remember that concert — he’s performed thousands of them for more than 60 years, after all. But he did say that he very much enjoys visiting and performing in Montreal.

“I remember Montreal being a fantastic city, the province of Quebec in general, Quebec City. In Montreal, I especially like the architecture, the fact it’s heavily influenced by France, in fact, there’s some areas of Montreal where you’ll never see English. It’s fascinating — like going to Europe, but a lot closer.”

Love said a lot of audiences were indeed wild in the early to-mid-1960s, and he expects a much calmer show than the one in 1965, when the Beach Boys perform June 21 at the annual Strangers in the Night gala, which is marking its 20th year, at Complexe Pointe Claire. Also performing are The Damn Truth and Exodus. The event raises funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to critically ill children, as well as the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and the West Island Women’s Shelter.

Love points out that “we’ve done Make-A-Wish Foundation concerts many, many times, and we like it when our celebrity helps raise money and awareness for philanthropic groups, so it will be a really nice evening. I think it’s great if people turn out and support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.”

In terms of milestones, we also mentioned that this past April marked the 60th anniversary of Bruce Johnston joining the Beach Boys. Johnston, following a brief stint by Glen Campbell, replaced Brian Wilson, who stopped regular touring with the band in late 1964. Love and Johnston, with a wonderful band, tour as the Beach Boys nowadays — I saw this edition of the band in 2001, 2016 and 2018, and all the shows were superb.

“Bruce has been great,” Love says. “He has a Grammy for writing I Write the Songs, made famous by Barry Manilow. He’s been behind the scenes on a lot of songs — he got me working with Terry Melcher and we did Kokomo, which went to #1 and is probably our biggest selling single ever, and definitely the biggest singalong in our show. He’s been a good influence all along.”

At the time we spoke, Love was a week away from the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York City, where he is being honoured for writing the lyrics of such timeless classics as California Girls, Good Vibrations, the gorgeous The Warmth of the Sun and many others.

“I join so many great artists who contributed so much to our musical culture. It’s a great honour to have my contributions to the Beach Boys recognized, finally.”

For more information on the Strangers in the Night gala, go to strangersinthenight.ca. For more of the musical aspects of our interview with Mike Love, that will be in an upcoming Retro Roundup. n

The Beach Boys come to the West Island Read More »

Stolen car full of teens leads to Kirkland police chase

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Four Montreal minors have been arrested in connection with a stolen vehicle incident in Kirkland.

Quebec provincial police (SQ) said officers attempted to stop a westbound SUV on Highway 40 near Exit 61 on Friday.

Police said the vehicle failed to stop, prompting a brief pursuit that was called off due to heavy traffic.

A short time later, the SUV collided with another car that was stopped at a red light on Saint-Charles Boulevard in Kirkland, within the jurisdiction of Montreal police (SPVM).

According to police, the four occupants of the SUV fled the scene on foot.

Two suspects were arrested nearby by SQ officers. With assistance from Montreal police (SPVM), two additional minors were located and taken into custody.

All four suspects are minors. They were questioned by investigators and released with a promise to appear in court at a later date.

No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing. n

Stolen car full of teens leads to Kirkland police chase Read More »

Police arrest 13 in extortion ring after WI spike

Local Journalism Initiative / /

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Montreal police have arrested 13 suspects and seized firearms, drugs, and nearly $120,000 in cash in a major operation aimed at dismantling a criminal network targeting restaurant and bar owners with threats, arson, and demands for protection money.

In an interview with The Suburban, Montreal police investigating the case confirmed back in March that officers were visiting local restaurants on a regular basis, “doing rounds” in response to a spike in attacks on West Island and Montreal establishments. The so-called “protection pay” criminal network has been active since restaurants reopened following the lifting of Covid-19 measures, according to police.

Raids were carried out across seven Montreal boroughs, as well as in Laval, Châteauguay, and Dollard-des-Ormeaux. The police operation involved 150 officers from firearms and narcotics units, neighbourhood stations, and specialized teams, with provincial and regional forces lending support. Officers seized three guns, significant quantities of cocaine and crystal meth, thousands of speed pills, and cash.

Three men ages 25, 34, and 39 are believed to be central to several extortion attempts against two downtown restaurant owners and their associates. These owners were targeted multiple times, including an incident in February when gunshots were fired through a Ste-Catherine St. restaurant window. The same victims saw another restaurant location and even a private residence attacked. Police say two distinct criminal groups appear to have been preying on the same restaurateurs, with links to drug trafficking.

Of the 13 people arrested, eight are men and two are women, all between 28 and 44 years old. Some will appear in court within 24 hours, while others will be released on strict conditions.

The arrests come after months of mounting anxiety among Montreal’s hospitality sector, where business owners have struggled to find insurance and, in some cases, have considered closing their doors due to relentless threats and attacks. Industry leaders say this first wave of arrests is a relief but stress that continued vigilance and enforcement are needed to protect the city’s restaurants and bars.

Police have indicated that their investigation is ongoing and that further arrests are possible. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact their local police station or report anonymously via Info-Crime. n

Police arrest 13 in extortion ring after WI spike Read More »

Search continues for missing man at Verdun Beach

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The search continues for a 20-year-old man who went missing in the waters off Verdun Beach, near Lasalle Boulevard and De L’Église Street, following a suspected drowning Saturday evening.

Emergency crews were called to the scene around 5:24 p.m. Saturday after reports of a man in distress during a water sport activity. According to preliminary information provided by witnesses to investigators, the man began to struggle in the water. Several bystanders tried to reach him, but he disappeared beneath the surface before anyone could help.

The beach was quickly evacuated and cordoned off as search and rescue operations began. The Coast Guard, the nautical patrol of the Montreal fire department, and nautical division of Montreal police (SPVM) were all involved in the ongoing search, deploying multiple boats on the water. Authorities confirm that strong currents and high water levels continue to complicate recovery efforts.

SPVM spokesperson Antony Dorelas told The Suburban that the search remains ongoing.Dorelas confirmed that efforts to locate the missing man were still underway.

Verdun Beach, which runs along the St. Lawrence River, remains officially closed to the public until June 14. There were no lifeguards on duty at the time of the incident.

City officials warn that swimming or engaging in water activities in unsupervised areas is highly discouraged due to potentially hazardous river conditions.

Authorities are reminding residents to avoid water activities at closed beaches or in areas without lifeguards, particularly with dangerous river conditions at this time of year. n

Search continues for missing man at Verdun Beach Read More »

Weeks after fire 40 Pierrefonds residents still in limbo

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Nearly two weeks after a devastating overnight fire gutted a co-op housing complex in Pierrefonds-Roxboro, more than forty residents are still living in limbo, unsure about where they will go once their temporary shelter arrangements end.

The blaze, which struck in the early hours of May 28, forced families to evacuate. While emergency crews responded quickly and there were no reports of life threatening injuries, the building sustained extensive damage, rendering it uninhabitable.

In the immediate aftermath, the Red Cross provided emergency shelter and basic necessities, offering residents a place to stay and a brief respite from the chaos. That support, however, is designed to address the short term needs of displaced persons on an emergency basis.

As the days pass, those affected are facing the harsh reality of finding somewhere else to live and replacing their belongings. With the end of the Red Cross assistance looming, families are left scrambling for long-term housing solutions.

Residents of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, as part of the City of Montreal, qualify for additional municipal support. This can include temporary housing, reimbursement for moving and storage costs, and assistance from the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM) in searching for a new home. Even so, the process is often slow and overwhelming. Many of those displaced have lost most or all of what they owned and must now navigate unfamiliar housing systems, all while coping with the trauma of losing their homes.

The broader housing landscape in the West Island adds another layer of difficulty. Only about one in five homes in the area are rentals, and social housing is scarce—making up just a small fraction of available units. For moderate- or low-income families, this means the options for affordable, suitable accommodation are extremely limited, especially at short notice. Competition for available apartments is high, and some families fear they may have nowhere to go once their emergency shelter ends.

Community organizations and local leaders have called for support, urging anyone who can offer housing, donations, or resources to step forward. The sense of community has become a lifeline for those affected, as neighbours, volunteers, and advocacy groups work to fill the gaps left by official assistance. Another factor, the rise of rents since the pandemic has skyrocketed. For residents who benefitted from lower rental costs, affording an apartment available on the market is, in many cases, not possible.

Meanwhile, the cause of the fire remains under investigation, and the uncertainty around what triggered the blaze has added to residents’ anxiety. For the families left picking up the pieces, the coming days are critical. With emergency aid set to run out, many are desperate for stable solutions and worried about what comes next.

The Pierrefonds-Roxboro fire has thrown a spotlight on just how vulnerable many Montrealers are in the face of disaster. Although city programs are in place to help, the shortage of affordable housing means that for dozens of families, finding a new place to call home is far from guaranteed. The community is rallying, but it’s clear that lasting solutions—and more robust safety nets—are needed to prevent future tragedies from leaving so many people without a place to turn. n

Weeks after fire 40 Pierrefonds residents still in limbo Read More »

Man found in critical condition in Lachine Canal

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A 39-year-old man is in hospital with life-threatening injuries following an altercation along the Lachine Canal near Corroyeurs Park.

Montreal police (SPVM) responded to a report of a disturbance just west of the Atwater Tunnel. According to police, a dispute between two men escalated, resulting in one man entering the water. The circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation.

First responders arrived within minutes and pulled the man from the canal. Resuscitation efforts were initiated on site before he was transported to hospital in critical condition.

A second man was arrested at the scene. Police established a security perimeter in the area. Officers spoke with witnesses on site to gather information about the sequence of events.

Many bystanders stood along the park’s pathways and watched as emergency crews and police flooded the area. The relationship between the two men and the reasons for the altercation have not been disclosed. No charges have been announced.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the SPVM as the investigation continues. n

Man found in critical condition in Lachine Canal Read More »

Pilots to the Rescue brings 20 rescue dogs to Dorval

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A group of 20 rescue dogs from South Korea arrived at Montreal–Trudeau International Airport in Dorval last week.

The arrival was the result of a mission led by Pilots to the Rescue in partnership with Humane World for Animals (HWA), formerly known as The Humane Society.

After landing, the dogs were transported to an HWA facility in Montreal, where they are now beginning the process of finding adoptive homes after being removed from a dog meat farm.

This mission follows a recent operation by Humane World for Animals, which intervened at a South Korean dog meat operation earlier this spring and removed more than 60 dogs from conditions of cruelty.

The animals spent several weeks at HWA’s rehabilitation centre in Maryland, receiving medical care and support before a portion were selected for transfer to Montreal, where local shelters and rescue partners will help prepare them for adoption.

Nicole Keller, spokesperson for Pilots to the Rescue, explained that the organization focuses on transporting at-risk animals from under-resourced shelters, particularly in the southern United States, to no-kill facilities and adoption centres. “Our goal is to give them a second chance at life,” Keller told The Suburban. “Many of these dogs have incredible backstories and have overcome major adversity. We are grateful to help give them the opportunity for a happy life.”

According to research experts on animal rights issues, hundreds of thousands of dogs are euthanized in U.S. shelters each year, often because overcrowding and a shortage of adoptive homes leave shelters with few options. The problem is especially severe in the southern states, which report the highest kill rates nationwide. Contributing factors include limited access to spay and neuter services, cultural attitudes toward pet ownership, and a steady influx of stray and surrendered animals. In certain states, the proportion of euthanized animals can be several times higher than elsewhere in the country. These realities highlight the ongoing need for rescue and relocation efforts, both to relieve pressure on crowded shelters and to give individual dogs a genuine chance at a better future.

The arrival of these 20 dogs at Dorval stands as a testament to the impact of collaborative rescue work, and as a reminder of the persistent challenges surrounding animal overpopulation. Representatives from Pilots To The Rescue and HWA were present for the arrival and remain available for comment as the dogs settle in and begin the next stage of their journey. n

Pilots to the Rescue brings 20 rescue dogs to Dorval Read More »

One dead and two injured in DDO crash

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A man was killed and two others injured after a car struck a tree on Spring Garden Street in Dollard-des-Ormeaux early Saturday morning. Emergency services were called to the scene near Fabre Street just before 4 a.m., after several residents reported hearing a crash.

According to authorities, firefighters and paramedics arrived to find three men trapped inside the vehicle. One passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and the other passenger were taken to hospital. Their conditions had not been confirmed as of Saturday morning while they undergo treatment.

Investigators believe that the car may have been travelling at high speed before veering off the roadway and hitting the tree. The SPVM’s collision unit set up a perimeter in order to examine the site and collect evidence.

Despite the early hours, officials were able to speak with a number of witnesses.

The identities of those involved have not yet been released.

The investigation remains ongoing. n

One dead and two injured in DDO crash Read More »

The eight hours between life and loss

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The eight-hour drive from Atlantic City was the longest eight hours of Noa Almaleh’s life. As she sat in her Air BNB room rental, stunned and in shock, her friends quietly packed her bags, handed her a water bottle, and slipped a snack into her purse — a snack she couldn’t bring herself to eat, she was preparing for a car ride that she will never forget. Without a word, they guided her out to the car, and the long drive back to Montreal began. Through the night, Noa spoke on the phone with friends and family, her voice steady but heavy with disbelief as she repeated the story again and again. “The word ‘squished’ is engraved in my brain after that drive,” she told The Suburban in an interview where she plainly shares her perspective.

The circumstances of Codey’s death were sudden and tragic. Codey Daly, 29, a beloved figure in Montreal’s restaurant scene, died while helping a friend back a truck and boat trailer into a driveway in Les Cèdres. The truck lurched, pinning Codey against a garage door. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, but he did not survive. The driver, someone Codey trusted, was arrested and charged with impaired driving causing death.

The recent court process brought fresh pain. “Thirty people from our family showed up for the court date, but the accused didn’t come. He wasn’t obligated, but it felt like a slap. His lawyer said, ‘He’s busy.’ Like the rest of us don’t have jobs? The judge didn’t seem impressed. That was just the cherry on top.”

On the morning of the tragic accident, Noa and Codey Daly had been planning their future together. They had put a deposit down on a rental condo in Saint-Zotique, a rent-to-own arrangement that was supposed to mark the next step in their life as a couple. They spoke about their achievement on the phone that morning, along with their plans for the day. Codey was off to a boating trip with “the boys”, while Noa was in Atlantic City with “the girls”, many who were friends and family members of Codey. It was a day of celebration, joy and good fun for the couple. “I love you!” they said to each other. Little did they know, that would be their last conversation. Everything was about to fall apart.

It began with a frantic phone call from one of Codey’s friends, just before dinner time, who was panicked and urgently asked Noa for Codey’s mother’s phone number. Noa was in the restaurant parking lot, after a fun filled day, looking forward to a glass of wine. His words made it sound as if Codey had been “bumped”, as Noa describes it, in a driveway. But, Noa sensed something was wrong. “He was panicked, but I wasn’t. I was worried of course. I didn’t understand why he was so scared though, while making it sound like it was just a small accident.”

Noa herself called Codey’s mother first to calmly let her know what had happened, rather than share her contact information with someone who may incite panic, when at that point, from what was described to her, was not a reason to panic. She then went to join her friends at a table in a Gordon Ramsay restaurant they were all looking forward to. At this stage, she was already planning to return home early, but figured that his mom would be with him until she could catch a flight the next morning.

Shortly after, Codey’s mother called Noa back from the hospital. During that call, Noa overheard a nurse’s voice saying Codey had “severe trauma.” The call then dropped abruptly. The wine had just been served at the table, but Noa became alarmed and decided to call her own mother to expedite plans to return home.

About 20 minutes later, Codey’s mother called again. This time, her voice was broken and raw with grief. “He’s dead.” Noa could barely speak. “I just kept saying, ‘What do you mean, what do you mean?’ I couldn’t process it. It didn’t feel real.”

As Noa put the phone down, her friends were looking to her for an update. “He’s dead,” was all she could manage to say, while the words didn’t make sense to her.

Overwhelmed, she ran out of the restaurant. “The next forty-five minutes, I blacked out. Six of us just cried on the floor of the casino. My brain blocked it all out. I did not remember that anyone came up to us or what was happening around us. I was told later that many did.”

Her friends took charge realizing Noa was in shock. No questions, no talking-just silent support. They took her back to the hotel, packed her things, got her into the car, and began the drive north. Noa continuously called people, answered calls, her voice steady but weighed down by disbelief. She just stared out the window into the night, headlights reflecting as they passed by and repeated the story over and over for eight long hours.

Noa’s mother met her halfway through the trip. Together, they went straight to Codey’s family home. The porch was dimly lit, where Codey’s mother sat with her niece and a friend, faces pale and sleepless. His seventeen-year-old brother stood nearby, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. “He was destroyed. None of them had gone to bed. There’s nothing you can say to make it better.”

Instead of moving into their new home, Noa found herself at a funeral home, staring at caskets and halls, forced to focus on decisions she never imagined making at 23. “I was supposed to be moving in. Instead, I was helping plan Codey’s funeral.”

The practical realities only deepened the shock. The condo deposit paid that morning became another painful obstacle. “The broker wouldn’t give it back. She kept saying, ‘I still need my commission,’ even after Codey died. We’d signed a promise to lease, but he died the same day. She was fighting for her cut while we were planning his funeral. It was surreal.”

Instead of stepping into their future together, Noa found herself surrounded by silence and heartbreak. She remembers Codey’s little brother, unable to meet anyone’s eyes, and the way grief filled every room. “My heart broke all over again.” There is no tidy ending, no easy comfort. Noa holds on to the last words Codey ever said to her: “I love you.” They are what she carries now while living a future that she never imagined facing alone. n

The eight hours between life and loss Read More »

Montreal community embraces parents of slain Israeli hostage

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Federation CJA’s closing event of its 2024-2025 All In Campaign featured Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, an Israeli-American who was kidnapped by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 and slain with five other captives by the terrorist group around Aug. 31, 2024.

The event also featured Israeli Consul-General Paul Hirschson and touching musical performances by Israeli singer Michal Greenglick, whose brother Shauli was killed in combat in Gaza in December 2023; and Arab-Israeli singer and actress Valerie Hamaty. Also in attendance were Raquel and Alain Look, parents of former Côte St. Luc resident Alexandre Look, who died while defending others at the Nova music festival Oct. 7. Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped from the festival, where hundreds of young people were killed.

Hirschson expressed to the full house at the Gelber Centre, in one of his last public appearances before returning to Israel, his appreciation of the Montreal Jewish community.

“There isn’t another Jewish community in the world which is as engaged with Israel as you are,” he said. “I want to take the opportunity to say thank you.”

Moderator Lisa Singer Miller, a Federation CJA volunteer, asked Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, who recounted fond memories of their son, what the Montreal community could do to bolster them in Israel.

Jon Polin said that “we all know there are challenging times right now.

“But we are 15 million Jews globally in a world of eight and a half billion people. So yes, we should try to fight narratives, and to fight the online battle, but it’s really hard. What we can control is to flood the world with our goodness and if the world wants to embrace us for contributing the best technology and the best medicine and the best legal and academic minds, and on and on and on, then great. And if they don’t, we’re going to keep doing that stuff anyway!….Let’s just be proud!

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, asked to provide a memory of Hersh, said she had to “learn to feel someone in a different way. I very much feel Hersh all the time. I even stop during the day and say “Hersh, are you here?’ and I say to myself, ‘I’m here, Mama.’

“For me, something I think about — I had a son and I loved him, and he knew it. And he loved me, and I knew it. I was blessed, and I am blessed.” n

Montreal community embraces parents of slain Israeli hostage Read More »

Gen. Rick Hillier says, “We are lions led by sheep!”

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Retired Canadian Forces General Rick Hillier, former Chief of Defence Staff, took Canadian politicians to severe task last week for their tepid response to the rise of anti-Israel protests and antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

“We are lions led by sheep!” he said. “And it’s time that we are lions led by lions! And we need your help and the help of the vast majority of Canadians to do it!”

General Hillier was the keynote speaker May 27 at a very well attended Beyond the 7th: Stronger Together fundraising event held at the Chevra Kadisha Synagogue in Snowdon by Beit Halochem Canada, the organization which provides aid for wounded, physically and emotionally, veterans and victims of terror. Côte St. Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, Hampstead councillor Jack Edery and Federation CJA president and CEO Yair Szlak were amongst the attendees.

Audience members heard gut-wrenching and inspiring in-person and video testimony from veterans who had been severely wounded during the Hamas terrorist attack and in battles against Hamas and Hezbollah afterwards, and were helped by Beit Halochem in their recovery. There were also stirring musical performances by Or Cohen, Chen Danino and Liad Grushka.

Gen. Hillier told the audience that while Canada may be in an economic conflict with the Trump administration, the Canada-U.S. relationship must ultimately be settled.

“Because in this unsettled domain, Team Hamas appears, and the hatred they have is expressed openly!” he added. “Demonstrations have been shutting down our cities, and our residential area like this tonight, and our universities! We’ve had attacks on your schools and synagogues, and businesses, and that racism is in the open!”

Gen. Hiller emphasized that Canada’s political leaders “have largely failed us in being able to constrain that antisemitism and hatred.

“I refuse to let them get away with that in silence! If Black Canadians were prevented from going onto the campus of Concordia University, or openly gay people were prevented from crossing into a mall in downtown Toronto, our political leaders would be there in a heartbeat! They would have been on bended knee and changed the laws if needed and we would have had those issues resolved. They need to do the same for antisemitism!”

Hiller said Canadians have to speak up, “to denounce the hatred!

“I believe firmly that the majority of Canadians detest what is going on…but they are silent! We need them to demand leadership from those we elect to lead! Write them, email them, phone them! Go visit their Parliamentary offices and let them know! Participate in demonstrations!”

Hillier also said governments and police forces have to enforce the laws “we already have on the books.

“We don’t need new laws! We need the police force in Montreal, in Toronto, in Ottawa to enforce the laws, stop the hate rallies and allow Canadians to live a life of security that we all want! We also want to make sure that every one of 400,000 Jewish Canadians are treated just like every other single Canadian!”

The veterans who spoke and whose stories were seen on video included Eden Ram, who was hit by 12 bullets when her base was overrun by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 — she was one of two survivors of the onslaught; Evyatar Edri, a police officer who helped rescue his parents on Oct. 7 and who now suffers from PTSD, and who was accompanied by his mother Rachel, who fed cookies to the terrorists as a means of staying alive; Jonathan Pinto, who was blinded as he helped prevent Hamas from entering Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7; Liam Shpilman, who was very badly wounded by the terrorist group Hezbollah and had to endure dozens of surgeries; and Yonti Bahat, who was badly wounded in Gaza and was rescued by a paramedic he personally trained.

Ram told the audience that “what separates us from those who wanted to murder us is this — from first grade, I was taught to respect every human being, to reach out for peace!

“But Hamas and Hezbollah teach their children from first grade to kill Jews, to become shahids, those who murder and are celebrated as heroes when they ascend to Heaven!”

Edri said those protesting outside the synagogue and their ilk “will not stop us, and they will not break us!” Loud applause followed. Those outside protesting “cannot bury our truth!” said Rabbi Asher Jacobson.

After the event, security guided attendees how to exit the synagogue, as there were three groups of anti-Israel protesters in the area who yelled obscenities and made hateful statements. The SPVM, which set up a perimeter on Clanranald and part of Isabella, and private security held the protesters at bay. n

Gen. Rick Hillier says, “We are lions led by sheep!” Read More »

SPVM arrests five in seniors distraction theft scheme

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The SPVM arrested five people in connection with a series of crimes involving perpetrators distracting unsuspecting people and stealing items like jewellery in the process.

The Suburban recently reported on a Côte St. Luc senior couple who were distracted by an alleged couple, one of whom asked for directions to an Arab supermarket and the other asked a man to pray with her and while doing so stole his Rolex, replacing it with a cheap watch. Other such crimes have been reported in the west end and West Island.

The SPVM announced that it had arrested five suspects who were “allegedly involved in several diversion thefts committed in Montreal and its surrounding areas in recent weeks. The suspects allegedly took advantage of the vulnerability of seniors to steal jewelry they were wearing.”

The Montreal police’s statement added that its West Project Investigation Section “also conducted a search of a residence in St. Hubert and seized three vehicles.The suspects arrested are two women aged 36 and 37, and three men aged 34, 39, and 45. Three of them appeared at the Montreal courthouse and face charges of theft under $5,000. The other two were released on a promise to appear at a later date, with conditions to be met.”

The general scheme, which had variations, was that the perpetrators used false pretences to approach a victim, and then offered the victim a gift as a token of appreciation, such as a worthless necklace or ring. During their interactions with the victim, they approached her to have her try on the gift and took the opportunity to steal one or more pieces of valuable jewelry worn by the victim. They then left the scene in a vehicle driven by an accomplice. It was only moments later that the victim realized what had just happened.

The SPVM offered prevention tips, including “if you are a senior, don’t let anyone into your inner circle and be vigilant. Always be on your guard, even when the stranger approaching you is a woman. Also, refuse any gifts offered to you. If possible, travel in groups and hide any valuable jewelry before arriving at your destination.”

The investigation into the distraction crimes is ongoing, “considering the possibility of similar unreported thefts.Anyone with information is encouraged to contact 911 or their local police station. You can also contact Info-Crime Montreal anonymously and confidentially at 514-393-1133 or via the reporting form available on infocrimemontreal.ca.” n

SPVM arrests five in seniors distraction theft scheme Read More »

Bill 96 has reduced hiring of English-speakers

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

A Léger survey commissioned by the Advisory Committee for English-speaking Quebecers (CCQEA) found that out of a perceived fear of non-compliance with language law Bill 96 (Law 14), a third of Quebec employers polled have changed their hiring practices, including reducing or halting the hiring of English speakers.

Amongst other provisions, Bill 96 demands that companies with 25 to 49 employees be subject to Bill 101’s francization process — including reporting on the extent of French used in the workplace — and must register with the OQLF. Previously, this provision applied to companies with 50 or more employees. The adjustment period for the expanded category of companies to comply ended on Sunday, June 1.

The CCQEA says that 500 Quebec employers were surveyed from Nov. 20 to Dec. 1, 2024, and that the results “builds on [our] previous research showing that English speakers in Quebec face greater labour market vulnerability, including higher unemployment and lower incomes, than their French-speaking counterparts.

“One in five employers now express concern about hiring English speakers. More than one in 10 have pulled back on retention of English speakers or even let them go, citing compliance concerns and risk of penalties.”

(Similarly, in terms of caution, many stores decline to place English on their signage, even though it is allowed as long as French is markedly predominant.)

“Employers need clarity and support in navigating these requirements and right now, they’re pulling back out of caution — that’s a missed opportunity.” says CCQEA President John Buck.

Buck added that few employers are aware of government-funded francization programs that would ensure compliance with the law.

“Employers often aren’t aware of those that do exist, or aren’t sufficiently supported in implementing them. There’s real potential for workforce growth that we’re not realizing. We’re seeing signals of demand and willingness on both sides, but we currently risk sidelining qualified talent that could contribute meaningfully to Quebec’s economy.”

Some other findings of the survey:

• Forty-five percent of the companies surveyed never hired an English-speaking employee, including 52 percent of francophone companies, 82 percent of companies in the Quebec City area and 56 percent of companies outside the Greater Montreal and Quebec City areas.

• On the other hand, 88 percent of English-speaking companies hire anglophones more often, as do 74 percent of bilingual companies and 70 percent in the Greater Montreal area.

• Because of perceptions about Law 14, eight percent of the companies surveyed no longer hire anglophones, 10 percent hire fewer anglophones, 14 percent are more cautious but still hire anglophones, and 49 percent have not changed their anglophone hiring practices. The rest either never hire anglophones or did not respond. nA Léger survey commissioned by the Advisory Committee for English-speaking Quebecers (CCQEA) found that out of a perceived fear of non-compliance with language law Bill 96 (Law 14), a third of Quebec employers polled have changed their hiring practices, including reducing or halting the hiring of English speakers.

Amongst other provisions, Bill 96 demands that companies with 25 to 49 employees be subject to Bill 101’s francization process — including reporting on the extent of French used in the workplace — and must register with the OQLF. Previously, this provision applied to companies with 50 or more employees. The adjustment period for the expanded category of companies to comply ended on Sunday, June 1.

The CCQEA says that 500 Quebec employers were surveyed from Nov. 20 to Dec. 1, 2024, and that the results “builds on [our] previous research showing that English speakers in Quebec face greater labour market vulnerability, including higher unemployment and lower incomes, than their French-speaking counterparts.

“One in five employers now express concern about hiring English speakers. More than one in 10 have pulled back on retention of English speakers or even let them go, citing compliance concerns and risk of penalties.”

(Similarly, in terms of caution, many stores decline to place English on their signage, even though it is allowed as long as French is markedly predominant.)

“Employers need clarity and support in navigating these requirements and right now, they’re pulling back out of caution — that’s a missed opportunity.” says CCQEA President John Buck.

Buck added that few employers are aware of government-funded francization programs that would ensure compliance with the law.

“Employers often aren’t aware of those that do exist, or aren’t sufficiently supported in implementing them. There’s real potential for workforce growth that we’re not realizing. We’re seeing signals of demand and willingness on both sides, but we currently risk sidelining qualified talent that could contribute meaningfully to Quebec’s economy.”

Some other findings of the survey:

• Forty-five percent of the companies surveyed never hired an English-speaking employee, including 52 percent of francophone companies, 82 percent of companies in the Quebec City area and 56 percent of companies outside the Greater Montreal and Quebec City areas.

• On the other hand, 88 percent of English-speaking companies hire anglophones more often, as do 74 percent of bilingual companies and 70 percent in the Greater Montreal area.

• Because of perceptions about Law 14, eight percent of the companies surveyed no longer hire anglophones, 10 percent hire fewer anglophones, 14 percent are more cautious but still hire anglophones, and 49 percent have not changed their anglophone hiring practices. The rest either never hire anglophones or did not respond. n

Bill 96 has reduced hiring of English-speakers Read More »

Court says CSL SAQ did not accuse customer of theft

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Small Claims Court Judge Brigitte Gouin ruled recently that employees of the Société des Alcools du Québec store in the Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre in CSL did not accuse a customer of theft.

Allan Barbarush sued the SAQ for $15,000, claiming that on March 30, 2023, while looking for a particular brand of wine and not finding it, he decided to leave the store. The customer claimed he was then “verbally assaulted and humiliated” by two employees, who he said accused him, in front of members of the public, of theft.

The plaintiff said police were called, surveillance footage was reviewed and no evidence of theft was discovered.

The SAQ countered that according to store manager Ana Bertha Gallegos Barcenas and cashier Paula Soto, the plaintiff entered the store with a grocery bag behind his back and Barcenas “had reasonable grounds to believe that Barbarush had left the branch with an unpaid item.”

The defendant’s witnesses said the conversation only involved the plaintiff being asked if he forgot to pay for an item, took place for a short period of time, four members of the public were likely out of earshot of the exchange and “there was no public demonstration of humiliation—quite the contrary.”

Barcenas testified that “in my work, I have frequently seen customers leave a branch without paying for the products they were carrying in a moment of distraction, without necessarily intending to steal them. For this reason, I asked the applicant if he had forgotten to do so (pay).

“In response to my question, the [plaintiff] hesitated and stammered before replying, ‘Are you imbeciles or what?’, without ever answering the question.”

The judge agreed with the SAQ employees’ version of events, adding that the plaintiff “was free to leave the premises without hindrance or further intervention.

“The employees also did not request to search his bag, which he was holding when he left the store. It was the plaintiff himself who returned to the defendant’s branch a second time, going to the manager’s office to have a heated conversation about the previous exchange. He left the premises shortly afterward without further intervention from the defendant. The plaintiff then returned to the branch a third time to have another heated conversation with the manager, and during this exchange, he decided to call the SPVM himself.”

The judge added that the plaintiff had the burden of proof in regards to any fault by the SAQ.

“As appears from the evidence presented, the exchange in the mall aisle was brief, only one question was asked in a tone devoid of any aggression, and no accusations of theft were made against the plaintiff. It was also demonstrated, as appears from the testimonies of Soto and Barcenas, that they acted on the basis of objective facts linked to the plaintiff’s behaviour, including successive handling of several bottles in the presence of a half-open bag, his brief presence in the branch and leaving without purchase.”

For these reasons, the judge ruled in favor of the SAQ. n

Court says CSL SAQ did not accuse customer of theft Read More »

Highway 40 roadwork back on for this weekend

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

by Dan Laxer
The Suburban

The on-again-off-again roadwork scheduled for Highway 40 (The Metropolitan) is on again for this weekend.

The ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité will be completing the work it had planned for last month, but had to cancel due to rain. While the weather forecast does indeed show that conditions will be favourable to complete the work, in the event of rain it will have to be postponed again. Motorists should consult Quebec 511.

The work will mean the complete closure of the Metropolitan Highway eastbound between the Côte-de-Liesse interchange and Highway 15. The following closures will be in effect from 11:00 Friday night to 5:00 Monday morning:

The Cavendish Blvd entrance to 40 east.

The 520 east ramp to the 40.

The entrance from Marcel Laurin Blvd to the 40.

The 40 east ramp to Décarie south.

The 40 east ramp to Decarie north

The Décarie north ramp to the 40 east.

The entrance to the 40 east at Sainte-Croix.

The Stinson/Rockland/Acadie exit (Exit 68) from the 40 east.

Exit No. 71 (R-335 / Boul. St-Laurent / Rue St-Denis) from the 40 east.

The ministry is urging motorists to avoid the area for the duration of the work, and to consider Highway 13, Highway 440, Highway 20, and Highway 30 as alternatives.

There will be at least one more weekend of intensive paving work is planned, also heading east. It will be announced as soon as it is confirmed.

Highway 40 roadwork back on for this weekend Read More »

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