Beryl Wajsman

The Suburban helps rescue NDG family from Beirut

By Beryl Wajsman, Editor
The Suburban

For NDG resident Richard Moushian, his wife Sandy and their young daughter it was supposed to be a vacation to his father’s homeland, Lebanon. A visit to where his father was raised and the places he lived. A visit to where the substantial Armenian Orthodox community in Lebanon lives now and the historical places where it had built an important and significant presence and contribution to that country.

It was not to be. For this family — all Canadian born — a nightmare started August 1, the day of their arrival at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport.The young family approached the customs inspectors at the airport to present their Canadian passports. That’s where the problems began. In 2018 the family had made a tour of the holy sites in Israel. Among them Jerusalem’s ancient Armenian Quarter and Bethlehem. In Bethlehem, tiny stamps were placed by security on the outside of passports. The stamps have Hebrew letters. The stamps were to be removed once one left Bethlehem. Sandy forgot to remove hers.

At Beirut airport, the customs guard noticed the Hebrew letter on Sandy’s passport stamp after having stamped both their passports. Lebanon, Syria, Libya and Algeria are among the few Middle East countries that still do not allow entry to anyone with evidence in their passports of visits to Israel. Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Tunisia, Morocco and several others have no such restrictions.

Because Richard told the inspector that his father was raised in Lebanon, he was told that Lebanon had authority over him and seized his passport and cellphone to investigate what Richard’s involvement with Israel was and was taken for questioning. Though the stamp was on Sandy’s passport, she was allowed to keep it and her cellphone because she had no familial connection to Lebanon.

The family was allowed to proceed to their hotel but Richard was ordered to appear before a tribunal at the General Security Building on Tuesday August 12. Panic understandably set in. This was Richard’s vacation and his employer is a major financial institution. They tried to contact the Canadian Embassy and were told that “Canada does not interfere with internal legal matters of foreign countries.” The Embassy offered no solutions but that the family should “go through the the process and keep them informed and hire a lawyer.”

Several days later, Sandy contacted The Suburban by Instagram messenger. She wrote that the family “were avid readers of The Suburban.”

She said she “wanted to highlight an issue that may concern your readers”. We contacted her on her What’s App number and she recounted the events described above and asked for help. She also explained that their friends in Montreal had attempted to contact their MP Anna Gainey but received no reply. They also tried Global Affairs and received no help there either.

The family did hire a lawyer and he told them that Richard indeed was to appear in the General Security Office before Administrative Judge Fadi Akiki on the morning of August 12. In speaking with Richard and Sandy, The Suburban told them what we planned to do and with whom and to be very careful with whom they discussed their situation while in Beirut.

The Suburban then started our own investigation. We confirmed that indeed the policy of our Embassies is not to interfere in legal matters. It obviously raised the question of what aid can they offer to Canadian citizens. We were given the same answer when we spoke to Consular Services at Global Affairs in Ottawa. Consular Services is the emergency office all Canadians travelling abroad are supposed to count on 24/7.

We then started to call diplomatic, legal and intelligence personnel we had contact with in a variety of countries. The Suburban kept in constant contact with the Moushians and asked them if there was any progress with the Embassy. They answered that they had received two calls from it astoundingly asking them if they were back in Montreal.

Finally, after some five days of effort, The Suburban made the breakthrough that helped the Moushians get back to Montreal. The Israeli Consul-General in Montreal Amb. Paul Hirschson, who was days away from ending his tour here, suggested we call Laval-Les Îles MP Fayçal El-Khoury. Mr. El-Khoury immediately leapt into action, getting his executive assistant on the line with us right away. He said he knew precisely who to call because a family member of his had gone through the same experience after visiting Israel and then trying to enter Lebanon several years later.

The Laval MP graciously took our call on a Sunday, the Sunday two days before Richard was to appear at the General Security Court. By Monday The Suburban heard back from Mr. El-Khoury that though Richard would have to go to that Security Office to retrieve his passport and phone, there would be no hearing in front of Judge Akiki.

Indeed that is the way it transpired except for one hitch. When Richard arrived on Tuesday morning August 12, a Lieutenant noticed pictures of Jerry Seinfeld in Israel on Richard’s phone. The officer had no idea who he was and grilled Richard for hours on whether this was an Israeli operative and what Richard had to do with him. After four hours, the officer understood who Seinfeld was and returned Richard’s passport and cellphone.

The family called The Suburban after to tell us they were booked to leave Beirut on Turkish Airways via Istanbul to Montreal. We advised them not to discuss the incident even amongst themselves while on the plane and to contact us once they had arrived in Montreal. That is the picture accompanying this story.

We leave the epilogue to this adventure to Richard’s and Sandy’s words. Richard wrote me, “I’m ready to give you the story mainly as a public service. My embassy left me to rot like a stray dog in the third world. You don’t know me from Paul and you helped 100x more than anyone! For that I cannot be more grateful.” Sandy wrote, “Thank you for your support and being someone our family could lean on during this whole ordeal.” n

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Suspect in assault of Orthodox Jewish man arrested

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / September 10, 2025 / Beryl Wajsman, Orthodox Jewish man, Park Extension, SPVM

By Beryl Wajsman, Editor
The Suburban

The SPVM has arrested a 23-year-old suspect who allegedly assaulted an Orthodox Jewish man in front of his daughters last Friday in Park Extension. The victim is 32 years old. Sergio Yanes Preciado appeared at the Montreal courthouse Tuesday charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm. The Crown has requested a psychosocial evaluation.

The suspect was arrested Monday afternoon as part of an investigative effort led by the North Regional Investigation Section, with the support of patrol officers from Neighborhood Station 31. The investigation is ongoing and the suspect is currently being interviewed by investigators, and a charge sheet will be submitted to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DCPP).

The SPVM states that it spared no effort to locate the suspect and is continuing its investigation to shed full light on the circumstances of what it has called “this criminal act. “ The SPVM extended thanks to residents who contributed to the arrest by providing information that led to the suspect’s location.

Last Friday, August 8, at around 2:20 p.m., the victim went to Dickie Moore Park with his three young daughters. At the time, the suspect was in the park’s splash pad. The suspect then approached the victim and sprayed him with the contents of his water bottle. The victim attempted to approach the suspect, who pushed the victim to the ground and punched him several times in the face and kneed him. The suspect left on foot at around 2.26p.m. heading east on Beaumont Avenue.

A video of the incident circulated on social media. In the video the suspect can be seen violently beating the victim who is on the ground lying on his back and fighting back with his legs as his little girl cries out beside him. The video shows the attacker crouching down and punching the victim about five or six times. The victim can be seen kicking with one leg but no contact was made.

After a few seconds, the attacker stopped, while the distressed daughters called out and tried to help their father stand up. The attacker is then seen picking up what looks like someone’s belongings as the victim gets up.

A woman’s voice — presumably of the person taking the video — is heard asking “Why?But why?”The assailant then tossed a kippah into the water before walking off. While there were other people in the park at the time of the attack, nobody intervened to try to stop it or to catch the attacker. The woman who took the video then went over to the victim and shared the video with him. The victim himself them called the police.

The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening. He suffered a broken nose and facial bruises. Federation CJA posted about the “shocking and unprovoked attack,” saying “there must be concrete steps taken to ensure the safety of our community.”

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact 911 or their local police station. Information can also be submitted anonymously to Info-Crime Montréal by calling 514-393-1133 or visiting infocrimemontreal.ca.

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Suburban Exclusive: Israeli Consul-General Amb. Paul Hirschson bids au revoir to Montreal

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / September 10, 2025 / Beryl Wajsman, Paul Hirschson

By Beryl Wajsman, Editor
The Suburban

Israeli Consul-General Paul Hirschson sat down with The Suburban for a farewell interview before Hirschson completes his mandate this week in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

Beryl Wajsman: Ambassador Hirschson, you have been for four years Israel’s Consul General to Montreal responsible for Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. You have been here through incredible times, COVID and the barbarians in the streets. You have accomplished great things including the opening of the Quebec Representative Office (bureau) in Israel, and most of all you have given the community of Montreal the essence of the name of the Israeli National anthem, Hatikvah, hope. What are you going away with after four years? Both your impressions and your greatest sense of accomplishment.

Paul Hirschson: The biggest accomplishment, without question, is the opening of the Quebec Representative Office in Israel, and a whole lot of other things. I’m taking back with me the wonderful community of Quebec, the Montreal Jewish community, a little bit, not enough, of the Atlantic provinces. There have also been some concerns, some disappointments, about our relationship with Canada, what’s been going on in the streets of Montreal, but in the big picture, we’ve got way more friends here than opponents. Trade is growing, investments are growing, tourism is obviously not doing that great at the moment, but it will come back. We’re not worried about that. We would like to see Air Canada renew its flights soon.

BW: What I have found, both among my colleagues in the French press and in French electronic media — for some reason there’s a greater understanding of Israel’s position and the threat of Islamism, and of uncontrolled immigration, among the more nationalist elements of Quebec than amongst the traditional groups where we would expect to see some understanding, including anglophones. Have you found that?

PH: There’s no question that the English-language media and universities have been more antagonistic toward Israel than the French-language media and academics. In the political element, we’ve got a lot of friends across the country, but Quebec has been the most solid and outspoken. The French-language media and academics have more independent and independently-expressed opinions. Much of it more sympathetic to Israel. No question. I will say that in the business community — English and French — you don’t notice the difference. It’s not 100%, but in general, everybody I meet in the business community in Canada is pro-Israel.

BW: And in the general population?

PH: I will tell you this: Francophone Quebecers are not impressed at all, to put it mildly, in seeing prayer services outside their parents’ churches. Francophone Quebec today may well be secular, and proud of it, but also as secular Catholics are proud of their historic institutions. If you’ll allow me a little bit of criticism, both on the campuses and at the municipal level and beyond, there’s a certain amount of weakness in leadership, and it’s driven purely by cowardice.

BW: They’re pandering for votes.

PH: They’re pandering for votes, yes but there are a lot of people out there in the universities, the municipal and the national leadership that have been criticized for being weak on Israel, and it’s not that they’re anti-Israel or antisemitic, but it’s more that they are cowards. They’re simply scared to take a stand and you’ve seen the opposite with the government of Quebec. But the government of Quebec doesn’t necessarily have authority over Montreal.

But I don’t only want to talk about the negative. It’s been a remarkable stay, Montreal is a remarkable city, I see many similarities to Israel, Tel Aviv in particular. We see it in the arts and culture, music, theatre, and in technology. Montreal and Quebec, in particular Quebec, there’s artificial intelligence, gaming, animation, aerospace, the third largest aerospace industry in the world. It’s the meeting of the Anglo and the Franco, it is the meeting of the immigrants and the natives, it’s a remarkably creative place and very much like Tel Aviv.

BW: What message do you have for Montreal Jews, who sometimes seem to amplify every episode to perhaps unnecessary heights?

PH: There’s been a wave of unprecedented antisemitism in the streets of Montreal, on the campuses, we’ve seen shootings, we see Molotov cocktails, let’s not pretend there’s been nothing. But the Jewish community of Montreal has remarkable stories and histories. They have nothing to hide, they have nothing to be embarrassed about. I will say that I do think Israel should be a place that people should think about living in. But this is a remarkable city and the Jewish community is building bridges around the world.

BW: You have said in some of your speeches that if you could, you would take the city of Montreal and transplant it to Israel, and you weren’t sure if you would be in Tel Aviv or Montreal. Do you still feel that way?

PH: Absolutely! I’ll get in a little bit of trouble…. I would consider leaving Tel Aviv if I could relocate Montreal to Israel.

BW: It would have to be on the coast, near a beach…

PH: That’s one of the weaknesses, the only weakness.

BW: We have beaches, but they’re not Tel Aviv.

PH: Maybe we can merge the two into one municipality. This is a remarkable, an absolutely wonderful city. The Jewish community has been fantastic, but not only the Jewish community. I spent a lot of time outside the Jewish community, in particular with the francophone component of Montreal and of Quebec, I’ve had wonderful meals in Little Italy, I’ve explored the city and beyond. It’s a remarkable experience. I’m happy to go home, but I’m sad to be leaving Montreal.

BW: Well, we’re sad to lose you, I’m sad to lose you. You’re a great friend and I wish you only good things. Hopefully our paths will cross again. L’hitraot! n

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Premier Legault praises Quebec Jewry at investiture of Norman Steinberg into the Ordre National du Québec

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / September 9, 2025 / Beryl Wajsman, Norman Steinberg

By: Beryl Wajsman,Editor
The Suburban

Norman Steinberg, one of Montreal’s pre-eminent leaders of civil society, was recently invested as a Chevalier in the Ordre National du Québec by Premier François Legault. In a remarkable career, Steinberg has been an unrivalled leader in law,healthcare and the arts. Both as a holder of senior board positions and as a philanthropist he has set standards that others judge their work by.

After a discourse noting how Steinberg’s accomplishments spanned all communities and have benefitted all Quebecers , the Premier then spontaneously paid a tribute to Quebec’s Jewish community with a historic declaration. He said, “I want to highlight the exceptional contribution of the Jewish community in Quebec. For more than 200 years, the Jewish community has built many businesses in Quebec, and many organizations that are the pride of Quebec. I know that the last few months have not been easy for your community and I want to say that you are at home here, you are one of us. You have the right to the respect, security and fraternity of all Quebecers.”

Steinberg said, “I am delighted to be named Knight of the National Order of Quebec. This recognition is the highest distinction awarded by the government of Quebec. As a lifelong, proud, resident of the province of Quebec, Canada, I am deeply touched by the recognition of my contributions to Quebec society. I share this recognition with my family and friends and thank them for their support. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the other 2025 recipients of this award.”

Asked by The Suburban about the Premier’s comments on the Jewish community, Steinberg said, “My family was extremely appreciative of Premier Legault’s comments. In these difficult times for the Jewish community, we must remember and recognize our allies like the Premier. His comments set an important tone .Of course I’m very proud to receive this great honor from the Premier. Merci beaucoup Premier Legault!”

As a lawyer, Steinberg spent 45 years with Ogilvy Renault and them Norton Rose Fulbright into which it merged. He became global managing partner of NRF, a rare achievement for a Montreal lawyer in a worldwide firm. Norton Rose has 4000 lawyers in 60 offices. A specialist in finance and mergers and acquisitions, the transactions he handled exceed $100 billion in value.They included the purchase of Alcan by Rio Tinto, the privatization of Four Seasons Hotels,the privitization Shell Canada by Royal Dutch Shell and the merger of Domtar into Weyerhauser.

After retiring from Norton, Steinberg is now vice-chairman of BFL Canada, Canada’s largest employee-owned and operated commercial insurance brokerage and consulting services firm. He is also a director of Fiera Capital where he presides over the nomination and governance committee.

His involvements outside the business world are just as impressive. He serves as Chair of the Board of Governors of the MUHC Foundation. Steinberg raised some $350 million for the construction of the MUHC Glen Site. And then raised $200 million for critical medical research in the MI4 Project.

He also created a fundraising board for the CUSM. He has chaired the Daffodil Ball for the Canadian Cancer Society, the Grand Ball for the Montreal Heart Institute, the Gala Toqué for the Muscular Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Annual Gala for the Canadian Red Cross.Norman was copresident of Centraide Montreal in 2007 in a campaign that raised $54 million to help 350 groups fighting poverty in Montreal. He remains a vital contributor in every Centraide campaign.

In the arts, from 2008 à 2013, he was co-president of the financing campaign for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts that raised $125 million for the Museum’s expansion. Additionally, for 30 years, Steinberg has served as both a board member and vice-president of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, where he helped stabilize its financial situation by recruiting Kent Nagano as artistic director and building the world-renowned new artistic hall. Recognized as one of the world’s greatest artistic halls.

Among his many other honours, in 2024 he was made an officer of the Order of Montreal, received the F.R.Scott Award from McGill University’s Faculty of Law and has consistently been recognized as one of the best lawyers in corporate law, finance and mergers and acquisitions not just in Canada but globally. n

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Suburban Exclusive: Why Warren Kinsella and Ben Mulroney fight antisemitism

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / September 4, 2025 / Ben Mulroney, Beryl Wajsman, Warren Kinsella

By Beryl Wajsman The Suburban

The Suburban had an exclusive opportunity to speak with award-winning author, journalist, national political strategist and Toronto Sun columnist Warren Kinsella and nationally syndicated Corus radio host and newly-named National Ambassador for B’nai Brith Canada Ben Mulroney at their appearance at Côte St. Luc’s Beth Israel Beth Aaron Synagogue on the subject of Weaponizing Genocide: Exposing Propaganda in the Age of Misinformation. The packed event was presented by Heidi Berger’s Foundation For Genocide Education and the Dym Family Foundation. Pam Litman professionally directed{span} the organization and logistics of the evening and provided vital engagement with the fundraising for it.

The evening began with words of welcome from the synagogue’s Rabbi Reuben J. Poupko. Heidi Berger then delivered eloquent and heartfelt remarks that touched everyone particularly when she talked about the struggle to get genocide education on the public agenda to the point where there is now a Quebec approved course book put together by Berger and the Foundation for high schools. it is elective and some schools are using it. She is continuing her efforts to make it mandatory. She spoke movingly of how her mother Ann Kazimirski, a Holocaust survivor, educator and author of “Witness to Horror”, committed herself to Holocaust education and how much her example continues to inspire Berger. She is particularly concerned with the lack of knowledge among young people and said, “Very few high school students learn about genocide in Canadian schools, and it’s evident by actions such as the TikTok posts, how damaging the consequences can be. There is no better way for young people to develop empathy and understanding for others than by listening to the stories of those who have lived this history”

Kinsella, the author of “Web of Hate” and “Recipe for Hate”, was introduced by StartUp Nation Vice-Presidents Ashley Steinwald and Amanda Rosenthal. He has gone across the country and used his columns and books to expose today’s rampant antisemitism. He makes it a point to unmask how extremists use accusations of genocide as propaganda in the war against democratic society. His forthcoming book is entitled “The Hidden Hand.” For his part, Mulroney is unwavering in his fight against antisemitism on his national radio show.

In Kinsella’s keynote address before the fireside chat with Mulroney, he emphasized that extremist actors manipulate genocide rhetoric to fuel hate and undermine democratic societies. He demonstrated that antisemitic and anti‑Israel narratives are not spontaneous but are orchestrated, well-funded efforts leveraging social media and bot farms to amplify genocidal accusations and hate speech—part of a broader strategy to “weaponize genocide”. Kinsella stressed that the surge in Jew‑hatred demands urgent, targeted leadership from political figures and law enforcement . He called for strengthened legal enforcement of existing laws and proactive policing to confront hate crimes, prosecution of those who finance or organize extremist protests, and combatting misinformation online by all people to prevent the conflation of advocacy with genocide rhetoric. He called on politicians and public officials to vocally condemn antisemitism and refuse to frame Israel as a legitimate target, dismantling the “blame-the-victim” narrative pervasive in many circles. He underlined the importance of educating younger generations—particularly 18–40-year-olds, whom he described as susceptible to Holocaust denial and genocide rhetoric—through meaningful engagement and legal education to rebuild robust democratic resistance.

These are the questions I posed to them.

The Suburban: Warren, Ben, you’re not just speaking about antisemitism but about who we have to be as Canadians. You are two people in this country who, almost uniquely, are still rallying the call to protect our values and not to submit to the voices of hate. I have to ask you Warren what made you go out and become the preeminent voice today against what we’re seeing in Canada?

Warren Kinsella: It’s just the way I was raised, being the son my parents raised. I was born in Montreal near Snowdon. I had Jewish and Catholic friends, and when I encountered antisemitism, that’s when it jumped off the pages of my schoolbooks and affected me. I remembered it, and as a journalist, a citizen and a lawyer, it became a focus in my life.

TS: You once told me that your father taught you something about antisemitism.

WK: It’s just how he brought me and my brothers up, my mom as well. If you’re a Montrealer of a certain vintage, you have a certain perspective that in this city, you have to get along with everybody. That’s how I was brought up.

TS: Ben, your dad, his last public address was about antisemitism.

Ben Mulroney: It was his last public address in New York City for the World Jewish Congress, where he was the first Canadian to win the Theodor Herzl Award. What’s interesting is I remember being, on a beautiful summer day, in Montreal with him 30 years earlier. He said, ‘what are you doing today?’ and I said ‘hopefully, sitting by your beautiful pool’ and he said ‘no, I need you to come to a synagogue with me because I’m giving a speech.’ We sat in the basement of the synagogue and he gave the first iteration of that speech. It was entitled ‘Israel is the new Jew’. He had been thinking about that very topic for 30 years. In his office, he had a framed old poster, saying ‘the Irish need not apply’ for jobs. He was always struck about the forward march of progress for every cultural community, with the exception of the Jews. There could be these leaps forward or these massive steps back, and he was always taken and struck by the unique predicament of antisemitism and why it’s so pervasive and doesn’t go away. Every other community seems to have this march towards progress, equality and acceptance

TS: He had a great institutional memory. He would talk sometimes about how the longest serving Mayor of Dublin, Robert Brodie,was Jewish. He remembered that Isaac Herzog, the grandfather of the current Israeli president and the father of General Chaim Herzog, was the Chief Rabbi of Ireland.

BM: He had a memory unlike anyone else. He would remember people’s names from 55 years ago, and he might have met them once.

TS: Warren, you have gotten enough threats over the years from people since the early ‘90s. What’s the threat level in your life, particularly in the last couple of years?

WK: It’s increased, but I suspect it’s nowhere near what my friends in the Jewish community experience. I don’t complain about it. What I’ve noticed is how industrious and awful these people have become. My partner is a Zionist like me, we just got back from Israel. I was filming a documentary. The Campaign is coming out at the end of the year. We’re editing it and fundraising to complete the process. Anybody who’s interested in contributing we’d love to talk to. She’s been put on a list — in the little county where we live, 25,000 people — of Jewish businesses, because she’s a Zionist. That is the qualitative difference. It’s everywhere in a way that it has not been.

TS: Yes, it’s in a way that it’s never been because Iran funded it. It started a week before Israel ever entered Gaza. What I try to get across to audiences is there are a lot of historical things happening. Over half the Arab Muslims in the world are living under governments at peace with Israel with diplomatic relations due to the Abraham Accords. Western Europe is legislating against Islamists as never before. Do you find that this positive side of the message is often missing?

BM: Yes, I absolutely do. What I see on my Twitter feed is what the algorithm is feeding me. We do need the good news repeated.

TS: Gentlemen, thank you for your courage. n

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The LPQ leadership race: Pablo Rodriguez

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / September 4, 2025 / Beryl Wajsman, Pablo Rodrigues

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 / The Suburban / September 4, 2025 / Beryl Wajsman, Charles Milliard, Joel Goldenberg

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 »

Herschel Segal: The world was his canvas

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / August 16, 2025 / Beryl Wajsman, Hersch Segal, Le Chateau

By Beryl Wajsman,Editor

A giant in Canadian business, the arts, philanthropy and community leadership passed away last week. Hersch Segal founded two public companies. Le Chateau Stores and David’s Tea. At its height, Le Chateau had 123 stores and employed several thousand. But that doesn’t begin to tell the story of the rich tapestry of his life.

Segal always viewed the world as his canvas. He always attracted — and was attracted by — the risk takers. The avant-garde in everything from business to the arts. Those who thought outside of the box and broke down barriers to allow all the fullest flowering of individual possibilities. And it gave him great satisfaction to support the initiatives that allowed these changes to be realized. He befriended them and mentored them. The phrase “See what Hersch thinks” was heard quite often in this city and indeed across the country on so many things.

He could have followed a more traditional course in his life, but being involved in the temper of his times was so much at the core of his being from the beginning. After graduating in economics and political science from McGill and The New School in New York, he volunteered in Democrat Adlai Stevenson’s two Presidential campaigns in the United States just a few years before he started Le Chateau. He could have gone right into his family’s highly successful company Peerless Clothing that is a North American giant until today. But Segal had a different vision and was moved by a different drummer as he opened his first Le Chateau in 1959. He promoted the avant-garde and gave new European and Canadian style and trendsetters a showcase.

Not only the story of Le Château but the story of Hersch Segal, is intimately tied into the fabric of Montreal. It was here that Segal was born over ninety years ago, educated and became part of the circle of brilliant and daring intellectuals and activists and business leaders who sparked the character of change in the 60s and 70s. And the company he founded never forgot the innovative city it was born in.

Segal was a leader in that part of civil society who brought about redemptive change. A man of compassion and conscience. People knew of his business achievements but not as many knew how he made the work of advocates and activists possible through his moral and material support. Few exemplified the best of corporate responsibility as Hersch Segal did.

And innovation was always a central Segal hallmark. Just a decade ago — some sixty years after he founded Le Chateau — he was still innovating and still loyal to this city. He launched the “Of Montréal” platform to celebrate its roots in Canada’s fashion capital. The company was once described as “capturing a generation of change” something that not only defined the corporation but its visionary founder as well who had been deeply involved in giving back to the city he loved, and to those less fortunate in it, for decades.

A great story of the kind of people he and his company supported and attracted came about a decade after his company started and it concerned John Lennon. Segal gave the Beatles star and Yoko Ono their velvet jumpsuits which they wore during their famous bed-in at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in the 1960s. Perhaps what described the spirit of both Segal and Le Château best was expressed by Franco Rocchi, former Le Château Executive Vice-President who, commenting on “Of Montréal,” said “It’s about rejoicing where it all began, the city that inspired our beginning and continues to inspire the brand .”

Another initiative that so personified Segal and the corporate culture he inspired came just nine years ago when Le Château Montréal matched — in kind — every purchase Montrealers made in one of its half dozen giant outlet stores. You bought $100 worth of merchandise and $100 worth of merchandise was put aside for charity. It was a groundbreaking idea for direct giving where individuals and corporations worked hand in hand. Le Château did not just put the clothing aside but Segal saw to it that a small truck fleet delivered all the merchandise. And then he expanded the campaign and made it national with online purchases matched with in-kind gifts and all merchandise was delivered through United Way in every city in the country.

Aside from his generosity in community-wide fundraising, local beneficiaries of Hersch Segal’s direct commitment to “gentling the condition” have included the West Island Women’s Shelter, Le Chainon in the eastern part of the island. He helped at risk youth through gifts to AJOI in the west island and to Dans La Rue in the city. And two pillars of Montreal’s institutions of compassion — Sun Youth and the Old Brewey Mission — were major recipients as well.

For Hersch Segal this was never about clever marketing. This is a man who truly cared. Let me share a personal story. Some years ago I was involved in mounting a charity concert for the vulnerable. It was the first multi-artist multi-beneficiary concert ever held in Montreal. We filled the Théatre St-Dénis with artists like Ranée Lee in support of charities such as Maison du Partage d’Youville and Fondation de la rue à la réussite. The former feeds and clothes the hungry. The latter trains homeless people and finds them jobs. The Suburban gave the event several months of coverage leading up to the concert and won first prize in a North American competition for media community service. When Hersch Segal heard about the event he immediately insisted that Le Château would become a sponsor of the evening. Just like that. No solicitation on our part. His call. That was Hersch Segal. That was his conscience, and that was the corporate conscience of the company he founded. It was never about the angles. It was about a visceral desire to help.

His attitude was the same for individuals in need. After The Suburban ran a story on one of his charitable initiatives we received a very moving letter. It concerned a woman who had worked in the fashion industry all her life. She contracted cancer. Her employer replaced her. Hersch Segal gave her a job and all the time off for treatment she needed. He even let her work from home at a time when that was far from the norm. The letter was written by a friend of that woman’s. Her closing sentence was that people like Hersch Segal,”keep the world in balance and give people hope and faith.” What higher praise could anyone hope for.

Hersch Segal taught us that we have no excuse not to get involved. He inspired us to dare to care. His like will not soon be seen again. He will be sorely missed… n

Herschel Segal: The world was his canvas Read More »

Ethics complaints brought against Senator Woo

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / August 6, 2025 / Beryl Wajsman, Dahlia Kurtz, Joel Goldenberg, Neil Oberman

By Joel Goldenberg and
Beryl Wajsman
The Suburban

Yves Engler, a longtime anti-Israel agitator best known for interrupting events and attempting to video and ask anti-Israel questions of prominent members of the Jewish community and others he protests against, has been arrested for harassment and obstruction of justice.

Court documents say the current accusations include repeated communications with two individuals, with intent to harass, one being a police officer and the other being media personality Dahlia Kurtz, a pro-Israel activist prominent on X (formerly Twitter); and obstructing a police officer in his duties.

Engler had written about Kurtz in late June 2024, “Racist Dahlia supports killing Palestinian children. 20,000 is not enough she wants even more Palestinian blood spilled.” Kurtz responded in early July, “I’m advising you in this one message only that you are harassing me. You’re threatening and you’re making me afraid for my safety.”

She then contacted lawyer Neil Oberman, who has successfully obtained injunctions keeping anti-israel activists well away from Jewish institutions; and helping Jewish university students against anti-Jewish harassment on campus.

Knowing in advance of his arrest, Engler wrote that a police officer named Crivello “said I had described Kurtz as a ‘genocide’” supporter and ‘fascist’ on Twitter. Guilty as charged.”

Engler made bail following a court appearance. His conditions include not being in close proximity to the complainants and not to make any reference about the police officer who was the alleged subject of harassment, to appear in court at required times, live at his listed address and alert the court in writing of any change in residence.

In a further twist in this story, Kurtz has filed a formal complaint with the Senate ethics commissioner against British Columbia Sen. Yuen Pau Woo appointed by Prime Minister Trudeau in 2016. Kurtz alleges that Woo “incited hate, aggression, and violence against me online in a public forum on X (Twitter) in a series of posts. This is in regards to a case before the courts in which I am the victim. He doesn’t even have the correct information and is commenting and siding with the accused. Senator Woo has now put me in the crosshairs of more people — and has further endangered my safety and my reputation.”

In what appears to be an attempt at intervening in the judicial process after Engler was charged, Woo challenged police by posting on X that,” I support the right of @EnglerYves to voice outrage over genocide in Gaza and to call out those who aid and abet crimes against humanity. The @rcmpgrepolice must explain fully the grounds on which charges are being laid and how these actions do not violate freedom of expression.” n

Ethics complaints brought against Senator Woo Read More »

“Margins are too slim to absorb tariffs!”

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / August 4, 2025 / Beryl Wajsman, Dan Laxer, Eric Girard, SAQ

By Beryl Wajsman, and Dan Laxer The Suburban

Despite the tariff reprieve until March 1,The Suburban decided to get a sense of how the Montreal business community could be affected at the local level.

While it was all well and good for politicians to react at the macro level — including the now delayed threat to pull American products off SAQ shelves — and the general provincial and federal statements about financial support, the picture on main street is troubling indeed.

When Finance Minister Eric Girard – also Minister Responsible for Relations with English-Speaking Quebeckers – said that there will be measures to ensure that. “We will protect our economy, our business, and our citizens,” he, like his counterparts, had few specifics. In part because since Canada had never faced such a serious trade threat, few could calculate the full ramifications.

Bold statements are necessary to give Canadians courage, but they do not address the specific damaging effects on individuals and companies. The tariffs would be an existential threat to lives and livelihoods.

Elliot Lifson, President of the Canadian Apparel Federation and Vice-Chairman of Montreal’s Peerless Clothing- Canada’s largest menswear manufacturer with a massive export component — had this to say to The Suburban. “The margins in this industry — one of Canada’s largest — are too slim to absorb the tariffs. if there is no permanent resolution, our focus will be on protecting the jobs and livelihoods of our workers. And to do that this industry will need help from all three levels of government.” Peerless has some 4,000 workers at its east end facility in Montreal.

The Suburban also contacted several transport companies. Many of their executives were not available for comment and at least one did not want to comment. However, Lachine-based Prince Logistic Services dispatcher Emilio Fiore pointed out that, “our biggest fear is that markets slow down, less product goes to the U.S., less product comes in and definitely it would impact the transport industry.”

We also contacted executives in heavy industry and tech sectors. Though none wanted to speak for attribution, one common thread was that they are trying to reach their American clients and see whether a mutual absorption of tariffs was possible. None had yet concluded any arrangements.

~ with files

from Joel Goldenberg n

“Margins are too slim to absorb tariffs!” Read More »

Lorenzetti, Broccolini awarded King Charles III Medals by Sen. Loffreda

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / August 4, 2025 / Barry Lorenzetti, Beryl Wajsman, Joseph Broccolini, Tony Loffreda

By: Beryl Wajsman,Editor
The Suburban

Barry Lorenzetti and Joseph Broccolini, two of the most engaged Montreal community leaders and whose efforts cross all ethnic lines, were each honoured for their work with the King Charles III Coronation Medal in a downtown ceremony last week. The medals were presented by independent Quebec Senator Tony Loffreda who had nominated each recipient personally.

Lorenzetti is the Founder and President of BFL Canada and established the Barry Lorenzetti Foundation that funds groundbreaking work on mental health issues. Broccolini is President of Broccolini Construction and National President of the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation.

The medals are given for “significant contributions to a community, region, province, territory or country.” Aside from mental health, Lorenzetti’s citation highlights his, “…support for and donations such causes as women entrepreneurship, healthy living, and healthcare.” Broccolini’s underscores his success as, “a generous philanthropist and community advocate, committed to making our communities stronger and to promoting the Italian culture in Canada, namely as the current President of the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation.”

Upon presenting the medals, Sen. Loffreda had moving words for each. To Lorenzetti he said, “Barry, your leadership and philanthropy remind us that true success lies in lifting others and building a legacy of compassion. Your resilience and innovation have not only shaped your industry but have inspired us all to aim higher and give back.Your unwavering dedication to creating a better future through service and innovation embodies the true spirit of this medal.” To Broccolini the Senator had these words, “Joseph, you’ve built more than a construction empire—you’ve built a legacy of excellence and community impact. As President of the Italian Foundation, your dedication to preserving culture and fostering unity reflects the very values this medal celebrates. Your leadership in business and culture has laid strong foundations—not just for buildings, but for generations to come.”

In their own remarks both men underscored the responsibility to give back. Lorenzetti reminisced about his youth in Ville Émard and how it was always instilled in him to look out for and help those in need. He said that even with the national growth of BFL, he has tried to make giving back part of the “corporate cultural DNA.” For his part Broccolini said, “Yes we have been successful. We have built some buildings and made some money. But with that always came the responsibility to help others and the ability to do that has been perhaps the most satisfying thing of all.” n

Lorenzetti, Broccolini awarded King Charles III Medals by Sen. Loffreda Read More »

Concordia puts political correctness above security

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / December 25, 2024 / Beryl Wajsman, Concordia, Dan Laxer

By Dan Laxer and Beryl Wajsman, Editor
The Suburban

The Suburban wanted to know why there was no police intervention in last Thursday’s break-in to Concordia by antisemitic and pro-Palestinian mobs where security personnel were assaulted and property on many floors damaged and destroyed.

We put out emails and calls to Concordia Security, to Concordia media relations, and to Graham Carr, the university’s president, as well as to SPVM officers and media personnel. We asked whether security personnel called police for help when the Hall Building was broken into. If they did, what was the SPVM’s response, and if they did not call, why not.

Concordia spokesperson Vannina Maestracci answered that the SPVM were indeed on-hand “around campus. In consultation with them we decided not to request an intervention when protestors entered the Hall Building. We did not feel police presence at that stage would have helped to de-escalate the situation, especially as some seemed to want to provoke a confrontation with our agents and police and the disruption could have actually been longer with an intervention. The protestors did indeed leave after 20 minutes or so.” A source familiar with the situation said there was concern in the Concordia administration that police intervention may have given a “victory” to the demonstrators who would have called it suppression of the right to demonstrate. No distinction was drawn between demonstration of expression and destruction of property.

A statement by Provost and Vice President Anne Whitelaw, and Vice-President for Services and Sustainability Michael Di Grappa sent to The Suburban states, “We are writing to condemn in the strongest possible terms the antisemitic events that took place outside Concordia last week. On Thursday, November 21, during student strike activities, a demonstrator made the Nazi salute and referenced the ‘final solution’ in front of a group of counter protesters on the corner of Mackay and De Maisonneuve streets.These despicable words and gestures, which were clearly intended to intimidate members of our community, are completely unacceptable. We will not tolerate hate speech on our campuses. University personnel are actively working with law enforcement to ensure everyone involved is held fully accountable for their criminal acts and/or violations of the Code of Rights and Responsibilities. We ask all Concordians to stand up against hate, intimidation and violence — showing unequivocally that antisemitism has no place at our university.

SPVM spokesperson Mélanie Bergeron responded to The Suburban as follows, “Last Thursday, around noon, student demonstrations in support of Palestine took place at Concordia University, Dawson College and McGill University. Students demonstrated in the streets and marched towards Concordia University. Around 2:15 p.m., the demonstrators entered a building at Concordia University. Police officers from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) were present to support the security of the institution. An assault was committed against a security guard and graffiti was painted inside the building. University security officers took charge of the demonstrators and deemed that our presence was not necessary. The demonstrators stayed for about an hour and then resumed their march in the streets. An investigation is currently being conducted by the SPVM to establish the circumstances of the misdeeds and the assault. For more information on this event, we invite you to contact Concordia University.” n

Concordia puts political correctness above security Read More »

DDO Councillor Tanya Toledano to run for Conservatives in Pierrefonds-Dollard

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / December 24, 2024 / Beryl Wajsman, Conservative candidate, Pierrefonds-Dollard, Tanya Toledano

By Beryl Wajsman, Editor
The Suburban

DDO Councillor Tanya Toledano will be the federal Conservative candidate in the riding of Pierrefonds-Dollard in the next federal election in 2025. A resident of DDO since birth, she holds Bachelors degrees in business and law. Toledano has been a successful small business owner for some 20 years. Over the past 15 years, she has served on a variety of Boards of Directors for various community organizations. She has volunteered in a women’s shelter; delivered meals to those in need; taught online to seniors; and used her media platforms to generate awareness about community issues and important causes. The Suburban had an opportunity to sit down with her and get her views and ideas. This is Part One of a two-part story.

The Suburban: Why did you decide to run to be a candidate for the Conservative Party?

Tanya Toledano: The short answer is because I felt “called to service.”

It does not feel like we are living in the same country that I grew up in. The cost of living has skyrocketed, people are being turned away from food banks and citizens are living in tent encampments in major cities across the country.

Calls for violence and hate speech are being spewed on our streets without consequence and the next generation is seriously preoccupied with whether they will ever be able to afford homes of their own in our country.

People are craving a return to common sense. I believe they want a government that ensures that hard work pays off, that crime will be punished, that freedom is preserved and inspires hope for the next generation.

I am a firm believer in the idea that ‘if you don’t speak up now, don’t complain later.’ It is time to speak up and to stand up. This is me standing up to represent the community that I grew up in, where my husband and I chose to raise our family and where I currently represent the residents of Dollard-des-Ormeaux in the capacity of City Councillor.

TS: What experiences have you had that would make you a good MP?

TT: Having been involved in community life and with charitable organizations over the years has provided me with some insight into various needs within the community as well as an understanding of what it means to advocate for community members.

In my role as City Councillor in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, I am entrusted to advocate for our residents to ensure they have what they need. This can sometimes be specific to the individual, but often concerns all residents, as is the case with services, language of service, maintenance and improvement of facilities and ensuring that all our residents continue to enjoy the lifestyle that made them choose to call Dollard home. It goes without saying that all of this must be done in a fiscally responsible manner.

These experiences have all contributed to my ability to listen to community members to understand their concerns and then to translate that into advocacy and action, all while respecting the reality of a budget and limited resources.

TS: What challenges are the residents of Pierrefonds-Dollard facing?

TT: I believe that the residents of Pierrefonds-Dollard are facing the same challenges as the rest of Canadians. After nine years of Justin Trudeau, they are facing challenges at the grocery store which are exacerbated by their increased mortgage payments or unprecedented rent rates. They are concerned about what the future holds for the next generation and are supporting them at home for longer than ever before.

As Mom to four young adults, I can tell you that I have heard, and had, many conversations with them and their peers — some from the riding and some not. Their conversations constantly revolve around the lack of affordable housing in Canada and how they will ever be able to afford homes of their own in our country.

This is me speaking up and standing up alongside Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who understands that if you don’t have it, you don’t spend it and that hard work should come with the rewards of being able to afford a home in which to raise one’s family in a safe neighbourhood, with good healthy food on the table and without having to triple-guess every. single. decision. at the grocery store. n

DDO Councillor Tanya Toledano to run for Conservatives in Pierrefonds-Dollard Read More »

Quebec Liberals present petition on WI flood map opposition

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / December 24, 2024 / Beryl Wajsman, Guy Pilon, Jim Beis, Vaudreuil-Dorion

By Beryl Wajsman,Editor
The Suburban

Provincial Liberals and the Mayor of the Vaudreuil-Dorion have added their voices to that of Pierrefonds-Roxboro’s Mayor Jim Beis against the new provincial flood map. That map, as The Suburban has reported, is resulting in thousands of homes being uninsurable. They had not been listed on any flood zone maps before.

The mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion Guy Pilon said, “I find it absolutely stupid because they did the same thing in 2019.” He said about 2,000 homes would find themselves in a flood zone. Those living in high-risk areas would no longer be able to rebuild if their house is ever flooded. “You cannot rebuild, so what’s your land worth? No one would buy a land where you cannot build!” The mayor wants more done such as building another dike, but the province has turned him down. “They’re telling us they’re going to pay every year, every two years, three years for flooding, but don’t want to invest in a little dike,” Pilon said.

In the National Assembly, Quebec Liberal housing critic Virginie Dufour has presented a citizens petition on the same issue. It calls on the government to delay the adoption of the new regulations and extend consultations. and also asks for a simplified and accessible process to review and update flood zone maps. The petition also highlights complaints received by the Quebec Ombudsman, alleging errors in the new flood zone mapping.

Petitioners have the same concerns that the municipalities and Mayors do. The flood map changes could have major consequences on property values, the insurability of homes, and the ability to renew mortgages for many affected individuals.

Dufour told The Suburban said that, “Given the far-reaching implications of this regulatory change, both economically and socially, I believe it is important to shed light on the concerns being voiced by citizens.” Anyone wishing to sign the petition can go to the following link.

https://m.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-11045/index.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawF_lgBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWV7nUGvvMX7R6fpJiROFKWJ3H16rrmPj5mrfmcdT10JwzkWy2t77wmRVA_aem_7zDGiv7z8il8uN8IN_5TvQ n

Quebec Liberals present petition on WI flood map opposition Read More »

Suburban Exclusive: Mayor Plante served by bailiff with demand letter holding her personally responsible for inaction against anti-Semitism and “climate of anarchy”

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / February 7, 2024 / Beryl Wajsman

Beryl Wajsman – The Suburban LJI Reporter

Attorney Neil Oberman, senior partner at Spiegel Sohmer, has served Mayor Plante with a formal demand letter by bailiff that the City of Montreal immediately intervene and enforce all laws, by-laws and regulations governing unlawful assemblies. Oberman and his firm represent plaintiffs identified as “Concerned Citizens 1 and 2” who have instituted the proceedings against the City of Montreal and holding the Mayor personally responsible. The Suburban obtained an exclusive copy of the demand.

The letter, addressed directly to Plante as the “duly elected official responsible for ensuring the protection of all citizens of Montréal,” states that she has — since October 8, 2023 — “..neglected your duty as the Mayor to ensure that respectable citizens of the island of Montreal are able to enjoy their public areas, residence, and be able to access different buildings given that you and your administration have rejected the rule of law.” The letter goes on to state that, “…Montreal has become a territory for extreme groups who assemble with the view of spreading hate and interfering with the daily lives of Montrealers under the guise of freedom for terrorism.”

The plaintiffs also claim that these groups, “…promote hatred towards Jews, the murder of innocent Israelis and [demonstrate] a complete disregard for all laws that are governing our society.” The letter puts the onus squarely on the Mayor stating she has, “…done absolutely nothing to ensure that the Fire Department, the City of Montreal’s public works department, and its police are given appropriate tools.”

The demand cites the Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, sections:1,2,6, 10, 11 and following. It explains the reasons for anonymity of the clients are that,”…given that the city of Montreal and the police department are unable to protect persons of the Jewish persuasion in Montreal, our clients are refusing to provide their names on the basis that there is no protection for their person.” It goes on to note that,”… the Mayor of Westmount has taken the matter seriously but appears not be able to find solutions because the City of Montreal is negligent.”

The demand makes reference to the letter of November 12, 2023, by the Association of Suburban Municipalities (“ASM”) signed by ASM President Beny Masella, Mayor of Montreal West, requesting additional police resources to stop the violence and hate assemblies and criticizes the Mayor for not even having given the courtesy of a response. The demand letter then goes on to list 30 “hate assemblies that you allowed” and lists a 31st that proceeds on a continuing basis.

Perhaps the most pointed accusation against the Mayor is that she is being held responsible for,”…creating a climate of anarchy.” It goes on to address the Mayor personally as having, “…allowed masked people spewing hatred and violence to continue to block streets, public routes, transportation, businesses and residents, and you do so with impunity and you do so with the complete utter disrespect to the people who you are charged with protecting.”

It puts the Mayor on notice that if, “…..you fail to find a proper solution to the foregoing, our clients will hold you liable for all further actions that are taken by these uncivilized and anti-democratic bodies that are simply spewing anti-Semitism in Montreal.”

The demand further puts the Mayor on further notice that if you, “… fail to properly reply to this letter, provide a detailed plan of how you will stop the unlawful hate assemblies and on how you will instruct the appropriate authorities to block these unlawful persons from entering upon public property for the purposes of causing further destruction and interference with good citizens, the same will result in legal proceedings against you and anybody else who does not exercise their duties in accordance with their mandate, regulations and enabling statutes.”

Oberman told The Suburban that further legal actions will follow if the Mayor does not respond. The demand letter was cc’d for informational purposes and delivered by bailiff to Jimmy Zoubris,Special Counsel to the Mayor; Fady Dagher, Chief SPVM; Bruno Lachance, Chief of Service Incendie Montréal; François Charpentier and Martin Prud’homme,Direction générale adjointe Sécurité urbaine et Conformité; and Mayor Christina Smith,Westmount. n

Suburban Exclusive: Mayor Plante served by bailiff with demand letter holding her personally responsible for inaction against anti-Semitism and “climate of anarchy” Read More »

Former Justice Minister Cotler under 24-hour RCMP protection due to threats

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / December 21, 2023 / Beryl Wajsman

Beryl Wajsman – The Suburban LJI Reporter

Former Federal Justice Minister and Mount Royal MP Irwin Cotler is under 24-hour RCMP protection because of a threat to his life, two sources informed Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper. The paper broke the story when Mr. Cotler failed to show up for an event at the newspaper’s offices where the son of jailed Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai was presenting the screening of a documentary about his father.

Cotler is one of the world’s leading human rights and Israel advocates. He has represented political prisoners and activists under persecution in countries around the world. The Globe and Mail was not able to learn who or what organization or country threatened Cotler. The Globe is not identifying its sources because, “they were not authorized to speak on the matter.” It reached out to the RCMP which did not respond to questions about the threat. The Suburban attempted to reach Mr. Cotler directly several times but his phone went right to voicemail.The Suburban also contacted the SPVM who said it had no details because as a former federal minister it was the RCMP who had jurisdiction. The RCMP has not yet returned an answer to our inquiry.

In his work he has criticized many foreign governments, including Iran for its conduct in the 2020 shooting-down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, which left about 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents dead, as well as Tehran’s funding of Hamas. Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the Canadian government, carried out the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel that left some 1,400 Israelis dead, with hundreds taken hostage. Several weeks ago he gave a rousing speech at a Montreal rally condemning Hamas and demanding the freeing of the hostages.

Mr. Cotler served as Canada’s special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism from 2020 to 2023, and had regularly warned of a massive rise in antisemitism. Last month he wrote a column in The Globe attacking “Russia, China, Iran and its terrorist proxies – Hamas and Hezbollah – and North Korea which comprise a new authoritarian “axis of evil.”

In 2015, Mr. Cotler founded the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, a Montreal-based organization dedicated to promoting human rights, advocating for political prisoners and combatting injustice around the world. The group works in the memory of Mr. Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved 100,000 Jews during the Second World War by issuing them diplomatic passports and sheltering them in safe houses. n

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Exclusive interview with family of murdered Canadian

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / December 16, 2023 / Beryl Wajsman

Beryl Wajsman – The Suburban LJI Reporter

The Suburban had the opportunity for an exclusive interview last week with the family of Tiferet Lapidot, who was killed by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 attack on Israel. She was at the Super Nova music festival, where some 260 people were killed. The family had thought she was a hostage in Gaza, but her body was found in Israel Oct. 17. Tiferet’s story sparked considerable interest throughout the country as she was one of six Canadians killed on Oct.7. Her family’s ties to Canada go back to her grandmother’s life in Saskatchewan and the family maintained joint Israeli-Canadian citizenship. The interview took place at the Israeli Consulate in Montreal and was made possible by Amb. Paul Hirschson, Israel’s Consul-General. We interviewed Sarit Lapidot, Tiferet’s mother; Ohad Lapidot, Tiferet’s father; Harel Lapidot, Tiferet’s uncle and Rashit Lapidot, Tiferet’s sister.

The Suburban: It would be impossible to think of the pain you mustallbe feeling, but tell us what do you want people to know from what you all have lived through?

Ohad: The threat that the Western world is fighting. Israel is just the frontier for a great threat that we have to peace and our own concept of values that Canada and Israel share. At that music festival, there was a great slaughter, a great butchering that we can’t even imagine in our wildest dreams. It was worse than Auschwitz, not in the amount, but in the cruelty. The whole world should know about this.

TS: The Prime Minister-elect of the Netherlands said there is now not a clash between civilizations, but between civilization and barbarism. We get the impression Western Europe, and the United States, are staying with Israel longer than at any previous Gaza encounter. Do you think Western Europe and the U.S. are getting it?

Ohad: I really hope so. I agree with you that this is what is going on. I hope they understand, the sooner the better. It’s a matter of time before the whole world faces this great threat.

TS: We know this is difficult to answer, but tell us about the last conversation with Tiferet on the phone, while she was hiding in the bushes.

Rashit: She just wanted to speak with my mom. I think it was kind of a goodbye, she didn’t want to freak her out. She said,” I love you.” For 10 days, we didn’t know what happened to her.

TS: What indications did the family have that maybe she was taken hostage?

Harel: The signal of Tiferet’s phone was in Gaza. It’s not enough that they killed, did those horrible things, they even took the cell phones from the bodies. The cruelty was not enough, they took what they could. Unbelievable! This was planned. They knew who was going to shoot, who was going to rape, who was going to kill. As far as we know, they were trained on dolls, animals for them to be able to do those horrible things. But the most horrific thing was to see the Gazan civilians cheering, clapping when they took the hostages, beating them.

TS: When the fences were broken, Gazan civilians came in. There’s video of Gazan civilians beheading dead Israeli soldiers and doing other horrific things.

Harel: During World War II, many people in Western and Eastern Europe risked their lives [to save Jews]. In the streets of Gaza, nobody stopped them, not one human being was there to stop them. Those animals standing in the street, clapping, happy, throwing candies, when a human being, young girls, were taken. Not even one soul stopped them!

TS: Tiferet would volunteer, would teach in underprivileged areas as we understand.

Harel: At the same time Tiferet volunteered for kids in South Africa, she didn’t ask if they were Jews, Muslims or Christians, most of them were Muslims and Christians. None were Jews. but kids are kids. If a kid needs help, we’re going to help them. At the same time she was volunteering for kids, those animals were teaching their soldiers how to murder kids, how to butcher them. That’s the most unbearable thing to think about. The values we share are so different than the values they share.

TS: Maybe this horrible incident will wake up a generation to understand there is total evil.

Harel: We were taught that Auschwitz was another planet. It wasn’t. Oct. 7 was one day of Auschwitz.

TS: As a mother, what is your gut feeling, no filter, and what do you want people to know?

Sarit: (after a long pause to gather her emotions): (translated from Hebrew) Almost every minute, every hour, I was waiting for the phone to ring. Tiferet’s friends said beautiful things about her, about her great soul, the light that came from her and how people are talking about her. I always knew Tiferet had a big soul for the world, and that she was going to do and create great things for the whole world. Tiferet encouraged her friends, made them feel happier and brighter, and if their hearts were broken, she told them how to cure their hearts.

TS: She believed people could be brought together if one person is good? After something like this, do you think the world has learned that perhaps people can’t be brought together until both sides respect each other? Can you maintain the same level of tikvah (hope) she had about people relating to each other?

Sarit: (translated from Hebrew): I think the world does not understand what we went through, because after such a horrific day, and days, people are not gathering and hugging. Instead, they criticize. How can you criticize light and say something about darkness that is good?

Harel: It’s like cheering for the Nazis and criticizing the Allies in World War II, when the evil in the world is so dark and you can see it [right in front of you].

TS: Do you think more of the world is getting it than before? We have to ask that question. How has this affected the six siblings?

Rashit: Each of us feels differently. I lost both my sister and my best friend. My youngest brother lost his funny big sister. She had a special connection with each one of us.

TS: How do you react to the opinion that the music festival, criticized by some for being held on Shabbat, basically stopped what was planned to be a much bigger attack? Does it give you any comfort?

Ohad: I think Jewish people have a great message to the world….We are hunted generation after generation due to the fact that the war with Hamas is not about occupied territory in Gaza. It’s about the fight between the bad and the good, and now it’s our turn in history to be part of this great thing we bring to the world. Now we paid the price, but there’s no doubt that the new chapter of the history of Israel is now written. Part of the history of Israel is going to be written in Tiferet’s blood.

Harel: Professor Irwin Cotler told us that when it starts with the Jews, it never ends with the Jews. The world has to understand that. He also told us, 2023 is not and never will be 1943. The people of Israel are strong and will do whatever it should do to bring a peaceful end and demolish those Nazis, ISIS, Hamas, period.

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DDO synagogue and WI Jewish Federation attacked with Molotov cocktails

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / November 11, 2023 / Beryl Wajsman

Beryl Wajsman – The Suburban LJI Reporter

There was shock and outrage in the Montreal Jewish community as staff and members of DDO’s Congregation Beth Tikvah arrived Tuesday morning to charred and burnt front doors and the remnants of a Molotov cocktail thrown at the synagogue. The attack against the synagogue was apparently done sometime in the dark, early hours of Tuesday. Four police cruisers arrived within minutes of the synagogue informing the SPVM. The remnants of another Molotov cocktail were then found at the doors of Federation CJA’s West Island offices nearby. No one was injured at either site. The investigation is ongoing. All security cameras in the area are being checked for clues as to the identities of the assailants. The SPVM Hate Squad is involved in the investigation.

Strong condemnations and messages of support quickly flowed in from Montrealers. Henry Topas, the Cantor at the Congregation and B’nai Brith Canada’s Quebec Regional Director, told The Suburban that, “We were shocked to find the remnants of a Molotov Cocktail thrown at our front doors. No one was injured but the doors are clearly fire-damaged. We thank the SPVM (Montreal Police) and the Community Security Trust (CST) for their quick response and all the work they have been doing to keep our community safe in this trying time,” Topas said.

Federation CJA President and CEO Yair Szalk said, “Antisemitism must be called out and condemned wherever it rears its ugly head, whether it’s words or actions, none of it belongs in our streets. The perpetrators must be held accountable. Federation CJA and our director of Community Security is in close contact with the SPVM to ensure the safety of our community.”

“Since the horrific terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, we’ve seen an explosion in antisemitism. Now, the same hate we’ve seen on the streets of Montreal crossed a red line and morphed into action. The targeting of Jewish institutions is unacceptable and must be addressed. While we acknowledge those who have spoken out, its time leaders across civil society, including in educational institutions such as universities and CECEPs, play an active role in the fight against antisemitism. They must set the tone for what’s acceptable in our society and what will not be tolerated,” said CIJA Vice-President Eta Yudin.

Robert-Baldwin MNA Brigitte Garceau told The Suburban,” I am deeply shaken by the hateful acts committed against the Jewish community in my riding, which must be denounced in he strongest terms. I offer all my thoughts and support to Congregation Beth Tikvah and all members of Federation CJA and the Jewish community during these difficult times.”

DDO Mayor Alex Bottausci said to The Suburban, “I strongly condemn the attack on the Congregation Beth Tikvah synagogue which took place in our city. I want to be clear that our city condemns all hate crimes. The safety of our residents is our top priority and any threat to stability and peace will be dealt with immediately. Violence and aggression are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our community. This is not who we are and it does not reflect our values.”

Father Bertrand Montpetit of St-Lukes Catholic Parish in DDO visited Beth Tikvah in person on Tuesday to show support. “These things should not happen. It’s so sad to see people attacking places of worship,” Montpetit told The Suburban.“It’s so sad to see so many innocents suffering because of this, both on the Israeli and Palestinian side. For the last few weeks at our Sunday masses, we pray for peace and especially peace in Middle East.”

Pastor Jim Slack at Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church, only one minute away from Beth Tikvah, told The Suburban that he is deeply saddened by the news of a fire-bombing at Beth Tikvah. “I pray for the Rabbi and members of Beth Tikvah as they experience such a jolt to their sense of security and belonging in this community.”

B’nai Brith Canada issued a statement saying, “This heinous act occurred against the backdrop of weeks of incitement against the Jewish community at hate rallies across the country following Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Jews, who comprise approximately 1 per cent of the country’s population, remain Canada’s most targeted religious minority, with antisemitism accounting for 66.9 per cent of all hate crimes in 2022.”

“There is no place for this in our community. We are shocked, saddened and outraged. This attack has no place in DDO, Montreal, Quebec or Canada. DDO is a beautiful community where people of various religious backgrounds live together with, we all have different points of view, but we live and work together,” Congregation Beth Tikvah president, Charles Leibovich, told The Suburban.

Earlier this year the Hebrew Foundation School, which is next to the synagogue, was attacked by two young men who tore down and defaced Israeli flags.

Tuesday’s attack came just forty-eight hours before Nov. 9th’s 85th commemoration of Kristallnacht, the pogrom called the “Night of Broken Glass”, that saw the burning of hundreds of German synagogues and killing of thousands of Jews by the Nazis that historians date as the beginning of the Holocaust that saw the slaughter of six million Jews.

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