Jim Beis

Plante attacks Beis for speaking English in flood debate

By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

A heated exchange about flooding and lack of emergency preparedness at city council last week was infused with language politics when Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante attacked Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis for making a comment and asking a question in English.

After hundreds of homes were severely flooded, said Beis, “we know that 311 was overwhelmed with over 3,000 calls, not having the resources to answer. Accordingly, not giving the right information,” with people sometimes waiting three hours, he said. “911 was overwhelmed, the fire department was doing what they could with the resources that they had, however that still wasn’t enough.” Speaking in English, Beis described what he called “an absolute fiasco.”

“311 told residents, well you have to call your borough. The borough would call the Red Cross. The Red Cross would call 311. It was a circus, people who were devastated had to deal with this, and where was the administration through this whole thing? They didn’t have to be emptying out basements in some boroughs like ours were doing, but they had to be present with a message to reassure the public, something they did not do for six days.”

After councillor responsible for public security Alain Vaillancourt congratulated city workers for their response, to the applause of his colleagues, Beis continued: “You know what I see here?…Words, philosophies, nice policies, feel good moments, clapping, smiles, and you know what happens? There’s no execution, ever, when there’s a crisis.”

Plante responded: “First of all, I find it peculiar that the mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro addresses this assembly only in English,” as several of her colleagues nodded and murmured in agreement. “Here we can speak in both languages, but I want to say it anyway and I want to mention it, because it happens often on the other side of the chamber, where one is chosen over another.”

Plante accused Beis of “playing politics” about public security teams. “The state of emergency is not decreed by a mayor,” she said, adding that Montreal crews were present for the boroughs. “You criticized 311 to have improvements, so be it, but stop playing petty politics about the services of the city.” As she continued to accuse Beis of petty politics, speaker Martine Musau Muele told Plante her time was over and the mayor’s microphone was muted.

“We are capable in French, English, Greek, Italian, we are capable of asking anything in any language,” Beis replied in French. “I asked the question not to criticize employees, but I criticize the administration who are not able to make the decision when it is necessary.”

Montreal North councillor Chantal Rossi also chimed in: “My colleague was criticized because he asked a question in English, even though he comes from a bilingual borough. Yes, he can do it… we are a francophone metropolis, but to criticize the fact that the mayor of a bilingual borough asks a question only in English really affects the privilege of the mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro.”

Muele did not see the comment as an insult to Beis, and repeated the administration’s assertion it was a statement of fact. n

Plante attacks Beis for speaking English in flood debate Read More »

A rainbow of joy at West Island Blues Fest

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The West Island Blues Festival took place in Dollard-des-Ormeaux last Saturday with its first free outdoor event for 2024. Tone 11 kicked off the festivities while the BBQ’s were fired up at 3 p.m. Attendees “trickled in”, the term WIBF co-founder DDO Councillor Errol Johnson used to describe the first hours of the event to The Suburban. “I just love this part, watching everyone come in as we greet them at the entrance.” With a smile on throughout the entire day, side by side with WIBF co-founder Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis, each attendee was given a warm welcome. “We are excited to be back here again this year where it all started,” Beis told The Suburban. DDO park was the first location at the launch of the WIBF 21 years ago. “When we started, we did not even have a stage, but we had fun and it just keeps getting better and better,” Johnson explained.

Local talent, Rachel Dara performed several songs in between band set-ups. Fans were drawn in by her guitar and vocal solo performance. Later in the afternoon, Salah & Family Steel Pan Band rocked the dance floor while the smell of jerk chicken and Caribbean spices breezed through the park. “This is a family affair. My father figured, ‘how do you keep six kids busy?’, so we started a band,” Rachel Wilson, the eldest sibling and member of the band told The Suburban. In total, twenty-two family members belonging to four generations have joined the band intermittently over the years.

Inus Aso Raggae Band kept the party going strong with upbeat, downbeat and side-beat tunes through the suppertime hours. A rainbow came across the sky for the last thirty minutes of their performance creating a picturesque scene that generated a sense of awe for attendees.The Mike Goudreau Band took over the early evening performance slot at sundown followed by Jack De Keyzer.

The 2024 beneficiary representatives came on stage and included Denise Hupé for ABOVAS, Jacquie McGowan for the West Island Woman’s shelter, Joan Lee for the West Island Community Black Association, Leslie Carr for Literacy Unlimited and Christian Dubé for Centre Bienvenue. “It is such a privilege to be counted for the first time this year as one for the beneficiaries for this awesome festival,” Hupé told The Suburbann

A rainbow of joy at West Island Blues Fest Read More »

WI Blues Fest VIP night was one for the books

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The West Island Blues Fest (WIBF) has officially launched the 2024 season with its VIP night in Pierrefonds-Roxboro. This year, the five beneficiaries include Centre Bienvenue, West Island Women’s Shelter, West Island Black Community Association Literacy Unlimited and Volunteer Accompaniment Service (ABOVAS).

Elected officials in attendance included West Island Blues Festival Co-Founders Errol Johnson and Jim Beis, Pierrefonds-Roxboro City Councillors Benoit Langevin, Sharky Tarakjian, Catherine Clement-Talbot and Louise Leroux, Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas and Pointe-Claire City Councillors Tara Stainforth, Eric Stork, Kelly Thorstad-Cullen, Cynthia Homan and Bruno Tremblay, Dorval Mayor Marc Doret and Ile-Bizard Mayor Doug Hurley and Ile-Bizard City Councilor Suzanne Marceau.

Artists Sylvie DesGroseilliers and Jewelle McKenzie filled the room with their soulful voices. The event’s Master of Ceremonies Daniel Khoury accompanied by his soon-to-be wife Sally Yaboub treated attendees with a story of romance as they announced their engagement while mingling throughout the evening.

In its 21 years, the WIBF has raised over half a million dollars to benefit local community organizations that support the West Island population.Attendees enjoyed mingling while lining up for the buffet layout and while seated at their tables they were serenaded with the sounds of jazz and blues.

As the evening progressed, many were lured by the beats to get up and dance while others felt inspired to sing along with the nostalgic tunes.In the post-pandemic era, it was a sight to see new faces along with familiar personalities blend together at an event that has become a highpoint on the West Island calendar. n

WI Blues Fest VIP night was one for the books Read More »

PCSM stages major Pierrefonds mental health event

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A Yoga activity followed by a luncheon, roundtable discussion and conference on mental health, organized by the Community Perspective on Mental Health organization (PCSM) took place at the Gerry Robertson community centre in Pierrefonds. Special guests included Pierrefonds-Roxboro mayor Jim Beis, Pierrefonds-Roxboro city councilor Benoit Langevin, Centre Bienvenue and Residence Bienvenue director Christian Dubois, social worker and family counsellor Veronique Belanger, Bell Let’s Talk spokesperson Audley Coley, CIUSSS assistant regional director for mental health Amine Saadi, PCSM board member Marc Walford, Montreal comedian Erich Preech and SPVM officers.

During the lunch hour, a roundtable discussion took place with the event panelists who later presented their perspectives on positive mental health. “Here we are once again trying to recognize the mental health needs in our community. Mental illness is not what we once believed. Everyone goes through bouts of mental health crisis from time to time. It is important that we raise awareness of the community organizations available to the community at large,” Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis told The Suburban.

“Today is an important day, it is a day to speak about mental health in a positive way. There is too much stigma around mental health and the reality is that most of us go through a period in our lives where we experience issues with our mental health. I think that every politician, every public personality and citizens have to engage in a conversation today and every day to open up and share our realities and the stress that we are living in this fast paced society that we live in in order to be able to sustain a good quality of life,” Pierrefonds-Roxboro city councillor Benoit Langevin told The Suburban.

“The importance of this day is to get all the actors in the field of mental health together to discuss issues and look forward to the future because we have a lot of work ahead of us for many years to come,” Centre Bienvenue and Residence Bienvenue director Christian Dubois said.

Celebrating his 25 years last month out of acute care, Bell Let’s Talk spokesperson Audley Coley shared his personal journey with mental health, living with bipolar disorder and the trials and tribulations he faced prior to and following his diagnosis and treatment. Following the launch of his book entitled Audley Enough, Bell Canada offered him a platform with Bell Let’s Talk to speak on mental health issues across the nation.

“I am here to help bring awareness to people my age and people who can recognize themselves through me when discussing mental health. Being a Haitian and being a man, I want to help set the table for us to open up. With so many people in the Haitian community in healthcare, it is ironic that mental health is still taboo in our culture and it is just as taboo for men to open up about their feelings as it is for women to open up about their sexuality. I want to help influence and represent changes where I can,” Montreal comedian Erich Preech said.

CIUSSS assistant regional director for mental health Amine Saadi stressed the importance of collaboration between the Quebec health authority and grassroots community organizations serving the local communities’ mental health needs. “They are advocating for mental health and we are advocating for mental health and it is important that we work together. Today, we are celebrating the positive aspect of mental health. I’ve been working in mental health personally for the last 20 years and it was always promoted as a negative impact on society, but today we are recognizing the positive aspects of mental health such as wellness activities like Yoga for example and employee retention initiatives. The positive aspect is that today represents hope for the future,” he told The Suburban.

“Being able to communicate how we feel and manage the outcome through introspection is something we can learn. If we can connect to ourselves, we can connect better to others. Taking a moment each day like we did today with the Yoga activity is a daily essential,” social worker and family counsellor Veronique Belanger explained. n

PCSM stages major Pierrefonds mental health event Read More »

Beis slams Plante on failure to help residents with reduced mobility

By Chelsey St-Pierre

Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor and spokesperson for the Official Opposition on snow removal, Jim Beis along with organizations defending the rights of people with reduced mobility held a press conference to challenge the Plante administration’s failure to respect universal accessibility standards during snow removal in Montreal.

Ex Aequo and the Group of Users of Adapted and Accessible Transport on the island of Montreal (RUTA-Montreal) say they want better conditions for Montrealers with reduced mobility.”I think the most important aspect about accessibility in the winter is making sure that snow and ice chunks are removed from the bottom of curbs, because the curbs often are cracked and when they have extra snow it becomes bumpy and people’s wheelchairs can flip over,” Natalie Cinman, told The Suburban.

Natalie says she saves her medical appointments as much as possible for the spring avoiding travel during the winter months. In 2020, the City of Montreal launched a universal accessibility project aimed to “improve its practices in universal accessibility” which was supposed to lead to the development of a 2024-2030 action plan by the spring of 2024.

“We requested at that time that the mayor look at and be committed to adding a clause to all contracts for snow removal that the areas that we are talking about today, be prioritized and taken care of,” A priority that has been overlooked according to Beis.

According to the 2021 census carried out by Statistics Canada, nearly 158,000 Montrealers have difficulty walking, using stairs, using hands or fingers or to perform other physical activities. n

Beis slams Plante on failure to help residents with reduced mobility Read More »

Scroll to Top