NDG

After 90 years Bicycles MCW is leaving NDG

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Another legendary NDG mainstay is leaving for greener pastures. But not because they want to. Bicycles MCW recently announced to the community that they are moving out of the neighbourhood.

The building where Bicycles MCW has been since 1980 was family-owned. But it was recently sold. The hope, owner Salvatore Mastantuono tells The Suburban, was that the shop would be able to stay right where it is for a fair rent. But the company that bought the building doesn’t want to keep the shop. It wants the storefront for what Mastantuono says is going to be a grocery store.

Unfortunately, Mastantuono wasn’t able to find an affordable location in the neighbourhood. So Bicycles MCW is off to a West Island location that has yet to be decided, either on St. John’s or St. Charles. Either way, it will be gone from its Sherbrooke Street location by the end of the month.

Bicycles MCW has a more than nine-decade history in NDG. The “MCW” comes from McWinnies, the shop’s original name. It started as a general fixit shop owned by Joseph McWinnie. He and his partner at the time, Fred Francolini – Mastantuono’s godfather – eventually focused on repairing and selling bicycles. And locksmithing, of course.

Both businesses survived under the Mastantuono family. Sal’s father and uncles Nick, Pino, and Bruno, took over the bicycle shop from McWinnie and Francolini, and Sal eventually took over the locksmithing business. His brother, Ricardo, is also involved, so it remains a Mastantuono family business. Even the guys who work in the repair shop who are not Mastantuonos are considered family.

Mastantuono says it was a tough decision to leave the neighbourhood. He remembers hanging around the original location just two blocks over, doing his first bicycle repairs as a boy. There are still customers who come in today that remember “Mr. McWinnie.” The spirit of the shop is the same as what many consider to be the spirit of NDG. Kids who couldn’t afford bike parts, or even a new bike, would come into McWinnie’s, and Nick would give them what they needed, and let them pay it off by working in the store. Sal says he’s the same. “Every now and then you give back. You build that relationship and you get to know people through the years, and you start to become friends, and it starts to become like a family.”

Nothing will change with the move, Mastantuono says.

The new location will have to be within budget. And they’ll have to make sure the layout is right for a shop like Bicycles MCW. Given that they are under the gun to move out by April 30, it is possible, says Mastantuono, that they may not open the new location until mid-May. But the online business will continue. And if they can they’ll still provide a pickup and drop-off service for repairs.

The locksmith business will be moving along with the bicycle shop. And maybe with a little piece of NDG as well. n

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A renaissance for The Empress Theatre?

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

The city may finally have plans for the legendary Empress Theatre known to generations of Montrealers as Cinema V.

The city brought up the ramshackle property at a public hearing into its 2025 operating budget. Annie Gerbeau, the interim director of the city’s real estate strategy department, said the city is gearing up to sell the NDG building for possible redevelopment.

The Empress was built in 1927, and is the only theatre in Canada designed in the Egyptian Revival style. It opened a year later as The Empress Theatre and, after several name changes, became Cinema V in 1975.

The building on Sherbrooke Street W., across from NDG Park, was all but gutted by fire in 1992, and remained abandoned until the city bought it in 1999. There have been several plans for revival over the years, by Geordie Theatre, the Black Theatre Workshop, and even the McGill Conservatory (which closed its own doors in 2022).

In March of 2020 there was talk of redeveloping the building into a mixed-use facility. That may still be the case, the city says, with the possibility of combining a cultural element with residential. A profitability analysis was launched earlier this year, and now the next step is to put out a call for proposals, and to “proceed with a sale shortly,” Gerbeau said.

The question remains as to the building’s condition. The city had at one time considered demolishing the building, either partially or completely, with the hope of retaining the building’s façade, which calls to mind the fate of the Seville Theatre in downtown Montreal, which was two years younger than the Empress, and suffered a similar fate – abandonment, and eventual “demolition by neglect.” n

A renaissance for The Empress Theatre? Read More »

City changes to dangerous NDG intersection raise controversy

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

In yet another project that will pit motorists against cyclists and pedestrians, the City of Montreal has announced that it will finally be doing something about one of the busiest, most danger-prone intersections: De Maisonneuve at Décarie, near the MUHC Glen site and the Vendome train and metro hub. The busy corner is in the heart of the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. But whether the plan will solve or cause more problems has yet to be seen.

One thing is sure: pedestrians and cyclists love the plan, but motorists do not.

Even the borough considers it one of the most dangerous areas in the city, one of the most complicated, and confusing. In the past decade there have been two pedestrian deaths, and countless accidents.

The current configuration was supposed to have been a temporary measure, done just ahead of the Glen hospital launch. But temporary turned into nine years.

The city held an online information session last Thanksgiving Monday to introduce the new plan, which involves completely cutting off access to motorists on the stretch of De Maisonneuve between Décarie and Prud’homme. The intersection is, for all intents and purposes, a five-way intersection. It will be turned into what Jason Savard of the Association of Pedestrians and Cyclists of NDG calls “a traditional four-way intersection.” As it stands, there is a westbound ramp leading from Décarie north, and an eastbound block leading to Décarie south. Furthermore, right now cars coming off of the southbound Décarie expressway are allowed to turn left – eastbound – off of Addington to access the hospital via Décarie. That will no longer be allowed as De Maisonneuve will be designated one-way westbound. So anyone coming off of the expressway will be diverted west and have to drive north to make their way east on Sherbrooke to head downtown, or to turn south onto Décarie, again, to access the hospital.

Cyclists, however, will be allowed two-way access between Prud’homme and Décarie.

To add to that – or rather to subtract from it – vehicular traffic between De Maisonneuve and Claremont will be reduced to two lanes with a special drop-off zone for buses at Vendome station, widened bicycle paths, and the addition of a new bike path on Upper Lachine Road.

Jason Savard of the Association of Pedestrians and Cyclists of NDG says they’ve been pushing for this for a while. To allay motorists’ worries, Savard points out that they’re not really losing very much in either direction. “I think it’s safer for all road users, not just pedestrians and cyclists, but for motorists also.” It will cut down, he said, on the risky manoeuvres everyone had been using to get through the intersection, to get to and from the hospital. n

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Sharon Nelson Targets English School Board Seat

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When speaking to Sharon Nelson, it is clear that a heart for community empowerment is her driving force. Her work as second Vice President of the Jamaica Association of Montreal has been applauded by community leaders and members alike. Just recently, she was honored with the special Golden Heart award in memory of the late Egbert Gaye for her work in community building. Now she is running for the NDG ward representative for the English School Board of Montreal (ESMB) elections this November.

As she explains to the CONTACT, it wasn’t part of her original plan—but now, it’s a mission she embraces with open arms. “For me, I am happy to take up the opportunity to run for the English school board representative in the NDG Ward,” Nelson reflects. “It’s a pleasure to be able to do it, to have the opportunity to make a difference. That’s what it is—expanding our community and building on what others have done before and even exceeding some of what was done previously. It’s very rewarding to see that you can be the change you want to see in your community.”

Nelson’s path to candidacy began with a phone call from Joe Ortona, the incumbent chair of the English Montreal School Board. The EMSB is Quebec’s largest English board, serving 35,000 students.

“He was looking for someone to run in the English school board elections for the NDG ward, and I was helping him search for a candidate. Then, someone said to me, ‘Why don’t you do it?’” Nelson recalls. “I realized that It was an opportunity for me to bridge both worlds—education and community.”

Team Ortona’s campaign is centered around the slogan “Elevating Educational Heights, Defending English Rights,” and it speaks to its focus on protecting the rights of English-speaking students while fostering academic excellence. “There’s nothing really standing in front of us once we have the right tools and the right information. We can definitely build better.”

Nelson understands that the rights of English speakers in Quebec are a sensitive issue, particularly in the face of recent legislation. “In the last two years, Joe Ortona and his team have defended English rights, and we need to continue that momentum,” she says.

“The English Montreal School Board is the only board pushing back against laws like Bill 21 and Bill 96, saying, ‘No, we don’t accept this.’ We have rights protected by the Canadian Charter, and it’s our responsibility to stand by those.”

However, she is quick to clarify that her advocacy for English rights doesn’t exclude the value of bilingualism. “It’s not a one-sided approach. We certainly welcome bilingualism,” Nelson emphasizes. “In the English Montreal School Board, children are bilingual. People want to learn Italian, Greek, Mandarin, Japanese etc. Learning other languages opens one up to a whole new way of seeing things and understanding people.”

As the population of English-speaking students declines in certain areas, the need to preserve English schools becomes more urgent. “We’ve seen a shrinking number of enrollment in English schools in the NDG Ward, and it’s crucial to keep those schools open,” she explains. “This isn’t just for the English-speaking community. Francophone children could also have an opportunity to learn English and thrive in a second language. It’s not a one-sided approach—it’s about giving all children the tools to succeed. We need to focus on creating an inclusive Quebec where people of all backgrounds and languages can thrive.”

One of Team Ortona’s key goals is to strengthen the connection between schools and the wider community. Nelson affirms that parents play a huge role in the education system—as their children’s primary role models, the biggest champions. Their involvement and engagement fuel their children to do better and strive for more.

Nelson urges the public to vote in the upcoming English school board elections on November 3rd. Parents of children enrolled or previously enrolled in English schools should confirm their registration status on the electoral list. Those who have not previously been registered but wish to vote can do so by contacting Elections Quebec. The deadline to update the list is October 15th

For more information on the upcoming elections visit the website: https://www.emsb.qc.ca/emsb/about/governance/elections/voting-rights

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NDG residents put “Bonjour-Hi” in hot demand

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By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

The Bonjour-Hi artwork that blanketed much of NDG last month, to the delight of many residents but the chagrin of the city and borough, is becoming a hot commodity.

As reported in The Suburban last month, west end curbs, bike and walking paths, SAQ outlets and roadways were adorned with stencilled Bonjour-Hi artwork with happy faces and dog and cat symbols, the simple bilingual expression the bane of language hawks, denounced by the National Assembly and rejected by Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante appearing prominently throughout NDG.

Within days of appearing, city crews erased them. Following a second swath with added “woofs” and “meows,” city workers were busy in the wee morning hours washing away fresh artwork a few hours following their appearance.

Despite the mayor’s and province’s distaste for the word “Hi”, people are clamouring for a version on their property. NDG resident Nancy Breitman says she heard from many asking for artwork on their walkways and driveways, some want posters. She doesn’t know the artist responsible but sent a message through a third person and was told they were agreeable.

“When I first saw one on Monkland I thought it was so neat. It seemed like it just fell out of the sky, and then I saw another one, and another one, and I found it adorable,” she told The Suburban. “It’s friendly, it makes you feel good, and I don’t get a political vibe from it. Not at all. It’s just something beautiful.”

Another resident told The Suburban, “it’s the city that’s making the political statement, by erasing it so fast. Not the artist.” Breitman was also annoyed. “Then of course your mind goes to politics. How petty! This is the best neighbourhood. I’ve lived here for 25 years, we get along. I’ve never had a single dispute on language in my life. It’s just not a thing.” For that reason, she was taken aback by the city’s swift removal, as were many on local social media. “Apart from the few ‘petty and grumpy’ I found this absolutely beautiful, and part of what I believe exists in NDG and Montreal in general. Certainly in NDG this spirit is alive and well.”

She proposed it online and got an enthusiastic response. “We should flood NDG with this beautiful message that people here feel unity and love for each other. I want to be able to walk around and see these messages everywhere. It’s not a graffiti issue, this is art. Someone took the thought and employed visual elements to create a message. Art is the greatest disruptor. Let us have this little tiny pleasure space. This is real inclusion. We are part of the mosaic of Montreal, and we will not be erased.”

Bettina Karpel is one of the dozens of residents who want one on her property, “maybe with a meow” and says there’s nothing political about it. “I really think it’s a community building exercise. I’m aware some people are upset about it but it’s a happy thing and celebrating who we are as a bilingual community that really gets along despite what politicians try to do. It’s a happy message and we really need happy right now.” She said when the city painted “weird designs” on roads last year to spruce up areas and leisure spots, she thought, “how awful, but then I realized they’re trying to make it prettier. It grows on you. It’s the same thing here.”

The Suburban spoke with the artist who only confirmed that there is an initiative but offered no other details. n

NDG residents put “Bonjour-Hi” in hot demand Read More »

Man shot near NDG daycares

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By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

A 27-year-old man was shot near two daycares in NDG on Wednesday. Montreal police responded to reports of gunfire just before noon and found the 27-year-old victim on Montclair near Fielding.

According to police, the man was with a woman when he was approached by another man who struck him and then shot twice, with one bullet striking him in the lower body. The suspect fled on foot and the victim was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police found two shell casings on the ground near Nif-Naf and K.I.D.S daycare centres and are interviewing witnesses. No arrests were made as of press time.

Police set up a perimeter and closed Montclair between Fielding and Chester Ave, and Fielding between Walkley and Rosedale. According to media reports, the men had been involved in an altercation earlier on Wednesday. See next week’s Suburban for community reaction to rising violence

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NDG’s Porchfest pleases

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By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

The clouds took note, the sun was ready and all of NDG was primed, as crowds of west-enders walked, biked, strollered, drove and scootered to locations across NDG for Porchfest NDG 2024. More than 80 bands, duets and solo artists took to the stoops, balconies and lawns of homes across the neighborhood, while the lanes, curbs and roadways filled with folks who stopped to listen and dance to original music and covers.

Indeed, the eclectic offer of rap, blues, folk, rock, punk, jazz, alt and more, meant something for everyone and the weather cooperated. There was something magical on the first truly summery weekend listening to Linda Benoy’s folksy tunes under the wisteria, while further south local rapper Holden Stephan Roy brought his beats and infamous pickle hate to the street. If you were lucky you caught a special treat, Sarah Segal-Lazar and her fan fave If This City Were a Man. Outside Kensington Church on Sunday afternoon the Ok Chorale brought more than 40 voices together for a set of classic pop folk and rock, while up on Hingston the Sofa Kings paid wonderful tribute to the late great Gordon Lightfoot.

Every year Porchfest raises money for worthwhile local causes and this year was no different, with each venue collecting funds for Women on the Rise, a local non-profit organization that offers empowerment-based individual support, group support, and resource services to women and their families. Porchfest NDG has raised some $48,000 for local orgs since 2015. n

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Police shoot suspected car thief in NDG

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By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

The police shooting of a suspected car thief in NDG is being investigated by Quebec’s Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI).

The incident occurred in lower NDG at around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when police officers responded to reports of a car theft.

As officers approached the suspect in the vehicle, the suspect reportedly drove towards the officers in an attempt to elude arrest when police fired near the corner of Addington and Saint-Jacques.

One passenger in the vehicle was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Some media reports suggest the suspect was shot three times, which the SPVM has not confirmed. The car ended up a block west on the curb at Girouard and Saint-Jacques, and the officers involved were treated for shock.

Multiple police vehicles quickly arrived, and a large swath of the area was cordoned off, as bus traffic was diverted and investigators began to canvas the area for witnesses.

The Bureau des enquêtes indépendants investigates all police interventions resulting in a death or serious injury. n

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Standing Watch: NDG school crossing guard Joanne Herbut

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By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

Joanne Herbut is chill, in the chill. Smart, layered, and always on the move, the 58-year-old NDG resident stands watch at Girouard and N.D.G. Avenue. The school crossing guard (brigadier scolaire) outside the district’s busiest school steps off the curb, eyes darting back and forth, head on a pivot, STOP sign raised, and marches briskly into the intersection of bike and car lanes, where hundreds of kids, parents, pets and strollers make their way through the carrefour while buses, bikes, cars and trucks idle in the cold morning air.

“This is my fifth year at the corner,” Herbut told The Suburban on a frigid Wednesday morning, amid dozens of ‘bonjours,’ ‘good mornings’ and little grins peeking through scarves outside École Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

She moves fast so people can move slow, and like many full-time guards, does four hours in three shifts per day: before school, lunchtime and after school. She began on call at Décarie and N.D.G. and after six weeks moved over to this permanent spot.

Herbut has watched kids swathed in strollers go to walking with parents, then walking alone. “They are great, but when they start walking on their own it can be challenging. Like, they don’t understand the consequences, so they take chances, but still need some reminders. And they test you,” she laughs.

For 25 years Herbut worked in special needs education and after taking some time off, decided to get back into the workforce when a friend suggested crossing guard. “I never thought about it but one day I was doing some errands and stopped to speak to a crossing guard and asked some questions.” The job suited her to a ‘T’. “I love working with the community, meeting people and being outside. I’m not the type that can sit at a desk inside all day.”

There are 525 permanent and 134 surplus guards in the city, says SPVM communications agent Caroline Labelle, and 538 active school crossings, “but as our personnel are not evenly distributed across the island, we are always recruiting to ensure maximum coverage of each area and safety for all children.”

Future crossing guards receive a one-day training course given by the SPVM, consisting of theoretical and practical components, based on the SAAQ (Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec) guide. Candidates undergo a medical exam and security check. Starting salary is $20.52 per hour and guards work about 20 hours a week. (On-call may vary.) All gear is supplied, summers and spring break are off, and schedules vary depending on crossing.

Station 9 Commander Stéphane Desroches says the shortage of guards “affects this district, where we have 21 pedestrian school crossings and 50 schools, but there is always someone staffing a crossing,” he told The Suburban. “Always.” That may mean bringing in patrol cops, “or calling in our cadre of cadets or reservists (retired officers).”

Herbut says the important skills are “being friendly, very diligent and observant,” and channels her patience that’s served her for years. “Some days are more challenging than others, but the community is amazing.” She smiles at a family with an exuberant dog in tow. “A mini bonus of this job is all the beautiful dogs I get to meet.” Local city councillor Peter McQueen says Herbut “is a great brigadier and all the parents and students at N.D.G. school appreciate her.”

The toughest thing working outside a school with some 900 young students on a busy artery “is dealing with drivers with a sense of entitlement. I’m sorry to have to say that.” She’s never had a dangerous interaction, but she has had to be assertive, and received some rather rude comments. “Sometimes I think my patience is my salvation and I don’t know why I’m surprised, but I am still surprised.” n

Standing Watch: NDG school crossing guard Joanne Herbut Read More »

Taxes and CDN/NDG’s “dirty” water

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By Joel Ceausu

Like other Montrealers, Neal Mukherjee just got his municipal property tax bill. But one line on it caught the particular attention of the NDG resident: “I was billed an amount for water service tax. Considering that my water is contaminated with lead,” he asked Borough Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, “considering my water is dirty, why is the city taxing me on dirty water?”

“The city, if I’m not mistaken, gave itself 10 years to change the lead water entries for all Montrealers,” responded Katahwa, “and in Côte des Neiges-Notre Dame de Grace, we are one of the most advanced boroughs in terms of changing these lead water entries for citizens here.” She then pointed out that “you use water for all kinds of reasons: to drink, to prepare, to take your shower, so water is an important resource for many people.”

While the city has decided to change the lead water entries, she says “the level that is in some of our pipes is not a level that is dangerous for the health of the population in where it is right now. So we have time to change them because it’s the best practice to do, and we want to have the best water possible for Montrealers, but you’re not poisoning yourself right now. Water is a resource that is increasingly scarce and important in the world, so I think we should all be very grateful to be able to have this running water in our homes.”

“Your answer that water is important, I agree,” said Mukherjee. “That is probably the most important service the city can offer its residents. So why is it not a more important priority for this administration or for this city?” In response, Katahwa pointed out that as a past mayoralty candidate Mukherjee has to look at the numbers. “We are investing a lot in our aqueduct infrastructure in the city of Montreal. We’re going to have to invest a lot in the next few years, that’s what makes us an administration that has decided not to ignore the maintenance of our infrastructure and we put a lot, a lot of money into it. When you say it’s not a priority. I admit I don’t understand what you mean.”

After council Mukherjee expressed “surprise that a former health professional has no problems with residents having a little bit of lead in their water. So much for public health!” n

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