Pierrefonds

Pierrefonds car thief leaves baby on sidewalk

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Montreal Police are searching for a suspect who is assumed by authorities to have accidentally made off with a baby when he stole a vehicle in a commercial parking lot in Pierrefonds.

The vehicle was left running with the keys in the ignition in a daycare parking lot on Alexander Street. The mother had left the infant in the car with the key in the ignition in order to allow for the air conditioning to run, while she brought her other child into the daycare.

When the thief discovered the seven-month old baby snuggled in the backseat, shortly after he took off with the car, he stopped and left the infant on the sidewalk in its car seat on the corner of Alexander Street and Gouin Boulevard and then sped off again in the stolen vehicle.

A 911 call was made at 8:15 a.m. reporting the incident. The infant was quickly reunited with its mother, who was in a state of shock, according to police.

At 8:40 p.m., the same vehicle crashed into a cement roadblock in Montreal’s Villeray district on the corner of St-Urbain and Crémazie. The suspect fled the scene of the collision on foot and has not been located by police to date.

The mother of the baby is not facing charges despite the fact it is illegal to leave a child under the age of seven unattended in a car. “Unlike a criminal act that leaves no margin, in the road safety code it is to the discretion of the police officers to issue a ticket or not. In this case, the officers determined that the mother had suffered enough hardship,” SPVM spokesperson Veronique Dubuc told The Suburban. n

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Mayors and MPs gather ar WIWC International Woman’s Day

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Elected officials joined many residents at the West Island Women’s Centre’s (WIWC) new and second location in Pierrefonds last week to hear the inspiring testimonies of women leaders in the community.

Among those in attendance were Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson, Baie-D’Urfé Mayor Heidi Ektvedt, Dorval Mayor Marc Doret, Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas, MP for Pierrefonds-Dollard Sameer Zuberi and MP for Lac-St-Louis Francis Scarpaleggia.

Sixteen community organizations set up booths behind the seating arrangement in front of the stage to showcase their services and offer information during the coffee and snack breaks.

“International Women’s Day at the West Island Woman’s Centre is a very important event for us. It is an opportunity for us to highlight the contributions of our 900 members, to reach out to the community and to showcase other non-profit organizations which are making a difference,” WIWC board member Dipa Mehta said to The Suburban.

West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA), president Joan Lee shared a heartfelt testament to three special women whom she holds as role models, Gloria Baylis, Gloria Johnson and her mother, who to her surprise was asked to stand for a round of applause. “It is not easy to be a woman, much less a woman of colour. We need to be the change that we seek. Women do the work that they do, not for the income, but for the outcome.”

Attendees listened intently as Thi Be Nguyen, Executive Director in Canada for the Canada-ASEAN business council, told her personal story of how her family fled Vietnam in 1980. For three nights through forests and two nights by boat to leave that country and seek a better life in Canada after being imprisoned for two months. She told the tale of herself as a young girl growing up in Canada, with the challenges of becoming a woman and reaching her goals with the limitations set on her both from home and in society. She explained how she managed to break down those barriers and become the accomplished person that she is today. “Today there are networks and organizations that help women overcome these challenges and promote change,” she said. “We have come a long way with a long way to go.”

“Our goal here (WIWC) is to provide a safe space for women to interact and support each other,” WIWC board of directors member Lisa Gertsman told The Suburban. n

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PCSM stages major Pierrefonds mental health event

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

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

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