February 2014 - Ville de Montréal Ouest

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February 2014, Vol. 42, No. 1
Le Monde des petits enfants :
photo: Maurice Krystal
un paradis pour vos petits anges
Georges Saroukhan, Ryan and Isabelle
L’Oeufrier:
EGGceptional early morning
breakfast on Westminster
by Maurice Krystal
The commercial section of Westminster is constantly evolving. A
restaurant closes and is quickly reborn. L’Oeufrier is a chain of
restaurants serving breakfast and brunch only.
The franchise on Westminster is the province’s 10th. Georges
Saroukhan, the franchise owner, is a distinguished looking middle-aged gentleman of Lebanese extraction.
Like his father before him, Georges was a jeweler. Because of the
long civil war, he left Beirut in 1975 and moved to Dubai. After working for 15 years in a number of Persian Gulf states, he moved to California; only one year later, he decided to move his family to Montreal.
Unfortunately he found he was over qualified for work in the
jewelry field and ended up working for LaSalle College Group.
Georges became purchasing and building manager for the group, a
school that specializes in fashion, arts and design as well as hotel
management and culinary arts.
continued on page 11
INDEX
Community Centre....16, 17
CRA ................................ 3
Environmentally yours .... 10
Guides ..............................13
Horticultural Society .......... 3
In memoriam ..................4, 5
Letters ................................ 6
Libraries ....................13, 14
News from the pews....14-15
Réunion du Conseil ...... 19
Rotary .............................. 8
Schools .................... 10-11
Scouts ............................12
Town Council Report ........ 18
Par un après-midi de janvier
humide et gris, je me suis offert
de doux moments remplis de
joie de vivre en visitant la
garderie « Le Monde des petits
enfants ». À mon arrivée, durant
l’heure du repos, une ambiance
feutrée et chaleureuse régnait
sur les lieux impeccables de
propreté, parfaitement aménagés pour y recevoir de petits
enfants en toute sécurité. Pendant que deux éducatrices travaillaient discrètement aux
préparatifs des activités à venir,
ma sympathique voisine Heidi
Saber m’a présenté son entreprise, le cœur rempli de fierté.
Heidi est une éducatrice passionnée qui œuvre au service de
notre communauté depuis plus
de quatre ans. Née en Iran, elle
y a d’abord effectué des études
universitaires en traduction
anglaise, mais a ensuite choisi
d’orienter sa carrière vers ce qui
a toujours fait vibrer son cœur.
Ayant développé un grand intérêt pour la psychologie enfantine dès son adolescence, alors
qu’elle passait ses temps libres
à veiller sur les tout-petits de
son entourage, Heidi s’est tournée vers la profession d’éducatrice. Poussée par sa curiosité
envers les méthodes éducatives
préconisées au Québec, la jeune
femme a décidé du même coup
de quitter sa famille et son pays
natal pour s’installer à Montréal
et s’inscrire au baccalauréat en
études sur l’enfance à l’Université Concordia. Tout au long de
ce parcours universitaire, Heidi
a enrichi son expérience en effectuant des stages en milieu de
garde. Une fois son baccalauréat complété, elle a obtenu un
poste dans un grand CPE de
Saint-Laurent et y a relevé de
nombreux défis. Quelques années plus tard, au moment de
choisir une garderie pour son
fils Daniel, Heidi a réalisé un
rêve, celui de fonder sa propre
entreprise. Mettant à contribution les talents de rénovateur de
son conjoint, Heidi a aménagé
les locaux de sa garderie afin de
les rendre pratiques, attrayants
continuation à la page 16
2
Informerly Yours
Celebrating
a marriage
10 Westminster North
Montreal West, Quebec
H4X 1Y9
The Informer’s role is to provide
MoWesters with information about
their Town and its citizens in order to
foster the small-town, close-knit atmosphere that makes Montreal
West a special place in which to live.
ISSN: 084741X
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Jeannette Brooker - Chair
Rick Lavell - Treasurer
Jane Williams - Secretary
Heather Baylis
Véronique Belzil-Boucher
René Boucher
Jeanne Ragbir
Congratulations to Eric Zimanyi, formerly of
Wolseley N, on his marriage to Christina Stock.
Eric and Christina were married in a small ceremony two years ago while they were both studying for their PhDs in Chemistry at MIT.
Now that they’ve graduated, this was the celebration to share their joy with extended family
and friends. Parents Karen and Patrick and siblings Lisa and Kevin joined in the fun. So did the
Feeney family of Wolseley N. (Eric’s aunt, uncle
and cousins). Christina’s family came in from
California. The celebration was in Burlington, VT
on October 6. The happy couple reside in Boston.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Heather Baylis
489-7022
LAYOUT DESIGNER
Julia Ross
[email protected]
AD MANAGER
Heather Baylis,
489-7022
[email protected]
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Rhonda Schwartz 482-0227
RATES
Camera-ready art:
1/6 page – $45
1/12 page – $25
Professional card:
$125/year
Classifieds:
25-50 words – $10
25 words or less – $6
TASK FORCE
Axel Brinck
René Boucher
Lise McVey
Maryl Murphy
Jeanne Ragbir
Lydia Shuster
Rose Marie Smith
Randi Weitzner
and those we omitted inadvertently
Congratulations!
The Josephs of Brock North and Wolfsteins
of Roxton Crecent were united with the Quinns
of Washington, D.C. in a fairy-tale wedding that
took place in Jerusalem on October 8. Left to
right are Brian Joseph, best man and brother of
the groom, mother Annette Wolfstein-Joseph,
bride Alexandra Quinn, bridegroom Noah
Joseph and father David Joseph.
Guests included grandmother Rose Wolfstein
of Roxton Crescent and Uncles William and Edward Wolfstein and family who also grew up on
Roxton Crescent. The happy couple have made a
lovely home in Jerusalem.
The Informer Is published nine times
a year (usually) on the last weekend
the month except June, July and
December. Out-of-town subscriptions: $15 per year. Typesetting by
Informer staff, printing by King
Press. Extra copies available at
Town Hall and both libraries.
Funded, in part, by the Town of
Montreal West. Articles are printed
in the language(s) submitted.
NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE
February 12
ART ETC. Floral Café, November 2013. As usual, a “happy gang” serving Jay Garland’s wonderful squash
soup, sandwiches, quiches and homemade desserts. A tradition in our Town.
3
Mosses:
ancient plants for
contemporary gardens
Bialik High School
supports
Little Red Playhouse
Inspired by the power
of the creative arts and a
passion for giving back to
their community, the students at Bialik High School in Côte SaintLuc, Quebec are supporting the Little Red
Playhouse with a silent art auction! The
auction will showcase artwork created by
students, alumni, local artists and members
of the community and will welcome members of the public to bid on pieces of artwork during the event on March 19 at Bialik
High School.
All proceeds from the auction will be graciously donated in support of the Art Expression program at the Little Red Playhouse.
Any and all types of artwork (prints, drawings, paintings etc.) are welcome for donation to the auction and will be accepted up
until March 18. We welcome you to take this
opportunity to showcase your artwork while
also supporting an important community
cause. Stay tuned for flyers communicating
more detailed information about the auction
that will be distributed closer to the event.
If you would like to donate or have any
questions about the project, please contact
[email protected], or
[email protected], the main contact for the event at the Little Red Playhouse.
Dr. Mark Santaguida, O.D.
docteur en optométrie / optometrist
• examen de la vue
• lunettes
• verres de contact
• consultation laser
• eye exams
• glasses
• contact lenses
• laser consultation
514 481- 4791
43a av. Westminster Ave. N. Mtl West,QC H4X 1Y8
Paul Zammit likes them.
Suzanne Campeau likes them,
but despite their
unique
charm,
mosses are only
marginally used in
North American gardens. Yet, horticultural interest for these
plants is growing,
not only for the
subdued tranquility
and patina of time
they add to gardens,
but also because
mosses have qualities which make
them allies to modern gardeners. The Horticultural Society’s next
speaker, Suzanne Campeau, will explain
how mosses differ from other plants, how
they fit current gardening trends and she
will show examples of projects realized in
Quebec using nursery-grown carpets of
mosses.
Ms. Campeau, a biologist by training,
has been working with mosses for the last
20 years applying her expertise and passion
for mosses to the development of new products and techniques that use these remarkable plants.
The presentation takes place on Monday,
February 17, 7:30 pm at the Town Hall.
Everyone is welcome, gardeners and armchair gardeners alike.
Happy New Year from the CRA. Here is
a brief update on what is new and exciting
in 2014!
Learn to skate!
Starting January 26, we will begin a
learn to skate program on Sundays from
2:30-3:30 at the arena. For children ages
3½ and up, cost $100.
Gym-Tastic
Our 10-week winter session is here and
we are excited to introduce an updated program with new equipment, fun theme days,
equipment circuits, songs, games and so
much more.
Gym-Tastic is for children ages 3½ to 10.
Cost is $120 per session for one day a week,
but did you know you can now register for
two days a week?! Send your little ones to
swing, stretch and sing two days a week for
just an additional $60. Register now!
Soccer skills clinic
This program will be taught at the Concordia Stinger Dome by former MLS Impact player Greg Sutton, current head
coach of the men’s Concordia soccer team.
Each session is two hours (9-11) and focuses on skills and game strategies. For
ages 4-17, Sundays, February 16, 23 and
March 2; cost: $60. Places limited!
Suggestions/feedback?
We thank all of our participants for supporting the programs we offer. We are always happy to assist people with any
difficulties they may be experiencing within
our programs, but also encourage suggestions and feedback. You may contact our
Program Manager, Samantha Mitra, during office hours, by phone (485-8598) or by
email ([email protected]).
Ce n’est qu’un aurevoir
to Linda Wishart
A celebration took place in mid-January to acknowledge Linda Wishart’s retirement from the
Children’s Library. Among those who gathered at
the MW United Church included Bob her husband, her family, colleagues, teachers, the Mayor
and Town councillors, members of the library
board and retired former librarians.
Although there was a profusion of praise from
many, Linda hastened to give thanks to all those
who had come to her rescue in times of trouble.
Wisely she compared them to a flock of geese
whose leader could count on to take over the leadership when the going got tough.
Fortunately for all those little MoWest tikes,
Linda will still be reading them stories in her own
animated way every Thursday.
4
In memoriam
Friedrich (Fred) Karl von Bruemmer
by Rene Bruemmer
[This passage is a shortened version of
the eulogy given at the funeral of Fred
Bruemmer at St. Philip’s Church.]
He was born Friedrich Karl von Bruemmer in Latvia, a member of what he described as an “odd tribe” of Baltic Germans
who settled on the western edges of Russia
around the year 1200 and established the
Baltic states that would become Latvia,
Lithuania and Estonia.
The family spent the school year in Riga,
but the summers in the country where my
father thrived. He had two dreams – to become a naturalist-biologist and to travel.
WWII destroyed those hopes. My father’s family fled from Latvia to Poland
where they would flee again, only to be
caught. My father and his sister Hella were
forced to help dig a mass grave, into which
their murdered parents were deposited. Dad
and Hella were sent to separate slave labour
camps. My father was 15 years old. Of
2,000 inmates there when he arrived, only
200 were alive two years later. Survival became his raison d’être.
I learned about that part of his life only
in 2005 when he wrote, at age 75, Survival.
It won the Mavis Gallant Prize for non-fiction book of the year from the Quebec
Writer’s Federation.
In 1950, my father emigrated to Canada,
first working in a gold mine in northern Ontario. For holiday, he would head north to
the isolated Indian villages on James Bay,
lured by the lakes and forests and lonely
wilderness. Later, he became a freelance
photographer, a useful profession for someone who didn’t speak English well. What
followed was seven years of restless wan-
dering in search of adventures,
freelancing photos and stories first
in Canada, then Europe and the
Midddle East. He had little money,
but a glorious time, and amassed
many stories to tell.
Then he met my mother, Maud,
and fell in love. Mom, born in Indonesia, ended up in a Japanese
prison of war camp, along with
Dad’s sister Heddy, and that is how
my parents came together. Mom
was a strong woman, and they had a strong
marriage.
Marriage would not tame my father’s
roaming spirit. He was, he told me recently,
“pacing like a caged tiger” when he told his
new wife his life plan. He would work full
time for two years as a journalist and then quit
to pursue his dream to make it as a freelance
writer and photographer. He did just that.
They were poor at first and dad wandered about, freelancing stories on things
that interested him, but with no real focus.
Then a magazine sent him north to Baffin
Island to write a story on the Inuit. He found,
“an ancient culture in disarray and on the
verge of vanishing. Change had come to the
North with devastating speed and abruptness.” He also found a breed of people who
had learned to survive in perhaps the harshest
environment on earth, but which was also inhabited by pockets of similarly hardy
wildlife and flora and fauna, that fulfilled my
father’s naturalist yearnings. He began living
six months of the year with the Inuit, tagging
along on their traditional Arctic hunts, sleeping in their tents and igloos, studying their
animals and cataloguing their vanishing way
of life in an effort to preserve it.
As he wrote, “I loved the Arctic, its rug-
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ged beauty, its haunting loneliness, its infinite space. It has the vastness of the sea, the
grandeur of a Bach fugue.” He also felt a
deep kinship with its people, who shared
similarly tragic circumstances.
So would begin my father’s Arctic
odyssey, 30 years splitting his life between
there and Montreal. The Inuit called him
Amarok, the lone wolf, because of the long
solo walks he would take on the tundra, a
name he liked. He wrote his first book in
1969, The Long Hunt, about a 2,000-kilometer dog-team trip he took with Inuit
hunters on Ellesmere Island. A few years
later, came Seasons of the Eskimo and, in
1974, the Arctic which was described as
“the most comprehensive single book on its
subject matter ever presented” – which was
a great satisfaction to my father, who had
never finished high school because of the
war and learned to speak proper English
only in his 20s. In total he would write 25
books on the Arctic and its flora, fauna and
wildlife, as well as over a thousand magazine articles. In my father’s humble way, his
work made him, in the words of Maclean’s
magazine and writer Ernest Hillen “slowly,
and without fanfare, one of the least known
world-famous men in Canada” and also “the
explorer poet of the last frontier.” He would
be awarded the Order of Canada in 1983.
In his last year and a half, cancer and
chemotherapy made his world smaller and
he, and we, hoped for a bit more time. But as
his body grew weaker his brain remained
strong and his memory disconcertingly sharp,
and we would spend our evenings gathered
around his bed, listening to the many, many
stories that were testimony to a full existence.
“Thank you, my love,” my mother said
to him, for giving us such a beautiful life.
On the fridge, written in the shaky hand
of his last days, was a note to his wife of 50
years: “You are my love story.”
The Informer staff offer sincere condolences on the loss of a very special man to
Maud, his sons Aurel (Johanne Dupuis) and
René (Angela Corinthios), his granddaughters Sarah-Maud, Renée-Jade and KiraAnne and grandsons Matthew and Owen.
In memoriam
Roni Simco Gerstel
by Rabbi Julia Appel
[This passage is a shortened version of
the eulogy given at Roni’s funeral.]
The Talmud tells the story of a gentile
who comes to Rabbi Hillel with the intention of offending him. He asks Rabbi Hillel
to teach him the whole Torah while standing
on one leg. Instead of throwing him out of
the study house, Rabbi Hillel tells him,
“That which is hateful to you, do not unto
another: This is the whole Torah. The rest is
commentary — go and study.”
Roni Simco Gerstel lived this simple,
but sometimes difficult to follow, maxim
and she taught it to her children, her friends
and her family. She had an amazing ability
to relate to people, no matter who they
were, to dan l’chaf zechut, to judge them favorably from the outset. Nothing could disqualify someone from receiving her true
respect and good treatment.
When Montreal synagogues took on the
project of helping acclimate Argentinian immigrants to their new home, Roni volunteered. But she also invited them for seders
and dinners and even met one of her closest
friends Gabriella that way.
Roni was very involved with L’Abri en
Ville, not just serving as a board member
but truly making friends with the residents
of this group home for adults living with
mental illness, learning about their lives,
having them over to the house.
Over 30 years ago, Roni and David
bought their rugged home in Vermont. Roni
loved that house and from the start, she
worked with David to build and tend it.
She recently taught herself Italian, so
that on her visits to Italy she could converse
with the little old lady shopkeepers in town.
And after recovering from her last stroke
four years ago, Roni decided to explore
Prague by herself. It was a test for her, to
see how much she could still do on her own.
This pushing herself, always seeking to
improve herself, and others, motivated her
throughout her life. She worked hard to
achieve her positions of responsibility at
L’Oreal, eventually becoming the highest
ranking woman the company had ever had.
Just as she never wanted to be limited due
to being a woman, she wished that for others: she always encouraged Michael and
Lauren to keep growing, to keep learning.
She gave divrei torah at Dorshei Emet,
and Rabbi Ron always asked her to give
one when he was away. In the last few
years, Roni did not let retirement keep her
idle: in her spare time, she became a French
language guide at the Chateau de Ramzay
museum, studying the whole collection and
passing the exam to serve.
Most of all, Roni was devoted to her family and loved ones. Born in Montreal to parents Moses and Sophie Simco, Roni grew up
with her three brothers Stephen, Bob, and
Chuck. She met her husband David in the
McGill library, where he would come to read
when on break from his work. David says
she said yes to his request for a date just so
that he would leave her alone. They got married, and Michael and Lauren were born.
Roni was the kind of mom that tucked
Michael and Lauren in at night, without fail.
She made the best birthday cards and long
rhyming poems. Later, she supported the kids
on all their travels, even when she might
have wished they stay home – she wanted
them to explore the world. She celebrated her
family – Bob and Helen, Stephen and Liela, Chuck and Pam, Sol, Peter and Mary,
and, the newest addition, her daughter in law
Lauren.
Her love was fierce. Just two months ago,
Roni saved her beloved dog Teva’s life. He
fell into the icy lake in Vermont. Lauren reports that Roni kicked off her shoes and leapt
into the icy water to save him. She said she
had no choice – she couldn’t live with herself
if she had to watch him die.
Roni always jumped right in during her
life. She lived life to the fullest. She never
turned down an opportunity to learn something new, to better herself, to explore a new
part of the world or the human condition.
She judged people favorably, and lived
Rabbi Hillel’s maxim, to treat others as you
would want to be treated. She will be
missed. May her memory be for a blessing.
Don’t forget your
sweetheart on
Valentine’s Day!
5
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6
Letters
High taxes:
a budget committee can help
Two things were evident
during the recent election campaign: 1) many Town residents
appeared exasperated by the
high level of our taxes, and 2)
nearly all candidates were in
favour of greater transparency
and increased participation by
citizens.
Town expenses (excluding
the Agglom) increased by
46.1% from 2006 to 2012; cumulative inflation was only
13.9%. Infrastructure renewal
has resulted in a ballooning of
debt charges which grew by
93.8% between 2006 and 2012,
and constituted 21.6% of our
Town expenses in 2012. Notable increases have occurred in
other expense categories.
Consider two houses both
having 2013 valuations of
$644,000 with one house located in Montreal West and the
other on Connaught Ave. The
MoWest house would pay
around $9,645.08 in combined
municipal and water tax. The
Connaught house would pay
only $6,108.98 or $3,536.10
less. The MoWest house pays
57.9% more than the Connaught house. [For your own
residence, multiply your 2013
valuation by the NDG mill rate
of 0.009486 (formally 0.9486$/
100$). Compare the result to the
sum of your 2013 MoWest tax
bill plus water tax.]
Is a 57.9% “surcharge” for
living in Montreal West reasonable?
The Town has a very small
tax base to support operations,
and the shortage of unused land
prevents it from being increased
by development. This leaves
only two ways of reducing
taxes: reduce expenses or increase revenues. Increasing revenue (of which 84% were
municipal taxes in 2012) has
proved difficult. This leaves reducing expenses.
One of the greatest challenges facing the Town is infrastructure spending. According
to Mayor Masella, only 20% of
infrastructure renewal has been
completed. The remaining 80%,
if completed in the next few
years, would easily quadruple
our infrastructure-related debt
charges.
Incoming treasurer, Colleen
Feeney, has promised to look at
the debt, amongst other items,
and put together a view over a
longer horizon. However, it’s
difficult to imagine that, at current cost levels, the remainder
of the infrastructure work can
be completed in the near future.
FAMILY LAW
The Town is apparently considering “zero-based” budgeting. Traditional budgets start by
taking last year’s budget as a
fixed baseline, and then considers only the changes for the
coming year. With zero-based
budgeting, every item in the
budget must be approved, and
not only the changes. In this
way the entire budget is under
continual review, and we’re not
stuck with past mistakes.
In view of the variety of interests and priorities of the different demographics within the
Town, shouldn’t as many residents as possible become familiar with the potential trade-offs
in the budget so that hard decisions down the line can be intelligently discussed, and perhaps
prioritized if no other solutions
become available?
With this in mind, I made an
intervention at the November
Council meeting related to the
debt, and proposed that a budget
committee be established, and
volunteered to be part of it. As
reported in the December issue
of The Informer “Councillor
Feeney appeared to warmly receive this request”.
The idea was that MoWest
has a large pool of talented, experienced, and interested people
from which to draw volunteers
to do the research and analysis
that our overburdened Council
has little time for. The committee would also act as an information conduit between the
mceavocats.com
tel. 514.866.4666
fax 514.866.4667
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Consultation in
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Paul Kenton
70 Brock North
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EN DROIT DE
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ATTORNEYS
MEDIATORS
MEDIA T O R S
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Sincerely,
Dr. Michael J. Wexel
SSOLUTIONS
OLUTIONS
AVOCATS
AV
OC A T S
MÉDIATEURS
MÉDIA
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COACHS
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community and the Council and
promote a better understanding
of the budget and priorities in
information sessions. In addition, it would report, and make
non-binding recommendations,
to Council.
Unfortunately, Council representatives have declined to
endorse such a committee thus
far.
Councillor
Interestingly,
Elizabeth Ulin (in charge of
Recreation, Culture, and the Environment) has formed a committee for young families so that
they might express their concerns. And Mayor Masella has
initiated monthly “Coffee-withthe-Mayor” mornings.
Is the endorsement and formation of a Budget Committee
during a period of such financial
challenges any less important
than a committee for young
families, or giving feedback to
the Mayor over coffee?
If you similarly feel that a
budget committee for our town
is appropriate, please make your
opinion known at meetings, in
letters, or directly to Council
members.
Anyone reading this letter
who might be interested in examining the Town budget more
closely should contact me at :
[email protected].
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7
Dear MoWest residents,
Last February, my little sister
Jasmine and I did a penny drive
for Free the Children’s We Create Change campaign and we
asked residents to help us. We
filled 40 RBC bags of pennies,
collecting over 100,000 pennies
and raising over $1000 for children in Africa. When deposited
at an RBC branch, each bag
provided clean water for one
child in Africa for life. So many
residents helped us! It was lots
of fun coming home from
school every day and finding
Ziploc bags of pennies in our
front door mail slot.
For those of you who don’t
know Free the Children, it is an
amazing Canadian organization
started by brothers Craig and
Marc Kielburger in Toronto in
1995. Craig and Marc started
this organization as teenagers,
believing that children have the
power to change the world and
that all children, boys and girls,
have the right to go to school.
They have built over 650
schools in developing countries
so far and 2014 is Free the Children’s Year of Education!
buys a brick and 500 bricks will
build a whole school! Anyone
can help and get boxes from
freethechildren.com/we-createchange/ or by calling Free the
Children at 878-3733. It is a
great project to do at school and
get everyone involved! We
want to do this coin drive in
February because Valentine’s
Day is about showing those you
love how much you care, but I
think if we want to practise
compassion (and get away
from the commercial aspect of
Valentines anyway!), we should
extend this caring to the rest of
the world too.
Beyond the coins
Free the Children’s favourite
expression is “Be the Change”,
Providing clean water and schools
with loose change!
Sofia and Jasmine
Coin drive
This year we would like to
continue the tradition and do a
COIN DRIVE! Free the Children’s We Create Change campaign is now providing cardboard boxes in the shape of a
school instead of penny bags.
Once the box is full, children
roll the coins and deposit them
at any RBC branch. Every $20
from Mahatma Ghandi who said
we should be the change we
want to see in the world. I love
this expression and I want to be
the change, so my family and I
are volunteering with Free the
Children this summer in Aravalli, India to build a school
that looks just like the little cardboard boxes we will fill with
coins. I want to see with my own
eyes the schools that my coins
are helping to build! If you want
to join us on our trip, ask your
parents to book a volunteer trip
with us at metowe.com/volunteer-travel/family-volunteer-adventure/india/!
So please help us and drop
off your loose change or coins
you have been collecting over
the years for a great cause! You
can drop them off at our house,
14 Brock North in or at Dr.
Drummond and Dr. Seminara’s office (during office
hours) at 12 Brock North, just
above Sherbrooke. My Papou
(granddad) has built a box that
we have bolted to our front balcony and we will empty it every
day over the next month. Or
you can drop the coins off in
our front door mail slot if you
prefer or at the RBC branch on
Westminster directly in the little
cardboard box. We will roll the
coins and deposit them in Free
the Children’s RBC bank account at the end of every week!
Happy coin-collecting!
Sofia Gadbois
14 Brock North
JANE F. LEE, B.Sc., D.D.S.
Chirurgien Dentiste - Dental Surgeon
63 WESTMINSTER N
MONTREAL WEST
H4X 1Y8
Honesty
Integrity
Hardworking
Enthusiastic
Please entrust me with the purchase / sale of your property
369-0255
Avanti West End
Domestic Help,
Experienced Nurses,
Babysitters,
Cleaning Ladies and
Companions
514-482-3631
8
Rotary Club
Community Banking
The task of introducing
our speaker, Chastity Teixeira, manager of the BMO
branch on Westminster and her
friend from Nesbitt Burns Catherine Lach
was given to Johnny and Pietro, rival
bankers from the Royal Bank down the
street. They were cordial as Chastity will be
only company listed on the Toronto or New
York Stock Exchange that has continuously
paid out dividends.
Garbage Bowl 2014
The 65th edition of the Garbage Bowl
was held at Davies Park on New Year’s
Day. It was a pick-up tag football game held
between the Northern Combines and the
Southern Bombers as usual. The conditions
were more than treacherous. The field was
coated with several centimeters of ice and
the traction was more or less non-existent.
The game saw all sorts of wipeouts and
when all was said and done, the Northern
Combines had slipped into the end zone for
30 points to South’s 6. Congratulation to all
who keep this MoWest tradition alive.
Rotary luncheon speakers
for February
6:
Chastity Teixeira
asked to introduce them when it is their turn
to promote their bank.
Chastity first explained that her last
name was Portuguese and no she is not related to the baseball player for the Yankees
so she can not get tickets. She has worked
at BMO for 17 years and has spent the last
three as manager at the Westminster branch,
a small one with eight employees.
Her philosophy is keep it simple and get
to know clients. Know the market, know the
community and know the culture. She tries
to give back to the community (Meals-OnWheels, Canada Day and Lobsterfest);
BMO has a site on the internet just for giving. The branch has been part of the MoWest community for over 100 years so they
have financed a few homes in the area over
the years.
And Big Banks
Rotarian Ramesh was supposed to thank
our speaker, but instead gave us a little talk
on Big Banks saying that Canadian banks
made $29.2 billion last year or $75 million
a day. You can profit from banks by investing like he did and you to can retire by age
50. You do not have to work hard just work
smart. He is getting $2.60 in dividends a
year for a stock he paid a little over $4 for.
He ended his talk by saying that BMO has
been paying dividends since 1878 and is the
Philippe Labreque,
Peak Financial Services
13: Ronald Gallant,
MW Curling Club
20: Helen Birbilas,
residential insurance
27: Hon Kathleen Weil, MNA
We are hoping to have a good turn out to
listen to Kathleen. For this speaker we will
require reservations; this can be done by email at [email protected]. We have
room for 30 guests.
Our doors are open to the public if you’d
like to join us to sit in on one of our presentations. Presentations are usually 20-30
minutes after lunch starting at 1:10 pm.
Should you like to join us for an excellent
catered lunch the cost is $20 and we sit
down to dine at 12:30 pm. Hope you’ll
come and join us soon.
from Doug Yeats
Members of HMS Victory Chapter will be celebrating 70 years of the
chapter’s founding at the
Annual General Meeting
on February 11. The meeting will take place at the Community Centre from 2-4 pm. Any one interested in what
we do and what we would like to do is welcome to come.
We are a national women’s charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals, through education
support, community service and citizenship
programs. From planting a tree near the
Cenotaph and presenting a wreath there
near November 11, to packing “ditty bags”
for women arriving at shelters, to supporting a small school in Labrador, we have
great ideas and need more members to help
us achieve them “filling in the gaps” as
Helen Reid used to say. We will have reports of our doings and give a count of the
amazing number of volunteer hours given
by our members in 2013.
from Janet King
9
13th annual Steve and Rob Michelin
Memorial Hockey Tournament
We were back one year later, with not as
much snow on the ground (Mother Nature
wouldn’t dare challenge us with a snow
storm two years in a row), but even more
fire in the belly, ready to play for pride and
the coveted championship beer mugs in the
13th annual Steve and Rob Michelin Memorial Hockey Tournament.
In the Tournament’s lead-off game, the
Richter Lightning built an early 4 to 2
lead on goals by Gerry McDonagh, father
and son duo Sheldon and Justin Itzkowitz
and Hillel Matthews. The Sharks fought
back on a pair of goals by Christophe
Lavoie and the dynamic brother combination Tim and Cam Maag and game ended
tied at 4. The second game between the
Multibag Wild and the Momentis Rangers
also ended in a tie. Steve Sanner and Yuri
Buharovich, on a spectacular end to end
rush, scored for the Wild while smooth
skating Ed Piro and volatile superstar
Adriano Vissa answered for the Rangers.
The third game was close for a while, tied
at 2 until late in the game, but Funkin Flyers pulled away for a 7 to 2 victory over the
Rempart Bruins. Matt Bishara recorded
the hat trick for the Flyers while Pat
Cronin added a pair.
The Wild won their second game squeaking by the Sharks 3 to 1 with an empty netter
to seal the deal. Superstar Zack Brezinski
scored the Wild’s first two goals. The Lightning scored early and hung on to beat the
Flyers 3 to 2 while in Game Six, the Rangers
build a big early lead and then survived a ferocious comeback by the short-handed but
dogged Bruins to win 6 to 4.
Game Seven had Championship implications. All the Lightning had to do was
beat the Wild to clinch the title. Yossi
Matthews scored first to give the Lightning
the lead. Amanda Santache then tied it up
for the Wild. Hillel Matthews scored on a
bullet slap shot to send the Lightning into
the third period with the lead but the
younger Wild fought back. Evan McCurdy
scored to tie it at 2 and Steve Sanner scored
to give the Wild the victory.
Game Eight was just for fun although it
may not have been that much fun for the
Bruins who were on the wrong end of a 10
to 2 shellacking at the hands of the Sharks.
Game Nine also had Championship implications. A victory over the Flyers was all
that stood between the Rangers and the title.
If the Flyers could win or tie, the Championship would go to the Wild. Adriano Vissa
and Davide Degano scored for the Rangers
but were matched by two goals from the
Flyers’ Matt Emery. It was a tight battle.
Neither team ready to give an inch. That’s
when Trevor Drummond took control. His
first goal on a breakaway gave the Rangers
the lead. The second on a sure-handed redirect made it a 4 to 2 game. Chris Rasytinis
scored to make it interesting but Davide’s
second of the game iced the victory for the
Rangers.
Once again, the Steve and Rob Michelin
Memorial Hockey Tournament was a great
success. We mix youngsters and oldsters
and the result is great hockey, great sportsmanship and great fun. This year we raised
more than $12,000 pushing our 13-year
total more than $400,000.
Thanks to everyone who make this such
a great event including Mike Barrett and
the arena crew, our referees Patrick Samborsky, Brian Shatsky, Jeremy Noreau
and Ralph Bigue and, in particular, Chris
Kearney for his tremendous leadership.
Without him, the tournament couldn’t
happen.
from Andy Michelin
DR. HEATHER FOX B.S ., D.D.S.
C
Dentist
16 Westminster N. #315
Tel: 487-4577
Fax: 487-8376
Dr. Michael J. Wexel
Chiropractor / Chiropracticien
Tel: 773-7246
E-mail: [email protected]
18 Westminster N., Suite 110
Montreal West, QC H4X 1Y8
10
Edinburgh School
École des Amis-du-Monde
Une école belle comme un cœur!
Visite à l’école de cirque
de Verdun
Happy New Year!
We hope this
holiday season was
filled with health,
warmth and prosperity.
A few things to keep in mind
when in and around the school:
With the snow, comes ice! Although the weather has been
beautiful it makes walking
around the school treacherous at
times so please be careful.
To all of our volunteers,
please keep in mind that Montreal West has a four-hour parking limit. Many of our teachers
and staff have been ticketed!
Giving back
to the community
Before the holidays the students of Edinburgh were very
busy giving back to the community and working hard to support various causes. In support
of the Philippine community
and to help with relief efforts
from Typhoon Haiyan, the children planned several activities.
Mme Genèvieve’s class held a
bake sale on November 26.
Children were asked to bring in
a loonie and were given the
time to shop around for a tasty
treat for a great cause! On
Thursday November 28, the
Student Leadership Committee
(SLC) under the guidance of
Ms. Pina, held a “Jeans Day”.
In order to participate children
were asked to bring in a loonie
in exchange for wearing their
jeans to school. All of the proceeds were to benefit the Canadian Red Cross. The federal
government matched any contributions made at that time.
The kindergarten and Cycle 1
students collected various toiletries for a local women’s shelter. Cycle two and three
students collected non-perishable food items, toiletries and
toys for CTV’s Spirit of Giving
Campaign. Thank you to everyone who donated, participated,
organized and executed all of
these wonderful activities.
The Musicanto Choir’s winter session is
under way. After a very successful holiday
concert last December, we are excited to
move into our new repertoire. For this session, we will be singing
songs in English, French and Italian. Aside from our weekly practices we will be going to choir camp in March and have begun planning our visit to Ottawa at the end of April. The season will be
capped off with a concert at the MW United Church in May.
Founded by Johanne Poirier-Ledoux in 2012, the Musicanto
Choir is for all children from 8 to 16 years old. The choir’s repertoire is multilingual and consists of popular pieces, notably from
French and Quebec singer-songwriters, as well as excerpts from
musicals and songs from such genres as country, rock ‘n’ roll,
rhythm & blues and gospel.
If your children would like to participate, we would love to have
them. Check out our website for details: www.musicanto.ca.
C’était une journée très excitante ! Nous avons participé aux
différentes activités récréatives
pour nous divertir tout en nous
initiant aux techniques de base
en art du cirque. Premièrement,
à notre arrivée, on nous a affecté
des moniteurs
pour
nous
guider tout au
long des activités. Ensuite, on a fait
plein d’acrobaties: trampoline, trapèze
et équilibrisme
sur les balles et
les planches. On a
aussi fait de la jonglerie
avec des cerceaux, des bâtonsfleurs, des foulards et nous
avons même fait tourner des
assiettes chinoises. Ça prend
vraiment beaucoup de temps
pour apprendre à les faire
tourner ! Après ces activités,
nous avons fait une course à obstacles. C’était très excitant! Et
pour finir, on nous a fait essayer
de l’acrobatie sur tapis. Nous
étions tous affamés à la fin des
activités ! Merci pour cette merveilleuse journée!
Par Stefan Georghita
Les secrets
des bandes dessinées
Le 3e cycle a eu un invité
spécial, le bédéiste Stéphan Archambault. Il nous a montré
comment dessiner des personnages de BD. Dans ma classe,
nous ferons un projet d’écriture
et il faudra créer notre propre
BD. J’ai beaucoup aimé cette
activité, car j’avais vraiment besoin d’une nouvelle source d’inspiration pour dessiner et pour
créer mes productions écrites.
Stéphan Archambault nous a
donné des trucs pour écrire
notre texte dans les phylactères
de bande dessinée sans jamais
manquer de place. Pour ceux
qui ne le savaient pas déjà, un
phylactère est un mot plus riche
pour désigner… une bulle!
Par Auréliane Fréchette
Février, mois de l’amitié
Un événement extraordinaire
arrive le 14 février : la fête de
Saint-Valentin! Enfin nous pourrons donner nos cartes d’amitié
à nos amis. Ca sera aussi la fête
de M. Marc de notre école, on
pourra lui souhaiter un bon anniversaire.
La fête la plus
romantique
prend son origine à l’époque
de l’empereur
Claudius qui
interdit à ses
soldats de se
marier. Malgré
son interdiction,
un prêtre nommé
Valentin continue de
marier
les
couples
amoureux en secret. Pour cela, il
est exécuté par l’empereur le 14
février de l’an 268.
Deux siècles plus tard, le
pape Délasse annonce le 14
février comme le jour de SaintValentin, patron des amoureux.
Durant cette journée on peut
sentir le parfum des fleurs
partout. N’oubliez pas de faire
une carte pour ceux que vous
aimez : vos amis, vos parents et
vos proches. Invitez vos amis de
la classe et célébrez ensemble.
Car l’amour a plusieurs formes
et il faut le garder dans nos
cœurs pour toujours!
Par Mariya Georgieva
et Anna Redkina
Dans ma classe, j’ai une très
bonne amie. Elle s’appelle
Mariya. Pour la St-Valentin, je
lui souhaite beaucoup de plaisir.
Sa fête est le 14 février, le jour
de l’amour. Je lui souhaite aussi
une bonne fête!
Par Gabrielle Murray
Pour moi, l’amitié, c’est tout.
Avoir une amie pour jouer,
l’aimer, être gentille, compter
sur elle, remonter le moral
quand tu es triste, t’aider…
Par Hannah Lee Poy-Paxman
Article produit avec la collaboration de Nathalie Grégoire, Petrina Lee Poy et
Brigitte Rivard. Dessin par
Saadiya Hasan.
11
L’Oeufrier:
continued from page 1
Before finally selecting the premises, he
walked up and down the street to get a feel
for the place. While there are a number of
restaurants in the area, he realized none really specialized in a breakfast/brunch menu.
He liked the village atmosphere of the area
and he also knew the place was for sale.
The restaurant seats 64 people and there
are plans to construct a terrace that could accommodate another dozen or so during the
summer. The decor is clean, light and airy,
with daily specials written in chalk on a large
blackboard spanning one wall. Specials for
students are also being planned.
Helping out is son, Ryan, who is a second
year Concordia student who always had a
passion for cooking and the restaurant acquisition is the perfect opportunity to hone his
cooking skills. He claims to be completely
self-taught but most likely the love for cooking came from his mother, Isabelle, a stayat-home mother who raised three children.
When they were all in school she worked in
the fashion and textile industry. Still, cooking
was her first love. She felt guilty if she didn’t
cook several meals a day for her family.
There are two other children in the family, Lauren, who is a Projects and Customer
Relations Director for Kruger Wine and
Spirits and Lou, who is an electrician for
TS Electric.
The new restaurant will be a place where
Isabelle will be able to apply her creative
culinary skills by integrating traditional
Lebanese dishes into the weekday lunch
menu. Cooking and a love of food run deep
in the family’s bloodstream.
L’Oeufrier
49 Westminster N.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 5:30 am - 3 pm
Saturday: 6 am - 3 pm
Sunday: 7 am - 3 pm
Tel. No.: 507-1700
Visit us on the web
http://www.bonder.com/
LIBRAIRIE BONDER INC.
BONDER BOOKSTORE
INC.
52 Westminster Avenue N.
Montreal West, Quebec
H4X 1Z2
Tel: (514) 484-7131
Fax: (514) 484-3745
E-mail: [email protected]
CALL FOR ANY BOOK IN PRINT
Elizabeth Ballantyne School
Gold medal robotics
The EBS Robotics Program has restarted
for the 2013-2014 school year. There are 24
kids divided into two groups. Cycle 2 meets
on Monday afternoons and Cycle 3, on Friday afternoons. Originally, the program was
available only for Cycle 3, but was recently
extended to include Cycle 2. The increased
demand for the program was partially due
to the popularity of a talent show performance in spring 2012 where a student used a
refurbished remote control car to perform
tricks.
Robotics is run by science teacher, Alison Lydynia. Miss Alison explained that
one of the biggest challenges for the group
is keeping track of the pieces from the Lego
NXT Robotics kits. “Every year we start
from scratch and think about sorting the
parts in a new way.” To further complicate
things, the students are allowed to mix and
match parts from several different kits.
Miss Alison’s robotics group is enthusiastically supported by recently graduated
alumni. Alumnus and current Marionapolis
student, Steven Dahdah returns every week
to assist the group. He said, “It is important
to maintain balance when helping the students in problem solving.” He explained that
when group members ask him a question, he
assists them by posing questions back which
will help them to find their own answers.
The atmosphere in Room 11 where the
group meets is intense as the students are
very engaged in their work. Cycle 2 student,
Qasim Mughal says that he loves to play
with Lego and the skills he learns in robotics help him to build computers with his father.
The group will compete at the RoboJunior 2014 in April at John Rennie High
School. They are preparing for four events;
Search and Rescue, 2 on 2 Soccer, Dance
and The Beatles (a pentathlon with a variety
of challenges). Miss Alison says that “EBS
is very good at 2 on 2 Soccer and has won
a gold medal in that event two years in a
row.” The group is looking forward to continuing on in their success.
from Caroline Dick-Semergian
Preparation for Search and Rescue at
RoboJunior 2013
Groupe Sutton
Centre-Ouest Inc.
514-575-2419
[email protected]
Mary Wilson
Courtier immobilier résidentiel
12
MW Scout Group
Cubs
The cubs had a fun and
busy fall. They learned all
about different types of pollution and did an experiment to simulate
cleaning bird feathers after an oil spill. They
planted bean seeds and built bird feeders
and rain gauges.
Fall camp was October 26 weekend at
Camp Jackson Dodds. The Cubs did some
star gazing on Friday night and were all so
excited to be there that they got to bed very
late! Imagine their surprise to wake up Saturday morning to 4 cm of wet snow. Despite
the wet weather, they still had a great time.
They even managed to get fires going to
cook lunch after a hike to the falls; no easy
task with snow covered ground and wet
wood! They also participated in the Halloween theme put on by the staff at Camp
Tamaracouta, where they carved pumpkins
and visited a really spooky haunted house.
They had a good time working on their Astronomy badge, learning about constellations and making star finders. There was a
good balance of planned activities and time
to run and explore. Many thanks to Hawkeye (Bob King) and Rainbow (Karen
Johnstone) for making sure everyone was
well fed all weekend.
In December they finished up program
work and made Christmas cards for a local
seniors’ residence.
www.mwsg.ca
They ended the year with a bowling party;
two of the Cubs got much higher scores than
the leaders. Everyone had a great time! Afterwards they had snacks and received their
Black Stars (The Natural World) for program
work done during the year.
Back after a three-week break they’re
hard at work on their Tawny Star (Creative
Expression). They’ll be learning to break
codes, make skits and work on a lot of craft
projects.
They are eager to join in the group winter
camp at Camp Tamaracouta in early February. This year there’s an Olympic theme
which is always a lot of fun. Stay tuned to
next month’s Informer for the highlights.
well. Despite the temperatures clocking in
at 20 below, and our food insta-freezing
upon contact with the cold air, we managed
to have a great weekend. One may think that
one freezing, snowy camp is enough for us,
but our adventurous spirit is leading us to
another winter camp on the weekend of February 7, which is the winter Olympics weekend at Tamaracouta. The winter Olympics
camp is a weekend of winter activities that
happens every four years, just like the real
Olympics. This is the first time most, if not
all, of us will be at the camp for it. Tune in
to next month’s Informer to see if we adventurous Scouts survived our second winter
camp of the year....
from Darzee (Lee-Ann Simpson)
from Isaac Million-Lovett,
4th-year scout
Scouts
The year is now well under way in the
MWSG. We have resumed our weekly
meetings, discussing and participating in
various activities to earn a large and important badge. Before the winter break, we went
to a fall camp, as we do every year. However, this year we didn’t quite get what our
past years had offered. Usually, we go when
the weather is not terribly cold – and never
snowy! – but this year there was about a foot
of snow on the ground. This made it much
harder to carry our personal gear and, because we cooked outside, the kitchen gear as
Jonathan Halliday, Liam Massey, Alex Halin and Mathew
Patterson-Cormier at Scouts' fall camp at Tamaracouta
Rovers
A Rover Crew has been formed, for
young men and women ages 18-26, doing
joint activities with the Venturer Company,
youth ages 14-17. The outdoors is an essential part of the program along with helping
their local community. Developing an active, healthy lifestyle is the primary goal.
As you will remember, early January was
COLD… well, the gang travelled to Mount
Sainte-Anne, the weekend of January 2-5,
enjoying the slopes of Le Massif and SainteAnne, along with the luge run at Le Massif
at minus 30 + wind chill (ah, to be young
again)… a GREAT weekend was had by all!
Sports nights are organized, challenging
other groups such as Strathmore in Dorval
and the Granny Grunts on the South
Shore… a great opportunity to burn off
some energy and teamwork!
Support was provided to the junior sections, assisting with the food drive in October and work day at the Quebec Council
camp… Tamaracouta Scout Reserve (a few
of our guys work on staff in the summer, as
lifeguards and maintenance).
Winter camp is next on the agenda and
planning for the annual Loblaw’s BBQ
fundraiser, along with work day this spring
and of course the annual fertilizer drive…
good thing these young folks have lots of
energy, to assist with the deliveries!
For information on joining these senior
sections, call or email Rusty at 966-0881,
[email protected].
Alexandre Kelemen, B.A. Econ.
Financial Security Advisor
DR. SUSAN MCDONALD
Dentist • Dentiste
1800 McGill College, Suite 1100
Office: 514-931-4242 ext. 2323
Cell: 514-572-9470
[email protected]
A division of London Life Insurance Company
73 WESTMINSTER N.
MONTREAL WEST
H4X 1Y8
[email protected]
486-4411
13
Guiding
Christmas gifts galore and more
The service projects accomplished by the Sparks, Brownies,
Guides and Pathfinders before
Christmas were very impressive.
The almost $200 in loose change collected
in our community included 7,200 pennies,
all neatly rolled for the bank, and bought
“five wonderful turkeys and all the potatoes” for the United Church’s Christmas
day turkey dinner delivery. The girls enjoyed counting, weighing and rolling all
those coins that then needed to be taken by
wagon to the Royal Bank
The Sparks and Brownies put together a
pretty gift bag to be delivered with Mealson-Wheels. Lettie James wrote, “Your cut
out snowflake is beautiful and I will keep it
always. We hung your stained glass cookie
on our little Christmas tree. I hope that you
enjoyed making them as much as we en-
joyed receiving them.” Lettie was once
upon a time (for three months) a secretary
to Lady Baden-Powell whose birthday and
that of her husband Lord B.P. who founded
Scouting, is celebrated around the world on
February 22. Lettie and Cliff’s children are
all involved in Scouting and Guiding as
adult leaders, carrying on a great tradition
of community service.
The Guides collected non-perishable
food for the NDG Food Bank, delivered toiletries to Auberge Transition and did some
fascinating crafts.
Pathfinders are having a great time, with
most of them working very hard to raise
funds towards their trip to Our Chalet, the
Girl Guide World Centre in Switzerland,
this summer.
from Janet King
45 Westminster South
481-7441
Hours
Monday - Thursday
10 - 12, 2 - 4, 7 - 9
Fiction
Albom, Mitch
Baldacci, David
Catton, Eleanor
Clancy, Tom
Lawson, Mary
Roberts, Nora
Simison, Graeme
The First Phone Call
King and Maxwell
The Luminaries
Command Authority
Road Ends
Dark Witch
The Rosie Project
Mysteries
Adler-Olsen, Jussi
The Purity of Vengeance
Fossum, Karin
Eva’s Eye
Holt, Anne
Death of the Demon
La Plante, Lynda
Backlash
Marklund, Liza
Last Will
Non-fiction
France, Gavin
Empire Antarctica
Guiliano, Mireille
French Women Don’t Get Facelifts
Kerman, Piper Orange is the New Black
Leon, Donna
My Venice
Stanton, Brandon
Humans of New York
DVDs
Mildred Pierce, The Indian Doctor series 2,
56 up, Side Effects
Catherine Gardner
Real estate broker
Courtier immobilier
Baking up fresh to order
gourmet cupcakes and specialty cakes.
We deliver our products directly to you!
CakePops - Dessert Tables
Candy Bars
Groupe Sutton
Centre-Ouest Inc.
514-793-5608
[email protected]
Themed "Decorate Your Own Cupcakes" birthday parties.
Corporate Events - Fundraisers - Daycares
Les Cupcakes Emmagination
www.mtlcupcakes.com
514.792.3662
14
News from the Pews
Hours / Heures
Monday - Thursday / lundi - jeudi :
9 h 00 - 12 h 00; 13 h 30 - 18 h 00
Friday / vendredi :
9 h 00 - 12 h 00; 13 h 30 - 17 h 00
Saturday / samedi : 13 h 00 - 16 h 00
Happy New Year! We are now in full
swing at the library.
Our Mother Goose, Tales for Tots, and
Story Sparklers programs began in January
and are going strong.
Lego Club Session 2 will begin on February 6 and run to the 27th. Please call the
library to register.
We will be running a Valentine’s Day
themed story time in February. Please refer
to our Facebook page to find out all the details closer to the 14th or you are welcome
to give us a call! We also have lots of Valentine’s Day and Groundhog Day books out
and ready to be borrowed. Keep your eyes
open for all the new DVDs and audio books
we have recently acquired.
Theopiste (Theo)
Hondzoglou
bur.: (514) 483-5800
fax: (514) 483-2699
mobile: (514) 898-3821
[email protected]
Groupe Sutton – Centre-Ouest Inc.
5800, avenue Monkland
Montreal, QC, H4A 1G1
St. Ignatius of Loyola
St. Philip’s
At St. Ignatius of Loyola, we are blessed
to have eight young people from NET ministries working with us. As a result we are
trying to focus in on activities and programs
aimed at families and young people. We have
a new youth group called “Lifeline” for boys
and girls in grades 5 and 6 as well as our
“Almighties” youth group for teens. They
both meet on alternate Thursdays from 7 to
9 pm with the next “Almighties” meeting on
February 5. These are wonderful opportunities for young people to come together to
share in fun and meet new friends. Please
feel free to come on by the parish hall, or for
more information please call the NET team
at 581-7614.
We are also beginning an ALPHA series
for young adults ages 18-25; ALPHA offers
a chance for people to come together and
tackle the big questions – is there more to
life than this and, if so, what is it? The
group will meet every second Saturday.
We haven’t forgotten you parents either;
in March we will begin a five-week course
on parenting teenagers. Parents are the main
influence on your teenagers’ future. Meeting
their deepest needs, setting healthy boundaries, helping to develop their emotional
health and teaching them how to make good
choices takes skill and dedication. Discovering you are not alone in the challenges
you face and picking up ideas from other
parents can make a huge difference. The
Parenting Teenagers course, while based on
Christian principles, is relevant and helpful
for any parent with or without a Christian
faith or church background.
For more information please call Carol
Eaton-Jensen at 481-9124 or take a look at
our website www.st-ignatius.ca/blog/.
Thank you to all who came out and supported the NDG Food Depot’s annual food
drive. Many hands made light work and despite a volume of donations that was almost
double last year, it was all efficiently sorted
and packed.
On December 7, a large group of members met to talk about our property and mission. A strong desire was expressed to use
our property as a community asset: for
events like the food drive, for fellowship
and community gatherings. In the months
to come we will be exploring those options.
On your agenda
On Sunday, February 9 we will bring some
warmth to winter with a pot-luck lunch immediately following the 10 am Eucharist. No
reservations are needed, please come and
bring some food to share.
Saturday, February 22 at 7 pm St.
Philip’s Anglican Church will present a dramatic reading of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk
Wood. This is a non-flattering, but heartwarming work in which you are sure to see
yourself in one or two of the roles. Admission is a non-perishable food item for the
NDG Food Depot. Coffee and desserts will
be provided.
For the winter, the Tuesday evening Eucharist has moved from the chapel to the
Guild Room. We celebrate the liturgy in the
round, using a form from the Iona Community, with a group discussion of the scripture
passage of the day. We start at 7:30 pm;
enter by the door on Connaught Ave.
Lent comes late this year. Ash Wednesday is March 5, and we will have our usual
Ash Wednesday Eucharist at 7:30 pm.
15
News from the Pews
MW United
Awhile ago now, but worth saying...
Picture this: A lady living alone, who received a Christmas Day dinner in 2012,
called to ask if this year (2013) she could
receive three more. She knew three other
people in the same building who were alone
for Christmas. While she couldn’t prepare
a meal for them all, she could set a nice
table if we provided the turkey and trimmings. How lovely is that? Again this year,
many of you came together to provide and
deliver over 240 Christmas dinners. It is 25
years since the Foster and Lang families
first began providing such meals to perhaps
a dozen of Joan’s home care clients.
Clearly good things bear repeating. Thanks
to all who helped in whatever way.
Speaking of bearing repeating
It has been suggested that mention be
made of the accessibility of our church
building. Did you know that the doors on
Westminster and Ballantyne have buttons to
open them? An elevator located nearest the
Ballantyne door, goes to four levels. An accessible washroom is on the lower level.
Headsets for use in the sanctuary are available from the ushers at services, as are cushions should the pews be uncomfortable. And
don’t forget our family friendly area in the
west transept that allows more flexibility for
parents with wee ones. We take all these
things for granted, but those who haven’t
been inside recently might like to know.
Next Labyrinth Walk
Tuesday, February 25 will be an evening
Labyrinth Walk between 7 and 9 pm. A “meditation in motion,” some say, Labyrinths are
designed to move you towards clarity or
peace – or at the very least – a temporary
calm. Sound like a good idea? Drop in during the evening and try it for yourself. Socks
or slippers are needed for walking, but otherwise, no particular preparation or experience is required. Used world-wide for many
millennia, the Labyrinth is open to all.
Sunday Worship and Sunday school are
still at 10 am. Call us at 482-3210 or visit
www.mwuc.org. We’d love to see you.
from Susan Upham
MW Presbyterian
Happy New Year! We look forward to
welcoming you to many of our upcoming
events.
Looking back
Our celebration of the Advent and
Christmas seasons included inspirational
services and glorious music. We thank Dr.
Dale Woods, Interim Moderator, Sampson
Afoakwah, Student Minister, and Ben
Kwong, Organist and Choir Director, for
their excellent leadership. Thanks, too, to
our faithful and talented choir and extended
choir members.
On Friday, December 13 our evening of
Christmas music, directed by Ben Kwong,
was enjoyed by all. Thank you, Ben.
Welcome back
We welcome back our Student Minister,
Sampson who was on a short-term mission
trip in Cuba in January. Our thanks to David
Sturtevant, Student Minister, for leading
two Sunday services in Sampson’s absence.
Baptism
Liam Werner Tilley, infant son of Sean
Tilley and his wife Tanya Schudel, was
Donna Nicholson
481-3406
baptized on Sunday, December 15, by Dr.
John Simms. Liam is the grandson of Lana
Tilley and Werner and Christa Schudel.
Looking ahead
Our newly formed Church Guild is planning to organize many activities and events
over the coming months. Of course, some
of the old favourites will still take place.
Card party! This popular event will be
held on Friday, February 21 at 1 pm. A light
luncheon will be served. Tickets will soon
be available: $10 each. So make up your tables and come along. Contact the church office 484-7913, Zipper Scriver (486-07420)
or Janet Dimock (484-2783).
Opera da Camera
Our organist, Ben Kwong is the Director
of Opera da Camera. Plan to attend its 2014
production of Massenet’s Cendrillon.
Showings are February 21, 22 or 28 at
7:30 pm at Theatre Rialto, 5719 ave du Parc.
Tickets may be obtained by phone at 7707773 or by email at [email protected]
Bible study
Bible Study will resume on Wednesday,
January 22 at 7 pm. 160 Ballantyne N. entrance. All are welcome. Please call Mildred at 484-7913 for further information.
Sunday school
All children are most welcome to participate and enjoy a special time that will enrich their lives. For more information please
contact Jennet Atem at 438-993-6473.
Sunday services and Sunday school are
held weekly at 10 am. A social hour follows
– a time to meet new and old friends and
neighbours. All are welcome.
from Janet Dimock
35 years ++
Let my Experience Work for You
Serving the Montreal West area
in the buying and selling of homes.
For an informal rendez-vous,
please call.
481-3406
16
MW
50+
Club
Outings and events for
February
5 Movie matinée:
Jayne Mansfield’s Car (2012)
14 Valentine’s tea party
19 Diners’ Club: La Coupole
25 Bridge:
new teams are welcome
27 Grevin Wax Museum
March
11 Marguerite Bourgeoys
Museum
12 Movie: Last Vegas (2013)
14 St. Patrick’s luncheon
18 Soup’s on: Constellations,
speaker Bruno Stenson
25 Bridge:
new teams are welcome
New York City:
April 27 - May 1
Shaw Festival:
August 25 - 28
For more information on
50+ activities and special events
or any suggestions for speakers or
entertainment, please call:
Tammy Loftus
484-1610
Foot clinics
February 12 & 26
March 12 & 26
Fees for services:
$40 for the first visit and
$35 for subsequent visits
by appointment only
484-6186
Le Monde
des petits enfants
continuation de la page 1
les locaux de sa garderie afin de les rendre
pratiques, attrayants et sécuritaires pour sa
jeune clientèle. Grâce à cette initiative, elle
a pu connaître le grand bonheur d’éduquer
son fils unique dans le respect de ses propres valeurs tout en lui offrant la compagnie
d’autres enfants. Ce beau petit milieu de
garde rempli de douceur a grandi au fil des
ans, mais conserve une dimension humaine
très appréciée de la clientèle. Il demeure
aussi un lieu d’apprentissage stimulant pour
les tout-petits, tout au long de leur
développement.
Le petit monde d’Heidi
Soucieuse d’offrir un environnement éducatif de très haute qualité aux enfants et des
défis intéressants à ses collègues éducatrices, Heidi travaille sans relâche pour
dénicher des thèmes qui captent l’intérêt des
bambins au fil des semaines. Les murs de la
garderie sont tapissés de magnifiques projets
qui témoignent des apprentissages effectués
autour des thèmes visités par les enfants.
Aux petites discussions de groupes sur les
thèmes s’ajoutent de nombreuses activités
de dessin et de bricolage toutes plus créatives les unes que les autres. Il y a aussi des
moments pour chanter, pour s’initier à la
musique et pour entendre de petits spectacles de musique classique offerts occasionnellement aux enfants par des amis
musiciens. La motricité globale des bambins
est également stimulée à travers divers exercices ludiques. Évidemment, les périodes
de jeux libres font le bonheur de tous et j’ai
pu constater qu’un grand respect règne entre
les enfants, ce qui reflète bien les valeurs enseignées par leurs éducatrices.
Le charmant petit groupe sort chaque
jour pour explorer les parcs de MontréalOuest ou le petit espace-jeu à l’extérieur de
la garderie. Il assiste régulièrement aux lectures de contes à notre bibliothèque municipale. Lorsque la température est invitante
et que les conditions sont favorables, il arrive même que les enfants sortent une deuxième fois pour profiter au maximum des
bons moments en plein air. Heidi aimerait
ajouter quelques sorties éducatives à son
programme, déjà fort riche, afin de permettre aux aînés du groupe de connaître
d’autres belles expériences.
Comme une saine alimentation est essentielle à leur bien-être, des repas équilibrés et appétissants sont préparés sur place
et servis généreusement aux petits bambins
qui n’hésitent pas à en redemander, avec
politesse et grand sourire!
La garderie offre un environnement multiâge à la fois stimulant et sécurisant pour
les enfants, dont plusieurs ont la chance de
côtoyer leur frère ou leur sœur. Pour perme-
ttre à chacun d’atteindre son plein potentiel
de développement, les petits de moins de
dix-huit mois sont installés dans une pièce
spécialement adaptée à leurs besoins. Les
plus grands, dont l’âge peut aller jusqu’à
cinq ans, bénéficient d’une salle de jeu spacieuse et fort accueillante. Pour l’aider à
veiller sur ses chers petits anges, Heidi s’est
adjoint trois éducatrices expérimentées
nommées Raha, Safoua et Sara. Cette
belle équipe qui a à cœur le développement
des enfants assure en permanence une
douce présence auprès d’eux.
Si vous rencontrez ces petits anges dans
les rues de notre ville, offrez-leur votre plus
beau sourire, ils vous le rendront assurément. Ainsi, vous pourrez vous vanter
d’avoir déjà contemplé l’un des plus beaux
trésors de Montréal-Ouest!
Le Monde des petits enfants
Heidi Saber, directrice
16, Milner (angle Strathearn Nord)
690-6703
Article rédigé avec la collaboration de
Brigitte Rivard.
17
Community Centre
Extra pounds?
Do you want to lose those unwanted
pounds put on during the holiday season?
Then, sign up for one of the many fitness
programs offered at the Town Hall and
Community Centre. There is sure to be one
that fits your fitness level and needs.
Call the Community Centre at 484-6186.
Space still available in:
Stretch
Monday: 8:30 am
Tuesday and/or Thursday: 6:15 pm
Fitness drumming/mini tramp/dance fit
Wednesday: 6:45 pm
Yogalates
Monday and/or Wednesday: 7:05 pm
Eccentrics
Wednesday: 7:30 pm
Vinyasa Yoga
Saturday: 9:45 am
Zumba
Saturday: 10:45 am
TRX Suspension Training
Monday: 6:30 am
Stephen Coull B. Comm.
Courtier en Assurances de Dommages
Broker in Damage Insurance
68 Westminster Ave. N.
514-481-1134
www.rccoull.com
March Break Madness
Summer employment
March 3-7
(5- to 12-year-olds)
You may submit a cover letter and résumé
at the John A. Simms Community Centre,
8 Westminster Ave S. Fax: 485-8596 or
via email [email protected] to
the attention of Christopher Kearney.
Early bird prices until: February 7
Full week:
$190 resident
$200 non-resident
Daily fee:
$50 resident
$60 non-resident
After February 7
Full week:
$205 resident
$215 non-resident
Daily fee:
$55 resident
$65 non-resident
• Monday: Funtropolis, theme: Hawaiian
day
• Tuesday: tubing at Mont-Avila.
• Wednesday: cabane à sucre
• Thursday: Aquadome and bowling
• Friday: pizza making, movie and Captain Catalyst
Call for more infomation: 484-6186.
• Pool Lifeguards
• Wading Pool Attendants
• Day Camp Counsellors
• Community Centre Animators
• Pool Cashier
• Day Camp Specialist (arts &
crafts, cooking, dance, drama,
karate, music, pottery, sports,
tennis, etc.)
March Break
Hockey Camp
Prepare for your playoff run or polish
your skills!
MoWest Hockey Director Eric Rayment and his Hockey Montreal coaches
will be offering a March Break program at
the Legion Rink, March 3-7.
A full day hockey program with three
hours on ice focusing on skill development
and fun. Daily on ice includes: one hour of
power skating, one hour of puck skills and
a one hour game. The rest of the day will
be filled with fun off-ice activities.
For more info, please contact Eric at
969-5595 or [email protected].
Family Snow Day
Hodgson Field
Sunday, February 9
Free activities include:
Horse-drawn wagon rides from 12-3 pm
Outdoor skating and activities 12-3 pm
(weather permitting)
Face Painting 1-3pm
Followed by
Alan Greenberg Magic Show
3:15 at the Town Hall
Call for more info: 484-6186.
Individual
coaching
in all
academic
areas
Canadian
History
Study
French
Skills
English
Mathematics
Science
Step up to PDec.
The
Homework
Program
smart way to address the school year!
Consultants: Birdie Goodman and Elaine Wisenthal-Milech
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‡SGHFRQVXOWDQWV#YLGHRWURQFD
www.pdec.ca
18
Town Council Meeting: December
by Carol Foster
As usual, the December
meeting of Council was preceded by a presentation of the
Town’s estimated budget for
2014. The Mayor began his report by explaining that this budget cannot be adopted
until the agglomeration’s budget is finalized, which will hopefully happen in January 2014. Ten residents, most of whom were
not Council regulars, attended the first
“Coffee with the Mayor” gathering. The
Mayor expressed his pleasure with the
wide-ranging discussions and apologized
for the displacement of an exercise class
scheduled for the same venue.
The replacement of the windows and
doors in the Town Hall is being postponed
as the Town has to issue a new call for tenders after the original contractor had to
withdraw due to administrative delays by
the City of Montreal that was acting as grant
program manager for the Island. Because
Town employees are being disturbed by the
noise from exercise classes held on the second floor, the assembly hall floor will be redone and insulation added.
FOR THE BEST SERVICE IN TOWN
POUR LE MEILLEUR SERVICE EN VILLE
N.D.G. & Montreal West
Real Estate Agency
Agence immobilière
Councillor Feeney summarized the development of the budget for 2014. She
pointed out that final figures are not available since only 65% is under the Town’s
control and the remainder is determined by
the agglomeration’s decisions. However,
she expects to maintain the primary goals of
no increases in operational expenses, no
cuts in services and no increases in taxes exceeding the cost-of-living index. At the
same time, the budget planning is being
challenged by a significant decrease in the
PST reimbursement from the Province, a
two per cent increase in contractual obligations and an expected increase in the agglomeration bill. Final budget figures will
be published as soon as they are available.
Councillor Torres was absent so her report was read by the Mayor. She is still getting
adjusted to her portfolio and has experienced
eight water-main breaks but has also watched
the Christmas decorations go up.
Councillor Tasker-Brown explained the
new “Code Red” automated emergency call
system which has already been used to notify
residents affected by the water main breaks.
All residents are urged to provide their contact information to the database for this system to ensure its success. Dog licences and
parking permits are due for renewal and
thefts from cars have caused an increase in
the Town’s crime statistics for 2013.
Councillor Ulin thanked all those involved in helping make Santa’s Breakfast a
huge success. The air quality in the Arena
continues to be good, hockey boards are up
in Hodgson’s Field and camp and pool position applications are now available on the
web. Dates for the organic waste pickup
during the winter months can also be found
on the web.
The Mayor and the Councillors all concluded their remarks by wishing everyone
happy holidays.
Notices of Motion for several bylaws including the growing of marijuana in the
Town, zoning regulations specifying the
number of daycares permissible in an area
and an updated Code of Ethics for elected
officials were all announced by the Mayor.
Question period
RICK ISABELLE DAVID
LAVELL PAPINEAU DOUBT
.
.
Real Estate Brokers . Courtiers immobiliers
office: 514 483-5800
www.rickandisabelle.com
1-800-260-1445
Winter weather, which inevitably causes
problems in the Town, was on some residents’ minds. Contractors who ignore snowclearing regulations, parking during the
Town’s snow removal procedures and the
use of salt versus gravel on icy sidewalks
were all topics discussed. Renegade contractors and parking during snow removal
fall under Public Security’s mandate while
the debate over which abrasives to use on
slippery surfaces had proponents on several
sides of the issue. Salt is damaging to the
environment but it does the most efficient
job. Gravel does not dissolve, washes into
the sewers and takes up considerable storage space. Councillor Ulin stated a preference for the use of a combination of the
two.
A resident noted that the Town’s election
procedures are confusing and wondered if
there aren’t other ways to cast votes other
than by seats. The Mayor explained that it
is the province that sets the electoral procedures and they vary according to the size of
the municipality.
Several problems originally discussed at
previous Council meetings raised their
heads once again. The parking problem for
residents around Edinburgh School still has
not been resolved satisfactorily although,
according to the Mayor, the teachers are
making an effort. He promised that negotiations will continue.
A resident on Brock North who had
complained to Council about the tree roots
causing damage to her house is now unhappy because she received a ticket for
damaging the tree which is on Town property. The Mayor agreed to look into the situation once more information is available.
And, finally, the Brynmor resident who
had originally expressed a concern about
the installation of the pumping station by
Gaz Métro was now very disappointed because the promised aesthetics and noise reduction on the site have not materialized.
In spite of Gaz Métro’s assurances, the
cover for the pump looks like a “large
garbage container,” there is no landscaping,
it is still very noisy and consequently property values are being affected. The Mayor
appreciated the feedback and will take
these complaints back to Gaz Métro.
The meeting was adjourned with Council finishing another year’s worth of work.
19
Réunion du Conseil : décembre
par Carol Foster
traduction par René Boucher
Selon la tradition, la présentation du budget estimé de la
Ville a précédé la réunion de
décembre du Conseil. Le maire a amorcé
son rapport en expliquant que le budget ne
peut être adopté tant que le budget de l’agglomération ne sera pas arrêté, avec un peu
de chance, en janvier 2014. Dix résidants
dont la plupart n’étaient pas des habitués du
Conseil ont participé au premier « Café avec
le maire ». Ce dernier s’est dit heureux des
nombreux sujets discutés et s’est excusé
d’avoir déplacé une séance d’exercices
prévue au même endroit. Le remplacement
des portes et fenêtres de l’hôtel de ville est
retardé; la Ville fera un nouvel appel d’offres
puisque l’entrepreneur choisi a dû se désister
en raison de délais administratifs à la ville
de Montréal agissant comme gestionnaire
du programme de subventions pour l’Île.
Parce que le bruit des classes d’exercices
tenues à l’étage gêne le personnel de la Ville,
le plancher de la grande salle sera refait avec
l’ajout de matériau insonorisant.
La conseillère Feeney a résumé le
développement du budget pour 2014. Elle
a souligné que les chiffres finaux ne sont
pas connus puisque seuls 65 % relèvent de
la Ville, le reste étant déterminé par les décisions de l’agglomération. Cependant, elle
garde le cap sur les objectifs primaires de
ne pas augmenter les dépenses de fonctionnement, ne pas couper les services et ne pas
augmenter les taxes au-delà de l’indice du
coût de la vie. Parallèlement, la planification budgétaire fait face à une réduction importante des remboursements de TPS par la
Province, à une augmentation de deux pour
cent de ses obligations contractuelles et une
augmentation prévue du compte de l’agglomération. Les chiffres définitifs du
budget seront publiés dès que disponible.
En l’absence de la conseillère Torres, le
maire a lu son rapport. Elle est toujours en
mode apprentissage de son portefeuille et a
connu huit bris de canalisations principales
en plus de voir monter les décorations de
Noël.
La conseillère Tasker-Brown a expliqué le nouveau système automatisé d’appels d’urgence « Code Red » qui a déjà
servi à aviser les résidants touchés par les
bris d’aqueduc. Elle exhorte tous les
citoyens à fournir leurs coordonnées à la
banque de données du système pour assurer
sa réussite. Les permis pour chiens doivent
être renouvelés et les vols dans des
véhicules ont causé une hausse des statistiques d’activité criminelle en 2013.
La conseillère Ulin a remercié tous ceux
et celles qui ont contribué au grand succès
du Déjeuner avec le père Noël. La qualité
de l’air de l’aréna se maintient, les bandes
pour le hockey sont installées au parc
Hodgson et on trouve maintenant les formulaires de candidature pour les postes à la
piscine et au camp de jour sur le Web.
Le maire et les conseillères ont tous conclu leurs remarques par des souhaits de
joyeuses fêtes. Le maire a ensuite annoncé
des avis de motion pour des règlements sur
la culture de marijuana dans la ville, sur le
zonage limitant le nombre de garderies permises dans un secteur et une mise à jour du
Code d’éthique pour les élus.
Période de questions
Le temps hivernal qui inévitablement occasionne des problèmes dans la ville préoccupait certains résidants. Les entrepreneurs
qui font fi des règlements sur le déneigement, le stationnement pendant les travaux
de la Ville pour l’enlèvement de la neige et
l’utilisation de sel plutôt que de gravillons
sur les trottoirs glissants ont tous fait l’objet
de discussion. Les déneigeurs rebelles et le
stationnement pendant l’enlèvement de la
neige relèvent du mandat de la Sécurité
publique. Le débat concernant les abrasifs
à utiliser sur les surfaces glissantes avait des
partisans de chaque côté. Le sel est dommageable pour l’environnement, mais serait
plus efficace. Le gravier ne se dissout pas,
se retrouve dans les égouts et nécessite un
grand espace de stockage. La conseillère
Ulin s’est déclarée partisane d’une combinaison des deux.
Un citoyen a fait remarquer que les
procédures électorales de la Ville portent à
confusion et a demandé s’il y aurait des
façons de voter autres que pour chaque siège.
Le maire a expliqué que la Province édicte
les procédures électorales lesquelles varient
en fonction de la taille de la municipalité.
De nombreux sujets discutés lors de réunions précédentes du Conseil ont de nouveau fait surface. La question du
stationnement pour les résidants avoisinant
l’école Edinburgh n’est toujours pas résolue
de façon satisfaisante quoique, selon le
maire, les enseignants feraient des efforts.
Il a promis que les négociations se poursuivront.
Une résidante de Brock Nord qui s’était
plainte au Conseil au sujet des racines d’arbres qui causaient des dommages à sa maison est malheureuse maintenant, ayant reçu
un constat d’infraction pour dommages à
l’arbre situé sur l’emprise municipale. Le
maire examinera la situation lorsqu’il aura
de plus amples renseignements.
Finalement, le résidant de l’avenue
Brynmor qui, à l’origine, se préoccupait de
l’installation de la station de pompage de
Gaz Métro se dit maintenant très déçu parce
que l’esthétique et la réduction du bruit
promises ne se concrétisent pas. Malgré les
assurances de Gaz Métro, le couvercle de
la pompe ressemble à un « gros conteneur
à ordures », il n’y a pas d’aménagement
paysager, le bruit est toujours présent et
conséquemment la valeur des propriétés
souffre. Le maire a reçu ces commentaires
et transmettra les plaintes à Gaz Métro.
Sur ce, la séance était levée, concluant
une autre année de travaux du Conseil.
Palmtop / laptop specialists since 1986
Wireless Pentium-M notebooks
$299+
Virus removal and repairs
Richard Eckerlin
President
37 Westminster Ave. N.
438-938-6240
We environmentally recycle old and
broken laptop/notebook computers.
20
Classifieds
FOR RENT, weekly or monthly: charming water-front
cottage in secluded domaine near Morin Heights, 4
bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms, with 25 km of cross-country
skiing trails. For information: 486-0702 or 978-3968.
FOR RENT: modern apartment in old hill town of Sarnano, Le Marche, one of central Italy’s most beautiful
villages. Two bedrooms, full kitchen, living and dining
rooms, large bathroom, central heating. Close by
restaurants, stores, great hiking paths, museums, fabulous views. See apartment on www.vrbo.com search
Sarnano, Italy. David: 484-5543.
TUTORING: retired EBS French teacher will tutor students of all levels. $35 per hour. 486-0702.
C O M IN G E VE N T S
Please call the Editor: Heather at 489-7022
e-mail: [email protected]
Next deadline: February 12
FEB
Sun
The NDG Senior Citizens’ Council is looking for
reliable volunteers for our various programs. Volunteers are the cornerstone of NDGSCC. We engage volunteers in roles that are meaningful to them and
compatible with the needs of the organization.
Boomer Café
2
Sun
9
9
Tue 11
Fri
Volunteers needed!
14
Mon 17
Fri
21
Sat
22
Sun 23
Mon 24
Tue 25
MAR
Wed 5
Sat 22
Founding assembly of a new electoral district
association and general meeting of members for
the riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce/Westmount/
MoWest for the election of a new executive and
new board of directors. Lower Canada College
(4090 Royal Ave). 4 pm.
Further information: [email protected].
Pot-luck lunch. St. Philip’s. 11:30 am.
Family Snow Day. Hodgson Field. noon-3 pm.
Annual General Meeting of HMS Victory Chapter
IODE. Community Centre. All welcome. 2 pm.
24th annual Science Fair. Royal West Academy.
Free admission. Public viewing hours: 1-2:30 pm and
6:30-8 pm.
Coffee with the Mayor. Town Hall. 7:30 am.
MW Horticultural Society presents Suzanne
Campeau on mosses: Ancient Plants for Contemporary Gardens. Town Hall. Everyone welcome; nonmembers, $5. 7:30 pm.
Card Party. MW Presbyterian. 160 Ballantyne N.
entrance. Light luncheon. Info and tickets ($10):
484-7913, Janet Dimock 484-2783 or
Zipper Scriver 486-0742. 1 pm.
Coffee-house, free will offering for NDG Food
Depot. St. Philip’s. 7:30 pm.
Annual Vestry Meeting. St. Philip’s. 11:30 am.
Town Council Meeting. Town Hall. 8 pm.
Evening Labyrinth Walk, Wadsworth Hall.
MW United. Socks or slippers. 7-9 pm.
For individuals aged 50-65, Mondays from 11 am
to 3 pm. Looking for help for meal preparation and
clean up.
Ash Wednesday Service. St. Philip’s. 7:30 pm.
Pub night sponsored by the CRA to to benefit the
sports programs. More details to come, but you
don’t want to miss this! Music, dancing and
guaranteed fun!
Appointments are required and sign up begins on
February 14. Please call the NDG Senior Citizens’
Council at 487-1311. We are able to do relatively simple forms for the current year only. The clinic will be
held from Monday, March 17 to Thursday, March 20
at MW United.
Day Away program
For seniors 65 plus, Wednesdays and Thursdays
from 9 am to 2 pm. Cooks, exercise teachers, drivers,
helpers and activity helpers.
Action transport
Monday to Friday 9 am to 3 pm. Volunteers with vehicles to drive and/or accompany seniors to medical
appointments.
Receptionist
Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12:30 pm. To help
answer the phones and take messages.
Tax clinic volunteers
The NDG Senior Citizens’ Council is holding its annual income tax clinic for low-income seniors (55+)
who are residents of MoWest and NDG. We are looking for volunteers to complete simple tax forms. Training will be provided. The free clinic will be held during
the day from Monday, March 17 to Thursday, March
20. We require people to complete the forms at other
flexible times. Please contact Yvonne Chamberlin at
487-1311 if you are interested in volunteering.
Free tax clinic for
low-income seniors (55+)