Saturday, February 28, 2009

Nothing to do & all night to do it !!!

Are you living in Montreal, and feel you have nothing to do,....Well tonight you've got all night to do it......hahahahaha            

Nuit Blanche keeps city open all night long

Sat, 2009-02-28 13:01.
Angie Coss

There will be lots of things to do this Saturday night as the 6th edition of the annual Nuit Blanche takes place.

For the first time the Montreal Transit Corporation will be taking part by keeping its metro service running the entire night.

An MTC spokesperson says it won't be free and reminds people that February ends at midnight so users will need their new passes.  But she says, not to worry there will be plenty of employees working to help you out.

For a complete list of activities log onto

http://montrealenlumiere.com/volets/nuit_blanche/en_bref_en.aspx 

.......................When I was still living in Montreal, we didn't need a Nuit Blanche,to stay out all night,.Only difference with this gimmick ,is you can ride the Bus & Metro,which would be handy,I guess,..........                                                           HF&RV

Montreal Black Market Babies

A couple ,maybe 3 or more years ago,on the Verdun Connections MSN site,we had one of the members who was looking for their Birth Parents/Mother , I can't quite Remember the details .Glen Pilon was helping him I believe,and despite ,the many ideas for leads ,the members presented,I don't think a successful conclusion ever happened. Today I came across another website ,dealing with kids from Montreal looking for their birth parents,.I thought ,this info might be of assistance,maybe not, but worth a try I guess.... so here's the story/link

Logo

Montreal Black Market Babies
contact e-mail: birthbuddies@yahoo.ca

August 7, 1998


BMB

   We are (From left to right on photo) Donna Roth of Ann Arbor, Michigan (born Aug. 17, 1946), Esther Segal of Vancouver (born Jan.7, 1946), and Sharon Edelson of Ottawa (born Nov. 7, 1944).

   Many among us have struggled for years to find any information regarding our adoption and heritage. Secrets abounded; fantasies took the place of truth, and many of our adoptive parents harbored concern about our questions and the real answers. In each of us some level of curiosity flourished and it was just a matter of time before this curiosity took on a collective energy.

   As members of CANADopt, an Internet group that supports all members of the adoption triad, we share information, compassion and resources in this area. With the Butterbox Babies (Ideal Maternity Home) story evolution, several of us began to apply the similarities from that story to ours. Also, Hicks Babies in Tennessee (featured in People Magazine in March 1998) added fuel to each of our adoption-story repertoires.

   The City of Montreal along with Jewish adoptive parents are common to each of us. Early in 1997, through a search of the Montreal Gazette archives, several articles emerged about a baby market ring (see bottom of page for list of articles) that existed in the 1940s & 50s. Babies were being sold to Jewish couples in Canada and the States. These infertile Jewish couples were desperate to have children. Payments for babies ranged from $1500 to $10,000. Furthermore, adoption of a non-Jewish baby was not acceptable in Quebec as in many places in that era. This was a major eye-opener for all of us.

   Through CANADopt some of us starting noticing Jewish surnamed members who were born in Montreal in the 1940s & 50s. We started approaching each other with details about our adoptions. Names and places related to doctors, lawyers and birth clinics were the same. Excitement, added to our growing curiosity, mounted. Most of us appear to have been designated as "Jewish" whether we were or not. Many of us have papers that are similar but inconsistent within the legal realm of adoption.

Clinic    Action seemed to be the next step. Determined to get some information and certain of the strength of numbers, several of us (about 16 initially) loosely organized and sent information to social services agencies. As has been the case for most of our lives, the few responses indicated that no information was available. However, we had found each other.

   Around Mother's Day weekend in 1998, several of us met in Montreal. We made arrangements for an interview with Ingrid Peritz, reporter for The Montreal Gazette. Two of us were interviewed on Montreal AM, a local TV morning show. And we met with Pat Danielson, our Montreal Parent Finders angel. It was an intense, but amazingly glorious weekend. Three of us visited the clinic neighborhood, Esplanade and Laval Streets. We even coerced a young fellow to take our picture in front of what may be one of our birthplaces ( see photo ).

   From this flurry of activity, we have encouraged others to come forward. We have had several other interviews. And several of us remain in contact, sharing inspiration, information and the joys and heartaches of our personal lives.

   It is a wonder to have found one another. We may not find birth families, but we will always be Birth Buddies. This is a kind of human relationship that brings a special gratification, understanding and fondness that may supplant the joy of finding one's birth family. This is joy most of us will not experience. But, we are the Birth Buddies. We support and enjoy each other.

   Does the Birth Buddies experience sound familiar to you? If you have any information about the people or places involved, or if you'd like more information, you can write to the Montreal Black Market Birth Buddies or, for more information about other black market baby rings and survivors, visit the site of the Black Market Adoptee Registry.

*** Update ***

Donna Roth, one of the 'Montreal Black Market Babies' has been reunited with her birth family (winter 1999). Congratulations Donna!

.....Hopefully there will be some helpful leads or information ,gleamed from these pages...Good Luck......                                      HF&RV

Montreal Black Market Babies

A couple ,maybe 3 or more years ago,on the Verdun Connections MSN site,we had one of the members who was looking for their Birth Parents/Mother , I can't quite Remember the details .Glen Pilon was helping him I believe,and despite ,the many ideas for leads ,the members presented,I don't think a successful conclusion ever happened. Today I came across another website ,dealing with kids from Montreal looking for their birth parents,.I thought ,this info might be of assistance,maybe not, but worth a try I guess.... so here's the story/link

Logo

Montreal Black Market Babies
contact e-mail: birthbuddies@yahoo.ca

August 7, 1998


BMB

   We are (From left to right on photo) Donna Roth of Ann Arbor, Michigan (born Aug. 17, 1946), Esther Segal of Vancouver (born Jan.7, 1946), and Sharon Edelson of Ottawa (born Nov. 7, 1944).

   Many among us have struggled for years to find any information regarding our adoption and heritage. Secrets abounded; fantasies took the place of truth, and many of our adoptive parents harbored concern about our questions and the real answers. In each of us some level of curiosity flourished and it was just a matter of time before this curiosity took on a collective energy.

   As members of CANADopt, an Internet group that supports all members of the adoption triad, we share information, compassion and resources in this area. With the Butterbox Babies (Ideal Maternity Home) story evolution, several of us began to apply the similarities from that story to ours. Also, Hicks Babies in Tennessee (featured in People Magazine in March 1998) added fuel to each of our adoption-story repertoires.

   The City of Montreal along with Jewish adoptive parents are common to each of us. Early in 1997, through a search of the Montreal Gazette archives, several articles emerged about a baby market ring (see bottom of page for list of articles) that existed in the 1940s & 50s. Babies were being sold to Jewish couples in Canada and the States. These infertile Jewish couples were desperate to have children. Payments for babies ranged from $1500 to $10,000. Furthermore, adoption of a non-Jewish baby was not acceptable in Quebec as in many places in that era. This was a major eye-opener for all of us.

   Through CANADopt some of us starting noticing Jewish surnamed members who were born in Montreal in the 1940s & 50s. We started approaching each other with details about our adoptions. Names and places related to doctors, lawyers and birth clinics were the same. Excitement, added to our growing curiosity, mounted. Most of us appear to have been designated as "Jewish" whether we were or not. Many of us have papers that are similar but inconsistent within the legal realm of adoption.

Clinic    Action seemed to be the next step. Determined to get some information and certain of the strength of numbers, several of us (about 16 initially) loosely organized and sent information to social services agencies. As has been the case for most of our lives, the few responses indicated that no information was available. However, we had found each other.

   Around Mother's Day weekend in 1998, several of us met in Montreal. We made arrangements for an interview with Ingrid Peritz, reporter for The Montreal Gazette. Two of us were interviewed on Montreal AM, a local TV morning show. And we met with Pat Danielson, our Montreal Parent Finders angel. It was an intense, but amazingly glorious weekend. Three of us visited the clinic neighborhood, Esplanade and Laval Streets. We even coerced a young fellow to take our picture in front of what may be one of our birthplaces ( see photo ).

   From this flurry of activity, we have encouraged others to come forward. We have had several other interviews. And several of us remain in contact, sharing inspiration, information and the joys and heartaches of our personal lives.

   It is a wonder to have found one another. We may not find birth families, but we will always be Birth Buddies. This is a kind of human relationship that brings a special gratification, understanding and fondness that may supplant the joy of finding one's birth family. This is joy most of us will not experience. But, we are the Birth Buddies. We support and enjoy each other.

   Does the Birth Buddies experience sound familiar to you? If you have any information about the people or places involved, or if you'd like more information, you can write to the Montreal Black Market Birth Buddies or, for more information about other black market baby rings and survivors, visit the site of the Black Market Adoptee Registry.

*** Update ***

Donna Roth, one of the 'Montreal Black Market Babies' has been reunited with her birth family (winter 1999). Congratulations Donna!

.....Hopefully there will be some helpful leads or information ,gleamed from these pages...Good Luck......                                      HF&RV

Montreal Black Market Babies

A couple ,maybe 3 or more years ago,on the Verdun Connections MSN site,we had one of the members who was looking for their Birth Parents/Mother , I can't quite Remember the details .Glen Pilon was helping him I believe,and despite ,the many ideas for leads ,the members presented,I don't think a successful conclusion ever happened. Today I came across another website ,dealing with kids from Montreal looking for their birth parents,.I thought ,this info might be of assistance,maybe not, but worth a try I guess.... so here's the story/link

Logo

Montreal Black Market Babies
contact e-mail: birthbuddies@yahoo.ca

August 7, 1998


BMB

   We are (From left to right on photo) Donna Roth of Ann Arbor, Michigan (born Aug. 17, 1946), Esther Segal of Vancouver (born Jan.7, 1946), and Sharon Edelson of Ottawa (born Nov. 7, 1944).

   Many among us have struggled for years to find any information regarding our adoption and heritage. Secrets abounded; fantasies took the place of truth, and many of our adoptive parents harbored concern about our questions and the real answers. In each of us some level of curiosity flourished and it was just a matter of time before this curiosity took on a collective energy.

   As members of CANADopt, an Internet group that supports all members of the adoption triad, we share information, compassion and resources in this area. With the Butterbox Babies (Ideal Maternity Home) story evolution, several of us began to apply the similarities from that story to ours. Also, Hicks Babies in Tennessee (featured in People Magazine in March 1998) added fuel to each of our adoption-story repertoires.

   The City of Montreal along with Jewish adoptive parents are common to each of us. Early in 1997, through a search of the Montreal Gazette archives, several articles emerged about a baby market ring (see bottom of page for list of articles) that existed in the 1940s & 50s. Babies were being sold to Jewish couples in Canada and the States. These infertile Jewish couples were desperate to have children. Payments for babies ranged from $1500 to $10,000. Furthermore, adoption of a non-Jewish baby was not acceptable in Quebec as in many places in that era. This was a major eye-opener for all of us.

   Through CANADopt some of us starting noticing Jewish surnamed members who were born in Montreal in the 1940s & 50s. We started approaching each other with details about our adoptions. Names and places related to doctors, lawyers and birth clinics were the same. Excitement, added to our growing curiosity, mounted. Most of us appear to have been designated as "Jewish" whether we were or not. Many of us have papers that are similar but inconsistent within the legal realm of adoption.

Clinic    Action seemed to be the next step. Determined to get some information and certain of the strength of numbers, several of us (about 16 initially) loosely organized and sent information to social services agencies. As has been the case for most of our lives, the few responses indicated that no information was available. However, we had found each other.

   Around Mother's Day weekend in 1998, several of us met in Montreal. We made arrangements for an interview with Ingrid Peritz, reporter for The Montreal Gazette. Two of us were interviewed on Montreal AM, a local TV morning show. And we met with Pat Danielson, our Montreal Parent Finders angel. It was an intense, but amazingly glorious weekend. Three of us visited the clinic neighborhood, Esplanade and Laval Streets. We even coerced a young fellow to take our picture in front of what may be one of our birthplaces ( see photo ).

   From this flurry of activity, we have encouraged others to come forward. We have had several other interviews. And several of us remain in contact, sharing inspiration, information and the joys and heartaches of our personal lives.

   It is a wonder to have found one another. We may not find birth families, but we will always be Birth Buddies. This is a kind of human relationship that brings a special gratification, understanding and fondness that may supplant the joy of finding one's birth family. This is joy most of us will not experience. But, we are the Birth Buddies. We support and enjoy each other.

   Does the Birth Buddies experience sound familiar to you? If you have any information about the people or places involved, or if you'd like more information, you can write to the Montreal Black Market Birth Buddies or, for more information about other black market baby rings and survivors, visit the site of the Black Market Adoptee Registry.

*** Update ***

Donna Roth, one of the 'Montreal Black Market Babies' has been reunited with her birth family (winter 1999). Congratulations Donna!

.....Hopefully there will be some helpful leads or information ,gleamed from these pages...Good Luck......                                      HF&RV

Friday, February 27, 2009

Top Ten Montreal Real-Estate Scams

I posted this on the old site years ago, but thought the timing right to post it again,as one of the scams was related to the sale of Nun's Island ......

City in the making, city for the taking

>> Montreal's 10 most outrageous real estate deals

by KRISTIAN GRAVENOR

Your landlord wants to build a mini-mall where your apartment stands. He's been watching a videotape in which Tom Vu rides a speedboat with bikini babes while explaining how to make a quick buck on land. And however grotesque they may seem, such hustlers, property pimps and landsharks have shaped the city with countless unusual, unbelievable and outrageous schemes. Act quickly as the Mirror offers you this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime, no-money-down, well-located home for your eyes: the story of Montreal's Top 10 unreal estate deals.

1. An island in the stream:

For the Congregation Notre-Dame, the sale of Nun's Island seemed like an annual rite. Every time they sold the 29-million-square-foot property, the new owner would abandon his payments after witnessing massive sheets of spring ice tearing down the St. Lawrence River right over the deforested land. In 1955 the Church gave a turn to a writer for the tabloid Midnight named Colin Gravenor (my late father), who agreed to pay $1.25 million for the property. He scraped up only half the agreed-upon $10,000 downpayment which, to his surprise, the Nuns' wise old notary Robert Desy accepted. Desy probably doubted the next payment--a $100,000 instalment--would arrive within 90 days. And indeed, Colin's plans unravelled like a jute rug after fruitless efforts to attract investors. But armed with a typewriter and a head full of imaginary names, he initiated a one-man, grassroots lobbying effort to move the proposed Champlain Bridge from Lachine over his island, arguing that the longer bridge would cost less because it would require fewer costly land expropriations. His efforts swayed the feds, who agreed to the plan and threw in highway exits and an ice bridge to break the floes. Juda Gewurz and Joe Remer bought the island soon after, leaving Colin with a $2 million profit.

2. They Shoot Mayors, Don't They?:

Even when Blue Bonnets opened 75 years ago, a stadium in which horses occasionally drag midgets around in shopping carts was recognized as an unproductive use of city land. And now that the casino has left the track as popular as a saddle sore, the 43-hectare site--near the airport, two major highways and a metro station--can practically feel the backhoes ripping into its soil. But before the double-income-no-kids set start collecting boxes, it turns out that the stadium might not be in its homestretch. The PQ government intends to pony up $35 million for the site, $12 million less than the city paid for it in 1991. And although most councillors couldn't have reacted more negatively to Mayor Bourque's deal had he been jamming spurs into a baby colt, they remain powerless to stop the deal. Opponents can only recommend that Bourque, an ex-Pequiste, use some horse sense and sign an emphyseutic lease (in which the land reverts to the city in an agreed-upon number of years) and race to exploit this rare opportunity to create housing without displacing residents.

3. Marché Angry Nun:

The Catholic Church, still Montreal's biggest land-owner, can still be left feeling sheepish after dealing with real estate wolves. And if you believe the Quebec City-based Sisters of the Good Shepherd, a 900-member order pledged to educating the poor, their own lawyer Jean-Pierre Cantin led them astray in 1995 by selling their stake in the Marché Central Métropolitain to his friend Jean-Alain Bisaillon for $150,000. The sisters had originally acquired the land after the original developer defaulted on their $21-million loan, after which they poured $60 million of loan guarantees into finishing the mall. In the dispute, which awaits a court settlement, the nuns claim Cantin fleeced them of three-quarters of their pension fund. But Cantin has counter-argued that, far from innocent lambs, the nuns are actually slick operators who slyly manipulate a billion-dollar portfolio.

4. 1964 makes 1984 look like 1967:

Although today he's a private citizen sometimes spotted at Brasserie Capri, in 1964 Frank Hanley was the popular Pointe St-Charles city councillor known as the Mayor of the Pointe. Back then urban planners believed that low-income tenants could benefit by having their homes demolished, a theory that Mayor Drapeau decided to test on a place called Goose Village, a 300-building community at the foot of the Victoria Bridge. The 1,500 Villagers--half of whom were new Italian immigrants--were sent packing after a City report described the area as "dilapidated and unclean" (the same report cited a low incidence of disease and crime). La Presse praised the $4.5 million demolition as "a humanitarian work" although Villagers, whose monthly rents had cost them $37 on average, had to pay twice that in their new neighbourhoods. Ex-Villagers still consider official explanations a Mother Goose tale and many believe they were punished for their political loyalties to Drapeau's rival, Hanley. Although much of the flock had a honkering to resettle their old nests, biologists took a gander at the soil in Goose Village in the mid-'80s and found it had since become a wetland of industrial toxins.

5. Litterer's Leap:

In the early '60s Montrealers were saddened when a child fell to his death over the cliff at St-Jacques. Enter the ever-crafty Colin Gravenor, who made a deal with CN Rail to accept all liability for the long, narrow strip of land west of Oxford in exchange for a token purchase price. He then arranged to allow waste to be dumped over the cliff, for which he was paid by the truckload. As the waste created a shifting, unstable eyesore of God-knows-what, his cliff-side strip gradually expanded into a sizable commercial lot reaping handsome profits. The dumping, which had created one of the city's ugliest areas, was banned in 1982 when city botanist Pierre Bourque tried to stabilize the unsteady heap by covering it with highly resistant plants. But city blue collar workers say the site could contain dangerous toxins and several were suspended in an unsuccessful bid to initiate a large-scale clean-up in the late '80s. As for Colin, he preferred boasting about having expanded his property rather than answer questions about the soil.

6. The Communist Block:

One of the city's biggest yuppie havens was the creation of long-time, card-carrying, endless-meeting-attending, property-is-theft-chanting communists. Starting in the late '60s, Norman Nerenberg and two others equally intent on renouncing their communist roots bought up a chunk of the McGill ghetto spreading out from Milton and Park. Their company, Concordia Estates, hired the loyal communist agitator Gerry Fortin--who later called himself a "sucker"--to persuade tenants to leave in the name of a socially conscious development. Nerenberg wrote pamphlets describing the would-be money-making monolith as "the kernel of the future" and "a salute to life." But in fact the planned $250-million Cité Concordia, which included a 20-storey office building, 500-room hotel, three apartment buildings and "perhaps" some subsidized housing, would have laid waste to six blocks of the McGill ghetto. Local hippies countered with sit-ins, demonstrations and hunger strikes, and carried placards with slogans like "Milton Park and Vietnam: It's the same War!" The hippies caused the project's financing to whither away by lobbying the moneymen, but not before the wrecking ball gave hundreds of low-cost homes a great leap forward. In their place now stands La Cité, a ferile concrete beast on Park Avenue, and the low-cost housing which had been the developers' justification for the evictions still does not exist.

7. The Great Seduction:

Robert Landau is a Sherbrooke Street art dealer who has peddled countless paintings. But none of his sales affected as many lives as his own landscape of a downtown condo-paradise, which found an unlikely buyer in the MCM-led city administration in the mid-eighties. Landau, along with business partner Douglas Cohen, had recently bought up the properties at Overdale and Mackay but not in the aim of being low-rent landlords of students, artists and immigrants. Their condo plan so excited an administration in search of middle-class taxpayers that councillor Nick Auf der Maur denounced his own constituents' attempts to defend their homes, and the once tenant-friendly MCM Executive Committee ignored their own party study, which recommended that existing buildings should be integrated in the new project. Then-Mayor Jean Doré's administration worked with the developers to ensure that the new tenants would not be exposed to low-rent riffraff by declaring the existing premises uninhabitable--which was not true, as I can attest, having lived there at the time. The wealthy tenants who Landau and Cohen promised have since materialized: they come every morning to leave their cars on the unmaintained parking lot which now occupies the land.

8. A Demolitionist Offers Tribute, to Himself:

William Cornelius Van Horne had a home befitting his hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, all-night-poker-playing lifestyle, hobbies which he pursued while off duty from overseeing the construction of the Canadian National Railway. But the 52-room mansion at Stanley and Sherbrooke, an architectural and historical gem built in 1869 and partially designed by one of the fathers of Art Nouveau, was slated for demolition in 1973, a victim of a $31,000 annual municipal tax bill. A neighbour sought a court injunction against the demolition and conservationist Phyllis Lambert offered to buy the building, but owner David Azrieli had other plans. By exploiting the lax demolition bylaws, Azrieli struck the last spike in the hopes of the preservationists by sending in the wrecking crew in the middle of a September night. Far from feeling ashamed, Azrieli installed a plaque in his own honour at the corner of the generic office building that went up on the site.

9. And Never the Twain Shall Meet:

When the wrecking ball swung on the 400 homes northeast of St-Dominique and Ontario in December 1957, Constantin Spodunik had to be pulled from his home. The wild-eyed Ukranian herbalist was one of 4,000 residents evicted from the 20-acre downtown area, after perhaps the nastiest-ever provincial-municipal feud. Mayor Drapeau despised the proposed Habitations Jeanne-Mance subsidized housing project, predicting that it would doom private development in the city's east end, adding in '50s-speak that that it would "present a psychological block between east and west and its two great races." Duplessis supported the plan, which dominated the 1957 city elections, and his ballot-stuffing campaign led to Drapeau's only electoral loss. The project now stands as an example of how not to build public housing, as it segregates tenants into a ghetto apart from the larger community. It destroyed twice as much low-cost housing as it created.

10. Invasion of the Condo Nation:

A compilation of homebusters would be incomplete without a mention of the various government initiatives which razed entire neighbourhoods. These include Complexe Desjardins, Complexe Guy-Favreau and the Ville-Marie Expressway (for which east-end Molasses-town was demolished but never used). But government inaction can also be costly, as proven by René Lévesque's PQ government which--apparently unsatisfied with the tens of thousands who were scared out of their homes by their referendum the year before--passed legislation in 1981 so full of loopholes that landlords feasted on it to force thousands from their apartments. In the six years before it was amended by the provincial Liberals, landlords muscled out what tenant activist Arnold Bennett estimates as up to 20,000 renters from the Plateau-McGill ghetto area alone. Those were happy days for landlords, in which they could gold-plate bathrooms and double rents, convert apartments into condos through a tricky co-ownership manoeuvre or turf tenants out who waited more than 10 days to reply to certain letters.

Leonard Cohen Donates Proceeds

Well here's a guy who was robbed & nearly bankrupted by one of his trusted former managers,.not that long ago, which made him have to ramp up touring again,more so than he'd done for years,....but when he did the Austrailian part of this present tour, he was good enough to Donate all the Proceeds from his Concert to the 'Fire Relief Victims or Fund' ......as the fires that have ravaged parts of Austrailia put many out of house & home, He gave back......................Looks good on ya Leonard......

Leonard Cohen donates concert profits to bushfire relief

Postby swampfox on Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:00 am

What a truly heartwarming gesture...Leonard you are a true Legend Mate

LEONARD Cohen has dug deep to support the victims of the devastating bushfires, following the veteran performer's recent tour that included country Victoria.

Cohen has been touring Australia with Paul Kelly.

Tour promoter Frontier Touring yesterday said $200,000 would be donated on behalf of Cohen, Kelly and Frontier to aid victims of the Victorian bushfires.


Promoter Michael Gudinski said: "Leonard has loved his time in Australia . . . and is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the fires."

Leonard Cohen Donates Proceeds

Well here's a guy who was robbed & nearly bankrupted by one of his trusted former managers,.not that long ago, which made him have to ramp up touring again,more so than he'd done for years,....but when he did the Austrailian part of this present tour, he was good enough to Donate all the Proceeds from his Concert to the 'Fire Relief Victims or Fund' ......as the fires that have ravaged parts of Austrailia put many out of house & home, He gave back......................Looks good on ya Leonard......

Leonard Cohen donates concert profits to bushfire relief

Postby swampfox on Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:00 am

What a truly heartwarming gesture...Leonard you are a true Legend Mate

LEONARD Cohen has dug deep to support the victims of the devastating bushfires, following the veteran performer's recent tour that included country Victoria.

Cohen has been touring Australia with Paul Kelly.

Tour promoter Frontier Touring yesterday said $200,000 would be donated on behalf of Cohen, Kelly and Frontier to aid victims of the Victorian bushfires.


Promoter Michael Gudinski said: "Leonard has loved his time in Australia . . . and is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the fires."

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Verdun on the Ville de Montreal site

The waterfront looks like a busy place these days,with many different places to go & events to see ,plus the restaurants too.........................

Parks and gardens

St. Lawrence River Waterfront

St. Lawrence River Waterfront

Verdun’s excellent geographic location includes 15 km of banks along the Wellington–de l’Église and Desmarchais–Crawford neighbourhoods and on Nun’s Island (L’Île-des-Soeurs neighbourhood). Bikes and footpaths that run along the St. Lawrence River allow visitors to carry on with their favourite activities in full view of the river. The borough’s many parks also often excellent opportunities for relaxation and picnics.

Visiting the waterfront

Verdun’s attractions include the banks along the St. Lawrence and their splendid view of the river, plus the borough’s many parks and green spaces. But that’s not all. Here are some other sites to discover.

Verdun Auditorium

The Verdun Auditorium
Centre of sports and cultural activity, the Verdun Auditorium and its Denis-Savard arena are located adjacent to the river and to Arthur-Therrien Park.


Family enjoying the outdoors Citizens' Garden

Lookout and Residents’ garden
This garden is laid out around the historic Nivard de Saint-Dizier house, where a lookout provides a view over the Lachine Rapids. The Honorable-George-O’Reilly Park is also situated in the vicinity.
The garden is situated at the western tip of Boulevard de LaSalle.

Circus school of Verdun

École de cirque de Verdun
The École de cirque de Verdun is one of Canada’s leading circus schools, in terms of the size of its student body, the dimension of its facilities ( 3,200 m²) and its range of equipment. Located at the intersection of Desmarchais and LaSalle in the former Guy-Gagnon Arena, by the St. Lawrence River, La Passerelle de la marinathe school is surrounded by water and greenery. It is also surrounded by a panoramic bike path which meanders through a to a variety of parks ( Beatty, Woodland, Archie-Wilcox, Desmarchais and Monseigneur-J.-A.-Richard ).



Natatorium

Natatorium
The Art Deco structure in which Québec’s first and largest outdoor pool was built.
6500, boul. LaSalle
Information: 514 765-7230


Outdoor dance floor

Outdoor dance floor
Located near the municipal greenhouses, this venue is the site of a variety of outdoor activities, particularly during the summer.
LaSalle
Information: 514 765-7150

Marina

Crescendo Restaurant
This restaurant offers an exceptional view of the St. Lawrence River. Its full restaurant service is gaining high regard.
Open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Information: 514 766-2171



Municipal Greenhouse

Municipal Greenhouse
This location historically serves as Verdun’s greenhouse and has now become a place for family outings and relaxation. It hosts a day camp, special events by the Comité d'embellissement and a variety of evening activities for teens and for adults.
Only open in the summer.
Information: 514 765-7220


The Borough's Piers
In 2006, the Verdun Borough inaugurated the installation of two floating piers, to give residents the opportunity to make the most of the water in their surrounding area. The first pier is located behind the Natatorium, at 6500 boulevard LaSalleVerdun Borough's Pier . This pier, over 40 metres long, has steps to make the water more accessible, and a platform for light watercraft. A second pier, somewhat smaller in size, is located on rue Brault, at the site formerly called "Quai de La Tortue". These piers are light structures on floats that are placed in the water in the spring and removed in the fall.

 

Lawn Bowling game

Verdun Lawn Bowling (boulingrin)
An age-old game for those 14 and over.
6000 boulevard LaSalle
Information: 514 768-4059


Marina

Verdun's Marina
Marina open from May 1st through October 31st
Public slip and dock rentals.
5150 boulevard LaSalle

               Looks like a lot of events are planned along this once familiar place,......Imagine we were happy to walk along the boardwalk, & go to the Nat or whatever,........Seems like there's far less people there ,yet more things (organised things ) to do................................HF&RV

J.P. Dupuis Ltée

J.P. Dupuis Ltée was situated at 1084 Church facing Cool and was demolished in the beginning of 1959. I used to go there through the laneway to get leftover wood pieces with my small wagon, that ended up in the sawdust bin. We used the wood as fire starters in our wood stove but I also carved various objects such as planes and guns, My favorite was making a german luger as this was during the war and I got the model from the comic books and of course from the movies and of course we used to play cowboys and indians. The workers would let us do this most of the time but one day the management took us to their office to explain what we were doing there.They scolded us and we never returned. There were often fires in that place as we would regularly hear the fire truck sirens going to the woodyard. No time wasted looking at TV. Other memories of growing up in Verdun. The enclosed photo is from the 1959 Guardian and is not very good as I had to take a photo of an already bad photo. Does anybody remember that place.

As you can see there is now a new building that has replaced the wood yard.

Guy

 

Verdun (Nuns Island)

Looks like ,some opposition to Public Transit ,on Our old Nun's Island, now that's something that doesn't't makes sense,but here's one opinion from a Blog on the net:

Nuns’ Island hates public transit

As if trying to find a way to sound more like elitist suburban NIMBY snobs, residents at the southern tip of Nuns’ Island have apparently complained to the STM that they have too much bus service. They complain about the noise and dust generated by the buses.

I know buses are loud. I hear them outside my living room window every day. But I’ve never thought to complain about them, nor have I ever experienced dust problems (do they shed?)

Perhaps the noise and dust problems in the area might be due to the fact that it’s one giant construction zone for upscale condos? The photo above is one of many new skyscraping condo buildings going up in what was once empty space near a park.

The STM, after considering numerous half-assed schemes to placate residents and needlessly inconvenience public transit users, has concluded that it’s not reducing service to the area. The article doesn't’t make clear which side Claude Trudel is on, since he’s both the Verdun borough mayor and the chairperson of the STM board of directors. Let’s hope he and his constituents realize this is the best option for everyone involved.

Especially when you consider that one bus on the road can replace dozens of SUVs.

Monday, February 23, 2009

"It's Official "

   Just in case anyone was thinking MSN would come out of their coma, and resurrect the Groups thing,..the Official Message is posted as this:

MSN Home | My MSN

go to MSN Groups
 

The MSN Groups service has closed

As we first announced on October 23 2008, the MSN Groups service has closed. 

If you would like to create a new group, we have established a partnership with
Multiply - an online group and media sharing service that is tailored to the needs of larger groups. If you would like to create a small group of less than 1000 members, please visit Windows Live Groups.



For further information on the closure of MSN Groups, please access one of the following local blogs:

US  |  Deutschland  |  UK  |  España  |  Mexico  |  France  |  Italia  |  日本   |  Nederland  |  Brasil

"It's Official "

   Just in case anyone was thinking MSN would come out of their coma, and resurrect the Groups thing,..the Official Message is posted as this:

MSN Home | My MSN

go to MSN Groups
 

The MSN Groups service has closed

As we first announced on October 23 2008, the MSN Groups service has closed. 

If you would like to create a new group, we have established a partnership with
Multiply - an online group and media sharing service that is tailored to the needs of larger groups. If you would like to create a small group of less than 1000 members, please visit Windows Live Groups.



For further information on the closure of MSN Groups, please access one of the following local blogs:

US  |  Deutschland  |  UK  |  España  |  Mexico  |  France  |  Italia  |  日本   |  Nederland  |  Brasil

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Tousignant Murder in 31st October 1963 Guardian

This is a very unpleasent subject to post on this site, nevertheless, it is part of Verdun history so here goes:

I have found the old Guardian showing the event in our archives (SHGV) and the murder ocurred on the 26th of October 1963 during supper time. Mr Yvon Tousignant, the owner of Tousignant & Frere crossed the street to the Banque de Montréal to make his deposit and was confronted by the hoods. Mr Tousignant resisted and was shot. The businessman who owned the A. Normandin shoe store next door, Mr Roger Séguin came to his aid and he died later at the Verdun General Hospital. Six suspects were picked up in Toronto, 4 men and 2 woman. Amongst them were John Spencer 25, and Robert Terence Hawley 24 of Verdun. Both escaped from the Verdun Protestant Hospital.

Article in the 9th of January 1964 Guardian:

Robert Moran, 30 years old auto salesman who was the last of six persons arrested in connection with the murder of Yvon Tousignant, Wellington street grocer who was slain last October 26th was sent to trial at the next session of the court of Queen's Bench by judge Armand Cloutier on a capital murder charge. No defence was offered by his lawyer Real Gagnon at the appearance for voluntary statement. Two other men, alleged companions of Moran at the time of the murder have been sent to trial on the same charge.                    They are: John Allan Thompson 25 and Robert Hawley 26, who have been charged with capital murder.  

I had to take the enclosed photos with my camera as the Guardians are in a bound book  and are too large to put on the scanner. The quality is hazy but I will see if I can improve on this on my next trip to Verdun and come up with more details.

Guy          

Friday, February 20, 2009

    Hello ,seems to be the

smallest word......... 


 Have Fun &Remember

        VERDUN  ....

Imposing Building Going up on Church (De L'Église)

I took these photos on Saturday along Church near Gertrude. Notice the large construction site with the High Crane.  You can see the Notre Dame des sept Douleurs church steeples in the background of one of the photos.I have just been advised that a CSLC Verdun/Côte Saint-Paul government medical clinic will be the tenant. That figures, only the governement has the money to spend (our money) on such a large project.

 

Guy

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

SCHOOL ON CNR. 5TH AND VERDUN?

Could someone please tell me the name of the school or building on the cnr of 5th & Verdun (I think).  I have clear memories of watching friends play ice hockey on a large rink and the Christian Brothers skating around in their long black robes.  Were they teachers from St. Willibrord's School? ...Diane   

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

2003 VCHS Reunion

I got a note from the ever vigilant Les, asking me if I would post some comments that I wrote after attending my high school reunion.  I am sure he won't mind, but I am posting a portion of his note here:

"Hi Glenn , Les here...........I came across your posted message from years ago,..I had also read this same message ,way back when as well....but Yesterday as I was doing a random Verdun ,Montreal search for 'stuff' to post, I came across your msg, and of course your ... note after an '03 reunion?
I was wondering if you would like to post that same message on the Verdun Connections site, as I think it would inspire some to respond, You definetly took the time to write that note. I'm sure the 'lit' teachers would be proud..... In anycase I think everyone would appreciate your ... recall of your reunion,the lead up to, & of course the actual meet & greet's............HF&RV"

So, without further ado, here it is.  Grab a cup of tea or coffee, as it does go on and on....Thanks, Glenn.

Reunion Reflections.

This was written shortly after attending
my high school reunion in 2003.

It was sometime in 1998 or 1999 that I had the idea.  I remembered the twentieth reunion, and how great it was to see everyone again.  Not many people attended, for one reason or another.  Back then, it was harder to contact everyone, and keep updating the info.

So, I bought a scanner, scanned the grad pictures and posted them on the Internet, hoping anyone who found them would contact me.  They were there for a long time and eventually someone did.  But the visits were few and far between and not always from classmates from 1973.  Often, it was a connection to the school from a different year, or just someone from Verdun.

Then, out of the blue, I received an email from one of our classmates.  Someone wanted to have a reunion in 2003 – thirty years after graduation.  Who knew back then that many of us would look back with a fondness for the old place?

And that was the genesis for the weekend we all just enjoyed.  Several people worked very hard to bring it all together and from the comments on the website, it was worth it.

How many of us were perhaps not thrilled with the idea of meeting up with everyone after thirty years?  Perhaps a little shy, a little vanity may have taken over.  A few extra pounds for some, a little gray hair – or a lot less hair for others.  Thankfully, curiosity got the better of us, and we showed up anyway.

There may have been some former boy/girl friend combinations there, some long forgotten crushes (at least in my case); some friends who were inseparable in school, who have not seen each other in years.  It was good to see high school sweethearts still together.

Personally, I experienced a whole range of emotions.  Initially, I was looking forward to the whole weekend.  I was fortunate to be involved from the beginning, to see it evolve from a handful of people to over one hundred registered on the website.  I was saddened more than I would have thought upon hearing of those who are no longer with us.  Some I knew better than others, but I knew them all well enough to feel the loss.

As the day approached that we were to gather at the pub, my enthusiasm waned.  Not sure why, it just did. 

To recreate my trip to a bar downtown – which I did all too frequently in my earlier days – I took the Metro.  I was a little early, so I decided to get off at Guy, and walk to the old Hunter’s Horn.  I strolled along St. Catherine, walked down to what once was Dorchester (remember, I left in 1980), up Bishop to Maisonneuve, looked into Ben’s, and then walked down Peel to McLean’s.

Fortunately, the bar was dark so we could all blend in nicely.  On that evening I had some difficulty placing the face with the name in a few cases.  But so did everyone else and everyone seemed to be very understanding.

I spoke with a few people that evening more than I talked with them during our entire time at VCHS.  As strange as that seems, I imagine it was true for others as well.  I learned what a few people did for a living; talked with some who were in the same line of work.  Reminisced with others about some of the other people in the room.  Compared notes; shared history; learned of their families; heard of ‘late bloomers’; saw photo’s; had someone concerned that I would not let go of my jacket; complained to my old ‘campaign manager’; wished I could have stayed longer and talked more.   It was a quiet low-key affair, the perfect way to kick off the weekend and get over the jitters – at least for me.  I was also thankful that my luggage finally arrived that afternoon so I had a change of clothes!  That would have been quite a first impression to make.

Saturday night was just more of the same, with more faces to place, spouses to meet and now teachers to see.  One teacher, who I had in grade six at St. Thomas More as well as at VCHS, came up to me with hand extended and said, “ Hello Glenn, still live on Moffat?”  Unbelievable, to say the least.  For those who don’t know, I lived on Moffat, between the School and the Church.  We would regularly have to go to the church, and would march down the street, two by two.  Each time, my mother would be there, waving, embarrassing me to no end.  This teacher remembered.

Another teacher did not remember me so well, which is expected.  He asked where I sat in class and I explained I started the year at the back, but was moved to the front row very soon.  “Oh, one of those students, eh?”  A little later on in the evening he came by and asked me a history question.  Luckily for me, I knew the answer and he smiled.  Not sure if he was surprised or impressed that I knew the answer!

A few of the candidates for the Carnival King and Queen were in attendance, as well as Student Council President.  In fact, our Queen was there, but she failed to give a speech to the class.  Our King did not attend, nor was he reached at all.  Some of those who ran against him spoke of that campaign.  What were we thinking running against him anyway?  Mr. Cool, high school heartthrob; we decided that the rest of the contenders probably each received one vote (their own) and the rest went to the King.  At least we still got to go the Carnival Dance in the mountains – either Belle Neige or Avila.

I spoke to people who remembered things we did together that I did not recall.  For some reason, certain things stick in your head.  There is no rhyme or reason; they just stick in your mind.  Someone remembered trying to talk me out of going home one night – I was tired, they were not.  It was only eleven o’clock they said.  I remember being with him always, but not that particular incident.

With another, we briefly talked of our camping trips to the States, or Ontario.  Fortunately, we did not get into the details of the weekends, or the ‘trips’, as it were.  But we did briefly talk of the big blue van we used, and the driver of that van, who sadly is no longer with us.

I made an effort to talk with every classmate who was in attendance on Saturday, and if I missed you, it was not intentional.  But in so doing, I did not get to spend as much time with any single person or group of people that I would have liked.  The decisions we have to make, now that we are the people our parents warned us about.

I saw a photograph of myself at a sixteenth birthday party.  Man, did I think I was cool.  At least that is the way it looked in the photo.  Looking back, I am surprised anyone even talked to me.  Now I understand why some of the ‘bigger’ guys would beat up on me.

I remember one fight I had with someone who was at the reunion – no, I did not bring it up.  I do remember being beaten quite badly, but like the stubborn fool I sometimes still am, I refused to give up.  Mercifully, someone else came to my rescue and stopped the fight.  He became my bodyguard for many years in high school.  He felt bad for me more than once, as he broke my arm in sixth grade – I think accidentally.  Unfortunately, he was not at the reunion – I don’t think he made it to grade eleven.

Someone asked me to recreate my awful performance at the Variety Show.  I know it was brought up to others as well.  Thankfully, no one else thought it was a good idea.  But walking around the stage at the Auditorium sure brought back some memories.  I was reminded that we even took the show on the road, performing at the Douglas Hospital.

On Sunday, if the park, after the walk down memory lane in the school, while walking back to my car, yet another old friend appeared out of the shadows.  We looked at each other from about one hundred feet, and he stopped, lowered his head, looked up and said “F%#$ OFF, Glenn Larkin!  The tone of the voice was so funny, but you had to be there.  Thirty years were wiped away, and we were ready to go to the park and play some football. 

It is often the little things that are forgotten as well, like humbugs or Woodland Pizza.  Thanks to some quick thinking, there were a bunch of them at the baseball diamond for us to all enjoy.

Old secret crushes were remembered, some of the brutal teasing that the girls did to the boys.  Oh all right, that the boys did to the girls as well.  High school dances in the gym, sock hops in the assembly hall with the low ceiling, barely any light.  All the girls dancing and the guys, oh so cool, standing against the wall – secretly wishing they could be slow dancing with someone.

There were many more remembrances like this over the three days.  Many more than you would care to read about, I am sure.  Hopefully, my memory holds onto those better than it has of my school years.  I hope all of you that attended had the same, or better, response that I had. 

I should tell you that even my wife got something out of the weekend.  First, to her great surprise, her Aunt and Uncle were the bartenders at the hall, so she was not at all bored.  Most of you probably got to meet her at the bar – she was the good-looking one.  Then, after the tour of our old school, she missed her high school, in St. Anne de Bellevue.  She called her nephew who currently attends and she was able to take a tour after school the following Thursday.  She even was luckily enough to meet one of her old teachers.  We don’t know who was more excited, my wife or the teacher.

With all good intentions, I am sure we would all like to stay in touch, perhaps meet up once a year (at least).  The reality is that it will probably not happen.  Maybe a few will stay in touch via this web site or email.  I hope so.  I would like to sign on to the web site occasionally and read about how someone remembers me, or how anyone remembers anyone else that attended our school. 

For those who were unable to attend, I hope the photos and stories give you some sense of what it was like to be there.  For those of you who chose not to attend, for any number of reasons, it was your loss as well as ours.  It would have been great to see and talk with you again.

Enough of the maudlin reminisces; this is becoming too long winded as it is – now you all know why I did not speak at the reunion!  A big thank you to all who attended; all who organized; all who have left comments on the site thus far; all the pictures that I have seen and hope to see posted; to the class of 72, who offered us tips on what to avoid; to the teachers, who got to see first hand the results of their work from thirty years ago (they did a remarkable job, considering what they had to work with); and thank you to the person who sent me an email to get the party started.

Glenn.

 

Monday, February 16, 2009

Lowlife's Need a Whack in the Head

I cannot stand lowlife's,who don't have enough common courtesy ,to do the right thing,and here's an example of that type of clown who has no Respect for elders (or probably anyone for that matter) These little punks need a slap in the kisser,(I like that line) these are little clowns devoid of any common sense which should be instilled in every kid as they grow up, Unfortunately we have a generation of 'gimme' a--holes who don't understand ,that respect & courtesy ,will go farther in life than the little shits can comprehend.....I don't get it, Parents these days (not all ,but most) SIMPLY  do not have the guts to Parent,& tell some of these little clowns to Behave....that used to mean something......Ok enough of my (believe me ,small rant) and here's an example from today's Gazette re: clowns on the transit system...........................Yikes!!

When tempers flare over bad service, transit etiquette goes out the windowQ: I am writing to address those people who will not give up their seat on the métro/bus/train for a pregnant woman (and you know who you are). I take the Deux Montagnes train every day and sometimes the bus as well. I am six months pregnant with my third child, although I look about eight months, and I've rarely been offered a seat, whether standing in front of a man, woman, or teenager.

I've heard from others that many people feel "if a pregnant woman can make her way to work, she can stand up for half an hour."

I'd like to educate those people on a few points. Yes, there are women fortunate enough to experience a beautiful, symptom-free pregnancy, but most women have side effects that can be difficult to deal with during pregnancy and some are downright painful - from nausea to lower back pain to varicose veins, pelvic pain and all kinds of other conditions in between.

I will also point out that, while I am able to go to work, I can sit most of the day at the office and don't have a concern that the building I work in will suddenly come to an abrupt halt and throw me across to the other side of the room, while my baby and/or I could be seriously injured should a train, métro or a bus need to stop abruptly, especially since a woman's equilibrium is off-balance during pregnancy.

So I would ask that the next time you see a pregnant woman on the train, bus or métro, stop pretending to be asleep or engrossed in your paper or novel (yeah - we know your tricks) and offer her your seat.

Tracey

Q. What is it with people and their backpacks on buses? I use the bus daily to go to work. ... I don't have a problem with people carrying backpacks on their shoulder or back when the bus is not crowded. But what annoys me immensely are people who feel the need to be attached to their backpacks like babies on an umbilical cord and push their way [through] a crowded bus. I make it a habit to take mine off and carry it in my hands; it is just proper etiquette. Some of these people should take bus etiquette 101.

Gary Cho

A. With all the delays and breakdowns on commuter trains, buses and métro recently, the public transit network seems to have become fertile ground for resentment. Just last week, irate commuters on the Deux Montagnes train started pushing and shoving and the argument ended with someone pulling the emergency brake, causing a 20-minute delay.

And yet the delays shouldn't prevent commuters from being considerate toward each other, say two Université de Montréal sociology professors. Being helpful might even brighten one's trip, given the positive effect such action can have on oneself and onlookers, said Jacques Hamel, who teaches courses on youth culture at the U de M.

But "it's not surprising" there's a short supply of altruism in transit, he added. "It hasn't been taught in schools and by parents" as much as it once was. "We're a much more individualist society."

Pierre Hamel (no relation to his colleague), who specializes in the study of social change in urban areas, said Montrealers are great at sharing - witness community gardens and neighbourhood co-operatives - but public transit seems to be a notable exception.

"It's like people forget about basic manners when they're in the métro," he said. "I've been in subways in many cities and Montreal is pretty special that way. In Tokyo, for example, people stand to one side on the escalators to let people pass. And they notice if an older person or a pregnant woman needs a seat."

The Société de transport de Montréal and the AMT should play an educational role and work with schools and community groups to educate people, he added. It should not be a short-lived ad campaign, but rather a gradual, multi-layered attempt to make people more conscientious about sharing public transit respectfully.

..Come on Get some manners folks, one day you little creeps will be older & I hope somone treats you like you like to treat people.........Personally I'd like you to experience some old school etiquette..............Whack !!!  hahahahahaha  & guess what you hear,nothing but whinning .............but only after they got off the bus.

                    Sometimes People Need to be Shown ,.'Where to get Off'   hahahahahha

                                       Have Fun & Remember Verdun