The Verdun Spy Mystery - rerun

From: kristiangravenor <beaveroncrack@hotmail.com>
Subject: [MediainMontreal] Help with Verdun mystery
To: MediainMontreal@yahoogroups.com
Received: Tuesday, February 1, 2005, 8:33 PM

There's a good discussion forum about Verdun with a few neat stories
that I might use if I ever write another book about Montreal. Here's a
potboiler that maybe somebody knows the answer to ....
----
http://snipurl.com/cgug

Most of us 55 and older will have various memories of the Cold War and
spies.  But I suspect none of us knew just how close the spies were.

I recently bought a non-fiction paperback book in a second-hand book
store and while reading it, discovered the Verdun Cold War Connection.
The book is called "FOR SERVICES RENDERED" by John Sawatsky,
originally published by Doubleday & Company in 1952, and in 1953 a
paperback version was published by Penguin Books.   It is about RCMP
spymaster Leslie James Bennett.

The Verdun Cold War Connection described in this book is all too brief
- no more than a couple of paragraphs - but left me fasinated and
wishing I could remember more about the location mentioned.  In 1952,
a Soviet spy (code named "Gideon" ) set up operation in Verdun.  Here
I will quote directly from the book (remember, this is non-fiction and
the year is 1952):

"Weeks later word arrived (from his controller) to start setting up
shop as a photographer.  Gideon settled on a small shop on Bannantyne
Avenue ... in Verdun, a suburb near downtown Montreal.  The store had
previously been a one-woman beauty salon that succumbed to competition
from two other beauty shops within a block.  Low-income homes ...
mixed with the smattering of mom-and-pop outlets such as the Joe and
Alec Restaurant across the street dotted the neighbourhood... Before
he had finished purchasing photographic equipment he went out and
bought a short wave radio and propped it up in his living quarters..."

In 1953 Gideon contacted the RCMP and became a double-agent working
for the RCMP.  Gideon continued to broadcast to Moscow from his
photography shop on Bannantyne (sending material provided to him by
the RCMP) until he was recalled to Moscow in 1956 for the usual
briefing.  He never returned.

So, how are your memories?  Where on Bannantyne was this Cold War spy
located?  By the way, no other information is given in the book  - and
I no idea.

The only clues (some are quoted above; others from the book) are:


   1. In 1952 a photographers shop opened in a former beauty salon on
Bannantyne Ave.
   2. In 1952 there were two other beauty shops within a block.
   3. The Joe and Alex Restaurant was across the street.
   4.  There was a short wave antenna situated at the back of the
building.
   5. In 1952 he was a short blond man in his late twenties, with an
European look.
   6. While in Canada he used the name David Soboloff.

Can anyone help solve this Verdun Cold War Mystery?

Centre Culturelle de Verdun

Just thought i'd post this information,..........some of it is pretty cool stuff:

Verdun. Histoire d'eau, de terre et de coeur. 1 de 118 2 de 118 3 de 118 4 de 118 5 de 118 6 de 118 7 de 118 8 de 118 9 de 118 10 de 118 11 de 118 12 de 118 13 de 118 14 de 118 15 de 118 16 de 118 17 de 118 18 de 118

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Dawson Reunion/Generation Gap

I'm copying and pasting a message from Classmates:

From Maureen Quinn to Glen Pilon. Posted on Classmates June 30, 2009. Here's the latest update from Dawson: Wine & Cheese, Friday, July 31,  5 to 8 p.m. Its free but you must RSVP by calling Dawson (514) 767-9967 Dance ,   Saturday   August 1st, 8 p.m. Tickets are $ 25.00 ``First come first served`` They can be purchased in advance at the Centre OR send cheque by mail.  We'll send you a receipt in exchange for your ticket at the door. Hope to see you. Have a great Summer Marc Paradis,   Seniors (50+)  Coordinator Natalie Miron, Parents & Tots Coordinator

Verdun Today

Borough Profile

Situated in the southwest portion of the island of Montréal, Verdun is spread out over an area of 9.8 km². To the north, the borough is bordered by Highway 15, to the west, by the Canal de l'Aqueduc, to the south by neighbouring borough LaSalle and to the east, by the Fleuve Saint-Laurent. The omnipresent river, with its magnificent banks extending for several kilometres throughout the borough, is Verdun ’s most magnificent natural resource.

The borough of Verdun is privileged when it comes to  urban transportation. Citizens have access to four subway stations, with three of them on the territory. In addition, commuters have a remarkable bus network at their disposal, taking them directly downtown Montréal in only a few minutes.

The borough had 66,078 residents in 2006¹. Verdun ’s English-speaking population is in decline, while the proportion of immigrants (estimated at 14 per cent in 2001) is rising.

Verdun is a socially heterogeneous borough. It contains not only high-income households, but individuals living below the poverty line. The number of single residents is about equal to that living in families.

Tax Base

Verdun ranks among Montréal’s top three boroughs for the growth of its tax base. This base is rising by an annual average of $100 million, largely due to construction projects on L’Île-des-Soeurs neighbourhood.

Quality of Life

Verdun is highly skilled in mobilizing local stakeholders to help improve the community’s quality of life. Local development efforts have proved to be solidly successful and are cited as a model in this field, not only in Québec, but throughout the entire world. Under the same heading, the existence of various issue tables on different sectors of activity make it easy for Verdun residents to rally around common causes and take action in support of full social integration. The presence of prestigious organizations and specialized institutions, such as the Canadian Red Cross, the  École de cirque de Verdun, the Yellow Pages Group, the Douglas Hospital, and the Multi-Prêts, mortgage brokerage firm, help give the borough’s an international impact.

Urban Infrastructure

The borough stands out for its sustained efforts in developing expertise in the field of urban infrastructure. In 2004, Verdun scored a Canadian first by deploying a high-tech environmental wastewater control system. The proximity of Montréal’s business centre, the city’s excellent public transit service and high-quality housing all serve to promote the borough’s role as a residential community.

Quality Services

A wide range of quality cultural services are available to all borough residents. The administration supports organizations that sponsor recreational activities and intends to pursue its efforts to enhance the availability of sports and recreational equipment for teens.

With the Environment in Mind

Verdun ’s policies and activities highlight the borough’s strong interest in preserving the environment. Planning in this field, which has been performed in conjunction with environmental specialists, is aimed at ensuring the harmonious development of flora and fauna. The borough stands out in this area for its mosaicultures, which won the Grand Prize of Honour in the Mosaiculture International Montréal 2003 inter‑borough competition.

1 Source : Census 2006 - Statistics Canada.

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Have Fun and Remember Verdun

Our Social Pathways: The Old Fire Lanes of Crawford”

The English Corner

par Rohinton Ghandhi
Voir tous les articles de Rohinton Ghandhi
Article mis en ligne le 1 décembre 2008 à 15:26
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“Our Social Pathways: The Old Fire Lanes of Crawford”

The English Corner

In an age without the internet nor cell phones, when the written words of letters, memos, and messages still mattered. “Networking” was done by actually walking through our neighborhood and getting to know people face-to-face. This form of networking required much more finesse than with the electronic relationships we form today, because the bonds we created with people were much more personal than through any virtual medium.

Crawford Park, as late as the late 70’s, had its own “Social Pathways”, the official Fire Lanes that ran between the backyards of many streets and the unofficial “lanes” between houses, which provided shortcuts to popular destinations, such as the park and the general store. Those lanes had an inherent beauty to them, as they provided a key element for us to socialize with our neighbours. Just a simple smile, and a remark about the weather, would suffice in starting a conversation and in creating friendships, which in many cases would last a lifetime.

These unpaved lanes made our own personal “Diversities” a non-issue, as we all had more in common as neighbours, than we had differences as individuals. The relationships we formed allowed us to respect those differences and to respect our friendship first.

Compared to the noise and grit of working downtown, Crawford Park, with its friendly people, many trees, open parks, including the Douglas grounds, made you feel like you were “going to your country place” every night. It was not just the relaxing surroundings, it was the people you knew as a family that gave you a feeling of being home.

Listening to the flocks of songbirds, as you sauntered down theses lanes, was simply amazing. The sheer variety of birds found and heard in Crawford seemed endless. We hear less of them today, in our reduced green spaces. Almost everyone had a pet cat, or dog, or both, which you would greet as your own. Traveling these lanes allowed you to form bonds with the animal members of the community as well. As pet-owners, we took pride in treating our pets as our own family. Something that openly seems lost today.

As the 1980’s came, the unofficial paths started to be sealed permanently, as our society made us more protective of ourselves and of our properties. One by one, the lanes disappeared, cutting off our shortcuts, and in a way removing the “Social Pathways” to our community permanently.

Eventually, the City of Verdun allowed citizens to expand their properties by purchasing the lane spaces, adjacent to their homes, for $1. Which most homeowners did.

Today, the narrow footpaths, and almost all of the lanes are gone. With them went our ability to informally get to know our neighbours, and to share in their diversity. Lanes that remain, have high fences that are much less inviting than the people-friendly ones we all leaned across, to share a laugh and a smile with people who cared.

Unlike the end of Verdun’s free-tennis courts this year, it was not our mayor that caused our lanes to disappear. For many seasons those old lanes connected us all. It was a change in our own self-protective values as a society, which started their final winter. As a famous songwriter once wrote, their demise was simply, “Blowing in the Wind”.

We welcome your input, your stories, and your comments to the Verdun Messager’s “English Corner”.

What do you think of this column appearing occasionally in our Verdun community paper? Good idea

Verdun Fire on Galt

In this day of economic woes etc etc ,,,,,,I wonder about the cause of some fires,Could it be 'Financial Combustion" .......it's been known to happen before......but this company has been around for 40 years apparently........this sure puts a lot of people out of work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.................All photo's from the Messanger Newspaper........           hf&rv