Montreal West Viewspaper May 2017, Vol. 45, No. 4 Thessiane Mbaïngo: Hourglass Workout

by Maurice Krystal Her father came to Montreal from the Central African Republic and her mother is So why are gyms just for women becom- from Haiti. They met in Montreal while at- ing more popular? For some women who tending university. The family moved to the have attended mixed gender fitness centres, Central African Republic when she was they complain that these places are often very young, but, at the ag e of 12, her father sexist. “I feel I’m ogled,” or “I feel I’m died in a car accident. Two years after the being judged.” I spoke to Thessiane accident Thessiane’s mother brought the Mbaïngo who opened Hourglass Workout family back to Montreal. Because of her this January on Ronald Drive and asked her history and cultural mix, Thessiane is fluent what makes her place special. in English, French, Creole and Sango a di- The key issue is that it is a safe environ- alect within the Central African Republic. ment. Men and women who work out have She was always physically active, run- generally different goals. Women under- ning track in high school. She attended the stand each other and bond differently from University of Montreal earning certificates men. It is less competitive and they share in communication and public relations. stories and help each other reach goals. While working at an administrative desk GRAEME CLYKE: Women tend to want to be healthy, fit and job, she led her fellow coworkers during the toned, rather than muscular. Women’s aim, lunch hour through fitness routines. They part of a famous family in spite of stereotyping, is not just to lose told her she was good at it. At the beginning weight but also to accept their body and in- she bought fitness books and tried to train by Maurice Krystal still self-love and feel stronger. by herself. She had been involved in fit- Thessiane is a woman in her mid-thirties ness/body building competitions since the What’s it like to have the picture of a rel- who, judging just by looks, is in excellent age of 19. ative on the Canadian ten-dollar bill? Very physical shape. She is, as she describes her- few of us ever have to think about such a sce- self, muscular but with feminine curves. continued on page 14 nario but that’s the situation long time MoW- est resident Graeme Clyke is now expe- riencing. He’s pretty cool and calm about it even though it’s his aunt. continued on page 10

INDEX

Community Centre...... 15, 17 CRA ...... 10 Guides...... 12 Horticultural Society ...... 2 IODE ...... 9 Libraries ...... 7, 16 Mailbox ...... 4 News from the pews ...... 14-15 Réunion du Conseil ...... 19 Rotary ...... 5 Schools...... 6-9 Scouts ...... 13 Town Council Report ...... 18 photo: Paul Buceta 2 THE BAR CODE QUILT: c e l e b r a t i n g 1 5 0 y e a r s o f C a n a d a 10 Westminster North Montreal West, Quebec In order to celebrate H4X 1Y9 Canada’s 150th birthday, Paula Cordeau invited The Commu- The Informer’s role is to provide nity Centre Quilters to make a MoWesters with information about wall hanging. Our first chal- their Town and its citizens in order to lenge was to decide on a design. foster the small-town, close-knit at- mosphere that makes Montreal What images would we use? West a special place in which to live. Many of the things we love about our community are al- ISSN: 084741X ready depicted in the magnifi- EXECUTIVE BOARD cent quilt which hangs in the Jeannette Brooker - Chair Town Hall that was made to Jeanne Ragbir - Secretary commemorate MoWest’s cen- Bob King - Treasurer tennial year in 1997. To con- Heather Baylis Véronique Belzil-Boucher trast with its traditional style, René Boucher we chose to explore modern Lise McVey quilting a style influenced by Rhonda Schwartz the minimal look of modern art Linda Power, Colleen Carroll, Anna Marett and Lynn Cairns EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and which features solid Heather Baylis colours and emphasizes nega- 489-7022 tive space. we started quilting. Simple ver- looked as if it had just dropped We usually work on our own tical stripes outlined the centre, onto the corner. We worked in- LAYOUT DESIGNER projects, so we started this col- but we were bursting with ideas dividually on the hand quilting, Julia Ross [email protected] laborative effort by looking for the border. We could trap passing the piece from one per- through books and magazines into our Town logo, the school’s son to the next at each meeting. AD MANAGER for ideas. When we saw the clock tower. What about birds, Finally, under the guidance of Vaughan McVey quilt of a bar code in Thomas trees, a map of Canada, the GPS Glenn Campbell from Camp- 484-6330 location of Montreal West, a bell Picture Framing we at- [email protected] Knauer’s Modern Quilt Per- spectives, we were hooked. trailing vine of ivy, maple tached the work to a linen DISTRIBUTION MANAGER With this picture as our in- leaves, fireworks, flowers and stretcher. Now it is beautifully Rhonda Schwartz 482-0227 spiration, we chose numbers the words Happy Birthday encased in a maple sided box. RATES significant to Canada for our Canada. All in all we had Thank you, Paula, for giving Camera-ready art: code. First, the dates, 1867 and enough ideas for about six us the opportunity to gather and 1/6 page – $45 2017, with 0s in front to com- quilts. Again we didn’t want to quilt on a regular basis at the 1/12 page – $25 plete the five digit groupings. duplicate anything from the Community Centre (where Professional card: The single lead digit would be centennial quilt, so that nar- everyone is welcome) and, $125/year a 7 for our group of seven (what rowed our choices. We also through this work, to share our Classifieds: wanted to keep it “modern.” passion with others and to cele- 25-50 words – $10 could be more Canadian than a 25 words or less – $6 group of 7?) With a little re- We finally settled on a series brate Canada 150. search about 12-digit bar codes, of diagonal lines going from TASK FORCE we calculated the UPC scan- west to east (left to right), rep- from Anna Marrett Jeannette Brooker ner’s check digit for the final resentative of the usual direc- René Boucher The “group of seven” who number. The number 150 was tion of weather systems in our Lina Harun made the quilt: Lynn Cairns, Cynthia Koomas incorporated into the long ver- part of Canada. We summed up Colleen Carroll, Joan Gross, Lise yMcVe tical bars of the design. our patriotism with the single Maryl Murphy Anna Marrett, Carol Ogilvy, For colours, we wanted to word Canada quilted down the Jeanne Ragbir Linda Power and Heather Randi Weitzner focus on our signature red brick left hand border. The finishing Shee. architecture and the bright, touch was a red maple leaf that and those we omitted inadvertently warm feel of our garden sub- urb. With this palette in mind, The Informer Is published nine times we went shopping and found a year (usually) on the last weekend Grannies for Good of the month except June, July and four red fabrics to symbolize MAY December. Out-of-town subscrip- both buildings and Canada, The Grannies for Good are holding a tions: $15 per year. Typesetting by added the greens and browns of bazaar (women’s clothing, new and slightly Informer staff, printing by Imprimerie gardens and trees, agonized 13 Provost. Extra copies available at used) as a fundraiser for the Grandmothers’ Town Hall and both libraries. over the perfect background Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Funded, in part, by the Town of and finished with a bold pop of The event will be held on Saturday, May 13 Montreal West. Articles are printed fresh, lime green. in French or English, as submitted. from 10 am to 6 pm at Westmount Park United Throughout the project we Church, 4695 de Maisonneuve West, corner NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE divided the tasks to take advan- Landsdowne. Miriam Byers, 488-9763. May 10 tage of our individual strengths. Once the top was assembled, 3 Jazzer comes full circle

Andrea is known for her alumni productions under the di- unique and modern arrange- rection of Doug Floen. ments of classic jazz standards Now a resident of Vancouver, and is holding her own as a Superstein has toured exten- strong songwriter. Her approach sively across Canada and has to music has critic Tom Harri- been featured in multiple festi- son applauding that Superstein vals. She has studied with leg- is “redefining jazz”. endary artists Nancy King and Andrea grew up on Ballan- Jay Clayton and Grammy nom- tyne North, where her parents inee Gretchen Parlato. David and Susan still reside. Andrea is thrilled to be re- She credits her early interest in turning to Montreal for a special music and performance to the concert at the Segal Centre as

photo: Rebecca Blissett strong choir program at Edin- part of their Power Jazz Series burgh School, followed by an on Sunday, May 28 at 8 pm. She extensive theatre education at may even include a few songs in Andrea Superstein Jazz vocalist is making waves on the Royal West Academy where she honour of her musical theatre Canadian jazz scene. Her most recent album What Goes On performed in numerous musi- days at Edinburgh and RWA. peaked at #4 on the Canadian National Jazz Chart and the cals and explored an interest in Tickets are available at segal- record was also voted as one of the top five vocal jazz albums directing. She returned to partic- centre.org or by calling 739- of 2015. ipate in one of RWA’s first 7944.

Montreal West-End Operatic Society MoWest “Bottoms Up” Dear Friends, Thank you for all the support you have given the Montreal West-End Operatic Society Diaper Drive over the years. What a glorious time we’ve had for almost 80 theatrical seasons! MWOS is in the process of going dormant for a time to regain its strength. Once sol- In honour of Mother’s Day, please th vency is attained by selling assets and appealing for charitable donations, we hope to move give generously to the 6 annual towards production again. Your support is vital to our success. Charitable donation receipts MoWest Bottoms Up Diaper Drive in will be issued to all those who make MWOS a gift of $10 or more, and include a return ad- benefit of the NDG Food Depot. dress. If you value live performance and the continuance of your local theatrical society Please drop off your diapers and (nearing its 80th anniversary), please send donations payable to MWOS Donations, 4381 powdered baby formula from April 24- Walkley Avenue, Montreal, QC. H4B 2K4. May 12 at the John A. Simms Commu- For more information: [email protected] or 990-8813 (#6). Online donations - via nity Centre (8 Westminster South) Canada Helps: canadahelps.org/dn/10153.Thank you! A gift in any amount is most grate- from 8:30-4:30 Monday to Friday. fully received. Your support is appreciated more than you could possibly know. Sincerely, Campagne de Rod MacLeod, President, MWOS couches : M-O « Bottoms Up »

En l’honneur de la fête des mères, S.V.P. donner généreusement à la 6e campagne de couches : M-O « Bot- toms Up » au profit du Dépôt alimen- taire NDG. S.V.P. déposer vos couches et for- mule pour bébé en poudre du 24 avril au 12 mai au Centre communautaire de John A. Simms (8 Westminster Sud) de 8:30-4:30 du lundi au vendredi. 4 M a i l b o x

Community recreation centre project palities, that usage is very high. In terms of hockey usage, Côte Saint-Luc is at 0.88%, Lachine is at 0.88% and Westmount is at MoWest, with crumbling ulation. The other 95.8% will be paying for 1.97%. Why provide facts that may actually infrastructure, seriously bro- the 4.2% usage. The mayor neglected to in- refute his position? ken sidewalks, grandiose proj- form residents of these other results. The In the letter written by Ania Barnes on ects and virtually no source of Town has a debt of $15.6M. With the addi- behalf of her mother, Zofia Richter, she commercial revenue. We are among the tional borrowing of at least $7.5M that the opens her letter speaking of cru mbling in- highest taxed communities on the Island. Town is proposing to finance the arena (for frastructure and broken sidewalks and our Poor cousins to larger, richer cities like a total debt of $23.1M), our taxes will high taxes. Our tax rate has historically CSL, Westmount and Hampstead who use surely increase again. The town is too small been high, that is not something that came our services which we pay for. to sustain such a debt load. If you do not about eight years ago. She fails to mention We just cannot afford to get further in want to see additional increases, please that more work has been done in the past debt with tempting government grants. email your MNA Katherine Weil at cabi- eight years repairing our infrastructure than We cannot tolerate anymore fiscal irre- [email protected]. probably the past 40 years in this Town. sponsiblity. Projects like the expensive dog And the urgency to address these problems park, fancy curbs and overpriced bumps. William Dere Wolesley North is because the money was NOT spent in the Now an arena complex? past. We are continuing the work this year How will we pay for it? We need to tear Mayor’s response (Brock N. and Ballantyne N. between Sher- up the credit cards and get our priorities in brooke and Curzon) and next year (Percival order. Needs, not wants. In response to the two letters written op- between Nelson and the dead-end) thanks I vote NO to the arena project because I posing the proposed community recreation to close to $2M in grants we have been want an affordable Town for my grandchil- centre project, I would like to correct many awarded. In fact, all of the major projects dren to live in. of the false assertions. we have undertaken have been subsidized Zofia Richter In the letter written by Mr. Dere, he ac- by grants over the past eight years. Hudson Avenue cuses me of cherry picking the results, but She mentions “fancy curbs.” I assume Resident since 1957 in my opinion, he is completely ignoring she refers to the curb extensions on West- many facts. He was at the meeting where minster. Those curb extensions have led to I don’t know if the April, the pollster revealed the fact that 54% of the a 25% increase in proper stops at those in- 2017 edition of The Informer is survey respondents were in favour of the tersections by motorists coming down the usual April Fool’s joke or project in general and 52% were in favour Westminster. You call that increased pedes- not, but the report from the if the additional tax bill was $100 or less. trian safety “fiscal irresponsibility (sic)”? Mayor made it sound like he was at a dif- But Mr. Dere conveniently ignores that And she continues by trying to negatively ferent meeting than the one I attended to point in his letter. He also conveniently ig- portray the “expensive dog park.” That dog discuss the results of the survey on the pro- nores the facts that 68% of respondents park also solved a 20-30 year old problem. posed new arena. The mayor cherry-picked with children at home and 71% of respon- She mentions “Needs not wants.” Well, the survey results to make it sound like a big dents that currently use our facilities also in my opinion, the Town needs to keep in- majority of MoWest residents are in favour support this project as proposed. vesting in its infrastructure, in its parks, in of the new arena. He then mentions that our current arena its buildings and in the variety of its serv- Whereas the true facts only had 40% is used by 4.2% of our residents. But, true ices. THAT’S what will keep our Town a supporting the arena at $200 tax increase to form, he does not mention the facts that desirable place for people with families to and 27% support at $300 tax increase. The I spelled out in that same meeting that when live in. users of the arena are only 4.2% of the pop- we compare ourselves with other munici- Beny Masella, Mayor

JANE F. LEE, B.Sc., D.D.S. Chirurgien Dentiste - Dental Surgeon

63 WESTMINSTER N MONTREAL WEST H4X 1Y8 369-0255 5 R o t a r y HALAH AL-UBAIDI N D G C o m m u n i t y C o u n c i l

Halah still can not understand how you The event is a fundraiser for local and In- can have poverty in a country like Canada ternational Rotary charities. Locally, we are and works on getting housing for the under- supporting the NDG Food Depot with cook- privileged. She showed us the demograph- ing classes sponsored by Rotary. We also ics of NDG and said there were four areas support the MoWest Canada Day, Royal where there is poverty: Benny Farm, St. West science fair, YMCA Strong Kids as Raymond, Walkley and Westhaven Village. well as many others. Internationally we are Halal said they are trying to create new helping a Rotary Club in Peru that gives initiatives, but she said she spends a lot of free medical/dental clinics using volunteer time writing and looking for funding and doctors and dentists. For many years we has a hard time keeping her staff as she does have supported CYMA, Canadian Youth to not have the funding to pay them what they Armenia: young people rebuilding schools are worth. and hospitals. We support the Rotary Foun- Lobsterfest dation that gives scholarships and works Saturday, June 3 with the World Health Organization on Halah gave us a short his- polio eradication. tory lesson on the NDG Com- The T. Peter Webster Memorial Lobster Join us! This event is a fun family event munity Council. It was started in Festival, sponsored by the Rotary Club of and has been my favourite Rotary event over 1942 and is celebrating its 75 th Montreal Westward will take place on Sat- the years. Hope to see many of you there. For anniversary this year. She has been working urday June 3 6:30 pm at the Arena. The cost tickets please contact me (Doug Yeats) at at the council for the last 11 years and just for this all you can eat event is $85 per per- [email protected]. This event is like Rotary you get addicted to it. son with children 16-years and under half limited to 400 tickets and usually sells out. It was started during World War II be- price and 8 and under free as long as both Speakers and events of note cause of a high incidence of juvenile delin- groups are accompanied by an adult. In quency in the area as fathers were overseas 2016 we were able to give tax receipts of • May 25: Kathleen Weil, MNA, Minister at war and mothers were working and trying $50 for each $85 ticket; we expect the of Immigration and Inclusiveness to keep families together. amount to be about the same this year. • Saturday June 3: Lobsterfest During 2015-2016 Halah said the NDG We serve wonderful all you can eat lob- Come join us for lunch Community Council worked with 4500 res- ster as well as boeuf bourguignon, salad and idents from 325 different groups. They try dessert. There will be a variety of other The Rotary Club of Montreal Westward to bring people together. Their strategic foods (cold cuts, bread and buns, desserts, meets Thursdays at the Town Hall. Lunch- plan is to mobilize residents to work on is- coffee, tea, etc.) and a cash bar serving a va- eon is served at 12:30 pm with speaker at sues to improve the quality of life of resi- riety of beers, red and white wines and var- around 1 pm. Cost for a guest is $20. For in- dents and support local initiatives. They ious other alcoholic beverages along with formation please contact Doug Yeats at provide services that are essential for some soft drinks and juices. There will be a silent [email protected]. residents such as the NDG Food Depot , auction along with a live auction for some housing and Le Bonhomme à Lunettes. items and a raffle draw. from Doug Yeats

Pâtisserie Pâtisserie de la Gare de la Gare A French Tradition

Breuvages glacés disponible à partir du 1er mai. Iced drinks available from May 1st. Salon de Thé • Smoothies • Thé glacé maison/homemade iced tea • Café glacé/iced coffee Boulangerie - Pâtisserie • Limonade maison/homemade lemonade Traiteur DR. SUSAN McDONALD La fête du croissant Dentist • Dentiste Yann Botrel samedi le 6 mai : croissant à 1$ chacun Saturday, May 6: croissant $1 each

24, rue Westminster Nord 73 WESTMINSTER N. Montréal-Ouest, Québec Monday-Friday: 7 am - 6 pm MONTREAL WEST H4X 1Y8 514 484.7565 Saturday, Sunday: 8 am - 5 pm 486-4411 6 Edinburgh School Annual storytelling contest

Kaï Bondin, Katerina Bruce and Katherine Mac- Nab were the finalists in the annual Edinburgh story- telling contest. Kaï’s winning story is a humorous tale called: The Day I Bled all Over my Childhood Hero based on a true story. The story recalls the time Kaï’s met his favorite author and childhood hero Geronimo Stilton at the Dictée PGL finals last year. While Kaï was writing the Dictée on stage, he had a nose- bleed. Geronimo Stilton, the guest of honour, went to help him, but, unfortunately, at that inopportune moment Kaï sneezed; hence the title of Kaï’s story. The story presented by Katerina Bruce and Katherine MacNab Un voyage aux Bahamas is about two adventurous 12-year-old girls, who went on a cruise ship in the Bahamas. One was a little bit too curious and fell overboard. When her friend decided to come to her rescue, they found themselves stranded in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. How will they find their way back? Katherine MacNab, Kaï Bondin and Katerina Bruce

Science fair is distributed monthly for the entire Edin- year and will be representing our school at Edinburgh held its first Expo-Science on burgh community. the international competition. The semi-fi- March 16. The grade five and six student The following is a Flash article written nalists for this competition were Kaï Blondin exhibited their science projects in the gym. by Xavier Maclaren. (grade 6), Theo Radhakrishna and Olivier The students were judged by a panel of vol- Bazinet (grade 5). We raised $920 in total! unteer teachers and science experts during At Edinburgh School, several awaited I would also like to announce that the the day. In the evening, parents were invited events have occurred during the past months. Expo-Science was an enormous success to the school where students presented and For example, the storytelling competition for Edinburgh School and many students demonstrated their projects. and La Dictée PGL happened recently at our from grades 5 and 6 will be participating in The parents and students would like to school and we, as students, are proud of hav- the regional finals, including grade 6 stu- extend a huge thank you to Mr. El Hama, ing participated in these events. dents Samantha Marino, Siena O’Neil, the Edinburgh science teacher, for bringing First of all, I would like to announce that A.J. Itovitch, myself and Stone Aitkin. All our winners for storytelling this year are the of the projects presented were spectacular such a great new tradition to Edinburgh th school. 6 graders Katherine McNab and Katerina and the event was a huge success. The Flash newspaper Bruce. Their story was Un voyage aux Ba- Finally, during the month of February, article hamas. Our newspaper editor, Kaï Blondin, our school collected 40 boxes of donations also won with his story The Day I Bled all for the NDG Food Depot. This is a school The Edinburgh Flash is a newspaper Over my Childhood Hero! record! Many grade 6 students helped pro- written, edited and published by budding re- Secondly, I am proud to say that I, Xavier, mote the food drive and sort donations. Vol- porters in the grade six classes. The paper have won the Dictée PGL for our school this unteers are always needed! 7 Elizabeth Ballantyne School Adult Library The EBS Green Team joined Super Recyclers on the “Green Side”

The EBS Green Team initi- Christopher, Michael, Luciano, Bran- ated a new fundraising cam- don, Chiara, Islay, Ben and Noah. Their New extended hours! paign; our motto is “Join the adult helpers are our behaviour technicians Saturday: noon-4 pm Green Side.” We collected used (Carmy and Roen) and our child care Monday-Thursday: 10 am-4 pm clothing (indoor and outdoor), worker (Crystal). and 7-9 pm linens and footwear. Super Recyclers paid Earth Day (no lunch time closures!) us 25¢ for each kilogram of clothing col- lected. We love Super Recyclers because We celebrated Earth Day with the fol- they redistribute what they can and actually lowing events: recycle the rest of the clothing. The cam- • April 21: schoolyard cleanup and lit- paign ran until April 25 and profits from this terless lunch campaign will finance EBS green initiatives. • April 24: Our ban on plastic water The Green Team is working on many bottles began. Students were encour- other ongoing projects as well – we have a aged to bring reusable water contain- rooftop beehive, a Recycling Club and team ers for the rest of the school year. members pick up compost from all the classrooms several times a week. Student JOIN THE “GREEN SIDE” members of the Green Team are Ronan, WITH THE EBS GREEN TEAM!

Hello neighbors, residents and library members. I just wanted to introduce myself as the new librarian at the MoWest Public Library. Please come in and say hello! Debbie M. New additions

Fiction Carter, Miranda The Devil’s Feast Cummings, Charles A Divided Spy Iles, Greg Mississippi Blood London, Joan The Golden Age Oates, Joyce Carol On May 14, The Book of American Martyrs Say Mystery “Happy Mother’s Day” French, Tana The Trespasser Gardner, Lisa Right Behind You to all the loving Mark, David Dead Pretty Moms in your life! Winspear. Jacqueline In This Grave Hour Non-fiction We’ll be open at 6 am on May 14 Britton, Sarah Naturally Nourished or you can call us to pre-order Cerqueira, Elisabeth your flowers! Superfoods Anti-Aging King, Ross Mad Enchantment from your friends O’Reilly, Terry This I Know at your MoWest DVDs Flower Shop The Commitments, Victoria Season 1, Fences The Knick Season 2, Age Reversing Workouts, A French Village Season 6. 8 École des Amis-du-Monde

Judith Baylin-Stern, M.A. Un apprentissage qui « pique » notre curiosité Senior Clinical Psychologist Ordres des Psychologues du Québec Depuis l’année scolaire 2015-2016, notre école dispose d’une belle ruche. Grâce à la 438-881-3223 compagnie Alvéole, nous avons eu le plaisir de récolter le miel Web: www.baylinstern.com produit par nos abeilles au printemps 2016. Email: [email protected] C’était une belle production que nous avons Office: Mo ntreal West pu déguster et il était plus que délicieux! Cette année, la compagnie Alvéole nous Expertise in: offre différents ateliers auxquels certaines • Psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural classes auront le plaisir de participer. Tout e psychoanalytic, psychoneurological d’abord, une classe de 2 année et une autre therapy, hypnotherapy, holistic- de 5e année assisteront ensemble à un pre- transpersonal, EFT (tapping), IFS mier atelier portant sur l’introduction aux • Therapy through art, mindfulness, abeilles et à l’apiculture urbaine. L’anima- movement, sound, and voice dialogue tion se fera dans la classe des plus grands, Experience in addressing: permettant aux élèves plus jeunes de visiter une classe de niveau supérieur. Life transitions (death, dying, palliative, Par la suite, un deuxième atelier sera loss/mourning, anger management, per- e e sonal growth, creativity, depression, anxi- présenté à un groupe de 2 et un groupe de 5 ety/panic, stress, sexual issues… année. Celui-ci parlera des abeilles et de leur rôle dans notre alimentation. Les élèves com- Clientelle: prendront alors mieux certaines des raisons Nous apprenons à nos élèves que la lec- Individuals, couples and families d’être de notre décision d’avoir opté pour la ture est importante pour la culture, mais présence d’une ruche à notre école. également pour le plaisir. Lire en français Finalement, le dernier atelier, auquel as- favorise leur appropriation de la langue et strictly confidential sisteront des groupes de 1e et de 3e année, leur permet d’apprendre à communiquer sera celui de l’ouverture de la ruche, à dans une langue commune. C’est un beau savoir tout ce qu’il est nécessaire de faire au tremplin qui leur permet de plonger dans un printemps pour que celle-ci soit fonction- monde de savoir. nelle. Une visite dans la capitale À la fin de l’année scolaire 2016-2017, nos élèves seront de vrais petits experts de Le député d’Arcy-McGee, M. David nos amies les abeilles. Birbaum, accueillera nos élèves de la 5e Un Croque-Livres année au Parlement de Québec le 25 avril qui a du mordant prochain. Après une visite du Parlement, les élèves auront le plaisir de visiter le La présence de notre Croque-Livres de- Vieux Québec, accompagnés de leurs en- vant l’école favorise la participation de la seignants, d’un membre du service de communauté et permet à nos jeunes lecteurs garde, de la technicienne en éducation spé- WE MAKE IT, YOU BAKE IT! de croquer à pleines dents dans les divers cialisée et de la direction de l’école. Une livres qui leur sont offerts. Les livres de tous belle sortie en perspective qui leur permet- âges et de toutes cultures peuvent y être dé- tra de découvrir notre belle capitale. Ils y posés, à condition, bien sûr, que cela convi- passeront la journée complète et ne revien- “The best pizza in Montreal,” enne à des jeunes d’âge primaire. Nous dront qu’en soirée. – says a satisfied customer encourageons donc tous ceux et celles qui Une belle aventure à suivre lors de la ont des livres à donner à passer par notre prochaine parution de l’Informer en mai établissement afin d’y déposer leur précieux puisqu’ils seront invités à rédiger un article See selections available don. Nos élèves en seront grandement re- pour raconter leur belle expérience. and place your connaissants. À suivre... order online at pizzamamasofia.com Dr. Mark Santaguida, O.D. Family Law Solutions Home delivery only $3 docteur en optométrie / optometrist Bilingual Services Mediation Drafting of Cohabitation • examen de la vue • eye exams Litgation Contracts • lunettes • glasses Coaching Representation of Children 6705 Sherbrooke West • verres de contact • contact lenses Joint Applications Parental Coordination • consultation laser • laser consultation for Divorce Unbundling of Legal Services La solution McConomy (514) 486-7672 514 481-4791 514.866.4666 en droit Collard 43a av. Westminster Ave. N. Mtl West,QC H4X 1Y8 mceavocats.com Eustace de la famille INC. 9 Royal West Academy

Again this year, all the projects were housed in the new gym SCIENCE FAIR where judges from both the academic and professional worlds eval- uated the students’ work during the morning. And in the early after- noon and evening, the Science Fair opened up to visitors and students a huge success from two nearby elementary schools. The day ended with the awards ceremony. A full listing of those Almost 400 students from Grades 8-11 participated awards can be found on the RWA website. Congratulations to all in the 28th annual RWA Science Fair on February 23. of this year’s participants! And congratulations to the following students who participated in the Montreal Regional Science and Technology Fair at Concordia University, March 26-28: Zachary Dahan and Peter Delis Great Distinction; McGill University - Faculty of Engineering Award, Yuan Ding and Alexandra Spyridakos Champlain College Science Award; Great Distinction, Alexandra Matos-Gerko and Emma Ranalli Highest Distinction; The Order of Chemists of Quebec Award, Lia Loebenberg Bronze Medal - Senior; Cercles des jeunes naturalistes Award; Concordia University - Faculty of Arts and Science Award; Con- cordia University Faculty of Arts and Science Entrance Bursary; Highest Distinction; Super expo-sciences Hydro-Québec (SESHQ) Experimentation and Design Award, Michael Diouskine and Bhuvan Manojh Concordia University - Science College Award; Distinction, Leia Khairy and Roxana Barin Gold Medal – Junior; Highest Distinction; McGill University - Faculty of Science Award; Super expo-sciences Hydro-Québec (SESHQ) Experimentation & Design Award.

IODE 57 Westminster N. 514.481.0901 What does IODE do Nettoyeurs [email protected] in MoWest?

Habits/Suits Pants: $3.25 Why do we raise money? $7.00 Skirts: $3.50 Education support is a part of the mission of IODE and, in Montreal West, this year we are offering three awards at Elizabeth Ballan- UGGs Bord tyne School to graduating students. $25 Pant Hem One helps to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday by rewarding a boy who has $8 demonstrated good citizenship, for example in the anti-bullying program; it is funded in Free delivery for billings over $30 also seniors’ discount memory of Doris Schurman who lived on www.nettoyeurslavio.com Percival and sent her boys to EBS. Another is from the estate of Marian McLeod, who was a long time member of HMS Victory IODE, is also for citizenship. DESIGNER D’INTÉRIEUR The third, in memory of Helen Reid, a former IODE Life member and Regent of www.nadinethomson.com t.450.247.2259 the chapter and a long time member of the 514.775.2259 MW Curling Club, is for a student who has shown marked effort and improvement in physical education. Janet King President, IODE HMS Victory Chapter 10 GRAEME CLYKE: continued from page 1 EXCLUSIVELY USING ECO-FRIENDLY SOLVON K4 Graeme’s wife, Betty-Lou, is much more outgoing saying that in the induction cere- • Biodegradable • Odourless mony in Ottawa, when the name and portrait of Viola Desmond, was announced and re- • Dermatologically safe • Oganic vealed, she had goose bumps. • Non-toxic • 100% Green Viola’s story all at no extra cost The story of Viola Desmond has touched Canada’s psyche mainly due to the tireless effort of Viola’s baby sister, Wanda. Born in 1916 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Viola was one of ten siblings. After briefly teaching in racially segregated black schools she de- cided on a career change and went to Mont- real, Atlantic City and New York to study to be a beautician. She returned to Halifax to open Vi’s Studio of Culture within her husband’s barbershop. Success came and teacher, Hugh Frankel, who invited Aunt Viola died in 1965 and 45 years quickly and soon she opened her own Graeme to work with him. For much of his later she was granted a posthumous pardon, beauty school and created a line of beauty career he worked as a freelance photogra- the first to be granted in Canada. The gov- products aimed at black women. pher and dark room technician doing wed- ernment of Nova Scotia apologized for It was while she was expanding her busi- dings, portraits, engineering projects and prosecuting her for tax evasion, recognizing ness ventures that she happened to be in was hired to photograph and do darkroom her struggle against racism. She had a New Glasgow in 1946. Her car broke down work at Expo ’67, Man and his World and stamp issued with her portrait in 2012 and and while it was being repaired she decided the ’76 Olympics. In 1970 he opened a ferry was launched with her name that to see a movie. She was unaware that a Graeme Sights and Sounds on Westminster, travels between Halifax and Dartmouth in movie ticket sold to an African-Canadian an interesting combination of photography 2016. meant she had to sit in the balcony. She sat and records. The store lasted until ’72 when When Canadians were asked to submit on the main level and theatre staff de- Graeme decided to go back to school in the names of women who could be considered manded she move; she refused. Police came evening and in ’81 obtained his Bachelor of to be on the $10 bill, there were over 26,000 and dragged her out. Her hip was injured Fine Arts. In ’83 to ’86 he opened names submitted. Viola is the first female and she spent the night in jail. The follow- Graeme’s Photo Studio on Sherbrooke St. other than the queen to be on a Canadian ing morning she was fined $20 and charged and in ’86 moved his studio to 14 Milner. In bill that will be issued in ’18, the first Cana- with defrauding the government of Nova ’90 Graeme suffered a heart attack and has dian, and the first person of African de- Scotia of the tax levied between the ground somewhat slowed down, still doing free- scent. When she is labeled Canada’s Rosa floor and the balcony, a sum of one cent! lance work. He now watches over his Parks, Betty-Lou says that Viola came first She decided to fight the charges and she mother, Emily Davis Clyke, who at 103 is and Rosa is really America’s Viola eventually won an appeal legally ending a resident at the Waldorf. His son, also Desmond. The hardest part of this honour segregation in Nova Scotia in 1954. named Graeme, attended Elizabeth Ballan- for Graeme and Betty-Lou was keeping the Remembrances tyne and Loyola, works in communication secret of the unveiling of this news for two equipment and lives in the Plateau. whole weeks. Graeme remembers meeting his famous aunt a few times. When he was very young he met her at family gatherings in Halifax, where he was born, and around the age of 16 when he was sent to New York City where aunt Viola was then living. He re- members her as a very astute business- woman. Graeme’s family moved to Montreal while he was still a youngster and he grew up in the city’s St. Henri district. His sister’s best friend was a girl named Betty-Lou Headley, and they all played together and now, as we move the clock ahead, they re- cently celebrated their 54th anniversary. They have lived in the Montreal West/ NDG area since 1962. Graeme always had an “artistic eye” attending art classes with Arthur Lismer at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and then École des Beaux Arts in photography and art. After graduation he got a call from well-known photographer 11 $90 Flat-fee Virus Removal Service Why choose just anyone, Ultrasoft/Richard Eckerlin when you can move with 30+ years experience Stephen Coull B. Comm. 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refraction of light resulting in the produc- tion of rainbows. They conducted an exper- iment with Glo Germ to see how well different hand washing techniques worked. (The solution will glow under a black light. So when a young lady would say: “I washed my hands”...the light will show her how well she did actually wash her hands. Brownies Brownies have been busy planting sham- rocks for spring. They also worked on their key to STEM (Science, Technology, Engi- neering and Math). They have learned how math is important when using money. A mock store was set up to give the girls a chance to “shop.” The girls were given Mo- nopoly money to buy and make change. They had fun with science experiments as well. They could see the result of a chemi- photos: Christine Downey cal reaction between vinegar and baking soda when their balloons were inflated. They had a chance to make their very own Sparks with tornados in bottles silly putty. As part of learning about com- puter safety, there was a discussion about Thank you! from our unit attended the provincially or- online safety. Spring has sprung, and the cookie sales ganized Sparks in Space event. There were Guides are going very well. Thank you to Montreal over 100 Sparks gathered from across the West and the neighbouring communities for province to spend the day together learning The Guides have had a chance to explore your continued support of this major how much fun science can be. They all took the different Guide uniforms over the years. fundraiser for the Girl Guides. We could not part in making a comet, an activity led by At a meeting in early April, one of the do all the wonderful programming we offer two scientists from McGill. The girls also Guides wore her grandmother’s uniform the girls without the funds generated from had a chance to travel through the universe; from the 1950s. The girls were surprised to the sale of cookies. The cookie blitz the sec- they built space stations and learned about see how different it was compared to the ond weekend of April was a huge success. Chris Hadfield and different constella- current one. The Guides were also lucky In two hours, the group of seven girls sold tions, just to mention a few of the activities enough to have a visit from Gigi, one of the 6.5 cases of cookies! The girls were very which filled their day. By the time it came current Co-District Commissioners for proud of their accomplishment! to go home, they were all exhausted! Monklands District. Gigi is full of energy In our Sparks meeting we continued and fun ideas for girls of all levels. She took Sparks with the science theme. The girls tried their time to enrol Alex, the newest leader to join hand at making their own tornado in a bot- the MoWest unit, as a Guide Guider. It was The Sparks unit has been having fun tle. They became proficient at flying air fun for the girls to be part of the ceremony. with science. On April 1, some of the girls planes they had built. They witnessed the Next on the list, plans are under way for the traditional camp to be held at the end of May with the Sparks, Brownies and Guides from our wonderful local community. Composed with the help of General Contractor all the MoWest Guiders Quality. Value. Style. Contact us for all of your renovation and home restoration projects

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RBQ 5625-7694-01 13 Montreal West Scout Group

What do you do with the arena filled with over 3000 units of garden supply products? You get all of the Scouts, ages 6 to 20, plus their families and friends to come on a Friday night and Saturday morning to deliver them. And this is exactly what happened! We all dressed in our old clothes, gloves on our hands and filled all sorts of vehicles to the brim and traipsed around MoWest, neighbouring communities and even as far away as Ottawa. Many thanks to everyone who supported our Scout Group once again; your generous purchases will go a long way to keep our programs healthy and strong for the next year. Our sales were increased this year par- ticularly through the efforts of our Scouts Cub leaders with winners of Kub Kar rally: front row: Lucas, Elliot, Sebastian, Sophie; back row: Bob, Dave, Philippe, who will receive a percentage of their sales Brendan, Lee-Ann, Robert, Erica toward their jamboree expenses. FYI – the MW Scout Group has been make the event a huge success. The month Bombardier’s idea to build a winter vehi- running this spring fundraiser for 40+ years. of April has been dedicated to completing cle because of a blizzard that made it im- A Proud Community Tradition! requirements for stars and planning the possible to bring his ill son to the hospital. Rainbow (Karen Johnstone) spring trip to Ottawa where they will help The Scouts decided to create a prototype of celebrate our Nation’s 150 years, sleep in the Ski-Doo that could transport injured Beavers the Aviation Museum, have a tour of Par- people in difficult Canadian terrain. liament and visit other Ottawa sites. While the MW Scouts did not win the top The Beavers have been in fine form this Scouts prize, they are finalists. Their idea will be month! As busy as ever they celebrated included in the Scouts Canada’s New STEM Earth Day by discussing recycling and The Scout Group built a Ski-Doo model, program and will be shown at the Scout reusing products by folding newspapers which works as a SAR (Search and Rescue) camp Jamboree in Nova Scotia this July. into small containers to place inside their mobile, for the Scouts Canada STEM (Sci- The MW Scouts were the only troop in compost buckets at home. (I think they had ence, Technology, Education and Mathe- Quebec to be included in the finals and we more fun wearing the buckets on their matics) contest. To enter the national Scout are very proud of them. This group of boys heads.) They also planted sunflower seeds STEM contest, the Scouts were to improve is only between 11 and 12 years of age, that we hope to plant somewhere around the on a Canadian invention. The Scouts chose younger than most of the other participants. Town in May. One evening was spent on bi- to improve on the Ski-Doo because they The Scouts plan to represent Quebec at the cycle safety and another on challenges to wanted to use a Quebec invention and are STEM exhibit at the Canadian Jamboree in become more physically fit. all very enthusiastic about snowmobiles. Nova Scotia this summer. A special thank The last meeting of April saw our Third The Scouts researched the history of the you goes to one of our Rovers, Slater Year Beavers Swim-Up to join the Cub Ski-Doo and were inspired to create the Covenden, who advised and aided the boys Pack. They will be missed, but we are so SAR mobile based on Joseph-Armand in this ambitious project. Well done guys! proud of them! All of the Beavers are gearing up for their exciting sleepover at Cap St. Jacques at the end of May. Some of the White Tail Beavers will be joining the Cubs for their Dr. Michael J. Wexel spring trip to Ottawa. Chiropractor Cubs

The Cub Pack held their annual Kub Kar Low Back Pain Neck Pain Rally at Edinburgh school on Wednesday, Muscle Pain Headaches & Migraines March 29. The cubs were given three weeks Numbness & Tingling Stiffness in March to turn a simple block of wood into a racing car, and were asked to come Nutritional Counseling Sports Related Injuries up with imaginative designs. Inspiration CSST & SAAQ Wellness & Preventative Care was drawn from TV, movies and video games such as The Simpsons, Pokémon and Star Wars. Awards were given to the three fastest racers as well as to the best design. 773-7246 This year’s best design was a car that re- sembled a slightly unwrapped Hershey’s 18 Westminster N., Suite 110 chocolate bar. Special thanks to David Roy Call For An Appointment Today So You Can Feel Better Tomorrow. (our Master Track Builder) who helped 14 Thessiane Mbaïngo News from the pews

continued from page 1 MW United If you haven’t heard Rev. Mark Ham- At the age of 28 she became pregnant mond yet, you have a treat in store. Join us ….the brick one and gained 60 pounds. She had to start any Sunday at 10 am, 88 Ballantyne N. Re- again and this time worked with a coach Book Browse Plus!! freshments follow. For information call 482- who insisted the road to a healthier body 3210 or visit mwuc.org. All are welcome. So Saturday, May 6 from 9:30-3 is your was a total life style commitment, with a chance to pick up books, CDs, DVDs, puz- from Susan Upham healthy diet, and consistent workouts at zles, games and more – for a song – so to least three times a week. Today Thessiane speak. Wadsworth Hall will have tables is a certified personal trainer with canfitpro. upon tables of enticing things that are being St. Ignatius of Loyola She was always able to easily build mus- recycled for your pleasure. Come have a cle tone and took part in a number of centennial! coffee and peruse. No rush – just take your provincial body building contests, winning time gathering up a new batch of books, etc. first place in the Quebec provincial cham- When the Jesuits priests opened Loyola We will have bags, boxes and perhaps pionship in the medium figure competition College, now the Loyola campus of Concor- wheel barrows, if necessary, for you to take in 2012. dia, in 1916 the student chapel was housed them home in. Hope to see you there. Thessiane’s sister, Janice, who lives in in the east wing basement of the junior or Toronto, was working out with Lyzabeth Family Sunday, May 14 high school building (now the psychology Lopez, a personal trainer, holistic nutrition- building). Local residents from western ist and TV personality who has franchised The Sunday school will be taking the NDG and Montreal West soon began attend- her methods to fitness centers in Ontario. worship service on Mother’s Day. Always ing mass in the chapel, and in 1917, this be- Her sister’s enthusiasm for the Hourglass fun to see them up in the chancel telling us came the St. Ignatius of Loyola mission. Workout led Thessiane to go to Toronto to what is on their minds. Under Brenda In 1933, the Smith family built the Loy- be trained and eventually open up her own Murray’s leadership, a creative message ola College chapel building and basement franchise in Montreal. She chose the indus- will unfold no doubt. hall on Sherbrooke Street, which St. Ig- trial space on Ronald Drive because it’s Sunday school winds down natius parishioners shared with the college, central for the majority of her clients, who the high school and the Jesuit communities. come mainly from LaSalle, Lachine, NDG, Sunday, May 28 will be our last day of In the 1960s it became obvious the parish and Côte Saint-Luc. The location is private, Sunday school and of the nursery service was outgrowing its facilities, so plans were quiet, there is free parking and there is a for the season. Then following the service, made to build the current church building nearby park to exercise outdoors. there will be hot dogs and sandwiches. Not on West Broadway. The iconic building was Compared to other female-only gyms, to be missed. opened in 1966 and consecrated as the new there are no machines, the workout period Final Labyrinth Walk of the season parish church in 1967. In 1982 the Jesuits is longer, and not everyone is doing the turned over the parish to the Archdiocese of same thing as everyone else. The facility is Tuesday, May 30 between 7 and 9 will Montreal, and, since that time, it has been open five days a week at five different time be our last indoor Labyrinth Walk of the led by diocesan priests. Fr. Michael slots and moms can bring their young chil- season. Come to Wadsworth Hall prepared Leclerc, a former MoWest resident, has dren. Nahla, Thessiane’s seven-year-old to walk in your socks or slippers and we been leading the parish since 2013 and was daughter, is a regular visitor who would like will have the Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth named pastor in 2016. to be a trainer just like her mother. At the laid for your individual walking meditation. The parish has been an important part of present time, there are 40 clients ranging (Psst. Don’t tell anyone, but if there is a western NDG, MoWest and Ville St. Pierre from their mid-twenties to mid-fifties, the chance to set up a Labyrinth outside on the for 100 years. We look forward to building average being moms in their mid-thirties. grass that could be left in place for a time, even more concrete ties to the broader com- Every session focuses on one part of the we just might do it. Stay tuned.) munity as we move into our second century. body, such as lower body drills, abs, upper body, circuit training, boxing, or Tabata. Clients create their own schedule. New members can sign up for a thirty-day trial ISABELLE DAVID period for $30. For further information contact: PAPINEAU DOUBT Hourglass Workout 156 Ronald Drive [email protected] hourglassworkout.com

HANCHUN WU, Ac Acupuncture Médecine traditionnelle chinoise FOR THE BEST SERVICE IN TOWN • POUR LE MEILLEUR SERVICE EN VILLE Real Estate Brokers • Groupe Sutton Centre Ouest • Courtiers immobiliers 514-369-1198 14-B Milner 514 483-5800 Montréal-Ouest CSST • SAAQ H4X 1J1 15 News from the pews MW Please join us for our centennial celebra- MW Presbyterian tions on June 18. More info to come in the 50+ Club next issue of The Informer. At the time of writing, Easter weekend is fast approaching. Our Easter Sunday May from Fr. Michael Leclerc service will be especially joyous. Easter Communion will be served and three bap- 3 The Ghost of the Carricks: St. Philip’s tisms will take place. An Irish Famine Odyssey in Our 125th anniversary celebrations draw to Looking back Rural Quebec a close with the celebration of the Feast of St. by Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin Our card party was a tremendous suc- Philip and St. James on Sunday, May 7. CANADA 150 Thank you to all who participated in our ac- cess. We had a sold-out attendance and we tivities, contributed to the “125 for 125 Cam- thank all of our loyal supporters. 5 Cinco de Mayo tea party We send a big thank you to the children paign” for the interior restoration of the tower, 9 Diners’ Club: ALEP and shared memories. We have produced a of our congregation for their enthusiastic commemorative booklet, and still have a few participation in our Palm Sunday service. 15 Coffee with a Cop – 10 am copies available for anyone interested. It’s a boy FREE (breakfast and prizes) The annual spring fair (formerly Book and Bake Sale) is Saturday, May 13. New this Ryan Lekunze, infant son of Ivo 17 Trip to Ottawa: a tour of Vimy year are extended hours – doors now open at Lekunze and Claudine Abangma, was exhibit at the War Museum, a 9 am to accommodate all those seasoned yard born on March 26. Congratulations to Ryan guided tour of Ottawa. the tulip sale shoppers who map out their day’s travels. and his proud parents. festival and lunch Same delicious baked goods, broad selection of used books, plus a dozen or so craft ven- Reminder 23 Movie matinée: Hidden Figures dors (jewelry, art, blankets, knitting and much (2016) more), a yard sale with just about everything, We look forward to seeing many of you and Fr. Jim’s hot dog stand. And if you would at our spring sale and BBQ on Saturday, 30 Bridge like to clean out your attic or basement and May 27 from 9:30 am-2 pm. Weather per- make some cash in the process, you can rent mitting, it will be held outside on the church June a table for just $25. lawn. However, don’t forget to ask if there On Friday, June 9, gospel duo Infinitely are any items being sold in the church hall. 2 Cirque du Soleil: Volta, show More will be back for a concert. We hosted time: 4:30 pm Ongoing them about five years ago and had a won- 28 Upper Canada Playhouse: derful evening with them. See next month’s th Prayer Night: 4 Friday of the month. Barefoot in the Park by Neil Informer for more details on time and ticket Bible Study: Wednesdays, 7 pm in the price. church parlour. Ballantyne entrance. Simon Finally, our refugee family have passed Weekly Sunday service and Sunday their interview with Canadian consular of- school at 10:30 am – followed by a social Overnight trips ficials and have been approved. Now they hour. just need to wait for the required security Hope the Easter Bunny was good to you. Stratford and Shaw Festivals checks and have medical examinations. An June 7-12 arrival date sometime in the fall is more and more likely! from Janet Dimock Plays: Me and My Girl, Androcles and the Lion, Dancing at Lughnasa, The Madness of George III New Brunswick BUDNING PHARMACY August 29-September 3 BIG ENOUGH TO SERVE YOU - SMALL ENOUGH TO KNOW YOU For more information on the MW 50+ Club, please call: 484-6186. 40 Westminster North • FULL SERVICE POST OFFICE Montreal West • PRESCRIPTION SERVICES (514) 481-5665 • FREE DELIVERY Foot clinics www.groupeproxim.ca • PHOTO PROCESSING May 10 & 24 MON TO FRI: 8:30 am - 6:00 pm SAT: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm • GREETING CARDS & FAXING $40 for the first visit $35 for subsequent visits • PET HEALTH SECTION by appointment only 484-6186 16 C h i l d r e n ’s L i b r a r y

Le printemps est là. juin, nous pouvons compter sur leur aide, se- Passez nous voir! $25, a book will be purchased and added to maine après semaine, pour assurer le service the collection in the name of your special Quelle joie de retrouver le printemps! La au comptoir de prêt durant les visites de birthday person. We’ll include a commem- verdure revient enjoliver le parc Strathearn, classe. Une équipe effectue également la ré- orative bookplate and the birthday person les oiseaux sèment la gaieté sur leur passage paration des livres et apprête les nouveaux will be the first to borrow the book! Drop et le soleil illumine notre décor aux couleurs exemplaires avant la mise en circulation. by the library for more information. fraîches. Lorsque vous sortirez prendre l’air Our wonderful volunteers are the heart et admirer les jardins fleuris de notre char- and soul of the library! Their smiling faces Website greet everyone who enters, and their help is mante petite ville, faites un détour pour Thanks to our McGill practicum student, invaluable in getting the books off the venir nous saluer et fureter parmi nos , our wonderful new website is shelves and into the hands of eager readers. Jane Hawco rayons. Vous adorerez votre visite! up and running, and looking great! Have a We’d like to thank all our library volunteers look and let us know what you think: Merci à nos bénévoles for their hard work and dedication! si impliqués! mwcl.ca. Birthday books Comme à tous les mois de mai, nous of- Encore plus de nouveautés frons une petite célébration à nos bénévoles To help you celebrate a special birthday, Nous avons acquis récemment un grand pour les remercier de nous aider à mieux the library continues to offer our popular nombre de nouveaux livres que vos enfants servir notre communauté. De septembre à birthday book program. For a donation of apprécieront assurément. La section « point Linda Wishart and Mary Thicke welcome readers at the reception desk orange » s’est enrichie de nombreux titres pour lecteurs débutants, incluant des livres de LEGO City, Mademoiselle Nancy et Pat le Chat. Nous avons aussi une histoire tirée du film Les Trolls et quelques nouveautés de la série National Geographic. Et pour se renseigner encore davantage sur la nature, la nouvelle série Cycle de vie fait son ap- parition à la section étoile bleue. Abondam- ment illustrés et expliquant les étapes de développement des êtres vivants en termes simples, ces livres plairont assurément aux petits et aux grands.

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481-3406 17 484-6186 Community Centre 484-6186 Red Cross Pool Call to all MoWest artists Babysitting Summer is quickly approaching, and that means the pool is getting ready to 11 years + Art in the Park will be held on Tuesday, open! Our managers and May 27 Rowan Fletcher July 18 in Davies Park in conjunction with are excited to welcome every- Community Centre Mat Canuel La fête Klezmer. This is an outdoor exhibit, one to the pool for another great summer. Learn the skills required to carry out organized by the Recreation and Culture They are joined by assistant managers babysitting duties. Department and is dedicated to encouraging and (or Saturday, 9:30 am-4 pm. Cost: residents: Kristin Zavaglia Soraya Kamen the growth and development of art and cre- as everyone calls her). $60/non-residents: $65 Soso ativity in our community. After a fantastic season last year, our head Artists (painters, photographers, sculp- coaches and Justine Mitchell Phoebe Hir- tors, etc.) are invited to exhibit and sell their Community Centre are returning to direct the swim tle-Kattou artwork during the event at no cost and will team again this summer. They are already be provided with a table and a designated Summer Programs busy designing challenging practices for area in the park. The event is open to appli- their swimmers, and they have some fun ac- cants who are residents or merchants of • Tiny Tots (2 to 4 years olds) tivities up their sleeves too. Keep an eye out Montreal West. The Artist Application Form • Little Buddies (3½ to 5 years old) for this year’s Confederation Swim Meet, in can be found at the Community Centre and • Les Amis (5 to 7 years old) Full honour of Canada150! All pool members are on our website montreal-west.ca. Application • Kidz Klub (7 to 9 years old) encouraged to try out the swim team during deadline is Friday, June 16. For more infor- • Kidz Klub (10-12 years olds) our free trial from June 5-22. Practices run mation call or contact Marian • Creative Adventures (2 to 4 years olds) Monday through Thursday, 5-6 pm. 484-6186 • Summerfest (5 to 7 years old) Scully by email: [email protected]. Summer programs run for eight weeks Diving program starting June 26. Extended care is available Youth for an extra cost. Our diving program is expanding this NEW: Skatepark rental! Outdoor Ex- year after record high enrolment last sum- artists’ showcase press, TRX outdoors and more. mer. Swimmers of all skills are encouraged For more information go to montreal- to join our team and experience the fun! If you are or know an artist who is be- west.ca/registration or call 484-6186. Our skilled coaches, led by returning head tween the ages of 5 and 17 and is a MoWest coach Catherine Rendel-Green, are ex- resident, this is for you. The Recreation De- Special Events cited to welcome you into the diving family. partment is looking for talented painters, This year there are three levels for diving: sculptors, collagists and general artists to development 1 (ages 6-8), development 2 Our first outdoor event is coming soon: display their work during the children’s (ages 8-10) and advanced (11+). The first showcase at the Town Hall this summer. If Tuesday, May 30 levels will help swimmers gain confidence you are interested, the application form can Community Night jumping and diving from the side of the be found at montreal-west.ca or you can and Children’s Dance Festival pool and the diving board. In the advanced We’ll have demos from our ballet and contact Marian Scully at mscully@mon- class, experienced divers will learn more treal-west.ca or 484-1610. The deadline for hip hop dancers, face painting, arts and complex and technical dives. All divers are crafts, BBQ and more. 6-8 pm. applications is June 1. encouraged to participate in the weekly Pieces must be ready to hang with wire Info: montreal-west.ca, 484-6186 meets held on Sunday mornings. Remem- or frame. Pieces that do not require hanging • Tuesday, June 6: Pet Night ber to sign up early, as this program always must be ready for display. • Tuesday, June 13: Multicultural Night reaches capacity! If you want to get involved in Commu- nity Night, Pet Night, Multicultural Night Swim to Survive or Art in the Park, please contact Marian We are also excited to announce a new Visit us on the web Scully [email protected] or 484- program this summer: Swim to Survive. 1610. http://www.bonder.com/ Events are cancelled in case of rain. This intensive course teaches children aged Like our facebook.com/montrealwest 8-12 basic emergency swimming skills. LIBRAIRIE BONDER INC. page for updates or sign up for the Town Children will learn how to survive a fall into BONDER BOOKSTORE Bulletin on our website: montreal- water, how to tread water and how to swim INC. ouest.ca/en/subscribe-to-bulletin/. to safety. As you get ready for summer plans that include going to the beach or lake, make 52 Westminster Avenue N. sure that your child has the basic water Montreal West, Quebec safety skills to stay safe. Swim to Survive takes place from June 9-22, Monday-Thurs- H4X 1Z2 THANK YOU! day, 4-5 pm. Registration is $30 and is open Tel: (514) 484-7131 to members and non-members of the pool. Thanks to all the volunteers from Sign up for all pool programs can be Fax: (514) 484-3745 Villa Maria and Loyola who made our done online on Amilia at montreal- E-mail: [email protected] Cotton Tail Party a success! west.ca/en/registration. If you have ques- tions about the pool, please email us at CALL FOR ANY BOOK IN PRINT [email protected] or call the Com- munity Centre at 484-6186. 18 Town Council Meetings: March

by Carol Foster idents, the approval rate might have been successful and contestation information is higher. It was his personal belief that one available in the Town Hall according to The Mayor reviewed the sta- way the Town could reduce its expenses Councillor Feeney. Claude Gilbert is now tistical details of the Recreation would be to reduce some of the cost of the Acting Director General of the Town, Centre Survey. He also reviewed snow removal by blowing it onto home replacing Stephan Delude and has his hands the answers to many of the comments re- owners’ lawns rather than carting it away. full as he also retains his other duties as ceived on this survey. This information has Councillors Torres, Tasker-Brown and the Town Clerk. been made available on the Town’s website. Mayor all weighed in with responses to this As is her custom, Councillor Feeney Two more government grants have been re- suggestion. There are many factors deter- gave a breakdown of the Town’s expenses ceived. One is in the amount of $1.4 million mining the method of snow removal used. for the past month, noting that approxi- to repair infrastructure on sections of Brock They include time spent, damage to property, mately $100,000 has been spent on keeping and Ballantyne North. Another, in the actual savings provided and the citizens’ the streets and sidewalks safe during winter amount of $570,000, has been allocated to level of service expectations. It was agreed conditions. Flashing crosswalk signage has reconstruct a portion of Percival. The that a proper balance of all these factors has now been installed on the Community Cen- Mayor commented that the Town has been to be considered in the final solution. tre crosswalk, overnight parking tolerance very fortunate to receive so many grants to Thanking Council for finding a way to will be in effect during the Easter and allow ongoing crucial repairs. finally fund the infrastructure work on Bal- Passover holidays and spring leaf blowing First question period lantyne North, a resident living on that will be permitted during the last two weeks street asked what the anticipated timeline of April. Hours are available on the Town’s Several residents had questions about would look like. If all goes well, was the website. the action Council will take now that it has answer from the Mayor, the project will go Councillor Feeney ended her report by the results of the survey in hand. The Mayor to tender in a few weeks. This will be fol- rueing the departure of PSO Simon-Pierre answered that the survey included some lowed by a meeting with the supervising Marcil who was one of the 11 successful questions that will require further research engineer and residents living in the area to candidates (out of 800 applicants) selected by Council, but ultimately no further action have the schedule explained and any prob- to join the police force. Mr. Marcil’s achieve- will take place until the results of the grant lems explored. The work could then be ex- ment was met with a round of applause. application are received. If and when the pected to begin no sooner than mid-May There being no further questions related grant is approved, Council will go back to and finish by fall before frost sets in. to items on this meeting’s agenda, the meet- the citizens for consultation on the fine tun- Councillors’ reports ing was then adjourned. ing of the project. Concerns were raised about how possi- Councillor Torres was the first Coun- ble cost overruns, which will not be covered cillor to report and she emphasized the ef- by the grant, will be dealt with. The Mayor ficiency of the recent clearing of over 30 explained the “design build” concept in centimetres of snow by the Public Works which the builder is presented with a de- staff. She pointed out that this efficiency is tailed plan of a project, names a price and the envy of many residents living in neigh- then assumes responsibility for any cost bouring municipalities. over-runs. In addition to this annual winter effort, Councillor Tasker-Brown added that repairs were made to a broken water main, although “unforeseen issues” will not be a sinkhole and various potholes. Trees were covered by the grant, the estimate the Town trimmed, large debris was picked up and has received contains a generous contin- staff is working on preparing summer gency factor to handle such events. It is equipment. Council’s job to anticipate problems and to Residents, once again, were encouraged ensure careful monitoring of the project as to participate in the Tuesday recycling pick- it proceeds. The Town already has a good ups. Councillor Tasker-Brown noted that track record for overseeing large projects MoWest was far below the average in other while keeping within budget. Towns in this initiative. Work continues on It was mentioned by others that the re- attempts to simplify and clarify the bylaws sponses indicated a very thin margin of con- relating to permit requirements. In particu- sensus and it was therefore crucial that lar the distinctions between maintenance further consultation with citizens occurred. (no permit required) and renovation (permit Again, it was pointed out that no further ac- always required) were emphasized. On a tion can be taken until the results of the happy note for some owners, the permitted grant application are known. Although size of decks has been increased. Council is aware that the margin was thin, Councillor Ulin described the many Councillor Tasker-Brown made it clear that events planned by the Recreation Depart- Council was heartened by the above-aver- ment and made special mention of the pop- age response rate which indicated a high ularity of the March Break offerings. The level of interest. She added that a commit- summer Tuesday Evenings in the Park Real estate broker - Courtier immobilier tee of citizens would be formed to help events will be moved from Davies Park to [email protected] guide the project should it go ahead. Strathearn Park this year due to ongoing A Ballantyne North resident felt that if renovations to the Davies Park playground. steps were taken to reduce the existing tax A meeting to address the city of Mon- (514) 793-5608 burden already levied upon the Town’s res- treal’s property assessment rolls was quite 19 Réunions du Conseil : mars

par Carol Foster Un résident de Ballantyne Nord a relâche. Les mardis soir dans le parc démé- traduction par René Boucher déclaré que si l’on avait pris les moyens de nageront du parc Davies au parc Strathearn réduire le fardeau fiscal perçu des citoyens cet été, en raison des rénovations qui se Le maire a révisé les détails de la ville, le taux d’approbation aurait pu poursuivront au terrain de jeux du parc statistiques du sondage sur le cen- être plus grand. Il croyait qu’une façon pour Davies. tre récréatif. Il a aussi revu les réponses à la Ville de réduire ses dépenses serait de Une rencontre d’information sur le rôle plusieurs des commentaires exprimés. Ces diminuer le cout d’enlèvement de la neige d’évaluation foncière de la Ville de Mon- renseignements sont disponibles sur le site en la soufflant sur les terrains avant des pro- tréal a bien fonctionné et des renseigne- Web de la Ville. Deux autres octrois gou- priétés plutôt que de la transporter. ments sur la contestation sont disponibles à vernementaux ont été reçus, dont un de 1,4 Les conseillères Torres et Tasker- l’hôtel de ville, selon la conseillère Feeney. million de dollars pour réparer les infra- Brown et le maire ont répondu à cette sug- Claude Gilbert occupe, par intérim, le structures dans des portions de Brock et gestion. De nombreux facteurs influent sur poste de directeur général de la Ville, en Ballantyne Nord et l’autre, de 570 000 $, le choix des moyens d’enlever la neige. Ils remplacement de Stephan Dulude; il a les devant servir à reconstruire une partie de incluent le temps à y consacrer, les dom- mains bien pleines puisqu’il conserve aussi Percival. Le maire a commenté que la Ville mages aux propriétés, les économies réelles ses fonctions de greffier. était très chanceuse de recevoir autant de et le niveau de service auquel les citoyens À son habitude, madame Feeney a ven- subventions permettant de poursuivre des s’attendent. Il fut convenu que la solution tilé les dépenses de la Ville du mois précé- réparations essentielles. finale doit tenir compte de l’équilibre de dent, signalant qu’environ 100 000 $ avaient Première période de questions tous ces facteurs. été affectés à garder les rues et trottoirs Tout en remerciant le Conseil d’avoir sécuritaires au cours de l’hiver. Un signal Plusieurs résidents avaient des questions trouvé le moyen de finalement financer les clignotant est maintenant en fonction au concernant les actions du Conseil main- travaux d’infrastructure sur Ballantyne passage piétonnier du centre communau- tenant qu’il a en mains les résultats du Nord, un résident de cette rue a demandé taire, on fera preuve de tolérance pour le sondage. Le maire a répondu que certaines quel serait l’échéancier des travaux. Le stationnement pendant la période de la questions exigeront plus de recherche de la maire a répondu que si tout va bien, le pro- pâque juive et de Pâques et il sera permis de part du Conseil, mais qu’en bout du compte, jet ira en appel d’offres dans quelques se- souffler les feuilles mortes au cours des aucune action ne sera entreprise avant ré- maines. Une rencontre entre deux dernières semaines d’avril. Les heures ception de la réponse à la demande de sub- l’ingénieur-surveillant et les résidents du sont indiquées sur le site Web de la Ville. vention. Lorsque la demande sera secteur suivra pour expliquer le calendrier Mme Feeney a conclu son rapport en dé- approuvée, si elle l’est, le Conseil consul- et examiner les problèmes. On pourrait s’at- plorant le départ de l’ASP Simon-Pierre tera à nouveau les citoyens quant au peau- tendre à ce que les travaux ne débutent pas Marcil qui est un des 11 candidats (sur 800) finage du projet. plus tôt qu’à la mi-mai pour se terminer à sélectionnés pour se joindre à la force poli- Des préoccupations concernant la ges- l’automne, avant que le gel s’installe. cière. Des applaudissements ont souligné la tion de possibles dépassements de couts Rapport des conseillères réussite de monsieur Marcil. non couverts par la subvention ont été Aucune autre question relative à des soulevées. Le maire a expliqué la notion La conseillère Torres fut la première à points à l’ordre du jour n’étant posée, la « conception-construction » où l’on pré- présenter son rapport et elle insista sur l’ef- séance a été levée. sente un plan détaillé du projet à un con- ficacité des Travaux publics pour le structeur qui fait alors connaître son prix déneigement de plus de 30 centimètres et assume la responsabilité de tout dé- dernièrement. Elle nota que cette efficacité passement. fait l’envie de nombreux résidents de mu- La conseillière Tasker-Brown ajouta que nicipalités avoisinantes. même si le subside ne couvre pas les « im- En plus de cet effort hivernal annuel, on prévus » l’estimation que la Ville a obtenue a réparé une conduite principale d’aqueduc, comporte de généreux facteurs de contin- un affaissement de la chaussée et des nids- gence pour de tels imprévus. C’est le travail de-poule. Le personnel a émondé des ar- du Conseil d’anticiper les problèmes et d’as- bres, enlevé de gros débris et s’affaire à surer une surveillance prudente du projet en préparer l’équipement estival. cours de réalisation. La Ville possède un bon La conseillère Tasker-Brown a à nou- dossier de supervision de grands projets tout veau incité les résidents à participer à la en respectant les budgets. cueillette du recyclage du mardi. Elle a noté D’autres ont mentionné que les réponses que Mo-Ouest se situe nettement sous la indiquaient un bien mince consensus et moyenne d’autres villes sur ce point. Le tra- qu’il était dès lors crucial de consulter da- vail se poursuit pour simplifier et clarifier vantage les citoyens. Encore une fois, il fut les règlements relatifs aux exigences de per- spécifié qu’aucune autre action ne serait en- mis, particulièrement quant aux distinctions treprise avant d’obtenir réponse à la de- entre entretien (permis non requis) et réno- mande de subvention. Bien que le Conseil vation (permis toujours requis). Sur une soit conscient de l’étroitesse de la marge, la note réjouissante pour certains proprié- conseillère Tasker-Brown a affirmé que le taires, on a augmenté les dimensions per- taux de réponse au-delà de la moyenne, in- mises pour les terrasses. diquant un fort niveau d’intérêt, encou- La conseillère Ulin a décrit les nom- rageait le Conseil. Elle a indiqué qu’un breux évènements planifiés par le service comité de citoyens piloterait le projet s’il des Loisirs et mentionné spécifiquement la devait aller de l’avant. popularité des offres pendant la semaine de 20 Composting in MW: CCOOMMIINNGG EEVVEENNTTSS IMPACTS Please call the editor: Heather at 489-7022 In Montreal, the city’s commitment to environmental sustainability led to the cre- e-mail: [email protected] ation of the Metropolitan Waste Manage- Next deadline: May 10 ment Plan 2015-2020. One objective of this plan is to divert 60% compostable waste MAY from landfills by 2025, with the eventual Fri 5 St-Pierre River ride. Follows the course of the most important aim of banning organic waste from land- fills. To fulfill this commitment, the Town inland river on the island of Montreal from where it is visible on introduced a household organic waste the Meadowbrook golf course to Pointe-à-Callière. Danielle Pla- pickup program in 2013. Since then, we’ve mondon, featured in Lost Rivers, will give you insights of what achieved a diversion rate of approximately 's underground and the environmental effects. Louise will dis- 35%, but we can do better! cuss the river's cultural evolution through its topography. One- By reducing our contribution to landfills, way 30-km bike trip with optional return by metro. Duration: four we are improving soil, water and air quality. hours, numerous stops. Bring water, lunch. Helmets recom- Landfills produce leachate, a type of contam- mended. Meet at Sheraton Park/Côte Saint-Luc Road. Info: inated water that arises from decomposing Louise Chênevert, [email protected], 464-9094. Danielle garbage, which pollutes the soil and can enter 937-3359.Talk: 10:30; departure 11. RSVP REQUIRED water systems. Moreover, the anaerobic Sat 6 Book Browse Plus. MW United. The sale includes used books, (without oxygen) decomposition of organic CD, DVDs and baked goods at very reasonable prices. If you material in landfills produces large amounts want to donate books, CDs or DVDs, please drop them off at of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. the church. No reference books please. 9:30 am-3 pm. Composting not only reduces pollution but also contributes to the revitalization of our St-Pierre River ride. Please see Friday, May 5 above. 2 pm. natural environment, through use as a natural Sun 7 Native Tree Walk. The 90-minute walk will take you on an easy fertilizer and by reducing soil erosion. 1.5 km route around the Town to visit a few dozen native trees. An added benefit under Montreal’s cur- Learn to identify them and their ecological benefits. Sample tree rent waste plan is financial: MoWest re- beverages, visit photo display and specimen table. Meet at St. ceives a rebate from the city based on the Phillip’s Church, 3400 Connaught. Info: Louise Chênevert at 464- percentage of diverted waste per capita. The 9094 or [email protected]. Morning talk at 10 am, walk rebate, however, is expected to end in three at 10:30 am-noon or afternoon talk at 12:30 pm, walk at 1-3:30. years. Considering that the amount of space Falaise St-Jacques. Guided by Patrick Asch, biologist and available for landfills is decreasing, and that founder of Heritage Laurentien. Discover the biodiversity of this the cost of waste transportation and disposal eco-territory and its importance as a wildlife corridor. Meet at is increasing, let’s make the most of the re- Madison/St-Jacques. Duration: two hours. Info: Lisa Mintz at bate while it lasts! Whether it’s through the Town’s home [email protected] or 438-877-2470. 11 am. pickup service, backyard composting (ver- Sat 13 Spring fair. St. Philip’s. 9 am-3 pm. micomposting, anyone?) or composting at Grannies for Good bazaar (women’s clothing, new and slightly Town events, you can do your part to make used). fundraiser for the Grandmothers’ Campaign of the your local and global community greener. Stephen Lewis Foundation. Westmount Park United Church. Info: Miriam Byers, 488-9763.10 am to 6 pm. from Geographic Info Systems Department Wed 17 Informer’s board meeting. Block Tower. All welcome. 7 pm. Thu 25 Municipal taxes due (second installment) Échéance: taxes municipales (deuxième versement) Coffee with the mayor. Community Centre. 7:30 am. Sat 27 Spring sale and BBQ. MW Presbyterian. For info, please call the church office at 484-7913. 9:30 am-2 pm. Ongles, Coiffure, Esthétique Sun 28 Sunday school closing. MW United. Hot dogs follow service. Pedicure, Manicure, Waxing, 10 am Nail Gel, Acrylic Nails, Mon 29 Town Council meeting. Town Hall. 8 pm. Hand Paint Design, Tue 30 Community Night and C hildren’s Dance Festival. Strathearn Eyelash Extensions, Make up, Unisex Park. 6-8 pm. Hair Styling, Colouring, Highlights, Perm, Evening Labyrinth Walk . Wadsworth Hall. MW United. 7-9 pm. Hair Straightening, JUNE Hair Up Do’s Sat 3 Rotary Club of Montreal Westward’s Lobsterfest. Please see Monday - Saturday page 5. 55 avenue Westminster Nord Tue 6 Pet Night. Strathearn Park. 6 pm. 484-0118