MikeCohen.ca

CSL's population increases 2.9 percent as per Stats Can

	Côte-Saint-Luc - Ville (Census subdivision)
Topic	Characteristics		Total
Population and dwelling counts	Population in 2011		32321
Population and dwelling counts	Population in 2006		31395
Population and dwelling counts	2006 to 2011 population change (%)		2.9
Population and dwelling counts	Total private dwellings		14302
Population and dwelling counts	Private dwellings occupied by usual residents		13568
Population and dwelling counts	Population density per square kilometre		4649.1
Population and dwelling counts	Land area (square km)		6.95

Maisons Fleuries contest features District 2 winners

The annual Maisons Fleuries Contest Awards presentation took place at City Hall on October 24, showcasing some of the beautiful work being done by our homeowners , be it in single family dwellings, town houses, duplexes or highrises.

Councillors Sam Goldbloom, Allan J. Levine (left) and former councillor Harold Greenspon co-chaired the event, with our Parks and Recreation Department doing their usual excellent job coordinating a classy  affair. Noted classical  pianist Edwin Brownell was back to entertain the audience with his excellent background music. Edwin provides a certain “zip” to this event, especially as the winners walk towards the stage.

Some of the District 2 winners included:

In the apartment/condominium category, Le Hermitage (5700 Rembrandt Ave.) and Le Rothchild I (6500 Mackle Road) came in third and second place respectively (see photo at the right) while Le Bristol (6030 Cavendish Blvd) from District 8 (see the bottom) came in first; in the single family and semi-detached homes for District 2, Daniel Cohen (below) of 5786 Ilan Ramon came in third place; in the elite category for duplexes and town houses, Angeline Lawrence of 5681 Merrimac Road came in third position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edwin Brownell in action.

Le Bristel was represented by Marcia   Reim at the ceremony.

 

Spectacular dance show graces the floor of Côte Saint-Luc Gymnasium

An extraordinary event occurred at the Côte Saint-Luc Gymnasium on Saturday, September 24. The sixth annual La Relance ballroom dancing competition, presented by DanseSport Québec, was one professionally run operation.
 
The competition included several dancing styles, including Latin (cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive) and standard (waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz and the quick step) ballroom dance routines. The competitors were from Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and even Vermont, with championship rounds in the youth, adult and senior categories. Competitors ranged in  age  from 11 to 60 and older.

Jean-Francois Rousseau, the president of Danse Sport Québec, was on the dance floor as well with his wife and dance partner Nathalie Ladouceur. They are the Ten-Dance Quebec Senior 1 champions.

When I walked into our gym, I barely recognized it.  The folks from Danse Sport had totally remodeled the interior with spectacular lighting, a state-of-the-art sound system and a dance floor surrounded by tables for seating – each outfitted with golden tablecloth curtains. Councillors Dida Berku and Allan J.  Levine joined my family with their spouses. Hats off to Alvin Fishman of our Parks and Recreation Department for being the liaison with this group for the past few months and working a 16 hour shift.

We did get the word out to local residents to attend, but I am afraid too late.  They do not know what they missed. The dance moves were mesmerizing and I caught a few of them for you on video.

 

 

 

I also spoke to dance icon Jean-Marc Généreux, best known  perhaps as the charismatic judge  on the just cancelled CTV show So You Think You Can Dance Canada. He was in the house because his 15 year old son Jean-Francis performed earlier in the day.

 

 

The incredible true story of Steve Acre's escape from Iraq

Steve Acre is a distinguished constituent of mine in District 2.  The Rembrandt Avenue resident is a successful insurance executive. I must say that one of the best things about being a city councillor is having the opportunity to meet and interact with people like Steve. We have been in frequent touch during this my second mandate on a wide variety of issues.

I am attaching a fascinating article which just appeared  in AMI Magazine about Steve and his memories of hardship growing up as a Jew in Iraq. He was just nine years old when he witnessed the horrible massacre of Jews, known as the Farhud.

Here is the article: Download Steve Acre Farhud article

There are photos of Steve in different attire. The one in Arab clothing was taken just before he escaped in 1949.

This is an important story to tell about how minorities were treated in Arab lands.

 

 

Côte Saint-Luc and Police on the lookout for graffiti perpetrators

Just who are the graffiti artists who have been defacing public and private property in Côte Saint-Luc recently?  I can tell you that local Police Station 9, our Public Security Department and the Volunteer Citizens on Patrol (VCOPS) are on high alert.

One particular town house condominium project in District 2, where I serve as councillor, has had enough of this nonsense. On a number of occasions vandals have spray painted  graffiti all over their premises. The residents have had enough and I do not blame them.

When I offered to come meet with them to discuss the issue, I called Station 9 Commander Sylvain Bissonnette. We are extremely fortunate to have a man like Sylvain as our local police chief. It is such a pleasure to deal with a gentleman who cares so deeply for our community. Whenever I have called him with a matter affecting my district, he has responded immediately. Such was the case here as he assigned Sgt. Julie Lavigne and constables Tomislav Curkovic and Simon Deslauriers to join us.  Councillor Glenn J. Nashen, who is responsible for the public safety portfolio in the city, came by on his bicyle and provided some excellent tips to the residents of how to become less of a target. Councillor Nashen noted that our city already adopted this bylaw dealing with graffiti on July 13, 2009. If you look closely at the picture above, you will even see some graffiti on the sign above our group.

The good news is that the police are keeping a very close eye on this particular property. I very much hope they will catch the perpetrators in the act.

Sgt. Lavigne toured the entire property with the condominium administrator and provided some excellent advice. The residents very much comforted by the police presence. I wish to thank Commander Bissonnette and his team.

An outstanding Canada Day in CSL

Does anyone do Canada Day better than the City of Côte Saint-Luc? As a member of city council and co-chair of this year’s event with Councillor Allan J.  Levine, I am obviously a bit biased. But I believe that this July 1st we really outdid ourselves.

By the time the fireworks lit up the sky towards 10 p.m. there were thousands of people crowding Pierre Elliott Trudeau  Park. Allan and I saw  it fitting this year to honour our Canadian troops overseas, particularly in Afghanistan. Thanks to Harold Cammy of our Parks and Recreation Department and Howard Liebman of Mount Royal Liberal MP Irwin Cotler’s office for securing Lt. Col. Pierre Sasseville (with Allan J. Levine and I left) who joined us on stage. His remarks really touched everyone and set the tone for the singing of our national anthem by Alex Cohen and the fireworks.

We opened things up at 1 p.m. by opening the pedal boats and the inflatable and kids zone to the public. One of things I always worry about when we start the process of many, many hours of work in the winter is what the weather will be like on July 1st. It is a real downer when this big day arrives and it rains. Well we fortunately did not have to worry about this for the last two years. Weather conditions could not have been nicer.

Once again this year we hosted a Canadian citizenship ceremony (right). Retired Judge Barbara Seal presided over the ceremony, chaired by Councillor Mitchell Brownstein, during which 36 new citizens from 20 countries were sworn in. It is such an appropriate way for us to begin this event. As the new citizens arrived, they were serenaded by the musical group Rafi’s Accordion. Côte Saint-Luc resident Rafi Zeira heads this new group, which later set up at the entrance of the park and welcomed people as they walked in.

CJAD Radio’s Dan Laxer (below with his daughter) served as our emcee once again. Dan grew up in CSL, moved to NDG when he got married, but has now returned to our community.

After the citizenship ceremony he invited Mayor Anthony Housefather, Quebec Liberal MNA for D’Arcy McGee Lawrence Bergman, Marc Leiter from the Federal  Mount Royal Liberal Association and Councillors Glenn J. Nashen and Ruth Kovac to the stage for our Human Rights Walkway induction ceremony. This year’s inductee was Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won 59 percent of the national votes and 81 percent of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained under house arrest before the elections. She remained under house arrest in Burma for almost 15 of the 21 years from 20 July 1989 until her release on November 13, 2010. Canada has made her an honourary citizen. While Kyi was unable to join us, some local members of the Burmese community were. She also recorded a special message for us, which was played over the loud speaker.

 

There was something for everyone at this Canada Day: a model airplane show exhibit put on by the  Model Aeronautics Association of Canada, games for kids, delicious cupcakes sponsored by Scotia Bank  (right) on Westminster Avenue, the presence of the Montreal Police horses, a roaving magician, a children’s train, information kiosk for our CSL Cat  Committee and  Eco Action and some great music.  Michelle Heisler (Dan Laxer’s wife) brought us the wonderful  Magilla singers. The Baratanga Drum Circle were a big  hit.  But then  came the big players: Fresh Entertainment and the Director’s Showband. Wow! 

Fresh, the outfit created by Côte Saint-Lucer Mike Goldfarb just a few years ago, added a new dimension to our event. Their deejays and on stage animators got the youngsters in the crowd up to dance in very significant numbers (see below) and spread  the electricity throughout the entire park. As for the Directors, who were seen in the Golden Globe winning motion picture Barney’s Version (they were the band that played at Barney’s second wedding). I knew they were good, but their three sets really blew everyone away. Lead singers Tony Picciuto and Randi Katz (below) head a group which sizzles on stage. They play such a wide variety of music, from some oldies to the latest hits. The Directors energized our audience and many  in the crowd were begging for their business card to try and hire them for a future occasion.

 
It was an absolutely great night. A special thanks to event coordinator Brad Horner, veteran Parks and Recreation staffer Harold Cammy and the rest of David Taveroff’s wonderful staff. Our Public Security and Volunteer Citizens on Patrol were there all day and kept everything in check. The Public Works Department had all of the right equipment in place.

Indeed, I have never been prouder to be a Canadian and a Côte Saint-Lucer! Now on to some other big events: our Seniors Golf Open July 12 and the ceremonial opening of our new Aquatic and Community Centre.

 Rafi's Accordion was a hit with youngsters who got a chance to try out their equipment.

Here is a look at the fireworks courtesy of Glenn J. Nashen

 

 

CSL to honour our Forces at Canada Day Fireworks

As co-chairs of Canada Day this Friday in Côte Saint-Luc, Councillor Allan J. Levine and I are pleased to announce that our grand fireworks presentation at 9:40 p.m. willl honour our Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan.

From the time this council was elected in  2005, we adopted a practice of paying tribute at the start of each public meeting to any of our troops who have lost their lives in Afghanistan.

It should be a very emotional rendition of O Canada as we introduce Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre Sasseville to an audience which will be in the thousands.

We take this opportunity to warmly thank the Hon. Irwin Cotler, MP from Mount Royal and Howard Liebman from the Mount Royal Riding Office and Mervyn Frame, Special Assistant (Acting MP Liaison) Office of the Minister of National Defence/National Defence Headquarters for assisting us in this endeavor.

Watch this tribute to our troops:

 

 

Honouring local Yiddish music legend David Botwinik

In his 35 years as a music teacher and choir director at Montreal Jewish day schools, Vilna-born David Botwinik taught more than 30,000 students. He has also written scores of Yiddish songs, which have been circulated around the world.

Now 90 years of age, the longtime Côte Saint-Luc resident (right) was honoured on, June 17  at the second annual International Yiddish Theatre Festival at the Segal Centre of the Performing Arts.   For the first time  he actually witnessed a concert featuring his very own music performed by internationally acclaimed soprano Lisa Willson, pianist Elena Berman and special guest Philip Goldig.

This concert was in celebration of Botwinik’s new book, From Holocaust to Life (Fun khurbn tsum lebn), now in its second printing. The book, which was available for purchase, contains a collection of 56 original musical compositions. These are new Yiddish songs and solo and choral works, with lyrics by various Yiddish poets, complete with English translations, piano accompaniments, and chords

Lou Burko, the retired music director at Shaare Zion Congregation in Montreal, calls Botwinik’s book a “formidable opus " and “a musical biography of David Botwinik's life,”  
Botwinik retired in 1991 after a career at the Jewish  People’s and Peretz Schools  (JPPS) and United Talmud Torahs. But working closely with one of his three sons Alexander, now a Yiddish teacher  at the University of Pennsylvania in  Philadelphia, he has kept busy writing music and of course his book. He does not use a computer, so he writes everything by hand and sends it by mail to Alexander.

“I transcribed his handwritten scores onto the computer using music engraving software and painstakingly added the lyrics under the notes in both Yiddish and transliteration,” Alexander explains. “I also did the book design and layout and worked on translating the song lyrics together with my wife, Naomi Cohen and my brother Leybl. Since the book came out last summer, I have continued to be involved with publicity, arranging quite a few interviews and concerts devoted to my father's music.” 

David Botwinik came to Canada in 1956  with his wife Silvana, who had been hidden in a church with other Italian Jews during the German occupation of Italy. The couple still live in the same  Côte Saint-Luc home where they raised their family.

Botwinik says he is not finished yet. He plans to start working on a book about the Holocaust, including stories his own family may have not yet heard before.

I was pleased to be at the event and asked to say a few words about David Botwinik, whom I have known since childhood. My friends and I used to play street hockey right in front of his house.  Mr. Botwinik has been known to attend some Côte Saint-Luc city council meetings.  Last week I met him at the grocery store. He was purchasing a loto ticket.

Mazel tov to you David!

The Directors Showband and FRESH Entertainment to anchor CSL Canada Day

As the co-chair with Councillor Allan J. Levine of the 2011 Canada Day festivities at Pierre Elliott Trudeau  Park in Côte Saint-Luc on Friday, July 1 I am thrilled to announce that we have secured  the services of two of the city’s hottest musical entities: The Directors Showband  from the Golden Globe Award winning motion picture Barney’s Version and FRESH Entertainment

The Directors  are an electrifying, unparalleled and highly entertaining 11-piece Show band led by vocalists Tony Picciuto (Tenor) and Randi Katz (Alto, Soprano). Accompanied by guitar, bass, drums, two keyboards, trumpet, two saxophones and a disc jockey, The Directors have captivated audiences all throughout Canada and the United States. Their set list provides a wide variety of Top 40, 70's, 80's, 90's, R&B, soul, funk, Motown, Dance, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Disco, Standards, Rock n’ Roll, Tangos, Cha-Chas, Captivating Duets, and Classic Ballads. Italian, French, Hebrew, and Spanish repertoires provided.

See their impressive video:

 

FRESH Entertainment is owned and operated by Côte Saint-Luc native Mike Goldfarb. His team of deejays, animators and dancers will really get the crowd going this Canada Day with exciting contests and great music.

Dan Laxer of CJAD will be back as emcee. Stay tuned for many more details to come. We have a great team from the Parks and Recreation Department, including Director David Taveroff, Harold Cammy and Brad Horner. They are working hard to carry out the many wishes of the co-chairs and members of council.

 

Sun. May 15: CSL Spring Fair Postponed; Garage Sale goes rain or shine

With a non-stop forecast of heavy rain, the City of Côte Saint-Luc has postponed its annual Spring Fair of Sunday, May 15. The Public Works Carnival and Public Safety Day display will now move  to Sunday, May 22. However, the popular garage sale under the covered Confederation Annex of Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park is still on. Here are the details.