Bravo to D'Arcy McGee Liberal MNA David  Birnbaum and his entire team for doing such a first-class job with their live Zoom-focused awards ceremony.

The winners of the sixth annual D’Arcy-McGee-National Assembly Citizenship Medals competition were to be recognized at a public ceremony. Like everything else due to the COVID-19 pandemic that had to be postponed. But David and company adjusted beautifully to the "new normal" and one might make the argument that this format should be followed in future years. It was wonderful to watch. I started on my phone as I washed the dishes and finished on my laptop. In fact more than 100 people watched it live.

David Lisbona

 Three individuals and one organization were recognized for “outstanding achievement in community involvement”. They were George Nashen, 96, in the name of surviving veterans of World War II and those who passed before them; Sima Paris, co-founder and President of the Friendship Circle; MultiCaf, a store-front community outreach and referral service in Snowdon-Côte-des-Neiges and David Lisbona, Côte St-Luc entrepreneur and initiator of an emergency food-delivery network for seniors during the current pandemic.

Roméo Dallaire

 “This has been an unprecedented and trying time for all us but it has also brought out the very best in so many individuals and organizations in this riding,” said  David, who initiated this citizen-medal program soon after his first election in April 2014. “While the crisis around us is far from over, I think it is always the right time to recognize those who inspire us to do more and do better by our fellow citizens. Even if we can only celebrate this event virtually this year, I do hope it will lift us up at this very tough time. "

George Nashen and his wife Phyllis.

Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire (ret’d) delivered a brief address to the Zoom gathering. His own harrowing and heroic experience during the Rwandan genocide, and his outreach efforts since retirement have made him a sought-after public speaker. His Roméo Dallaire Foundation works to inspire young people from underprivileged backgrounds to develop their leadership potential. In appreciation of Mr. Dallaire’s participation, David's office made a donation of $1,000 to the Foundation. It was only appropriate that Dallaire introduced Nashen, an extraordinary gentleman whom I have been proud to know and call a friend for many years.

David was an excellent emcee. Each recipient spoke live via Zoom. It was a flawless production. Bravo!!

You can see the entire program via video on David's Facebook page.

The 2019 Maisons Fleuries Awards presentation took place recently as part of our December 9 public council meeting. I was pleased to once again co-chair the ceremony with Councillor Sidney Benizri. Categories judged were: single family and semi-detached dwellings; duplexes; townhouses; apartment; condominiums; seniors residence; and institutions (church, hospital, synagogue and businesses).

Cornelia Ziga with myself and Sidney Beniziri (RAMI NEGEV PHOTO)

Since last year  we adopted a new format by announcing all winners by district.  

Here are the results.

District #1 (Councillor Oren Sebag)

Single Family

1^st place 5819 Tommy Douglas – Na Wang

2^nd place 5850 Tommy Douglas – Elaine Silver

2^nd place 6000 Tommy Douglas – Ellen Schreter

3^rd place 3160 Bernard Mergler – Claude Harroche & Gina Charpentier

Apartment

1^st place 5500 Borden – The Monterverdi Apartments

2^nd place 5304 MacDonald – Federal Construction Ltd.

2^nd place 5350 MacDonald – 5350 MacDonald Inc.

3^rd place 5360 MacDonald – Federal Construction Ltd.

3^rd place 5370 MacDonald – Federal Construction Ltd.

Condominium

1^st place 5140 MacDonald – Le Doray

Mayor Brownstein and I with Dr. Gerald Trager and Terry Wolkove from Canbridge Courts and Marty Goldsmith from La Marquise. (RAMI NEGEV PHOTO)

District #2 , where I am the councilllor.

Single Family

1^st place 5771 Jubilee – Michael Marianer

2^nd place 5788 Ilan Ramon – Francesco Palucci & Sandra Cambone

3^rd place 5798 Ilan Ramon –Larry Liebermman & Joan Singer

Townhouse

1^st place 6590C Kildare – Rona Lynn Lecker

2^nd place 6532 Mackle – Terry Wolkove

2^nd place 5655 Merrimac – Elan Corcia & Jennifer Yull

3^rd place 6616 Mackle – Joseph Grossman 

Apartment

1^st place 5795 Sir Walter Scott – Oak Ridge

2^nd place 5785 Sir Walter Scott – Le 5785

 Condominium

1^st place 5850 Marc Chagall – Rothchild II

1^st place 6500 Mackle – Le Rothchild I

2^nd place 5845 Marc Chagall – La Marquise

District #3 (Councillor Dida Berku)

 Single Family

1^st place 6799 Baily – Paolina Di Stefano-Giancarli & Pietro Giancarli

2^nd place 6539 Baily – Candida Di Marco

2^nd place 6541 Baily – Ernesto D’Alessandro

2^nd place 5588 Randall – Irving Rabin & Zelda Froimovitch-Rabin

3^rd place 5526 Borden – Charles Giser & Debbie Skurnik

 Duplex

1^st place 6641-6643 Baily – Remo D’Alesio

2^nd place 6637-6639 Baiey  - Remo D’Alesio and Linda Castelli

3^rd  place 6613-6615 Baily – Mario D’Alesio and Kathleen Deery

Seniors Residence

1^st place 6767 Côte Saint-Luc – St Patrick Square

Institutions

1^st place 7003 Côte Saint-Luc – McDonald’s - Pierre Brunet

 District #4 (Councillor Steven Erdelyi)

 Single Family

1^st place 5528 Hudson – Giovannina Brancatella & Antonio Fucito

2^nd place 8110 Côte Saint-Luc – Ida Panaccione & Matther Di Lonardo

3^rd place 628 Smart – Gaetano Baratta

Duplex

1^st place 7497-99 Baily Jaime Tucay Anunsacion Cabatbat & Marlene Cabatbat & Enrico Caguioa

2^nd place 5558-60 Adalbert – Dominico Ciampini & Gloria Zegarilli

3^rd place 5524-26 Earle – Michale Dester & Elvira Lipkin 

Townhouse

1^st place 5529 Ashdale – Tulin Karkin-Yurtcu

2^nd place 5537 Ashdale – Eric Botbol

3^rd place 5535 Ashdale – Lea Czik-Tenzer

Apartment

1^st place 7461 Kinglsey – La Tour Westfield

Seniors Residence

1^st place 5555 Trent – Le King David

 District 5A (Councillor Mitch Kujavsky)

 Single Family

1^st place 5819 Westluke – Steven Piccinini & Giovanna Ciabattoni & Franco Piccinini

2^nd place 5777 Rand – Mario Polisena & Antonia Pirozzi Polisena

3^rd place 5807 Smart – Armando Giordano & Frances Golfi-Giordano

District 5B (Councillor Mitch Kujavsky)

 Single Family

1^st place 5735 Westluke – Anthony Cerulli

2^nd place 5618 Palmer – Zenaida Ramos & Julieta Macaraig-Schneider

2^nd place 5628 Wolseley – Bulu Datta & Rani Debroy Supta

3^rd place 5705 Davies – Sotero Suplico & Jeannie Canindo

 Institutions

1^st place 5740 Hudson – Beth Zion Congregation Synagogueè

District #6 (David Tordjman)

Single Family

1^st place 5793 Einstein – Rose Sacks-Safir

1^st place 5797 Einstein – Franceen Waxman-Retik

2^nd place 5616 Parkhaven – Maurice Bendahan

2^nd place 7480 Spring – Seymour Rosen

3^rd place 5830 Einstein – Jason Portnoy & Corinne Rashi

3^rd place 7523 Mountbatten – Martin Leslie Lenetsky

Duplex

1^st place 6883-6885 Kildare –Rinaldo Clerici

2^nd place 7386-7388 Kildare – Carlo Palucci

3^rd place 5860-5862 Shalom – Luigia Pedicelli and Antonio Giobbi

Townhouse

1^st place 5832 Kellert – Larry Jacobson and Jana Simandl

 Apartment

1^st place 6865 Norwalk

Institutions

1^st place 6800 Mackle – Congregation Beth Israel De Côte Saint-Luc

District #7 (Sidney Benizri)

Single Family

1^st place 5740 Kellert – Judy Limmer-Sochaczevski

2^nd place 6869 Edison – Sandra Zelikovic

2^nd place 5718 Einstein – Owen Stroll Strulovitch & Joanne Bendon

3^rd place 6885 Banting – Sylvain Chemtob & Lucie Boivert

3^rd place 5610 Edgemore – Rita Geyer-Rosenthal

Duplex

1^st place 5704-06 Edgemore – Joseph Panunto & Brenda Hynes-Panunto

2^nd place 5716-18 Edgemore – Ludwig Lydynia

3^rd place 5708-10 Edgemore – Issie Fishman 

Condominium

1^st place 5700-5720 Cavendish – Presidential Towers

2^nd place 6785-95 Korczak – Tiffany Towers

3^rd place 6803 Heywood – Le Versailles

Institutions

1st place 7070 Guelph – St. Richard’s Parish

District #8 (The lateCouncillor Ruth Kovac)

 Single Family

1^st place 6531 Wallenberg – Judy Sarkadi

2^nd place 6038 Kreighoff - Elaine Solomon-Stein

3^rd place 6848 Ashkelon – Paul Lieberman & Hali Simons

3^rd place 6044 Kreighoff – Irving Burstein & Carol Demberg

 Townhouse

1^st place 6043 Cavendish – Harvey Schwartz and Susan Berkson-Schwartz

1^st place 6073 Cavendish – Howard Smith & Karen Rudolph

2^nd place 6067 Cavendish – Francine Neudorf

3^rd place 6051 Cavendish – Peter Vaktor

 Condominium

1^st place 6005 Cavendish – Chateau Collins

2^nd place 5900-5950 Cavendish – Le Ritz #1 and Le Ritz #2

3^rd place 6625-35 Mackle – Manoir Mackle Condominium

 Thanks to Parks and Recreation Department Director Cornelia Ziga, event coordinator Laura Trihas and the rest of our staff.

As has become customary in recent years,  the City of Côte Saint-Luc recognized its volunteers on November 6 as part of a movie night at the Quartier Cavendish Cineplex Theatres. The feature presentation was the two hour and 33 minute  Motherless Brooklyn, starring Edward Norton. Prior  to the movie, everyone was treated to some snack and a video of Mayor Mitchell Brownstein interviewing the recipients of our many award winners. After the film, there was a dessert reception. Attendees were presented with souvenir glass  mugs, with the CSL logo affixed.

Councillor David Tordjman,  Steven Erdelyi and I welcome guests. (Rami Negev, Photo)

Bravo to coordinator Laura Trihas , Director Parks and Recreation Cornelia Ziga and the rest of the staff who organized this affair. The format worked beautifully.

Irving Schok, the Leopard of Louvain, gets some snacks. (Rami Negev, Photo)

Here is a look at the award winners.

Aquatics Volunteer of the Year Award

Michèle Castonguay – Aquatics

Michèle has shown great dedication to the City of Cote Saint-Luc and its competitive swimming program. She has served as our ''Meet Manager'' for all swim meets during the 2018-19 season and has been absolutely instrumental in the success of those events. Michèle brings years of experience as an official in the swimming world, and has helped us elevate the level of professionalism and the overall expectations for our swimming program. She also serves as a direct liaison between the Quebec Swimming Federation and the CSLA Swim Club.

Community Special Events Award

Presented to a volunteer for exceptional contribution to the community special events programs.

Bryan "Waffles" Wolofsky and his wife Robin. (Rami Negev, Photo)

Bryan Wolofsky – PeeWee National Outdoor Hockey Tournament

Bryan (whom I have always affectionately called “Waffles”) has been assisting with the organization of the Peewee National Outdoor Hockey tournament for the past few years. Leading up to the tournament, he worked on securing a number of beverage sponsors for the event. During the tournament, Bryan could be seen displaying his unique personality on the microphone while announcing and playing music throughout the games. Bryan is always trying to help to ensure that everyone involved has a great experience at the tournament.

Bernie Green – CSL Men’s Club

Chairmen of Programming since 2015 and a member for over 10 years is responsible for organizing trips, Hot Stove League and booking speakers Some speakers this year have included Jean Charest, Lenny Lighter (Moishes) and Richard Pound who is an Olympic athlete. Future speakers will include Francois Lepine, The Archbishop of Montreal, Rick Leckner and Dr. Mitch Shulman for a panel discussion featuring prominent sports journalists.

Eco Award

In recognition of leadership in the promotion of environmental advocacy and action within the community.

Boyd Hamilton – Kirwan Garden Coordinator

As a way to give back to the Community, volunteer Boyd Hamilton (Kirwan Garden Coordinator) started a group six years ago called Growers of Regional Agricultural Seed Products (GRASP) which is made up of many highly skilled and educated members, many of who hold degrees and have a background in horticulture. Their mission is to create a full cycle seed library dedicated to preserving rare and endangered plants which majority of these samples are stored in the Côte Saint-Luc gymnasium.

GRASP holds regular public seminars free of charge for seed savers, in order to educate fellow gardeners and promote the program. They also distribute seeds at no charge through the CSL Library to the community at large. Over the years seeds have also been donated in support of the City’s initiative to develop teaching gardens for children with special needs.
They have partnered up with John Grant High School to help them with their own gardening program and in turn the school helps with the transplanting of vegetables to Kirwan Community Garden.

The Edward J. Kirwan Award

Awarded annually to outstanding volunteers in the Cote Saint-Luc programs for exceptional contribution.

Adriana Rico – Figure Skating Club

Adriana has been a very dedicated volunteer for the Côte Saint-Luc Figure Skating Club for several years as vice president, in charge of multiple tasks. She organizes the off-ice program, actively participates in on-ice rental and scheduling activities, provides web site support for all online registrations and information updates. She is also an active figure skater, training daily and competing in regional adult competitions.

E.M.S. Award

E.1 Excellence in operations

Scott Hunt

Scott is one of our most involved members at EMS.  He’s been around for a great number of years and has volunteered for thousands of hours.  He not only volunteers but he is always looking for ways to better the service and bring more success to EMS.  He recently took on the position of Lieutenant of logistics and equipment. Scott’s contribution to our team never ceases to impress us and is constantly surpassing all expectations.    

E.2 Excellence in training

Alizée Znaty

Alizée is in charge of the “prehospital patient care report quality assurance” department.  A task that is extremely important in this field.  Reviewing all calls and reports can be monotonous and time consuming,   but Alizée is able to do it meticulously, professionally and efficiently.  This great medic is always willing to lend a hand.  Her open mindness and her extreme kindness to say the least are some of Alizée qualities that greatly contribute to the quality of care that is offered by our First Responders at EMS.

E.3 Rookie of the year

Kassandra Pinsonneault

Kassandra recently joined the EMS team.  Her passion and bubbly personality were quickly what distinguish her from all the others.  Amongst her many qualities, Kassandra also a nurse is exceptionally motivated, always up for new challenges, and the perfect definition of patient care and healing.   She is the kind that everyone loves and all want to work with.  This lovely medic is an exemplary recruit who will with no doubt set a wonderful example for fellow medics and future cohorts.

Gerry Weinstein Ambassador of the Year

In recognition as the citizen best portraying charitable qualities and serving the community at large.

With Ambassador of the Year Marc Ezerzer.

Marc Ezerzer – Sponsor for CSL Executive Softball League and CSL Golf Classic Tournament (Councillor Cohen’s nomination)

Marc plays and sponsors a team in the CSL Executive Softball League and he also sponsors the annual CSL Golf Classic. He is a prominent real estate agent who lends his high profile to the good and welfare of CSL sports programs. I was proud to have nominated Marc.

The Hazel Lipes Award (Trophy & Small Plaque)

Awarded annually to the outstanding volunteer for exceptional contribution to the community service programme.

Diane Liebling

Diane Liebling – Cats Committee   

Diane Liebling is the chair of the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee. She has carried on these duties for the past six years, working virtually 24/7 physically trapping cats, giving up her family garage to feed strays, finding homes and foster homes for them, establishing a network of feeders of outdoor cats, organizing meetings and making repeated visits to the CSL Hospital for Animals. Quite simply, the committee would not function without her.  I was proud to have nominated Diane.

 Royal Canadian Legion Brigadier Frederick Kisch, Branch #97 Award

Awarded to the Youth Volunteer of the Year, in recognition of outstanding achievement in the improvement of leisure opportunities within the community.

Natalia Ayodele – Children’s Library

Natalia has been volunteering with the library since 2016. She has impressed the library staff with her enthusiasm, kindness, and passion for her community and for helping others. During her volunteer tenure, Natalia has helped 8 children as a Reading Buddy, and was one of the first teens to adopt the Homework Help program. She also participated in the first year of the Youth Advisory Group. Natalia is a gifted mentor and a caring person: she has expressed interest not only in helping children succeed with their reading and study skills, but was also a voice for senior residents in her suggestions during Youth Advisory Group meetings. Natalia has a truly generous spirit, and will undoubtedly go on to help people throughout her life. Congratulations to Natalia for pursuing her interests in CEGEP this year. The library will miss her!

Socio-Cultural Award

Presented to the outstanding Volunteer for exceptional contribution to the social-cultural programmes.

David Gandell – CSL Men’s Club

David Gandell has been a member of the men's club for for five years in the functions of membership chairmen, 2nd VP and currently serves as 1st VP, responsible for  scheduling, executive meetings and managing the directors.

Special Recognition Award

Joel Wener – Masters and Youth Swim Team

Mr. Joel Wener is a passionate Côte Saint-Luc resident who has gone above and beyond over the last few years in the pursuit and support of youth and team sports. He has played an integral part in particular, in the development and promotion of both the Masters and Youth swim teams at the Aquatic and Community Centre.  Mr. Wener regularly takes the time to get himself informed and trained on the details pertaining to youth and adult aquatic teams. In addition, he continues to offer much time and dedication, to recruit and train additional qualified officials for our team competitions. He is an avid supporter of parent volunteers and thanks to his involvement, our number of volunteers has increased.

Our aquatics team programs are still relatively new and Mr. Wener as a resident and parent of swim team participants is the first CSL citizen to take on the role of officials’ coordinator for our competitive teams.  Mr. Wener believes strongly in youth team and sports and the integral part these play in the lives of our athletes. He is an avid supporter of the team and an active parent volunteer taking the time to inform other parents on the positive aspects of competitive swimming.

We would like to thank him for his continued commitment towards the City of Côte Saint-Luc. 

Jeanne Motulsky – CSL Dramatic Society

She played the lead Narrator in the META award winning show that we remounted at the Segal Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and the lead Sally Bowles in Cabaret. She went way beyond the call of duty performing as a lead in over 40 performances this year.

Jeanne performed in 8 CSL Dramatic Society productions. She studied Communications at Concordia University to become a producer and is working at DNEG as a Production Assistant. Other notable credits include Bad Idea Bear in Avenue Q (Marianopolis Theatre Company) and Showgirl and Usherette in The Producers: A New Mel Brooks Musical in Yiddish!  (CSLDS)

Côte Saint-Luc’s Emergency Medical Service Team

In grateful recognition of the wonderful work of the CSL Emergency Medical Services team (EMS volunteers). 

This special group of volunteers are responsible for the saving and aiding of thousands of lives on an annual basis. Their dedication to our community is not only commendable but truly admirable and most appreciated. Thanks to their commitment and devotion, their daily interventions are lifesaving and continue to improve the quality of life of our community. We are extremely proud and grateful for their incredible work, team effort and acts of daily kindness.

Sports Award

Presented annually for exceptional contribution to the community sports programme.

Andrew Winkler – Minor Hockey

Andrew has been a valuable member of the Cote Saint-Luc Minor Hockey Associations Board and it’s coaching fraternity.  This past year he was an assistant coach on 2 teams and the Head Rules Official on the Board.  He is always giving of his free time and is often seen at the arena answering any and all parent inquiries, no matter the subject.  The hockey association needs more volunteers like Andrew as it would not be as well run without him.

Stewart Mankofsky Memorial Trophy

Awarded to the Cote Saint-Luc athlete who best exemplifies the qualities of dedication, sportsmanship, and love for competition and fellow participants.

Charlotte Dumaine – Figure Skating Club

Charlotte is a 3rd year student at Université de Montréal in the BSc nutrition program. Charlotte has won numerous awards over the years and continues to give much prominence to the Côte Saint-Luc Figure Skating Club. Her biggest accomplishment was competing for 5 years on the Quebec Figure Skating Team as a junior and senior singles lady. Her strong work ethic, positive attitude and commitment to excellence make her a worthy recipient of this award.

vCOP Award

For outstanding contribution as a leader in the promotion of community safety.

Susie Berkson-Schwartz

When you hear vCOP mentioned in conversations, you almost always hear the name Susie Berkson-Schwartz spoken at the same time. Along with her husband, Harvey, they were among the very first members to join the newly formed vCOP organization in 2006. Being part of vCOP from "day-one" gives Susie unique insight into the inner workings of vCOP and its members.   

Susie is extremely dedicated, putting her heart and soul into everything vCOP.  She is in charge of all our special events and is a regular fixture, along with Harvey, at every council meeting.  She works closely with the Public Security department, coordinating vCOP participation for both Canada Day and the Winter Carnival.  Susie also works closely with the SPVM at their summer events (“kids camps”), and the Library and Parks & Recreation Departments for their events throughout the year. 

As for her own personal participation in vCOP, Susie has been recognized as one of our "top 10 patrollers" for many years.

Susie knows every one of our vCOPs by name - this is quite a feat considering we have approximately 90 members. She still enjoys being a vCOP patroller, contributing to our mission of being the "eyes and ears" with her weekly patrols. We are very grateful to have her as part of the organization. 

William E. Kesler Memorial Trophy

 Awarded annually to a volunteer for exceptional contribution to City programs.

Steven Glazer – Minor Baseball

Steven began coaching in Côte Saint-Luc's minor baseball program 10 years ago. He coached his older son Jordan's teams from 2009 to 2011 and continued coaching his younger son Ryan's teams from 2013 onward. Steven always treated the players on his team fairly and with respect. He always acted in a professional manner and never lost perspective as to why he was involved in coaching. Steven never shied away from dealing with difficult situations and his goals always remained to ensure a fun and positive experience for the players on his team. 

Here is the video presentation featuring the winners: 

Sidney Benizri and I emcee the ceremony.

I was very pleased once again to co-host the annual Maisons Fleuries Contest Awards Ceremony, along with Councillor Sidney Benizr as we recognized excellence in floral arrangements This year we switched up the format. A dessert reception was held at City Hall before the  ceremony, which took place in the council chamber prior to our monthly public meeting rather than the standalone event we have organized in previous years.

Awards were presented in five categories: single family and semi-detached dwellings; duplexes; townhouses ; highrise  (apartment and condominiums); and institutions (church, hospital and synagogue).

In another change to our format we announced all winners by district.

Mayor Brownstein and I congratulate some of the District 2 winners.

For District 2 here were the results.

Single Family

1^st place 5720 Park Place – Dong Chun and Bing Zhao

Townhouse

1^st place 6562 Kildare –   Harry  and Gloria Freedman.

2^nd place 6532 Mackle – Terry Wolkove and Gerry Trager

3^rd place 6602 Mackle – Sandra Raphael and Robert Lubarsky

3^rd place 6604 Mackle – Carole Tauer

Highrise

1^st place 5840 Marc Chagall – Le Bellagio

2^nd place 5700 Rembrandt – L’Hermitage Condominiums

3^rd place 6500 Mackle – Le Rothchild #1

Thanks to Maisons Fleuries  coordinator Laura Trihas, Parks and Recreation Director Cornelia Ziga, the judges and of course our wonderful photographer Rami Negev.

The City of Côte Saint-Luc announced the Volunteers of the Year for 2018 at the annual Volunteer Recognition evening on October 24, 2018.  A few years ago our Parks and Recreation Department came up with a unique new format by holding this event at the Cineplex Theatre at Quartier Cavendish. All volunteers are invited to see a movie (This year it was A Star is Born), with a free soft drink, popcorn and some candy included. A pre-recorded video of the Mayor presenting the awards is shown on the big screen. Afterwards everyone is invited to a dessert reception. We remain very fortunate to have a movie theatre in our community and its represents the perfect backdrop for such an occasion. Bravo to Parks and Recreation Director Cornelia Ziga, event coordinator Laura Trihas and the rest of the team.

Here are the recipients.

The Aquatics Volunteer of the Year Award

Richard Leon
Richard has completed two seasons with Côte Saint-Luc Aquatics. He stepped up to become the officials coordinator. He helps planning official trainings and representing Côte Saint-Luc Aquatics at Lac St-Louis swim association meetings. 

 The Community Special Events Award

Miriam Cohen
Miriam has been volunteering at the Creative Social Centre for over 20 years. She’s on the board of directors, teaches an art class, and organizes an annual vernissage for her students. 

The Eco Award

Diane Jameson
Diane helped transform the garden behind the library into a beautiful space. She also developed the EARTH Project, which is an interactive 10-step program to help young people discover the joy and benefits of gardening.

The Edward J. Kirwan Award

Dmitry Vasserman
Dmitry has been a volunteer for 12 years at the CSL Figure Skating Club. He’s been on the board and has helped usher in programs like ice conditioning, ballet classes, as well as on ice stroking classes. Under his watch, the club increased the number of competitive skaters. 

The EMS Award for Excellence in operations

Peter Garish
Peter brings to EMS more than a decade of experience as a police officer. He has been instrumental in helping EMS revamp and overhaul its driver training program. Peter ensures that EMS drivers are fully prepared for the risks and responsibilities of driving an emergency vehicle.

The EMS Award for Excellence in Training

Steve Merling
Steve returned to EMS after a decade away. He has boundless energy and enthusiasm. He now leads the community outreach program and helps recruiting new members.

The EMS Rookie of the Year Award

Alexandre Cahérec-Gagné

Alexandre has been selected amongst the 16 new recruits from the past year for his dedication and passion for the organization. Always ready to lend a hand, with his constant smile and good cheer, he is a great addition to the EMS team. 

 The Hazel Lipes Award

David Haltrecht
David, a District 2 resident,  uses his engineering experience to modernize operations at the Men’s Club. He implemented the online registration project for members and worked on several committees. Giving the award to David is the awards namesake, Hazel Lipes, who was elected to council in 1975. She was also the first woman ever elected to the city council. It was nice to see her at the Volunteer event after all of these years.

I was pleased to greet Hazel Lipes to our event alongside Mayor Brownstein and Councillor Ruth Kovac.

The Lifetime Achievement Award

Syd Kronish
Syd Kronish,a  District 2 resident, completed a four-year term as president of the Côte Saint-Luc Men’s Club. Membership doubled 350 to 700 members and the average age decreased by four years. The club also raised lots of money, including a half million dollars for Canadian Magen David Adom.

The Royal Canadian Legion Brigadier Frederick Kisch, Branch #97 Award

Awarded to the Youth Volunteer of the Year

Avi Kroo
Avi approached the library about starting a club for teens to teach the card game Magic: The Gathering. We has taught the game for two years now, coming each week. The game fits with the library’s goal of providing programming that piques curiosity and develops communication and problem-solving skills.

The Socio-Cultural Award

Sam Boucher
Sam has been performing with the Côte Saint-Luc Dramatic Society for three years, including in Little Shop of Horrors, The Producers, and Hairspray. Earlier this year he was the title character in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which recently received the META award in the category of Outstanding Community Production. 

Special Recognition Award

Charles Guerin
Charles,a District 2 resident, has been involved on several fronts over the last year. He shared his technical knowledge to help the city formulate its preliminary proposal for the Smart Cities Challenge competition. He has also volunteered his time at the library’s CreateSpace. He has donated equipment and helped spread the word about this library program.

 The Sports Award

Eric Bettan
Eric has coached and served on the executive of the Côte Saint-Luc Minor Hockey program since 2013. He is heavily involved in helping to organize the novice hockey tournament every season and much more. 

The Stewart Mankofsky Memorial Trophy

Awarded to the Cote Saint-Luc athlete who best exemplifies the qualities of dedication, sportsmanship, and love for competition and fellow participants

Yuan Yi Wang
Yuan Yi is a Pre-Novice competitive skater and works extremely hard reach her goals. She has received the Regional CanSkate award as well as the Test Skater award. She as devotes a lot of time helping the club's young skaters in their group programs. She is well liked and admired by her skaters and has become great role model for them.

The vCOP Award

Marty Croitoru
Marty,a  District 2 resident,  is a member of the vCOP orientation team for new recruits. He is ready to respond on a moments notice when needed. He also provides with feedback, ideas and insights on how to make vCOP more interesting and more effective.

The William E. Kesler Memorial Trophy

Awarded to a volunteer for exceptional contribution to City programs

Joel Lazarovitz

Joel has been a head coach in our intercommunity baseball program since 2015. He has a great connection with the players on his team thanks to his positive attitude. 

David Rosenberg

David has been a head coach in our intercommunity baseball program since 2015. He is extremely dedicated, organized and well-liked by the players and parents of his teams.

Watch the Volunteers of the Year video

 

 

 

David Birnbaum has introduced a variety of excellent and out of the box ideas since becoming our Liberal Member of the National Assembly for D'Arcy McGee  just over four years ago. He is a lock to be re-elected in October.

Birnbaum

The D'Arcy McGee Medals honour outstanding achievements in community involvement and the previous three ceremonies have been excellent affairs. David has worked with his predecessors, Lawrence Bergman, Robert Libman and Herbert Marx to select the winners and they have been right on the money each time.

On Tuesday June 19 (7 pm)  the 2018 winners will be unveiled at a ceremony at Ashkelon Gardens behind Côte Saint-Luc City Hall

(5801 boul. Cavendish Blvd.). This will be followed by a cocktail, with musical entertainment provided by the École secondaire St-Luc Jazz Ensemble. In case of rain, the ceremony will take place in the Council Chamber of City Hall.

David wishes to invite members of the community to attend. I am anxious to hear who the recipients are.  

As we did a year ago at this time, the city of Côte Saint-Luc held our annual  Volunteer  Recognition Night at the Cineplex Odeon Theatres at Quartier Cavendish. Those in attendance were divided into two cinemas to see the motion picture Only The Brave. We are fortunate to have so many loyal volunteers in our city and evening like this is the least we can do to thank them. 

With constituents David and Eileen Goldsmith.

I have been attending Volunteer Nights since I was 16 and they have been done with a variety of different formats.

With constituents David Hogan and Melanie Menscik.

Prior to the movie, a video played on the big screen introducing our 2017  award  winners.

Socio-Cultural Award

Recognizes a volunteer for their exceptional contribution to the city's socio-cultural programs. 

Hannah Sheffren has been Involved in the Côte Saint-Luc Dramatic Society since she played Yente  in  the 2013 production of Fiddler on the Roof. She most recently had staring and roles in the  Senior Summerworks projects Grannie and Florida. Hannah was also delighted to be part of the cast of The Producers in English and Yiddish at the Segal Centre. 

Community Services Award
Recognizes a volunteer couple for their exceptional contribution to the community special events programs.

Florence and Bernie Band have been volunteering their services for vCOP and during the past two years have been judges for the Maisons Fleuries Garden Beautification Contest. Their dependability, integrity and willingness have been of major service to this special event. 

Eco Award
Recognizes a volunteer who has demonstrated leadership in the promotion of environmental advocacy and action within the community.

Emily Groth is the president of the Schwartz Community Gardens. Emily took on many responsibilities in overseeing these gardens. She was responsible for the registrations of all the gardeners, contacting the waiting list, organizing, participating and dividing the tasks and much more. 

E.M.S. Award - Excellence in operations
Michael Lessard is a regular fixture at EMS and covers at least two or three shifts per week, often coming in to help out when it is really needed. Michael just celebrated his 60th birthday and is more active at EMS than many members half of his age.

E.M.S. Award - Excellence in training
Christiane Poirier is intricately involved behind the scenes as the head of the clinical review team. She meticulously reviews every patient care report, listens to audio recordings from major calls and flags any issues to the EMS members, ultimately ensuring that we learn from our mistakes and adhere to the clinical intervention protocols and stay at the fine point of patient care. 

EMS Award - Rookie of the year
Peter Garish - We had many outstanding members join our ranks this past year, but Peter stands out for his infectious smile, his positive attitude and his dedication to public service.On top of being a police officer in Chateauguay, Peter dedicates countless hours of service to the citizens of Côte Saint-Luc.

William E. Kesler Memorial Trophy
Recognizes a volunteer for their exceptional contribution to the Parks and Recreation special events.

District 2 resident Norm Yudin has been a member of the Côte Saint-Luc Tennis Club since 1971 and on the executive committee for 30 years. Norm organizes the annual Sam Brumer tournament (Quebec championship) and the Senior Nationals that takes place every three years. He is best known for being president and vice president and off for more than 20 years. 

Special Recognition Award
Ben Warner is a Montreal actor, singer, songwriter, pianist and filmmaker who has been performing in theatre from the age of 10. In 2017 Ben stared in two Côte Saint-Luc Dramatic Society productions, George Gibbs in Our Town and Seymour Krelborn in Little Shop of Horrors. He’s also the co-founder of Beanduck Productions,  and the producer of the multi award winning, critically acclaimed Canadian series LARPs. He also recently co-chaired the Segal Centre’s annual musical fundraiser, which this year raised more than $150,000, eclipsing the event’s previous fundraising high.. 

The Hazel Lipes Award
Recognizes a volunteer for their exceptional contribution to the Community Services Programs

Evelyn Nava is vice president of the Côte Saint-Luc Women's Cub and a member since 2006. She is responsible for hosting weekly meetings and organizing yearly trips to Tremblant, Ottawa, and  Hudson Village Theatre.

Sports Award
Recognizes a volunteer for exceptional contribution to the community sports program

Anne Smith has been a volunteer member of the Côte Saint-Luc Figure Skating Club for more than 40 years. She remains on the club's executive serving in the capacity of secretary. She has also served in other roles including being the regional rep for the club, as well as representing the local figure skating club at meetings all throughout Canada. Anne is also an integral part of the organization of the annual figure skating exhibition at the winter carnival event. She always ensures that the trophies are prepared and updated.

Stewart Mankofsky Memorial Trophy
Presented to the athlete / volunteer who best exemplifies the qualities of dedication, sportsmanship, and love of competition.

Ainsley McMurray had a phenomenal swimming season last year, being named to the Canadian Development squad, She was also a finalist at the 2017 Canadian Swim Trials, winning two gold medals at Canadian Junior National Championships and setting a new provincial record in the 100m Freestyle. Despite all of this success and the dedication to training that is required to attain such heights, Ainsley maintained top grades at school.  

 

The audience watches a clip of Oliver Jones.

 

Gerry Weinstein Ambassador of the Year
Honours the Cote Saint-Luc citizen best portraying charitable qualities and serving the community at large

Oliver Jones - Born to Barbadian parents, Oliver Jones began his career as a pianist at the age of five, studying with Mme Bonner in Little Burgundy's Union United Church, made famous by Trevor W. Payne's Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir. He continued to develop his talent through his studies with Oscar Peterson's sister Daisy Peterson Sweeney starting at eight years old.  In late 1980 he teamed up with Montreal's Charlie Biddle, working in and around local clubs and hotel lounges in Montreal. Jones was resident pianist at Charlie Biddle's jazz club Biddles from 1981 to 1986. His first album, Live at Biddles recorded in 1983, was the first record on the Justin Time record label. He taught music at Laurentian University in 1987, and in 1988 he taught music at McGill University in Montreal In October 1993, Jones was named as an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1994 Jones was bestowed the National Order of Québec, with the rank of Chevalier (Knight). Jones received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2005, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts. In 1986 Jones won a Juno Award for his album titled Lights of Burgundy, and again in 2009 for Second Time around. He has been nominated 9 other times, the most recent being in 2012, with his album Live in Baden. Jones has been a multiple recipient of the Félix Award, receiving his first one for his 1989 album Just Friends, and then wins in 1994, 2007 and 2008. Jones was voted keyboardist of the year, from the National Jazz Awards in 2006. In 1990 Oliver became the second recipient of the Oscar Peterson Award after Oscar himself. It is presented by the Montreal International Jazz Festival, recognizing a performer's musicianship and for exceptional contribution to the development of Canadian jazz. In 1999, Jones was awarded the Special Achievement Award at the SOCAN Awards in Toronto. In 2014, he served as honouree at the annual Côte Saint-Luc Golf Classic.

Volunteer of the Year - Aquatics Program
Helen Campbell has been a volunteer with the Côte Saint-Luc swim team for four years.  Not only is Helen important to the organization of our home competitions, she has also been the officials coordinator for the last two years. As such, Helen must solicit our members to volunteer as officials at almost 25 competition during the year.
Besides all of the in-house work, Helen has been our team's representative for the Lac-St-Louis governing board. She attends monthly meetings and has been a guiding force for the development of our swim team.

The Edward J. Kirwan Award
Honours the Volunteer of the Year for exceptional contribution to the community Parks and Recreation programs.

District 2 resident David Haltrecht is the 2nd vice president of the Côte Saint-Luc Men's Club. David plays a key role in liaising with the city to ensure that all programs run smoothly. Along with organizing a new drone program and teaching free computer classes to members he also designs the weekly newsletter and chairs several committees. 

With Alberto Cambone, his wife and my constituents Alessia and Sandra Cambone.

Lifetime Achievement
Alberto Cambone has been a member of the Community Gardens for 30 years. In that time, he has mentored other gardeners, donated food for the annual barbecue, and given away a lot of his annual yield. His compassion and willingness to help others makes him a model gardener and a wonderful citizen of Côte Saint-Luc.

Royal Canadian Legion Brigadier Frederick Kisch, Branch #97 Award
Recognized the Youth volunteer of the year, a "leader of tomorrow", for outstanding efforts in making a difference in Côte Saint-Luc through volunteer activities.

Willard Collins has been a volunteer at the library since 2015. Over the past two years, Willard has shown extraordinary dedication both to the library and to his work as a volunteer. He has mentored 11 students as a Reading Buddy, sometimes working with more than one student per week. He has also contributed to the Teen Advisory Group in numerous ways. In peer meetings, he is always willing to share practical and creative ideas, which have been incorporated into teen services at the library. He has also helped with some major library events, from the 50th Anniversary to March Break to the TD Summer Reading Club Closing Party. Willard is not only a devoted volunteer, but he is a library user himself.He meets regularly with the Magic: The Gathering group at the library, where he has offered to fill in as a volunteer in a pinch. Willard is a true supporter of libraries and an active part of his community.

vCOP Award
For five years,  District 2 resident Robert Lefcort has been an invaluable member of vCOP.  He is a member of three of our specialized teams: Smoke Detector Patrol, Vacation Spot Check and New Member Orientation. He is also an active participant in our Emergency Call Out system. Robert always helps out when needed and goes beyond the call of duty. 

Our wonderful staff who worked on this event.

When my city council colleague Sidney Benizri and I were asked to co-chair the 2016 Maisons Fleuries Contest, we agreed to do something different. I suggested Sidney, Parks and Recreation Associate Director Cornelia Ziga, event coordinator Laura Trihas, devoted committee member Louise Ferland and the dean of city employees Harold Cammy that we introduce a Lifetime Achievement Award.  We brought the idea to Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and city council and it was approved.

Maisons Fleuries recognizes the superb floral arrangements at homes, condominiums, apartments and business complexes. Judging is done during the summer and every November we hold a ceremony at our Aquatic and Community Centre.

Members of Council, MP Housefather, MNA Birnbaum and the Van Egmond family.

So who would win our first Maisons Fleuries Lifetime Achievement Award? Dirk Van Egmond was the logical choice. Dirk, who just turned 92, has devoted his life to flowers and plants. He accepted the honour and it was heartwarming to see him at our event, surrounded by his children, their spouses and hi grandchildren. His wife Teuna (Toos) passed away in 2010.

The Van Egmond family own Edgewood Florist, which they operated on Hudson Avenue in Côte Saint-Luc for 56 years. Although the business relocated to Montreal West in 2012 when the land was sold for development, Dirk continues to be a resident of Côte Saint-Luc. Edgewood and the Van Egmond family have been part of the Côte Saint-Luc landscape for more years than most residents of this city. They have played an important role in the lives of thousands over the decades, making milestone events all the more special with their beautiful floral arrangements.

First,a word of thanks to our judges: Sam and Louise Pinsky; Joan and Bernie King; Cookie and Bernie Band; Mark and Tina Bessner; Joe Segal’ Paula and Avie Shuster; Marty Labow; Ellie Pomerants; Mona Aronovitch; Roz Kasner ; and Sandra Segal.

Councillor Benizri and I thank Susan Levy.

Single family and semi-detached residences were judged by political districts. Duplex, Townhouse, Institutions, Senior Residences, Commercial Buildings and Highrises were judged overall within the city. We also thank CMS Entrepreneurs Inc. for their sponsorship , George Deligeorge for the wonderful painting he created for this event and Susan Levy and her Painting Acrylics Art Class for their wonderful display.

The Rimokh family of Park Place were winners.

A tip of the hat to our always reliable and talented photographer Rami Negev and to Public Affairs chief Darryl Levine, who put together an excellent video montage of our winners. I was pleased to see a number of winners from District 2. Park Place, still a relatively new street, had some winners. This included Ralph and Carole Rimokh. We presented are top finishers with certificates and plaques. Liberal Member of Parliament for Mount Royal Anthony Housefather and Liberal Member of the National Assembly for D’Arcy McGee David Birnbaum joined us. Anthony presented Dirk with a special certificate and a Canadian flag; David read and presented a letter written by Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. Mayor Brownstein and Councillor Allan J. Levine delivered remarks. Allan has been Dirk’s city councillor for 30 years.

The Van Egmond family.

Dirk was visibly moved as he came to the front of the room to accept our gifts and plaudits. Speaking on his behalf was daughter Corinne.

“Our father has worked with plants and flowers his entire life, beginning in Holland, where he cultivated tulip bulbs with his father and his brothers,” she said. “He immigrated to Canada in 1950, where he began working at Gratton Greenhouses in Saint Laurent. He and his wife, Toos, set down roots in Côte Saint Luc with the purchase of Edgewood Nurseries in January of 1956. We are proud to have the opportunity of providing floral arrangements and plants to so many in the community for over 60 years. We have all heard the expression ‘take time to stop and smell the roses.’ How fortunate our family has been to be able to ‘take time to stop and smell the roses’ on a daily basis.”

The surprises were not over yet as Harold Cammy and Maurizio Giobbi wheeled in a beautiful cake, decorated like a giant flower.The ceremony happened to be held on the eve of Dirk's 92nd birthday so everyone in the room sang together.

Bravo to everyone!

Here is a list of the winners

District  1
W – 1 - 6130 Bernard Mergler
W – 2 - 5889 Tommy Douglas
W – 3 - 5960 Tommy Douglas

District  2
W – 1 - 5778 Park Place (Sadr Ghayeni)
W – 2-  5716 Park Place (Ralph and Carol Rimokh)
W – 3 - 5720 Park Place

District  3
W – 1 – 5588 Randall
W – 2 - 6799 Baily
W – 3 - 6706 Charest

District 4  
W – 1 - 5528 Hudson
W – 2 - 624 Smart
W – 3 - 5527 Hudson and 628 Smart Tied for 3rd

District 5 
W – 1 - 5777 Rand
W – 2 - 5766 Westluke
W – 3 - 5759 Hudson

District 5 Part II
W – 1 - 5710 Wentworth
W – 2 - 5735 Westluke
W – 3 - 5713 Westluke

District 6 
W – 1 - 5830 Einstein
W – 2 - 5604 McMurray
W – 3 - 7480 Spring

District  7
W – 1 - 6848 Emerson
W – 2 - 6845 Weizmann
W – 3 - 5608 Edgemore

District 8 
W – 1 - 6531 Wallenberg
W – 2 - 6529 Aldrin
W – 3 - 6529 Wallenberg

Duplexes
W – 1 - 7386-7388 Kildare
W – 2 - 5860-5862 Shalom
W – 3 - 6613-6615 Baily

Townhouses
District 8 W - 1 - 6043 Cavendish
District 8 W - 2 - 6047 Cavendish
District  2 W - 3 - 6602 Mackle (Robert and Sandra Lubarsky) and 6604  Mackle (Jason and Carol Balinksy) Tied for 3rd

Institutions
W -1 - 6800 Mackle, Beth Israel
W - 2 - 5740 Hudson, Beth Zion
W - 3 - 7070 Guelph, St Richards

Senior Residences
W -1 - 5740 Cavendish - Castel Royal
W - 2 - 8000 Côte Saint-Luc Rd - B’nai Brith House
W - 3 - 6767 Côte Saint-Luc Rd - St. Patrick Square

Commercial Buildings
W - 1 - 7001 CSL Rd - CSL Shopping Center
W - 2 - 5800 Cavendish - Cartier Cavendish
W - 3 - 5850 Cavendish - New Shell gas Station

Highrise
District 2 W – 1 - 5840 Marc Chagall, Bellagio
District 8 W – 2 - 6030 Cavendish, Le Bristel
District 8 W – 3 - 6625/35 Mackle, Mackle Manor