I would like to provide an update on the fate of the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee. In a previous blog I explained the volunteer group's financial dilemma.  The committee is involved in a Trap, Neuter, Release and Adopt program. We rescue homeless cats. If they cannot be adopted, they are sterilized and placed back to the area where we found them. Our devoted Chair Diane Liebling has a team of feeders who keep these cats nourished year-round. There are also others who foster cats until we find them a forever home.

The committee had an annual grant of $5,000 from the city for many years. In pre-COVID years, fundraising and special events brought in more revenue. It has been tougher since then. In 2023 the city upped the contribution to $10,500. However, due to across the board cuts last winter the Cats Committe was brought back to $5,000. That and a shrinking surplus funds puts the committee's work in jeopardy.

Diane attended the last council meeting. I followed up with a blog and arranged for CTV Montreal to do this report.

Marissa Sidel, with her husband Neil Dubrofsky, presents myself and Diane Liebling with the cheque.

I am pleased to report that resident Marissa Sidel was the first person to step forward and present us with a very generous gift of $2,500. Marissa, a dog owner, told me she is allergic to cats.  "But I do love all animals in general and I feel sad that they will go hungry or sick," she said. "It’s the least I can do."

Marissa has issued a challenge, hoping that $25 people will give $100 each.   The first person to respond was her husband, Neil Dubrofsky.

So thank you Marissa. Diane and I had a nice meeting with her.

Following the CTV report, a former resident of our community who now lives in the Eastern Townships reached out and pledged $2,000. Then came a $500 cheque from a wonderful lady who lives within her means but wanted to help out.  Other cheques have started to come in as well.

We need this campaign to go well beyond the $5,500 the city cut. So I invite anyone who supports our cause to please lend a helping hand. You can send  a cheque or e-transfer to [email protected]

See this short video of a cat we trapped last night.

Stay tuned.

Some 15 years ago a lover of cats named Shelley Schecter approached city council about supporting her movement to save homeless cats in our community and take on the Trap, Neuter, Release and Adopt approach. Being a huge feline lover, I stepped up immediately and asked the Mayor – Anthony Housefather at the time- for his support. He responded with a logical challenge: to show the need for such a program.

Diane Liebling and other volunteers at the last council meeting.

I decided to call a public meeting at City Hall, with Shelley, Alana Devine (then of the SPCA) and Dr. Marlene Kalin of the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals as the panelists. It was standing room only, with pretty significant media. The mayor was sold and helped me get $5,000 a year of city funding. Any other financial support would have to come from fundraising.

Cats like this have been rescued by the committee for years.

From the 150 people who jammed City Hall, about 20 actually stepped forward to help Shelley and I get this program going. We estimated that there were probably thousands of homeless cats in our surrounding community, many in the CPR Yards. We got endless calls of cats being found under balconies with litters. Soon enough Diane Liebling stepped forward. A retired nurse, she devoted seven days a week to this cause. One of her major accomplishments was developing a group of people to feed outdoor cats – wild cats that can sadly never be domesticated. She also followed the lead of Shelley and found fosters who took in rescued cats until we could find them homes. We started an annual fundraising concert; did garage and bake sales; undertook raffles; and put the word out to people to merely send us tax deductible donation cheques. There is also a very active Facebook page.

It is very costly to bring cats into the local vet and have them neutered and vaccinated. By doing so they cannot procreate, and therefore the number of outdoor cats is greatly diminished. Cats that are deemed social and have been abandoned are kept by us and put up for adoption. Those that are feral (unsocialized with no exposure to humans) are released back outside provided there is someone to feed and shelter them. A few have been sent to farms, but this is rare.

Fern and Rachel at the CSL Garage Sale on Sunday raising funds for the committee.

We have several feeders in CSL that look after community cats for the duration of their life. We provide these residents with food and small shelters, if need be. Of course, all of this costs money: the majority of which goes to veterinary care and food.

“It’s very difficult to keep one step ahead of the community cats that appear in Côte Saint- Luc as they often wander over from NDG, Montreal West, or other areas,” Diane notes. “Sadly, we also have our fair share of abandoned cats, social and therefore adoptable, within the community. We do not put social cats back outside, but rather retain them until they are adopted. We do this through our foster program whereby people keep these cats until they are adopted. We absolutely, and sadly, do nit catch every unneutered cat so each year we find ourselves with many kittens. The cost is enormous.”

As Diane states, we are the only city within Montreal proper that has a dedicated program exclusively for the care of feral/community cats. The SPCA has a TNR program and the rest of the city (Montreal and surrounding areas) is dependent upon them for this service. However, not every Montreal jurisdiction is covered by the SPCA. In those areas not covered, there is a never ending cycle of stray, abandoned, and feral cats. The suffering of these animals is appalling.

The Cote Saint Luc TNR Program has become quite well-known (at least, by other rescues/people who do what we do) throughout the city/province committed to the health and welfare of outdoor community cats.

Last year, with costs increasing, I was able to have city council increase the annual stipend for the Cats Committee to $10,500. Regrettably, facing a multi-million dollar deficit last fall, cuts had to occur across the board and that meant the Cats Committee budget was brought back to $5,000.

Diane and committee members attended the last public council meeting and made it very clear that without a return to the $10,500 funding level from the city, the future of the CSL Cats Committee is in doubt. Diane told me frankly last week that if new funding does not materialize by the end of 2024 the work of this group will not be able to continue.

From Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and myself to all members of council and senior staff, the hard work of the CSL Cats Committee has never gone unnoticed. We only start building our budgets in the fall, so it is too early to forecast whether or not the city will be in a position to increase funding.

“The CSL TNR program is not sustainable with the allotment we are receiving from the city,” says Diane. “Despite our best fundraising efforts, we are one invoice away from closing up shop. The feral/community cats remain an issue, but not as serious as the stray, sick, and abandoned cats and kittens.”

I know there are a lot of animal lovers in Côte Saint-Luc and beyond. If anyone reading this story knows of some people or organizations that would like to assist this cause please let me know at [email protected] or [email protected]

Some 15 years ago a lover of cats named Shelley Schecter approached city council about supporting her movement to save homeless cats in our community and take on the Trap, Neuter, Release and Adopt approach. Being a huge feline lover, I stepped up immediately and asked the Mayor – Anthony Housefather at the time- for his support. He responded with a logical challenge: to show the need for such a program.

Diane Liebling and other volunteers at the last council meeting.

I decided to call a public meeting at City Hall, with Shelley, Alana Devine (then of the SPCA) and Dr. Marlene Kalin of the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals as the panelists. It was standing room only, with pretty significant media. The mayor was sold and helped me get $5,000 a year of city funding. Any other financial support would have to come from fundraising.

Cats like this have been rescued by the committee for years.

From the 150 people who jammed City Hall, about 20 actually stepped forward to help Shelley and I get this program going. We estimated that there were probably thousands of homeless cats in our surrounding community, many in the CPR Yards. We got endless calls of cats being found under balconies with litters. Soon enough Diane Liebling stepped forward. A retired nurse, she devoted seven days a week to this cause. One of her major accomplishments was developing a group of people to feed outdoor cats – wild cats that can sadly never be domesticated. She also followed the lead of Shelley and found fosters who took in rescued cats until we could find them homes. We started an annual fundraising concert; did garage and bake sales; undertook raffles; and put the word out to people to merely send us tax deductible donation cheques. There is also a very active Facebook page.

It is very costly to bring cats into the local vet and have them neutered and vaccinated. By doing so they cannot procreate, and therefore the number of outdoor cats is greatly diminished. Cats that are deemed social and have been abandoned are kept by us and put up for adoption. Those that are feral (unsocialized with no exposure to humans) are released back outside provided there is someone to feed and shelter them. A few have been sent to farms, but this is rare.

Fern and Rachel at the CSL Garage Sale on Sunday raising funds for the committee.

We have several feeders in CSL that look after community cats for the duration of their life. We provide these residents with food and small shelters, if need be. Of course, all of this costs money: the majority of which goes to veterinary care and food.

“It’s very difficult to keep one step ahead of the community cats that appear in Côte Saint- Luc as they often wander over from NDG, Montreal West, or other areas,” Diane notes. “Sadly, we also have our fair share of abandoned cats, social and therefore adoptable, within the community. We do not put social cats back outside, but rather retain them until they are adopted. We do this through our foster program whereby people keep these cats until they are adopted. We absolutely, and sadly, do nit catch every unneutered cat so each year we find ourselves with many kittens. The cost is enormous.”

As Diane states, we are the only city within Montreal proper that has a dedicated program exclusively for the care of feral/community cats. The SPCA has a TNR program and the rest of the city (Montreal and surrounding areas) is dependent upon them for this service. However, not every Montreal jurisdiction is covered by the SPCA. In those areas not covered, there is a never ending cycle of stray, abandoned, and feral cats. The suffering of these animals is appalling.

The Cote Saint Luc TNR Program has become quite well-known (at least, by other rescues/people who do what we do) throughout the city/province committed to the health and welfare of outdoor community cats.

Last year, with costs increasing, I was able to have city council increase the annual stipend for the Cats Committee to $10,500. Regrettably, facing a multi-million dollar deficit last fall, cuts had to occur across the board and that meant the Cats Committee budget was brought back to $5,000.

Diane and committee members attended the last public council meeting and made it very clear that without a return to the $10,500 funding level from the city, the future of the CSL Cats Committee is in doubt. Diane told me frankly last week that if new funding does not materialize by the end of 2024 the work of this group will not be able to continue.

From Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and myself to all members of council and senior staff, the hard work of the CSL Cats Committee has never gone unnoticed. We only start building our budgets in the fall, so it is too early to forecast whether or not the city will be in a position to increase funding.

“The CSL TNR program is not sustainable with the allotment we are receiving from the city,” says Diane. “Despite our best fundraising efforts, we are one invoice away from closing up shop. The feral/community cats remain an issue, but not as serious as the stray, sick, and abandoned cats and kittens.”

I know there are a lot of animal lovers in Côte Saint-Luc and beyond. If anyone reading this story knows of some people or organizations that would like to assist this cause please let me know at [email protected] or [email protected]

The Montreal SPCA has filed a declaration of intervention with the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) to have its perspective heard in a dispute between a tenant and her landlord over the validity of the clause in her lease prohibiting animals in the unit.

For over a decade, the Montreal SPCA has been fighting relentlessly to ban no-pet clauses due to their devastating effects on both animals and Quebec families, more than half of which now include a companion animal. On May 25, in response to the SPCA’s sustained efforts over the past few years, Bill 494, An Act to amend the Civil Code to render without effect the clauses of a lease of a dwelling tending to prohibit companion animals, was introduced at the National Assembly.

This is a problem that does indeed impact residents of Côte Saint-Luc who are told they cannot have a dog or cat in their apartment. Only pet owners and animal lovers can understand the cruelty of this act. I could never move into a place  that would not allow me to bring my beloved cat.

I appreciate the MNAs for Québec Solidaire for bringing this motion forward. I am sure that our D'Arcy McGee Liberal MNA Elisabeth Prass, who has always supported our CSL Cats Committee, will speak up on this as well.

“In addition to tackling the issue of animals in housing on the legislative front, by supporting this bill and encouraging the public to do the same, we also wish to submit to the courts several legal arguments challenging the validity of no-pet clauses," explainedSophie Gaillard, Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs at the Montreal SPCA. "More specifically, we consider this type of clause to be abusive, unreasonable and contrary to certain fundamental rights set out in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. 

“As an animal shelter directly affected by the problem of mass abandonment caused by no-pet clauses but also as the largest animal protection organization in Quebec, the Montreal SPCA would like to have its voice heard on this issue at the Tribunal administratif du logement.”

In its intervention, the Montreal SPCA will argue, among other things, that the clause prohibiting animals in the residential lease of the tenant involved in the dispute:

• Violates the new status of animals as “sentient beings,” granted to them in the Civil Code of Québec in 2015, insofar as it forces the tenant to get rid of her animals—a dog and a cat—as if they were any other movable property, when in fact they are sentient beings to whom she has a deep emotional attachment and to whom she has obligations;
• Violates the right to privacy set out in section 5 of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, which protects the right to make fundamentally personal and private decisions without undue external influence. The choice to live with an animal companion, often perceived as a family member in their own right, is an inherently personal decision that must be protected;
• Is abusive and unreasonable, especially given the shortage of affordable housing, which seriously undermines the balance of power between landlords and tenants. Forcing a tenant to give up her animals in order to keep her residential unit is completely disproportionate to any hypothetical harm to the landlord or neighbours that such a clause is presumably intended to avoid.

“Every year, thousands of Quebecers are forced to make the heartbreaking decision to give up their animal, whom they consider a member of the family, in order to find affordable housing," points out Gaillard. "The current state of the Quebec rental market is exacerbating this already difficult situation, especially for low-income individuals,” . “Moving is one of the main reasons animals are abandoned in Quebec shelters. On average, more than one animal a day is abandoned at the Montreal SPCA for this very reason.”

Representing the Montreal SPCA in this case is Marie-Claude St-Amant, a partner at Melançon Marceau Grenier Cohen, LLP, who also chairs the SPCA’s board of directors.

Wearing my hat as the city councillor responsible for Animal Welfare, let me give my annual salute to Diane Liebling. A retired nurse, she has devoted so much of her life over the past decade to chair our Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee, which oversees a TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return, Maintain) program and find homes and medical care for homeless cats and kittens.

Let me just remind readers how much I absolutely love cats. Our own Cleopatra is now 13 and a true member of our family. I am crazy about her!!

One of our rescues.

As Diane notes,   “2022 has been, perhaps, the most challenging one I have ever witnessed. Due to COVID, the vet clinics cut back on their hours, thereby creating a backlog of cats that needed desperately to be seen. The SPCA halted their TNR program for a significant amount of time resulting in a huge increase in the cat population, which will take years to resolve. While it may seem that the issues related to the SPCA are of no concern to us, this is not true. While we are not part of the SPCA TNR program, it is not difficult to see how we are impacted. Cats do not respect boundaries and I am certain I have picked up stray, wandering cats from NDG, Montreal West, Hampstead, and other surrounding areas.”

Starting in March 2020, and moving well into 2022, Diane reports that the increase in cat abandonment has been rising and she has picked up several abandoned cats. Most of the veterinary clinics, including the Côte Saint Luc Hospital For Animals, have increased their prices.

How could anyone not want to adopt this beauty?

In 2021, the cost for TNR cats was increased by 10 percent. “It may not seem like a lot but it definitely adds up,” Diane explains. There is a severe shortage of veterinarians in this province and salaries, I imagine, have gone up to compensate for this. Additionally, the cost of cat food has gone up by at least 15 to 20 percent. We supply many colony feeders in CSL and it is unrealistic to ask them to bear the brunt of the cost themselves. Our adoption fees have steadily climbed over the last number of years but this hardly every covers the true cost of care, especially for a cat with medical issues.”

Diane  highlights a few sad cases we had in CSL this year.

• In May, a 97-year-old woman died on Kingsley Road, leaving behind her 13-year-old cat. “Lucky” (sadly not very Lucky) was brought to the CSL Vet Clinic where she was literally unapproachable for two weeks. She had extreme “cage rage,” which is an awful thing to witness in a previously owned and loved cat. Of course, our committee paid for boarding.   Fortunately, one of Diane’s rescue friends found her a foster   and she is doing much better in a home.   We actually used “Vet chez Vous,” a CSL based veterinary service which does home visits exclusively to go to the checkup.  
• In early July this year Diane received a call from a CSL Public Security officer regarding a situation on Heywood. This was for a resident who was brought to hospital leaving behind his two owned cats as well as several outdoor feral cats he has been feeding (with our support) for many years.  “I was told the apartment was uninhabitable and had I not seen it first hand for myself, I am not sure I would believe it,” she said. “I spoke with  Building Inspector Pierre Lemay  I, along with the committee members, went into the apartment, but not without full  Hazmat  gear, including goggles, double masks, foot and head coverings and multiple gloves. It is impossible to accurately describe what we found, but was not good. Fortunately, we were able to retrieve his two, extremely traumatized, cats, which went to the vet for a full workup. They went into foster care. One required dental work, which is very expensive.” While there used to be around seven or eight cats outside this apartment, many disappeared, but four still remained. Diane trapped one, who was very sick, and had to be euthanized; two more were relocated to sanctuaries outside of Montreal (there is a cost to this as we have to support them). and one remains still to be trapped.

On the subject of foster care, there were several strays that Diane picked up in CSL this year, along with the two cats on Heywood. “These were cats that were 100 percent owned and abandoned,” she fumed. “While in foster care, we are obliged to pay the cost for food and litter.”

• The final very sad story. In the summer Diane  was alerted to a beautiful Scottish Fold in someone’s backyard on Cavendish Boulevard. Fortunately the son of the homeowners brought him to one of her amazing fosters. Despite posting “Doc’” all over Facebook, the SPCA and Pawboost, no one came forward to claim him. He had two very expensive vet visits and it was quickly determined he had end-stage kidney failure. “My foster and I knew he was not doing well but we were not quite prepared for him to die suddenly,” she says.  “Fortunately he died inside with loving care…it would have been a very different story had he not been brought inside. It was extremely traumatizing for my foster.
• 

  A loveable feline.

Our committee, thanks to Diane,  has become quite well known on the island and are a shining example of what can be done when a municipality like Côte Saint-Luc takes it upon themselves to address and support an important program. “Many rescuers/TNR trappers I know would love to have the program we have but, without their city approval, it is impossible,” proclaims Diane. “They are completely dependent on the SPCA, if their area is covered, and the SPCA TNR program stops periodically due to staffing shortages.”

Since COVID hit, we have not held our annual fundraising concert. We hope it will return outdoors next summer.  One of our fosters, Karin, is selling calendars to benefit our program (as well as Hearing, Entendre Quebec).  The cost is $25 each. Every calendar is accompanied by a cute cat toy or pin, while supplies last.

One of the many feral cats who lives outdoors and we help feed.

 “Honestly, I could not do what I am doing without Karin,” says Diane.   “She has fostered numerous cats and kittens for us and right now she has had one of our cats for 10 months.  Long story short, this was a cat trapped on Beethoven and the vet was certain this was a previously owned  social) cat because of her evident external spay scar.  Well, if she was an indoor cat at some point, she has completely reverted to feral and is/was a traumatized disaster.  She is getting better, but progress is slow. I don't know if she is ever going to be adoptable, but Karin never bothers me about her.  She has just made her one of her family; maybe one day she'll be adopted, but who knows?”

Thank goodness Diane and her diehards, like Ronnie, Ellen, Abby and others, continue to step up to the plate. “I will say that this has been the most challenging year in cat rescue, and that is putting it mildly,” she says. “Unless you are on Facebook and see the utter chaos and devastation going on in cat rescue, it is impossible to describe. I cannot emphasize enough how brutal it is for tens of thousands of cats in this province. The level of abandonment has never been higher.  Kittens are being born year round because of climate change.  An unspayed female who used to have two litters a year is now having four.   

We are grateful to the city for providing us with a budget ,as well as the continued support from our MNA for D'Arcy McGee, David Birnbaum previously and now Elisabeth Prass. Hats off as well to Fern Collier-Pereira and her team for continuing to organize garage sales.

If you are interested in joining our committee, e-mail me at [email protected]

Microchipping dogs and cats became mandatory in Montreal and Laval last January. The law also applies to Côte Saint-Luc and we decided to give pet owners more than a year's grace, but that time is almost over.

Starting April 6, 2021, all Côte Saint-Luc cats and dogs over six months of age must be microchipped. A proof of microchipping will be asked when you renew your annual dog or cat tag.

What is a microchip?

A microchip is computer chip, the size of a grain of rice, with a serial number associated with the owner’s contact details. It is inserted, by a veterinarian, under the skin of the animal.

Why microchip?

A microchip makes it possible to identify a lost animal and quickly find its owner. The device cannot be lost and accompanies your pet throughout its life. Dog and cat ownership information is accessible to veterinarians. This avoids overloading shelters and most importantly carrying out avoidable euthanasia.

My Cleopatra was microchipped the moment we adopted her as a kitten.

Where can I get my pet microchipped?

You can get your pet microchipped at your local veterinarian or at the SPCA.

What is my view?

All of my cats have been microchipped. My 11 year old  Cleopatra never goes outside. But we worry heaven forbid if she ever escaped (when I open the sliding door for the barbeque she heads in the opposite direction) what would happen? I hope to never find out, but a microchip is a vital purchase if you love your pet. We have all heard stories about dogs breaking lose from a backyard or off a leash.

You have to be a pet owner to understand this. Our dogs and cats are family. We care about them, well at least I do, like they are your own flesh and blood.

So please, adhere to this new regulation!

A capacity crowd of well over 300 people attended the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee’s (CSLCC) annual benefit concert on   October 24 at the Syd Wise Auditorium of the Wagar Adult Education Centre. Featured performers  for Broadway’s Greatest Hits were the Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Joseph Milo. There were also solo performances by soprano Olivia Charette-Hancinsky, baritone Burney Lieberman and saxophonist Gideon Vigderhaus.

For a detailed recap  please click here.

On a night when massive power failures hit Côte Saint-Luc and a good chunk of Montreal, the show still went on!

Joseph Milo starts the program.

The Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee (CSLCC) held its annual benefit concert on   August 22 at the Syd Wise Auditorium of the Wagar Adult Education Centre.  Featured performers were once again the Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Joseph Milo. The selection of music was light classical pieces around the theme of Dance.  Soprano Fairouz Oujida was a  special guest.  

We did so in the memory of Barbara Diehl, a member of our commitee who passed away very suddenly in June. In fact, we were the last people to see her. She went home happily after the meeting. The following day she was found by family in her home. One of her daughters and  grandchildren attended our event.

More than 270 tickets were sold for the event. Funds raised will go towards our Trap, Neuter, Release and Adopt Program. There are many feral cats in the community. The CSLCC’s team of volunteers sets out to trap as many as possible, have them sterilized and then adopted or returned to the spot where they were originally found.  In the latter case, efforts are made to assist the feeders in the community. The committee has also rescued a number of  kittens and found homes for them.

I wish to thank our devoted Chairman Diane Liebling and the woman who spearheaded the efforts seven years ago to help get this initiative started, Shelley Schecter. As the city councillor responsible for Animal Protection I am so proud of the success our small and devoted group of volunteers has achieved. Thanks to former Mayor Anthony Housefather, who helped me get this off the ground, his successor Mitchell Brownstein and members of council. In particular I must single out Sam Goldbloom, who has supported me all the way. He and his wife Bev even adopted a cat a few years ago they named Mr. Darcy. My little kitty, Cleopatra, has a special place in my life.  While I adore all animals, cats make the most remarkable pets. You do not need to walk them. They do their business in a litter box and will apportion food you leave them during the day at their own pace. And oh fresh they smell. These animals bathe themselves all day long. When I pick my eight year old Cleo up she smells like shampoo.

Councillor Sam Goldbloom, Cllr Sidney Benizri, myself, Cllr Ruth Kovac, Anthony Housefather, Cllr Allan J. Levine, Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and Cllr Glenn J. Nashen.

 We are grateful to our 2017 concert sponsors: Expedia Cruise Ship Centres, with franchisee Sean Flynn; Little Bear Pet Supplies on St. Catherine Street in Westmount and D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA David Birnbaum.

Our dedicated bake sale crew.

In addition to sponsorship and ticket purchases, we also held our annual bake sale at intermission. Bravo to committee member Fern Pereira and her team for their extraordinary work. Funds raised from that project goes to Diane Liebling’s project of providing food and litter to people who foster cats and those who feed outdoor felines year-round. A huge hats off to Alvin Fishman of the Parks and Recreation Department, who handled all logistics and Regine Banon at City Hall for her coordination. 

Tori Gazin shows young Annabelle a kitten she just rescued.

 We are always looking for new committee members and thanks to the concert this year a few new people have stepped forward.

The orchestra plays.

 The Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra (MWSO) was founded in 2006 by conductor  Milo and his wife Lucy Ravinsky. This one of a kind orchestra is composed of 55 musicians: about 80 percent of its members are from 15 countries around the world, while the remaining 20 percent are natives of Montreal who successfully facilitated the integration of the newcomers. They have been rehearsing at Côte Saint-Luc City Hall for many years and as part of the arrangement, they agree to perform a benefit concert once a year. We have been the beneficiaries the past seven years.

Mayor Brownstein, Councillor Goldbloom, Sean Flynn and myself.

 We remain grateful for the partnership we have with the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals.

Joseph Milo and his orchestra take a well deserved bow.

 The concert was a splendid affair and everyone left delighted and entertained. Anthony Housefather, Mayor Brownstein and Elisabeth Prass (on behalf of David Birnbaum) gave opening remarks and then the band played on!

For more information call 514-485-6806, ext. 2200 or log on to www.cotesaintluc.org/cats.

A huge thanks goes out to D'Arcy McGee Liberal MNA David Birnbaum and specifically his invaluable bureau chief Elisabeth Prass for once again assisting my true "pet" project - the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee.

David Birnbaum presents the cheque to me from the Quebec government.

Following up on a commitment originally started by his predecessor, Lawrence Bergman, Birnbaum has been providing our committee with a greatly appreciated $500 annual donation. He presents it to us at our annual fundraising concert each summer- the next edition set for August 22, 2017. Recently, Prass communicated with the office of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Laurent Lessard about the work of our committee. This Ministry is responsible for Animal Welfare and as such Prass was able to secure us an additional $500.

CSL Cats Committee Chairman Diane Liebling welcomed the donation. Normally our work only begins in the spring. But that has not been the case this year. There has been an alarming number of homeless cats, many giving birth to kittens, in one specific part of town in the winter. As a result, our already small budget has been impacted so every donation like this is invaluable.

The committee has produced a new information flyer and volunteers have started to deliver it door to door. As the city councillor responsible for Animal Protection, I cannot say enough about Diane Liebling`s leadership and I thank Shelley Schecter of Educhat who remains involved as invaluable advisor and the lady who helped me to start this all off.  The Côte St. Luc Hospital for Animals and its staff are true partners in our mission.