The Suburban - Mike Cohen

Nine years after the Montreal Expos left town for good,baseball fans got some encouraging news on September 10 via the folks at evenko, which announced that a two-game pre-season series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Metswill take place at Olympic Stadium on March 28 and 29.

No, we are not getting a big league team back here. The Montreal Baseball Project and ExposNation continue to work hard on that front. But as local broadcaster and PR guru Matthew Ross, the man behind ExposNation, shared with me this is an opportunity. Major League Baseball will indeed be watching closely and if crowds of 30,000 plus attend eachj game it will send home a very important message. My brother Chuck suggested that the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays be invited to Montreal to see the game and move their team here.

Alex Anthopoulos

I must say that there was a very nostalgic feeling as I walked on to what used to be the Expos playing field. There were some youngsters in baseball uniforms, a patch of artificial turf and both the inning by inning and diamond vision scoreboards in operation. Journalists were treated to hotdogs, chips and popcorn. We were told that this event, initiated by evenko, was actually two years in the making.

I had the chance to interview Town of Mount Royal native Alex Anthopoulos, the very bilingual general manager of the Blue Jays. He got his start in the business working in the mail room for the Expos in 2000. Below is my video interview with him.

“Being from Montreal personally, this is going to be a great thrill," Anthopoulos said. "I started my career with the Expos and spent many a game at Olympic Stadium. It will be exciting to see the Big O come to life again with Major League Baseball.”

Added Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston: “We are excited to bring the Blue Jays to Montreal play in Montreal and give the fans a taste of Major League Baseball again. This will be a very meaningful experience knowing the strength and passion of baseball fans in Quebec. We hope that these games will rekindle their interest in the Blue Jays and Major League Baseball."

I have a few suggestions to make this event click. For starters, how about honouring Expos legend Tim Raines at one of the games and former GM and manager Jim Fanning at another. Both are presently part of the Blue Jays organization, Raines as a minor league instructor.

Will we ever get a big league team again? I am not sure, but the activity going on to make this happen is impressive. I have been pushing for a Can AM League franchise in Montreal, to join the likes of Quebec City and Trois-Rivieres. Ottawa is also expected to join the minor league loop, which has a short season June through August schedule.

Marc Griffin

Marc Griffin, one Quebecer who almost made it in the majors and now does baseball commentary for RDS, is among those individuals who has been working behind the scenes to try and bring Can AM here. A report in today's Le Journal de Montreal suggested that Montreal may get a team by 2015 at either a retrofitted Gary Carter Stadium in Ahuntsic or a new stadium in Laval.

"We need that stadium," said Griffin. "That is what has held this up for so long. At one point we looked at building a new one on the South Shore. The Ahuntsic option has parking issues. Laval would be a great spot, but they have to create something from scratch. Finding the land to build a $15 million stadium has been our true challenge."

Baseball Québec will be directly involved with specialists on site to offer baseball clinics on the field on Sunday, March 30. To promote the development of the sport among young people throughout the province, Baseball Québec will participate in many initiatives and programs that will be put forward as part of this two-game series/

“After more than a decade without Major League Baseball in Montreal, we are proud to welcome this special baseball event between two leading teams," said evenko executive vice-president and general manager Jacques Aubé. "We are also pleased to provide Quebec fans with exciting baseball while contributing to the growth and development of the sport, thanks to the involvement of Baseball Québec."

As a financial partner of the event, Tourisme Montréal is supporting this initiative. Baseball fans will be able to buy tickets starting September 14 at 10 a.m. on evenko.ca. Those who purchase tickets for both games will get a 10 percent discount. Special prices for children are also available.

On the day the intolerant PQ government let loose its controversial Charter of Quebec Values, CJAD Radio made big news of its own by letting go longtime program host Ric Peterson, sportscaster Chantal Desjardins, newscaster Claude Beaulieu and demoting Suzanne Desautels to a more limited status. Over at the new Bell Media sister station, TSN 690, morning show co-host Ted Bird was shown the door. Is this just the beginning?

Chantal Desjardins

"Seems the soul of English Montreal radio was gutted yesterday," former CJAD/CHOM/Virgin Radio boss Rob Braide wrote on his Facebook page. "So many great broadcasters with years of service and first class performance and ratings thrown out the door to crank the margins by a few cents. Shameful!"

Today, I am told, the hosts of TSN 690's weekend morning show called The Franchise were told they are gone. Both The Franchise and Bird are expected to play a more active role on the very popular Montreal Hockey Talk internet radio show.

Peterson broke his silence on Facebook as well, writing:"After more than 30 years of broadcasting in Montreal I thought my first day off the air would be one without much talking on my part," he wrote. "I was mistaken. I am very touched by the many phone calls and moved by the texts, emails, comments as well as the posts to my social pages. Your kind words are very much appreciated. It pleases me to know how many lives I’ve touched, thank you for listening. Some wise soul once said, 'man maintains his balance, poise, and sense of security only as he is moving forward' I am looking forward to sharing my future adventures with you all."

Barry Morgan, probably the most versatile broadcaster in Montreal, has temporarily taken over the Ric and Suzanne Noon to 3 p.m. slot. Dan Laxer, who lost his full-time status two years ago when Aaron Rand was hired, returned Wednesday evening to his old 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. spot once known. Laxer has been a good soldier, never making waves over his dismissal. He continued to co-host the Sunday Trivia Show and filled in doing traffic and other shows whenever called upon. In order to pay the rent he became a personal trainer, a programmer of Yiddish theatre and social media specialist for a local school. I have never hidden my admiration for Laxer, who I think is a natural on radio.

Dan Laxer (with his daughter).

"It felt fantastic to be back in that role again, even for just one night," Laxer told me. "That was my timeslot when I first started in 2006. I don't know what management has planned for evenings, but I've told Chris Bury that I'd gladly jump in there, if they'll have me."

I am quite shocked to see Beaulieu cut loose. We just spoke last week. Wearing my PR hats for Canadian Jewish Congress and the EMSB, Claude and I communicated regularly. An impeccably bilingual professional, it is sad to see him go.

CJAD and TSN 690 program director Chris Bury was not able to talk to me today, understandably busy. This was the first day of TSN 690 studios debuting under the same roof as CJAD, CHOM and Virgin Radio. Convergence has begun and we should expect a series of big changes to come. Dropping Desjardins, who had amazing chemistry with Aaron Rand, can only mean that sports will soon be centralized at TSN 690. So will Rick Moffat soon do morning sports on both CJAD and TSN 690 and Mitch Gallo split his time between Melnick and Rand? Where does Abe Hefter stand? Will the Alouettes and Impact broadcasts be moved over to TSN 690 for next season?

Whenever the much anticipated AM600 Radio begins airing, perhaps the likes of Peterson and previous CJAD casualties such as Peter Anthony Holder, Kevin Holden and Sol Boxenbaum can resurface. Former CJAD boss Steve Kowch is presently charting a course for the new station, which has no projected air date. Desjardins has done some sportscasting for CTV Montreal. She's gorgeous and personable and would be a great pickup for Global TV or 925 The Beat FM. Is there a spot for Peterson on CBC Radio One?

Every time I see something like this happen I thank my mother for convincing me not to make radio broadcasting a full-time endeavor. There are the lucky ones who can spend a lifetime in the business. Then there are others who find themselves unexpectedly on the unemployment line.

Check out the amazing Fagstein's analysis and colourful comments section.

When it comes to the federal political scene, Maria Mourani is the equivalent to a star free-agent in hockey.

Mourani was booted from the Bloc Québecois caucus after speaking out against the PQ government's controversial proposed Charter of Quebec Values. She subsequently quit the party altogether, hinting that she will also renounce sovereignty.

Let us all remember that Jean Lapierre was a founding member of the Bloc, but returned to the federalist fold and even served as a cabinet minister for the Liberals under the short-lived Paul Martin government.

Maria Mourani

As the Member of Parliament for Ahuntsic, Mourani has plenty of time to contemplate her political future. The next federal election is scheduled for the fall of 2015, but it will likely be earlier.

So who should be pursuing Mourani?

-Let's start off with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has absolutely no Tory MPs on or near the island of Montreal. Drafting Mourani and handing her a cabinet post would provide him with an invaluable asset possibly able to rebuild the dwindling Tory base in all of Quebec.

-Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has already praised Mourani's stand. Ahuntsic was a Liberal riding held by Eleni Bakopanos until Mourani took it in 2006.

-The NDP already has a number of soft nationalists with loose PQ affiliations on board. Leader Tom Mulcair is probably best positioned to grab her. He would be well advised to try and do so quickly, for having Mourani campaign for his party in the upcoming Bourassa by-election in multicultural Montreal North would be a coup.

Melanie Joly

Faced with new competition from City Montreal's Breakfast Television, the Global Montreal Morning News has come up with a novel idea to gain viewers.

Marcel Côte

This week mayoral candidates Melanie Joly, Marcel Côte, Denis Coderre and Richard Bergeron are joining the team to do guest weather, spiced with some politics between 7 a.m. and 7:30, joining co-hosts Camille Ross and Richard Dagenais and charismatic weather specialist Jessica Laventure. It all started off here with Joly on Monday and her interview. I caught Côte on Tuesday morning and I must say he did quite a good job, doing some clever ad libbing when it came to describing poor weather conditions heading our way next weekend. Check it out here. Laventure tutored him on where to stand near the large blue weather screen. After the forecast, he sat down to talk politics with Ross. Here it is.

Denis Coderre

Coderre was very entertaining, noting that things will "heat" up with the election of November 3.

Stay tuned for Bergeron on Thursday.

Hats off to station/news director Karen MacDonald for thinking outside the box. The Morning News made its debut last January. Dagenais, who was part of the original Global wakeup show, was happy to return to the posting. Ross was previously a reporter at CTV Montreal while Laventure came over from MétéoMedia, having started her broadcast career at Global after graduating from the Journalism Program at Concordia.

Breakfast Television began its run a few weeks ago, with double the on air staff. This is all good news for Montrealers, who a year ago at this time did not have any local English TV programming. Personally I go back and forth between the two shows and catch highlights on the web.

Richard Bergeron

The Montreal mayoral race is about to truly hit the local media radar screen, with the official election period beginning on Friday. It will be interesting to see how the politicians on air, live and unscripted. I would suggest that Global expand this feature to include colourful city and borough council candidates and those running in municipalities.

For some time now I have been looking forward to seeing the much anticipated documentary by filmmaker extraordinaire Ezra Soiferman about the Goldman Herzl Family Practice Centre at the Jewish General Hospital. While Dockside to Bedside: 100 Years of Herzl will premiere on Saturday, September 21 (8 p.m.) on City Montreal, I was fortunate to get a sneak peek for the purposes of this article.

The film was, in fact, originally scheduled to air a week later. However, some last minute scheduling changes forced Soiferman and his team into emergency advance publicity mode. Fortunately, he is quite good at what he does. Judging by the fact he responded to a 1:20 a.m. email me only moments later, the man never sleeps. I won't get into my late hours by the computer. First of all, here is a trailer to watch.

Soiferman spent a year as a “fly on the wall” at Herzl, documenting the institution's mosaic of patients, staff and stories throughout its milestone 100th anniversary year.

Located in the unlikely locale of a former Catholic convent on the grounds of then Jewish General, the Herzl is one of Canada's first free medical clinics and an innovative healthcare model. For a century, it has pushed the boundaries in areas as varied as family medicine, breastfeeding, teen health, urgent care, home visits for the elderly, drug addiction, palliative care and many more.

“I've directed films about greasy-spoon chefs, Christmas tree sellers, working dogs, pickle makers and fishermen,” says Soiferman. “Nothing could have prepared me for a film about a busy medical clinic and all it entails. What a privilege it was to be able to spend a year following the staff and patients of such a humbling and historic institution as Herzl.”

Dockside to Bedside: 100 Years of Herzl which runs an hour with commercials, looks back at the clinic’s hundred-year history, from makeshift dockside dispensary serving newly arrived Jewish immigrants and Montreal’s poor, through its transformation into part of the bedrock of Canada’s medical landscape, becoming a recognized leader in preventive medicine and compassionate care. Today it thrives under Dr. Michael Malus, who is Herzl’s Director and JGH Chief of Family Medicine.

Dr. Michael Malus

“Working closely with Dr. Malus and his team as they cared for Montrealers and Quebecers of all ages and ethnicities was a really eye-opening experience," Soiferman says. " A little like going to medical school, I imagine, except without any dissections or exams, just a final film to present. This is a film I'm eager to share with viewers looking to learn about the roots of preventive medicine in Canada. Compassionate medicine, too."

“Ezra got it,” says Dr. Malus. “Our definition of health is more than the absence of disease. It is about enabling people to be who they really are. Our staff partners, with our patients, make it work. It is infectious.”

Veteran nurse clinician Karen Tafler is featured in the film.

City Montreal can be accessed on Videotron Classic: Channel 14; Videotron illico: Channel 14 or 614 for broadcast in HD; Bell Satellite: Channel 207; and Bell Fibe: Channel 204 or 1204 for broadcast in HD.

It was great to hear Dennis Trudeau as the narrrator. “ He's an old friend of Dr. Malus,” Soiferman explained. “When Michael asked him if he wanted to be involved he happily agreed. Also, Dennis and I crossed paths about 10 years ago when we both worked in the CBC-Montreal newsroom. He was anchor of Newswatch and I was a segment producer on Mitsou's old show Au Courant.”

It is very likely that this film will air again after Saturday. “Our distributor, Incendo Media, is currently shopping the film around to broadcasters outside of Montreal,” Soiferman says. “ Hopefully there will be more screenings in the near future, as well as French broadcasts too.

Earlier this week Soiferman arranged for a screeningfor about 100 Herzl doctors and nurses. “They loved it,” he said. “I was blown away by the feedback. “

Ezra Soiferman (photo by Stella Walker)

Soiferman shoots and directs stories about fascinating people and places that warm hearts, uplift spirits, and provoke thought and laughter. Among these are Man of Grease - from legendary Montreal greasy spoon Cosmos to the island of Crete, following Tony Koulakis, breakfast chef, on his first holiday home in over 30 years; Posthumous Pickle Party - a quest to find the secret recipe for the late Simcha Leibovich’s homemade pickles, upon the closing of his small but important Montreal landmark, Simcha’s Grocery; Tree Weeks - shadowing the quirky and dedicated Québécois Christmas tree vendors who migrate each year to Manhattan to sell their wares; and Cod Help Us- capturing the plight of spirited cod fisherman in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as their livelihood for generations slips away.

Nicholas Katalifos meets Victor Soussana and Georges Ouaknine.

One of the many reaons why Jean-Claude Gobé is favored to win the race to become the City of Laval's mayor is because of the quality of candidates he has chosen. Such is the case in the St. Martin District, where well known educator and community organizer Nicholas Katalifos is seeking his first shot at elected office.

I have known Nick for many years and I would need more than two hands to count the number of times I encouraged him to take the leap into municipal politics as I did eight years ago in Côte Saint-Luc. I wish him well and must say I am impressed with the efforts he is putting into the campaign for his Action Laval team.

Earlier this week I was having my haircut by Georges Ouaknine at Inter Coupe Monsieur on Decarie. Nick was driving towards the West End at the time and when I told him Georges lived in Laval and within the confines of his district, he dropped in to shake hands and accept the encouragement of Georges to visit the local Sephardic synagogue. Georges and his boss Victor Soussana, whose brother-in-law Maurice Cohen is a borough councillor in St. Laurent, were most impressed.

Nick will make an outstanding councillor. I am sure his future constituents will be able to see this the moment they meet him.

Noted broadcast executive Steve Kowch was in Montreal October 4, still optimistic that a new English language AM radio station will make its debut here in the not too distant future. Paul Tietolman and his partners already have the AM 600 dial approved by the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as well as 850 AM for all sports in French and 940 AM for French talk radio. I met with Kowch for breakfast. He was to sit down later with Tietolman. Launching three radio stations from scratch is no easy task and that partially speaks for the delay.

Steve Kowch

Kowch’s main reason for being in town was to speak at the Rosemount High School Class of 2013 graduation ceremonies. Kowch attended Rosemount High and Nesbitt Elementary as a kid. A few years ago I arranged for him to visit both and he made a solid connection. While he presently resides in Toronto and works as a media consultant, he and his wife are ready to pack up the moving truck the moment Tietolman sends word that he is ready to go on air.

His speech at Rosemount High was inspiring, provocative and revealing.

“I have a few things I want to share with all of you about my experiences here at Rosemount and since I graduated in 1968,” Kowch said in his speech. “Who knew that one day I would return to this very stage where I sang … had my first kiss on stage while in a play or even gave a speech convincing 69 people to vote for me as Student Council president. Where was Facebook when I needed it? Being a teenager is never easy. We take things way too personally and for some of uswe think we’re the only ones living in a dysfunctional family, never going to get a date, never being accepted by those who bully us, never being as popular as the guy or girl sitting next to us in class and wishing our parents would just once believe in us.

“Been there done that. I am here to tell you that as the guy who at times was bullied, never voted most popular kid in class, lived with an alcoholic father and a mother who never believed in me, that if you want to succeed in life you cannot be held hostage by memories of all the bad things that happen to you.”


Kowch with left to right Principal Demetra Droutsas,Deputy Director General Roma Medwid and Commissioner Agostino Cannavino on stafe at Rosemount High School.

Kowch told the students not to let the bad things cloud their future. “As you go through life, remember how you felt if shunned, picked on or ignored,” he said. “Use these moments as a learning experience. You know how it feels, so make the world a better place. You can make a difference by being the the first to offer a helping hand, provide words of encouragement, give someone a listen when they need to talk or a hug when they need a shoulder to cry on. “

Kowch recalled how there was a kid in school who for some reason didn’t like him. “ Then one day, as a reporter for The Gazette I covered a fire here in Rosemount and this guy comes running up to me as if he was my best friend,” he recalls. “His apartment was burning and his brand new TV was about to be destroyed. It was the kid in school who would never give me the time of day He asked me, well he really pleaded with me, to have the firemen rescue his TV. My first thought was to ask the firemen to put an axe through his TV screen, but my heart directed me to the fire chief I knew and asked him to do me a favour. A few minutes later a fireman came out of the building with this brand new TV in his arms. Of course, as a reporter I exploited the situation and wrote a story about how I helped a resident get his brand new TV out of the burning building. Helping people is the key to the success of my career in journalism, broadcasting, coaching talent and running radio stations.”

Kowch says that as a street reporter he always helped other reporters by sharing some information with them. “One of those who benefited from my help would become news director at CJAD,” he said. “ His first decision was to hire me away from newspapers to be a reporter. Others would later ask me to help start the Montreal Daily News or pull me back into radio by hiring me to be the news director at the old CKGM and CHOM-FM or recommended me for the position of managing editor of a national news service based in Toronto. I would later become the general manager of that news service before being offered the job of a lifetime, to run Canada’s largest news talk radio station, CFRB. Later, I would come back to Montreal on two occasions to be the program and news director of CJAD.”

In recent years Kowch has written a book (99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Making It BIG In Media), taught at two Toronto colleges and played a key role for the Tietolman group in getting CRTC approval for their radio licenses.

On the political situation here, Kowch asked people on Facebook what he should talk about it. He was distressed to see so many people posted to tell the students to leave Quebec. “I am not here tonight to tell you to leave Quebec,” he said. “ I am here to tell you to stay and carve out your destiny in Canada’s greatest city! I am here to tell you to stay in Quebec and wear your religious symbols with pride, to wear your hijab, kippa or cross at work or at play. You have as much right to call Quebec your home as Pauline Marois and her merry band of Pequistes. If you leave, they win. If you leave, Quebec loses all the potential that you can bring to this province.

“Yes I have left, but I keep coming back. If I didn’t believe in the future of Montreal’s English community, if I didn’t believe in my place in Quebec. I would not be part of the process to launch a new English language talk radio station in Montreal."

I sure do hope AM 600 arrives on the airwaves soon so we can get a regular dose of Kowch.

Here is a video of Kowch's full presentation.

I have seen a lot of live shows in my time, but few will ever measure up to the So You Think You Can Dance 2013 Tour stop at the Bell Centre on Sunday, October 6. Earlier in the day I had an exclusive opportunity to interview the top 10 performers. Only three members of the media attended this press conference, so I found myself with unprecedented access to such a group of reality show superstars.

The group was composed of female and male first place finishers Amy Yakima as well as Du-Shaunt “Fik-Shun” Stegall, Aaron Turner, Jasmine Harper, Hayley Erbert, Jenna Johnson, Makenzie Dustman, Nico Greetham, Paul Karmiryan and Tucker Knox.

Here I am with Jasmine, Aaron, Amy and Fik-Shun.

What a fine group of young men and women, each of them still pinching themselves over the celebrity status they have inherited as a result of being on the hit Fox and CTV program.

Here is a link to my exclusive video interview with the top four.

Including intermission, the show was just over two hours and the crowd loved every minute of it. This was high level entertainment, a superpbly choreographed series of routines from the get go. On this night the Bell Centre was configured into a smaller theatre, carving out about two thirds of their capacity and leaving a cozy 6,000 seat venue. It was perfect from the get go as the top 10 dancers, accompanied by a small supporting cast of others from this season, entered the stage from the floor level and the song “Putting on the Ritz.”

With Makenzie and Paul.

While the charismaticNigel Lythgoe, producer and judge for the show, was not in Montreal, we saw him all evening long on the beautiful big screen behind the stage. An early highlight was the introduction of the top 10 to thunderous applause, followed by Fik-Shun and Amy delivering opening remarks. There were many francophones in the audience and with apologies to Premier Pauline Marois and her gang from the PQ government, not a word of French was spoken. Nobody seemed to care. This was all about the international language of dance.

When So You Think You Can Dance Canada was on the air here on CTV, two cross-Canada tours took place: one at the Place des Arts and another at the Bell Centre. The reception for the Quebec dancers was incredible. I wondered how wild the crowd would go for the Americans, making their first appearance here. Well, it was huge. The numbers were draw jopping, the costumes superb and the flow of the show just right. There was not one dull second. There were a lot of popular repeat numbers from the show and some new ones. Each dancer did a solo. The first half ended off with Sand, a contemporary group piece choreographed by Chris Scott and featuring the whole cast. It had to conclude the opening hour as they literally did drop sand all over the stage.

Highlights for me included Aaron’s tap dance number, Aaron and Jasmine making 48 moves in seven seconds, Jenna looking gorgeous in a spectacular blue dress in her ballroom routine and the emotional finale to the tune of Jennifer Lopez’s Live It Up.

Quite appropriately, Amy and Fik-Shun were the last performers to do solos and they were thanked with loud and appreciative standing ovations. You could see from their reactions how touched they were. Here is a look at the emotional farewell the dancers got from the crowd.

Celebrating its landmark 10^th season, So You Think You Can Dance’s top 10 finalists have been making their way across North America, performing in a mix of theatres and arenas as part of the So You Think You Can Dance Tour 2013,sponsored by BLOCH, an international leader in dance wear.

The 42-city tour will kicked-off on October 1 in East Lansing, MI with shows scheduled through November 27 in Los Angeles, CA. Besides the Bell Centre, Orillia and Windsor were the two other Canadian cities chosen for the tour.

Amy and “'Fik-Shun” this year became the first couple to win that were partners from the beginning of the season. “I still cannot believe this is all happening,” Amy told me. “A few months ago I was just this average dancer. Now I am recognized wherever I go and I have such amazing opportunities. It is just a dream come true. The whole thing has just not sunk in.”

Fik-Shun already knows what he wants to do from here. “I want to be in the next Step Up movie,” he said, referring to the popular series of dance/romance/drama films. Season Six third place finisher Kathryn McCormick and Season Four second place finisher Stephen “tWitch” Boss were in Step Up Revolution while others have enjoyed success on Dancing With the Stars and other TV and movie roles.

Where did the name Fik-Shun come from? “During my freshman year in high school I wanted to have a dance nickname. So I asked and I was told that when I dance, I do not look real. Like fiction. That is where it came from.”

The dancers say that the tour, thus far, has been a lot of fun. “We are like a family,” said Makenzie. “We have more than 30 shows to go on this tour so it is hard on the body. We definitely need our sleep.”

Fik-Shun said that performing before such live audiences “provides us with that extra dose of energy on stage.” Noted Jenna: “Dancers are usually on stage in the background at live concerts, so this kind of tour is unique as people are coming to see us.”

Tucker likes the fact that they are now getting paid for the job, something which was not the case when they auditioned and went through the preliminaries and live shows leading to the top 10.”To see all of these different cities is cool,” he said.

During the day Sunday the dancers explored downtown Montreal, notably the underground city of shopping from Eaton Centre to the Promenades des Cathedrales. At a food court, Tucker decided to give the Quebec speciality of poutine - french fries, topped with brown gravy and cheese curds- a try. “It was amazing,” he said. “I had never heard of it before.”

Poutine was not on the menu for Fik- Shun. “Nope,” he said. “I was happy to go to Subways.”

Jenna said she was both surprised and delighted with how many people recognized them in Montreal. “We are an American show, so we really did not expect that,” she said. “We quickly learned the French word for ‘smile’ as a lot of the young girls kept shouting ‘sourire’ to us.

Which particular stores did they like shopping at? Brandy Melville, Roots and Lush were their favorites.

I end this story with a plea to CTV. Please bring back So You Think You Can Dance Canada!

Longtime Montreal sportscaster Abe Hefter has assumed a limited role on local Bell Media radio stations in order to devote most of his energy to teaching.

Hefter, for years a fixture with CJAD Sports, recently accepted a full-time appointment at Concordia University in the Department of Journalism as a lecturer and undergraduate program director. " I had been teaching at Concordia for about a dozen years, part-time, initially within Continuing Education and, more recently, within the journalism department," he says. " I enjoyed being back at school so much I decided to head back to the classroom as a student: I'm working towards my MA in Journalism Studies at Concordia."

Abe Hefter

Hefter says he quickly developed a passion for teaching , "the same passion I have for radio. So when the opportunity came up to teach, full-time, at Concordia, I went for it. It's been an amazing experience: incredibly rewarding."

For Hefter, what has been doubly rewarding is the fact that he has been able to continue to connect with Montreal radio listeners as the host of TSN 690's weekend morning show: The Locker Room. He is on from 7 am to 9 a.m. "It's been a blast talking sports and sharing the airwaves with the very talented likes of Amanda Stein, Eric Thomas, Robyn Flynn and Dave Kaufman," he says. "At Concordia and TSN 690, I've been able to enjoy the best of both worlds."

Hefter is also part of the Habs pre-game show on the weekends with Flynn.

Hefter joined CJAD in January of 2002. He was with the former CJFM/FM 96 from 1981 to 1985 before departing for Vancouver.

There are now three P.F. Chang’s China Bistro locations in Canada: one in Toronto and two in the Montreal area. I have had the good fortunate of dining in all three –Toronto last winter, the Decarie Rue des Jockeys spot near the former Blue Bonnets a few times and the other at Carrefour Laval once. I grew to love this chain when travelling in the United States and I thank businessman Michael Aronovici and his partners for bringing the concept to our country.

P.F. Chang's is an international brand that features a unique dining experience within an elegant, contemporary and family-friendly setting. With over 230 restaurants globally, each P.F. Chang's restaurant is a culinary journey inspired by the cuisine of the five regions of China, from Mongolia and Sichuan, to Beijing, Shanghai and Hunan. Each restaurant also features a variety of signature cocktails and unique desserts.

P.F. Chang's menu items are cooked-to-order in traditional Chinese woks, using only the freshest ingredients delivered to the restaurant every day. The won ton and egg drop soups are traditional starters. But the chicken lettuce wraps remain the true signature dish. The Mongolian beef, crispy honey shrimp and chicken and double pan-fried noodles are house favorites.

The famous chicken lettuce wraps.

So where will the expansion go next? I contacted director of operations Cary Mausner who confirmed that the gigantic West Edmonton Mall will have one for September 2014. That is likely to be followed by Vancouver in the winter of 2015 and a second Toronto spot in the spring of 2015. Newfoundland was originally part of the plan has well, but seems to be off the table for now. As for Montreal, there is no talk now about the West Island, the South Shore of downtown joining the group.

We had an amazing dining experience at the Rue des Jockeys location on the occasion of a family member’s birthday. Our waiter, Christian, incidentally was superb and operating partner Louie Mercuri is hands on at this 280 seat two level establishment.

Dic Ann’s, the storied hamburger chain which was launched by the husband and wife team of Dick Potenza and Ann Collechia nearly 60 years ago, officially opened its first ever downtown location on St. Catherine Street near Forte Avenue on October 15. When I visited the place at noon on day three of the new operation, lineups were out the door already. Lloyd Brown, who brought us the first NDG Dic Ann’s on St. Jacques seven years ago, initiated the “Centre Ville” project as well. That now makes 15 Dic Ann’s restaurants in the Greater Montreal area. Marché Central and the Old Port (a food truck) were added to the mix last summer.

Lloyd Brown at the new locale.

In a few short weeks, Brown will make an unprecedented announcement where Dic Ann’s Centre Ville is concerned. Let’s just say that there will be something added to the offerings that no fast food hamburger spot has done here before.

First of all, what a superb location this is. This was once a pet store. Located right across the street from LaSalle College and only blocks away from both Dawson College and Concordia University, this is already attracting a strong youth clientele. However, the area itself has recently been rejuvenated and there is a lot of traffic from shoppers and businesses. As he did on St. Jacques, Brown has installed one of his Bonatarte dessert emporiums here featuring great pies, pastries, cupcakes, brownies, smoothies, bubble tea, milkshakes and a full coffee bar. A small breakfast menu will be introduced soon.

Lineups already at the new locale.

There are 40 seats in the new location (and 40 ready for a terrasse next summer), which is a mixture of old (retro) and new décor. Above the traditional menu, featuring pricing for the famous burgers, hotdogs, poutine and fries are LCD panels. Brown has even installed thematic tables: four for sports (Impact, Expos, Canadiens, Alouettes), three for entertainment (Jazz and Just For Laughs Festivals and the Grand Prix; two of Dic Ann’s nostalgia; and one for La Place (the electronics store Brown ran for years on St. Laurent Blvd.

I do tend to be in this area often and its is great to have an alternative to McDonald’s. Dic Ann’s the trademark flat hamburger patties are made fresh each morning from 100 percent beef and of course there is the famous hot sauce to look forward to.

Pasquale Massa waits on his order.

I saw several recognizable faces when I was there, including the owner of Côte Saint-Luc’s highly popular Quality Fruits store, Pasquale Massa. He has known Brown for years and carries Bonatarte products.

A delicious order of a burger and fries.

It has been almost two months now since married Montreal pediatrians Brett Burstein and Holly Agostino were eliminated in the seventh leg of CTV’s The Amazing Race Canada. Depicted by the show as villains from the get go, the couple sat down with The Suburban at the Montreal Children’s Hospital during a break from Brett’s shift in the emergency room and Holly doing rounds to share their thoughts and provide some insight into some of the behind the scenes mysteries viewers are not privy to.

Here I am with the "Amazing" couple.

CTV’s first-ever season of The Amazing Race Canada was a ratings success, attracting more 3.6 million viewers for the final episode in which the father and son team of Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. took home the $250,000 grand prize. Brett, 33, and Holly, 32, met 10 years ago at McGill Medical School. He is from Toronto, but came here to do his undergraduate work and never left; she was raised in West Island Pointe Claire.

The couple laugh at how the camera portrayed them right up until their elimination in Iqaluit, Nunavut: bickering, hiding maps in an airport store and Holly suffering numerous meltdowns. “We were unfairly portrayed,” said Brett. “The storyline was written before we even showed up. We were definitely brought there to be rooted against.”

Added Holly: “It definitely was tough to watch,” said Holly. “We watched each episode live and 20 family and friends around the TV with us. Going through the race, I know that I had many moments where I was really on the verge of fully losing it, but in the end we still succeeded. So, I had left the race really feeling that, you know, we had done our best and we had done a good job. So, to see it edited, you know, I mean I did have those breakdowns. It’s true, but there was a lot of effort that went into it before that happened, so yeah, it’s a bit tough to watch, but I mean, overall we’re still, you know, very happy with the show and happy we had the chance to participate.”

Added Brett: “I think one thing that maybe people don’t know through the editing process is how important for us the race was to do, to be able to contribute charitably back to our hospital that has already given us so much,” said Brett. “ If we won the Amazing Race Canada, it would not have even cut our educational debt in half.We were committed to giving 25 percent of the prize to the hospital. We love where we work and we love that they sort of supported us the whole time.”

One of the more memorable challenges saw the teams trying to find toys in six-feet-deep lentil bins. “ I can’t do it,” Holly said in the episode. “I have no more strength in my legs. I’m spent Brett . . . I’m going on one hour sleep. I can’t dig in this pit anymore.”

With more than two hours and 20 minutes having passed since Holly and Brett arrived at the lentil challenge, they made the decision to incur a two-hour penalty and not complete the challenge. “ For me, I know that emotionally the game actually almost became easier after the lentil bin,” said Holly.

Working with the hospital’s Foundation, Brett and Holly started a blog called Amazingcause.com which also allowed people to make donations. In the end, $21,000 was collected.

So what is it like behind the scenes of the show? They applied to become competitors last February and were only notified they made it two weeks before departure after first submitting a video, doing a screen test and undergoing medical and psychological evaluations. Since nobody was to know where they were going, the cover story was a five week trip to China. A week prior to filming, they were literally cut off from the world as training camp began. They were not allowed to use any kind of phones. The teams could not mix socially. When they stayed at hotels, the rooms were stripped of phones, televisions, radios and even things to read. A guard was posted outside their door and they could have one hour a day of exercise in solitude. They could not even use a washing machine, instead ringing clothing out in the hotel sink. “It really was like being in prison,” Holly laughed. “But when we were filming, people figured out this was The Amazing Race Canada. Our cover story was the show was called The Marathon, but through social media our pictures were all over the place before the program even aired.”

Each team had a camera and sound operator following them, lugging 50 pounds of equipment. “We always had to make sure they kept up to us,” Holly said. “And when we arrived at the airport, if there were not four available seats on the plane we could not go.”

Once home, the couple had to keep quiet about the outcome or face a $1 million fine.

After being eliminated from the race, Brett and Holly remained with the group and actually did a dry run of the final leg in Toronto to assist production with the timing of the episode.

The couple presently reside downtown near the hospital. Holly attended Northview Elementary School and Lindsay Place High, moving on to John Abbott College and then McGill. Her dad Andrew is a high school teacher on the South Shore while mom Louise works with special needs children. She has a sister, Erin, 28, an actress who appeared on the CBC sitcome 18 to Life.

Brett says when he was 11 years old he decided that one day he wanted to become a pediatric cardiologist. He did in fact complete his PhD in cardiology, but says his passion remains in the emergency room. Holly focuses her attention on adolescent medicine.

Growing up in the Toronto neighbourhood of North York, seven years ago Brett and his younger brother participated in a Birthright Israel trip. “It was an incredible experience I will never forget,” he said.

Brett and Holly said quite directly that they have remained good friends with all of the teams, except exercise gurus Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod. “We visited the Tims in Halifax,” said Brett. “Most of them have come to Montreal already and stayed with us.”

Oddly enough, the couple do not find themselves being recognized a lot in Montreal. “In Toronto, yes,” said Brett. “And when we went to see the Tims in Halifax, we were all mobbed.”

You can see my video interview with them here.

92.5 The Beat has announced the return of Anne-Marie Withenshaw and All-Access Weekend to the lineup Sundays from 10 am to Noon beginning Sunday, November 3. All-Access Weekend is distinctive to Montreal radio combining a recap of the week’s biggest entertainment and local stories with a look ahead. Along with Montreal’s feel good music, it includes interviews with the “in-the-now” celebrities from the world of TV, Movies and Music.

Anne-Marie Withenshaw

Withenshaw is an award-winning TV and radio personality and one of Montreal’s broadcast industry’s most respected and recognized professionals. The new mom is drop dead gorgeous, 100 percent bilingual, full of personality and very well connected. Withenshaw got her start as a VJ on MusiquePlus then travelling the globe for Quebec’s longest running entertainment show, “Flash”. During her 5 years as a reporter and then host of the show, she attended the Grammys, Oscars, Cannes and Sundance film fests and interviewed hundreds of personalities and newsmakers. Since then, she hangs with the Habs on TSN, RDS and NHL Network USA as the host of the much talked-about “Your Canadiens”, has eaten her way through Quebec with celebrities on Guide Restos Voir, and co-hosts ARTV's flagship TV-critic-gabfest C'est Juste de la TV.

Program Director, Leo Da Estrela says, “We are thrilled to have Anne-Marie back from her Maternity leave and in the lineup. She is a perfect fit for the personal nature of radio, particularly on Sundays when listeners can spend time with her catching up on all the entertainment stories of the past week and to what’s hot and happening in the week ahead. Anne-Marie’s charm and personality, coupled with the best music mix in Montreal, will prove to be a winning combination and a must listen each Sunday."

Here is a great interview with Anne-Marie.

In his last email to me just two weeks before he died, Joe King signed off as “the ageless one.”

Joe King

King, a well known Jewish journalist, author, communications guru, fundraiser and former member of the Canadian Royal Air Force, passed away suddenly on October 26 at the age of 90. He was a tireless worker until his last breath, each day refusing to accept the word “retirement” and undertaking one different project after another. I must say, even at 90 Joe left us way too soon.

A native of Toronto, King’s professional career took him to the four corners of the world, but particularly to the Middle East (19 visits in war and peace). His major publications included a trilogy on Montreal Jewish history (From the Ghetto to the Main, Baron Byng to Bagels and Fabled City),The Jewish Contribution to the Modern World and The Case for Israel as a handbook and DVD.

King may have been best known for the decades he spent as the communications director for the local Jewish Federation of Community Service. Then known as Allied Jewish Community Services, King reportedly retired in 1988. He subsequently resurfaced as a communications advisor for several organizations and then assumed the role of executive director of the Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University. He remained at that post until about 15 years ago, moving on to dedicate himself to writing books and giving lectures. King was a familiar site around town, walking the streets with his small brief case. His press releases went out fast and furiously, usually written at 4 a.m.

The Jewish Public Library’s archivist-emeritus, Eiran Harris, once wrote that “every Jewish community should have a Joe King book written about it.”

Dubbed the “Historian of Jewish Montreal,” King poured 40 years of research into his book book From the Ghetto to the Main. In 30 chapters, his research has turned up sensational findings on the Canadians who schemed to prevent Jews from escaping Hitler’s Europe while assisting war criminals to enter Canada. In one instance, he found that, when the French government sent a warship to bring a convicted (in absentia) killer of Jewish children back to justice, he was tipped off by a Canadian prime minister and fled.

King’s career began with The Canadian Press News Agency and then their broadcasting division, Press News, with a time-out to serve in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. He was a pioneer in television public affairs broadcasting and, at CJCHTV, Halifax, originated with the support of Senator Findley MacDonald, the hour long television news and public affairs telecast. He was one of the first public affairs broadcasters on Canadian television, a co-founder of the CTV station in Halifax (CJCH-TV), and came to Montreal in 1960 to work at CFCF Radio and Television, in part because of the city's much larger Jewish community. King met and interviewed some of the most important individuals in history, Canadian, Israeli and world. He researched, wrote and hosted a television documentary, Cosmonaut and Capitalist, with the world's first spaceman Yuri Gagarin and Cyrus Eaton, who sought to build bridges between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Only last May King launched a trio of handbooks, a “mini-reference library” in the fight against anti-Semitism and the campaign to destroy Israel. Federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney attended as a guest speaker.

“Joe was a remarkable man of prodigious talent,” commented Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation’s Rabbi Reuben Poupko. “His breadth of knowledge and experience was breathtaking. The Montreal community has suffered an immeasurable loss, and the Jewish People a brave defender.”

Federal Citizenship Judge Barbara Seal, who worked with King at the Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University, said, “Joe was a source of great knowledge. He loved nothing more than imparting this knowledge to others. His kindness and generosity was evident in the pride he took in the achievements of others and celebrating their successes.”

Former Quebec Justice Minister Herbert Marx and his wife Eva were close to King. “We remember Joe for his dedication, hard work and imagination, all laced with his delightful sense of humour and fun,” said Herbert Marx. “ We got to know him when he was executive director of Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University. As such, he led groups to Israel and we were fortunate to be part of his missions. He always did much research and planned our trips meticulously. We remember many special visits, but one stands out. We went to Jordan and viewed the promised land from Mount Nebo, where our forefather Moses stood to view the land of milk and honey, a land he was forbidden to enter. It was a landscape and a sight we all remember. As well, every morning when we boarded our sight-seeing bus, Joe read to us excerpts from the Montreal Gazette, keeping us up to date on home news from the previous day. He also always carried a carefully wrapped gift for one or another of our Israeli hosts. Joe was thoughtful, caring, well-informed; these were gifts that did not need wrapping. His many books and articles will live on after his sad passing, but Joe as a person was a treasure in our community and he will be sadly missed.”

It has been a long time since Canadiens legend Larry Robinson lived in Montreal, but thanks chiefly to his agent and close friend Donny Cape a connection has been maintained with our city.

Cape and Robinson became pals and business partners back in the 1980s. Robinson and his family resided in West Island Kirkland, not far from Cape’s Dollard des Ormeaux home. They ran an auto repair shop together called Dingy. Even after Robinson left the Habs to play for the Los Angeles Kings and then coach there, the bond between the two men and their families remained. It is sad and almost scandalous that the Habs never reached out to bring Robinson back here as part of their coaching staff. He spent most of his time behind the bench as a head coach and assistant with the New Jersey Devils. Prior to the 2012-2013 lockout season he left the Devils to become an associate coach with the San Jose Sharks. Habs new head coach opted in favor of Jean-Jacques Daigneault to run the defensive corps.

As Robinson’s agent, Cape has handled all of his merchandising, appearances, endorsements and contracts. Very quietly, Robinson spends parts of his summer staying at the Cape home. One of the oufits he endorses is Del Friscos, the popular restaurant at the Galeries des Sources in Dollard. Commercials have been running on TSN 690 Radio for years, with Robinson insisting that this his “go to” place when he comes back to Montreal.

The Sharks players (with Donny Cape front and center) strike a pose.

Well, Robinson is indeed a man of his word. When the Sharks came to town to play the Habs on October 24, Robinson arranged for the entire team to have a meal at Del Friscos the night before. “It was wild,” Cape told me. “Last year Larry told me he was going to do it and I thought it was impossible. Well Larry went ahead and rented a bus and indeed brought the entire team and coaching staff. Naturally they loved the meal. The bus was a half hour late to pick them up to return to the hotel, which turned out to be very lucky for the customers as the players stuck around, signed autographs and posed for pictures.”

The Sharks coaching staff, with Robinson third from the left and Cape far right.

Needless to say, Del Friscos owners John, Terry and Jimmy were a pretty proud trio.

Del Friscos is known for serving creative Italian American cuisine in a cozy and welcoming ambiance. The menu offers everything from traditional Italian pastas, to a variety of fresh salads, signature veal and wood-burning oven pizzas.

So what are we to make of the municipal election results in Montreal and the surrounding areas?

Denis Coderre

Denis Coderre is the new mayor of Montreal, but without a majority and just over 30 percent of the vote. You can blame this, I believe, mainly on Coderre's mysterious decision not to have campaign signs on the polls. In Côte des Neiges-NDG, specifically, Coderre had a star candidate in former Montreal Teachers Association president Ruth Rosenfield. She worked tirelessy. Her picture on polls would have done wonders since she already had a high media profile. Independent Jeremy Searle returned to office on the precise strength of his multitude of signs.

Coderre will be a good mayor. I expect to see him stand up to Quebec City and charm everyone on the international scene with his charisma.

Marcel Côte is a true gentleman. I had a chance to meet the successful businessman during the campaign and it would indeed be a good move for Coderre to bring him into his inner circle. By doing so he could perhaps gain the support of the likes of Russell Copeman, Marvin Rotrand and other members of the Côte team, as well as the slew of independents to get that majority he needs to govern comfortably.

Melanie Joly was indeed the story of this campaign. While she did not win the mayoralty, for a relative unknown at the start of the race she is a person to watch. In fact, I would expect her to turn up as a star candidate for Justin Trudeau and the Federal Liberal Party in the new downtown riding that will materialize in the next election.

Richard Bergeron, the leader of Projet Montréal, has to be disappointed. I met him on two occasions during the campaign. He told me about the 400 campaign workers he had on the ground each night and the massive amount of campaign signs. This was to be his time. But it wasn't. Projet Montréal still elected more than 20 councillors, so their voice will be heard.

As for some of the other cities and towns, the results in Laval disturb me greatly. I was personally acclaimed for my third mandate as a city councillor in Côte Saint-Luc. Eight years ago, during my first election, I remember that our retired city manager wanted to run for council. The problem was he had just moved back to the city and was not a resident as of September 1 one year prior to the election. So he stepped aside, cognizant the Quebec Electoral Act was very clear on eligibility rules. In Laval, Mayor Elect Marc Demers did not live in Laval for a full 12 months, as of September 1, 2013. He made no secret of this fact. The Director General of Elections was aware of this, yet took no action. There has to be a legal action, they maintain. What kind of message are they sending? If Demers is allowed to serve his term, then such abuses will be rampant in the next municipal elections. Should there be a challenge, Demers could be kicked out of office and another costly election called.

When the eighth annual Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) and Pink Lady Fund Women of Action Brunch takes place on Sunday, November 17 (11:30 a.m.) at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim (425 Metcalfe) in Westmount, television star and cancer survivor Suzanne Somers will be front and center to talk about her latest book, I’M TOO YOUNG FOR THIS.

Suzanne Somers

Dollard des Ormeaux’s Linda Mestel is among the individuals who attends the brunch every year. “I have been attending it since its inception,” she says. “The Women of Action is a remarkable event that touches, educates and inspires. It speaks to women intergenerationally and everyone walks away with a renewed commitment to cancer research, and a strong connection to one another. We feel proud to be part of something of this magnitude that somehow still feels intimate in its importance and impact. The speakers are relevant and enlightening and often the doctors from Israel who are actually doing the research have spoken to us so we really understand what it is we are all contributing to.”

Mestel has been asked to organize a table of 10 women each year. “This year one of the women passed away from cancer and will not be at our table,” she laments. “ I was invited to accompany my very special friend who is doing extremely well today, on her journey with breast cancer. As she completed her last chemo treatment before the winter, her mom was diagnosed with cancer. She is the one who passed away in July after being ill for about eight months. Both ladies have been coming to the event. As well I lost my dad to melanoma in his early 70s. He went from healthy to palliative in 6 weeks. My brother in law died in his 50s from melanoma and my sister had a successful bout with breast cancer. And of course everywhere we look, and in my work we are constantly surrounded by the challenges and the journeys families face with this multi faceted disease. This is our reality and will serve to further inspire us to be part of this event and what it truly stands for.”

Somers has had a multifaceted career in Hollywood, spanning more than three decades as an actress, singer, comedienne, New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lecturer. I will always remember her as Chrissie Snow from the 1980s hit sitcom Three’s Company. She is being brought to the brunch, presented by ICRF and the Pink Lady Fund. All event proceeds will benefit Breast Cancer Care, Research & Equipment.

The brunch will honour three women: Christiane Germain, Monette Malewski and OlgaMunari Assaly. Germain is the co-president and co-founder of Groupe Germain Hospitalité, which currently operates hotels in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, Québec City and Halifax. Thanks to her vision, which is shared by her co-president, Jean-Yves Germain, Le Germain Boutique-hotels and ALT Hotels, have experienced exceptional growth over the last 20 years. Groupe Germain establishments are among the most popular hotels in North America and the world according to prestigious leisure and tourism publications and magazines, such as Condé Nast Traveller, Tablet Hotels, Travel & Leisure Magazine, and Frommer’s and Fodor’s Travel Guides. Groupe Germain is also part of the Platinum Club – an annual list of the 50 Best Managed Companies in Canada compiled by Deloitte.

Christine Germain

Born into a family of restaurateurs and property owners in Québec City, Germain became familiar with the realities of the world of business at an early age. She studied hotel management at Humber College in Toronto and gained experience working in establishments in San Francisco, Vancouver and Montréal. Armed with the knowledge gained from these experiences she has been able to, through enormous effort and tenacity, take the family business from restaurants to boutique-hotels, a new avenue that opened the doors of the Canadian market to her.

Germain takes special satisfaction in making significant contributions to community causes by supporting many activities which are essential to Canadian society’s progress. She is currently playing an active role as board member of the Institute for Governance of Private and Public organizations, the Banff Centre and the Musée National des Beaux Arts du Québec. Her many accomplishments and contributions have been highlighted on numerous occasions; Mme Germain is a Chevalière of the Ordre National du Québec , received an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from Ryerson University and an Honorary Doctor of Law from Concordia University, and was the recipient of the Canadian Entrepreneur Hotelier Award.

Monette Malewski

Olga Munari Assaly

Malewski is a well-recognized energetic successful businesswoman who turned a small business into a thriving venture. One of the top brokers in Canada, she is frequently invited to give keynote presentations. She just helped pioneer a wellness program to encourage employees to invest in their workforce to become healthy citizens of tomorrow. Malewski is not only an entrepreneur, but also an engaged business leader both on a professional and philanthropic level as well as an exemplary role model.

Munari Assaly is past chair of the Lower Canada College Parent Association, following a decade of outstanding volunteer service for the School. She is presently co-chair of the Leadership Development Council and was chair of the LCC Store from 2000 to 2007, contributing to record sums for the LCC Bursary Fund. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2006. Upon receiving the news from the doctor she embarked on a momentous journey. Where some people’s lives would have come to a halt, she kicked things into high gear. Her diagnosis of breast cancer began the still unfolding story of her inspiring lives as well as realizing many of her personal dreams. Within one week of her diagnosis she was asked to become the spokesperson for the Weekend to End Breast Cancer. In just four short months she raised over $114,000 for breast cancer. This was only the beginning.

Driven by a heartfelt desire to help others, she values community and contribution she is compelled to use her experience to inspire and encourage people to support each other and to boldly pursue their dreams. Olga individually mentored breast cancer fighters to help them reach this goal.

She decided to share her story by creating a book. Her book, The Joy of Cancer: A Journey of Self-Discovery, was released in October of 2012. The memoir aims to compel readers to find opportunity in adversity. Having completed her nutrition and personal trainer certification, the next leg of her journey will befit women recovering from treatment by helping them get strong and healthy once again.

Following her dreams, she participated in many speaking engagements. Olga presented at the Tedx Talk in Vegas in January of 2012. Interviewed by the media on several occasions appearing both on television and the radio. She also gave speeches at the Kirkland Library in October of 2012, Lower Canada College on several occasions, at the CLSC in the West Island, Relay for Life in June 2013. At the moment she is regularly participating in Toastmaster, dancing lessons, mentoring cancer patients, volunteering, fundraising and personal training. Between all of this she manages to also sit on the School Board at Lower Canada College.

The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has given TTP Media authorization to delay the launch of their 940 AM French talk radio station until September 2014, thereby signalling that the planned AM600 English talk radio station and the 85O AM all-sports outlet will also go on the air by that time as well.

TTP Media is headed by radio industry veteran Paul Tietolman, former Montreal city councillor Nicolas Tétrault and former FIDO boss Rajiv Pancholy.

I reached Tietolman who told me that there a few reasons for the delay. First and foremost there are some technical difficulties regarding the transmitter site. He also points to the delays that occurred in getting CRTC approval for the AM 600 frequency and the 50,000 watt frequency at 850 AM for French sports talk.

Tétrault and Tietolman.

Furthermore, Tietolman said he was on hold to see whether the CRTC was going to approve Bell Media's purchase of Astral properties, which included CJAD,Virgin Radio and CHOM. Bell Media did get the thumbs up at the end of June, which TTP Media had to take into account for its own strategy.

"Our project and strategy was based on launching all three stations in the same location with many services being shared," Tietolman maintains.

So, for radio observers and the abundance of on air talent anxious to get back to work -especially where AM 600 is concerned - patience will be required. Radio vet Steve Kowch is still in the mix as the likely general manager of the three stations

It is not unrealistic to predict that the outfit could begin hiring some people in the spring. If Kowch wants to challenge his old station, CJAD, he will need plenty of time to vet potential candidates. How about Ted Bird on the morning show?

Star media blogger Fagstein did this excellent backgrounder on TTP Media last month.

Brittany Kwasnik in a scene from the video.

Dollard des Ormeaux singing sensation Brittany Kwasnikreleased her latest video last week, the second from her new CD launched in June. She shot it one Saturday evening downtown, appropriate since it is called "City."In a Q & A conducted by her publicist Bob Dubois, Brittany was asked why she chose City as her new “I thought visually, a video for this song would really bring it to life!” she said. “I wanted to capture the beauty of Montreal, as it is the city that inspired the line ‘If I was a city, you would be my lights.’ As I was writing the song, I was thinking about the night-time skyline of Montreal, specifically from the view on top of Mount Royal. The lights from that view of the city, at night, are so powerful and breathtaking. I really wanted to share that image with everyone that listens to the song.

The shoot took place on a cold Saturday evening in October. It was a very cold and windy night, probably the most chilly we had experienced since the end of last winter,” Brittany remarked. “It made the night feel quite long! We began to shoot around seven in evening, and I got home around two in the morning! Although it was lots of fun to shoot, I really wish I had considered to wear something with a few more layers for some of the shots!

As Brittany describes it, the idea for the video really matches the lyrics, especially of the chorus “If I was a city, you would be my lights, through my eyes, you'd shine so bright, if I was an airplane, dancing through the sky, you would be my guide. Besides the various shots of the city, you can see in the video that I'm on a journey from my apartment to the airport.”

For the shoot Brittany gained access to a rooftop in Griffintown and did some walking scenes on downtown St. Catherine Street. “It was funny shooting there, because it was a Saturday night and there were tons of people walking on the streets,” she says. “We had to get scenes without people getting in the way, and without people staring right into the camera as they saw us walk by.”

Here is the new video:

Program Director Al Gravelle has unveiled a new look to the K103 FM morning show, with Lance Delisle stepping in as the new partner to news and sportscaster Paul Graif and traffic and weather specialist Zack Rath. The crew are on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., playing today's hits and yesterday's favorites.

Rath, Delisle and Graif.

I am one of those people who tunes in to every single English radio station in the morning for a bit. K103 FM broadcasts live from the Kahnawake Indian reserve. It first got my full attention when Ted Bird joined the morning team. He ended up leaving to join TSN 690 and was subsequently let go when Bell Media acquired CJAD, Virgin Radio and CHOM.

Delisle steps into the role formerly occupied by Java Jacobs. He began his broadcast career in 1988 and has co-hosted and hosted almost every show at K103 over the years. For the past two years, he was working at CKON in Akwesasne. "This is my 25th year as a 'broadcaster,' however I have always felt I'm a communicator and a voice for the community I serve!" Delisle says. "I am very lucky and humbled by my place at K103 Kahnawake."

Professional baseball returning to Montreal...for two days

In the wake of Peterson, Bird and Desjardins dismissals, what is next at CJAD and TSN 690?

Chantal Desjardins

"Seems the soul of English Montreal radio was gutted yesterday," former CJAD/CHOM/Virgin Radio boss Rob Braide wrote on his Facebook page. "So many great broadcasters with years of service and first class performance and ratings thrown out the door to crank the margins by a few cents. Shameful!"

Today, I am told, the hosts of TSN 690's weekend morning show called The Franchise were told they are gone. Both The Franchise and Bird are expected to play a more active role on the very popular Montreal Hockey Talk internet radio show.

Which federal party will try and draft Maria Mourani?

Montreal Mayor candidates to do Global Morning News weather

Extraordinary documentary on 100 years of the Herzl Clinic debuts on City Montreal Saturday

Laval council candidate Nicholas Katalifos impresses a constituent

Powerful speech to students by broadcast veteran Steve Kowch

An absolutely amazing So You Think You Dance 2013 Tour show in Montreal

Abe Hefter turns to teaching and assumes limited role as radio host

Where will P.F.Chang's expand to next? Edmonton gets the nod

Dic Ann's opens first ever "hamburger emporium" in downtown Montreal

Holly and Brett from The Amazing Race Canada: the inside story

Anne-Marie Withenshaw returns to 92.5 The Beat

The legenday Joe King passes away at the age of 90

Behind the scenes: San Jose Sharks hold surprise team meal at Del Friscos

New Montreal Mayor Coderre's minority government: I saw the signs

Actress Suzanne Somers to tell all about her latest book at Women of Action brunch

New Montreal radio stations delayed until next fall

Brittany Kwasnik releases her second video called "City"

Delisle joins morning team at K103 FM