The Suburban - Mike Cohen

A few weeks ago Patricia Kearns picked up the phone at Breast Cancer Action Montreal, where she serves as director of Campaigns and Outreach. A young woman introduced herself as Elizabeth Laushway, a member of the Hart House Chorus, a choir from Toronto.

"How would you like it if we performed a concert in Montreal and all proceeds would go to you? This is something we do. We perform benefit shows in cities across the country. Michelle Landsberg suggested I call Breast Cancer Action Montreal to see if you would be interested."

"Interested" Kearns blurted, "Did you say all proceeds would come to us?"

It turns out Breast Cancer Action Montreal was in the process of organizing a fundraising event at Avis Antel's, a member of the board of directors. "We struggle to keep up with all the demands that come our way," she said. "We need to hire more people but we don't have the means. 'Yes, we are definitely interested.' I answered sincerely."

Added Kearns: "We really want to get the word out so to show this group of musicians from Toronto how appreciative a Montreal audience can be. And to add to BCAM's coffers as much as we can."

With that in mind Montrealers are invited to an afternoon of sublime music from 19th and 20th century French composers Maurice Duruflé, Gabriel Fauré, Charles Gounod, and Francis Poulenc on Saturday, November 30 (2 p.m. to 3 p.m.) at St. James United Church, (463 Ste-Catherine Street West). Performed works will include Gloria, Cantique de Jean Racine, and more. The concert will be directed by David Bowser and features pianist Jacqueline Mokrzewski and soprano Melanie Conly.

Tickets can be purchased online at http://harthousechorus-montreal.eventbrite.ca/, or at the door. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Breast Cancer Action Montreal. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Also check out this Facebook page.

Here is a look at the choir.

The Hart House Chorus is a 50-member SATB choir composed of students, faculty, alumni and members of the community at the University of Toronto.

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.

It is now official. Barry Morgan has received a nice promotion at CJAD Radio, confirmed by brand director Chris Bury as the new permanent host of the mid-day Noon to 3 p.m. show. He moves over from his evening shift to replace the duo of Ric Peterson and Suzanne Desautels.

Barry Morgan

Filling the gap for Morgan from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. will be a new show called The Exchange, featuring a rotation of hosts: Dan Delmar on Mondays, Matt Gurney of The National Post on Tuesdaysand Thursdays and political commentator Supriya Dwivedi on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Good for my old friend Barry, whom I first met when we attended the Concordia University Journalism Program some 30 years ago. I was the sports editor of The Concordian Newspaper and in walked Barry, looking for a chance to write. I gave him the soccer beat. Barry had a great set of pipes and worked his way up through the ranks of CJAD news and sports, tried his hand at television, enjoyed a stint at 940 News and the former Q92 and then resurfaced at CJAD. For the last couple of years he has been a jack of all trades, mainly hosting evenings, but filling in doing sports, the morning show and the weekday drive.

"Ever since I was a kid growing up in Ville St Laurent, I wanted to work in radio," Morgan is quoted as saying on the CJAD website. "I never imagined myself doing anything else."

The Exchange promises to entertain and create buzz. Each night a different host goes head-to-head with a guest commentator. CJAD says to expect strong debate, lively discussion and some laughs. Any topic is fair game.

For the evening rotation, Delmar will stick around Mondays after co-hosting Today's Entrepreneurs at 7 p.m. This happens to be one of the more interesting shows on local radio, sponsored by the accounting firm Fuller Landau. Producer Stephanie Darwish and co-host and firm partner Josh Miller always come up with interesting guests. Dan, who runs his own PR firm, is a true talent. I still believe he has a full-time future in broadcast media.

Gurney is columnist and editor at the National Post, where he also serves as an editorial board member. He is a familiar face on televised political panels, having appeared on MTV Canada, CTS, CTV and the CBC, and is heard frequently across the country on national and local radio programs. He joined Toronto's CFRB NewsTalk 1010 (also part of Bell Media) as a regular contributor in 2011, and serves as a guest host when regular CFRB on-air personalities are absent.

The fluently trilingual Dwivedi is ( English, French and Hindii) graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from McGill University and upon completion she was accepted into both medical and law school. Much to the chagrin of her parents, she opted to pursue the legal route where she could finally use her argumentative powers for good. She completed her LL.B in civil law at the University of Montreal.

Supriya Dwivdei

Another new CJAD regular to salute is morning news reporter Tina Tenneriello, who effectively replaces Laura Casella (now with City Montreal TV). Tina has an exceptionally smooth delivery and I have already seen in person how she works her magic on the iphone, literally editing her stories in seconds. I am working on mastering the proper pronunciation of her name.

Finally, Bury appears to be making early progress on bringing the TSN 690 operation closer to CJAD. Sportscasts are now billed as coming from the TSN Sports Centre. CJAD's Rick Moffat is now also part of the TSN 690 morning show while TSN's Mitch Gallo works for both the Mitch Melnick and Aaron Rand Shows. Abe Hefter and Moffat have crossed over to TSN shows and I am sure this is only the beginning.

Montrealers will have their best chance yet to size up the three main candidates for mayor on Sunday evening, October 6 at 6 p.m. when candidates Richard Bergeron, Denis Coderre and Marcel Côté participate in the first English-language debate of the campaign.

Richard Bergeron

Marcel Côte

The one-hour live broadcast, DEBATE 2013, will be moderated by CTV Montreal chief anchor Mutsumi Takahashi and will cover all of the important topics affecting the city leading up to the November 3 vote.

DEBATE 2013 will be simulcast on NewsTalk Radio CJAD 800 and a live stream will be available on the CTV News Montréal website. To accommodate the live broadcast of the debate, CTV NEWS AT SIX will air one hour earlier, starting at 5 p.m. ET.

Immediately following DEBATE 2013, there will be a photo opportunity with the candidates in studio that will be followed by media scrums.

Right now the race is too close to call and it will be interesting to see the first polls come out. Debates certainly do influence voyer. Bergeron is certainly ahead in the poster race, with great visibility. Côte's individual posters, of which there are few, are good. However, the ones which show him with members of his team are difficult to see clearly. Coderre's team has decided not to have any posters at this time, clearly relying on his name recognition and an expected media advertisement campaign.

Montreal's other two mayoral candidates, Melanie Joly and Michel Brule, are not included in this debate. Given their low number of candidates, this will likely be a common theme for them during the campaign. Joly does, though, clearly have the best posters of any candidate.

Denis Coderre

One of the nicest guys in Montreal radio appears to be the latest victim of cuts at CJAD Radio. Only a couple of weeks after Ric Peterson, Claude Beaulieu, Chantal Desjardins and Sharman Yarnell were shown the door (and Suzanne Desautels demoted to strictly morning weather and weekend traffic), veteran on air master control producer Sheldon "Twinkles" Fried is reportedly looking for work.

Sheldon Fried

Fried more or less confirmed the news when I reached him via Facebook, but would not elaborate. His Linked In page has been updated to say "worked at Bell Media." Listeners will best know Fried from his time working with Tommy Schnurmacher. Tommy always made a point of thanking him in a big way during and after each show. But it was Peter Anthony Holder who dubbed him "Twinkles."

"Sheldon was my producer first when I had him in the evenings back in the early 90's," Holder says. "It was because of the way that he use to fire the buttons and dramatically raise his hands, almost like a concert pianist, that I dubbed him 'Twinkles.' If you remember, I created nicknames for all of my producers - at least the ones I liked, anyway) - from Admiral Larry to Rocket Rob to Glenn 'The Wild Thing' Wildemann. It all started when I created Sheldon's moniker."

Fried began working for CJAD, CHOM and Virgin Radio (then CJFM) in 1989. So here we have another person industry who spent nearly 25 years with the same employer out of work. It is a sad state of affairs, but that is the nasty radio business where there so no such thing as security.

Here is yet another person who would make an excellent contribution to AM 600, when and if it ever signs on.

As published in this week's West Island edition of The Suburban.

When the Canadian Radio-televisionTelecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled that Bell Media could finalize the purchase of Astral Media properties, among other things it resulted in TSN 690 being saved from extinction. But what was to become of Wayne Bews, the Pointe Claire resident who as general manager literally kept Montreal’s only all sports radio station alive?

Fortunately, the folks at Bell Media decided to do the right thing in the case of Bews. With the management of TSN 690 being folded into CJAD and Martin Spaulding and Chris Bury, Bews needed a new gig and he got it as regional sales manager for CTV Montreal. He recently welcomed me to his new office, across the street from TSN 690/Virgin Radio/CHOM/CJAD.

Wayne Bews at his new office.

Raised in Lorraine, Bews attended Rosemere High, John Abbott College and McGill University. Following a stint in real estate, he broke into radio sales in 1992 for CHOM and the former Oldies 990, being elevated to sales manager six years later. Bews remained in that role when the TEAM 990 was born in 2001, assuming the GM duties in 2005 when his mentor and the man who held that title Lee Hambleton died.

Until THE TEAM 990 acquired the broadcast rights to the Canadiens two years ago and switched its call letters to TSN 990 (now 690), the station always seemed to be on life support. But with Bews at the helm, they somehow remained viable. “We were the little train that could,” he said. “I got a ton of support from Mitch Melnick and when Elliott Price joined he helped a lot. There are not too many stand alone AM stations out there, but we had good support from our owners.”

Not long after the exciting news came that the station was being rebranded as TSN and had secured a seven year contract to broadcast the Habs, Bell Media announced that it planned to transform the station to a French RDS Radio. Their original bid to purchase Astral properties meant they could not retain four English radio stations. After hearing from listeners and many other interveners, the Astral takeover was refused. Last summer, resubmitted, it was accepted.

“TSN 690 is in very capable hands now with Martin and Chris,” Bews says. “I am still listening and feel very much part of the family.”

Bews and his wife Kelli Barrington, a real estate agent for Royal Le Page, have two children. John just entered prep school in Concord, NH, where he is playing hockey and football while Holli, who plays ringuette, soccer and softball on the West Island, attends Villa Maria High School. Bews himself has coached hockey in Pointe Claire for a number of years.

Let me say on the record that Bews was one of the finest individuals I ever dealt with in the radio business. We spoke and corresponded regularly and I just know he will be a big success at CTV.

I have been a fan of the Swedish pop group ABBA ever since I can remember, yet I never saw them perform live in concert. Montrealers will be treated to the next best thing on Saturday, November 30 (8 p.m) at the Place des Arts when Sheldon Kagan Productions presents Abba Memories.

"I brought them to the Place des Arts for two nights in 2011 and the audience response was great," Kagan told me. "ABBA is one of the groups that brings back fond memories. Everyone remembers Dancing Queen and Mama Mia.

"Since the broadway and motion picture versions of Mama Mia came out a new younger generation relates to ABBA. At this concert many members of the audience sing and dance. It is a feel good show! Montrealers love ABBA!"

ABBA Memories comes across as the "true" thing.

The two and a half hour concert will feature an exceptional sound and lights as well as outstanding vocal and musical performances featuring legendary songs such as Dancing Queen, Chiquitita, Waterloo, SOS, Fernando, Money Money Money, Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper, I Have a Dream, Mamma Mia and many more. The eight performing artist, from a group now called One, are all Québecois: François Rochefort, Jacynthe Pépin Nancy McIntyre, Sylvain Haché, Claude Jaume, Gabriel Laberge Montpetitm Bruno Dubé, Cynthia Tremblay and Alexandra Chayer. Below is a clip of what to expect.

There has recently been talk that the real ABBA might reunite next year to mark the 40th anniversary since they won the Eurovision Song Contest and were catapulted to global stardom, singer Agnetha Faltskog has revealed.

ABBA formed in 1972 when Faltskog met guitarist and songwriter Bjorn Ulvaeus -- whom she later married -- and Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Andersson and Lyngstad were also married for a while. Both couples divorced. The group's self-penned hit "Waterloo" won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton, England, in April 1974, and immediately became a global phenomenon.

They became Sweden's biggest-ever pop act and one of the most successful pop groups in history, selling more than 380 million records worldwide.The band never formally broke up, but their last album "The Visitors" appeared in 1982. In July 2008, all four ABBA members were reunited at the Swedish premiere of the film Mamma Mia, only the second time all of them had appeared together in public since 1986.

For tickets to the Montreal show go to www.laplacedesarts .com or call 514-842-2112.

Concordia University’s Le Gym, in collaboration with the Terry Fox Foundation, the Concordia Student Union and the Concordia Outdoors club, is hosting its first Terry’s Cause on Campus event from December 1-8to benefit the Terry Fox Foundation and cancer research.

The objective is to mobilize the Concordia community to run or walk a cumulative distance equivalent to the distance across Canada to commemorate Terry Fox’s 1980 Marathon of Hope. While Terry ran over 5,000 kilometers in his bid to cross Canada from St John’s, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia, he was forced to stop at Thunder Bay due to the cancer spreading to his lungs. Le Gym hopes to collectively reach over 8,000 kilometers and raise over $5,000 to outrun cancer.

Terry Fox was a Canadian icon, athlete, and humanitarian who has inspired people worldwide with his commitment to raise money for cancer research. After being diagnosed with bone cancer in 1977, and ultimately having his right leg amputated below the knee, the young man embarked on his Marathon of Hope campaign using a prosthetic leg in order to raise awareness and critical funds for finding a cure to cancer. The cross-country tour, which began on April 12, 1980, started in St John’s, Newfoundland, where Terry ceremoniously dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean, with the objective of running across Canada in his bid to fundraise for cancer research. His East-West trajectory, difficult in its own right and made exponentially more difficult with a prosthetic leg, led him to also contend with fierce winds against him, inspiring the documentary, “Into the Wind.”

Terry was compelled to end the Marathon of Hope at Thunder Bay, Ontario, on September 1, 1980 as a result of the cancer spreading to his lungs. By then, he had ran over 5,373 kilometres in 143 days. He persevered despite extreme pain, weather challenges, and hostile drivers, and was cheered on by each community he passed during his Marathon. While Terry Fox ultimately succumbed to the cancer in 1981 at the age of 22, his commitment and fierce determination to persevere despite personal pain has inspired millions worldwide. The annual Terry Fox Run, which takes place in September every year, has expanded from its largely Canadian base to worldwide, with over 51 international runs taking place annually. As Terry said, “Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.”

Students and community members are encouraged to sign up and run a cumulative distance of 8,000 kilometers equivalent to the distance across Canada, and raise over $5,000. There is no limit to how many kilometers an individual can walk, and students, teachers and alumni are encouraged to participate. In accordance with Terry’s wishes, there is no minimum donation required. To download a pledge sheet, please visit http://www.terryfox.org/CauseCampus/_Library/Pdfs/2013_Cause_Eng.pdf.

The event begins at 7 am on December 1, with the hours being 7 am to 10 pm fromDecember 2 to 6 and 9 am to 7 pm on December 7 and 8. The event will wrap up with a commemorative ceremony in which the amount of kilometers reached and the fundraising total will be announced. Montreal’s Terry Fox Run veteran, Eddy Nolan, master caretaker at Roslyn School in Westmount, will be joining the 5 à 7. Throughout the week, a map of Canada will be updated daily with the amount of kilometers reached and funds raised.

Info: 514-848-2424 ext. 3860.

For over 50 years, every November, the Austrian Society of Montreal holds its signature event, the Viennese Ball of Montreal, celebrating the splendor of the Viennese ball tradition during a glorious evening of lively music and dance, elegant atmosphere and a magical debutante performance. A night full of excitement, including dancing till dawn, good food and champagne, prizes to be won, great entertainment, and of course, all for great causes! Over the years, the Ball has brought together people of many different nationalities and cultures with one common desire: to keep the Viennese Ball tradition alive.

Opening waltz on the dance floor after the call for "Alles Walzer"

Austria’s rich and varied cultural history plays a central role in determining a theme for every Ball. This year’s theme is the wonderful, multi-faceted City of Vienna. Trendy clubs, ‘young’ galleries, modern architecture and stylish shops are as much Vienna as the State Opera, the concert halls, the large museums, the splendid buildings and the nostalgic souvenir shops. From classical music to compositions of the 20^thcentury, from traditional Viennese tunes in wine taverns to electronic and hip hop, and with street parties until dawn, Vienna’s image truly reflects “from classic to cool”.

The Ball took place on November 16, 2013 at the Hotel Marriott Château Champlain under the patronage, and in the presence of the guest of honour, Austrian Ambassador to Canada Arno Riedel, as well as the Austrian Consul General in Montreal Ulrike Billard. Member of the Vienna Provincial Legislature and Vienna Municipal Counsellor Elisabeth Vitouch, as well as Manuela Figar from Vienna’s Press Service which supports Viennese balls worldwide, flew over from Vienna to attend.

The Ball opened with anAustrian Champagne (“Sekt”) reception and a wine tasting event sponsored by the Austrian Trade Commission. Head Table guests entered the Ballroom to the tune of Austrian composer Michael Zehrer’s Faecher Polonaise.

Debutantes and escorts.

Opera McGill singers Chelsea Mahan soprano, and Dimitri Katotakis baritone, sang the national anthems and performed a coquettish scene from Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widowaccompanied by McGill’s Rich Coburn. 17 debutantes in identical white gowns and glittering Swarovski coronets, accompanied by their white tied dancing partners , were officially presented to visiting dignitaries before performing their opening waltz to the tune of Johann Strauss Jr.’s The Emperor’s Waltz (Kaiserwalzer)played by the new Pronto-Musica orchestra directed by Austrian Maestro Alexis Hauser, also Artistic Director of the McGill Symphony Orchestra. The group also performed Kreisler’s “Liebesleid und Liebesfreude”, and after the official call of “Alles Walzer”, had everyone twirling to Strauss’ traditional “Blue Danube” waltz. Harold Birkens' Orchestra, alternating with the Peter Freeman Band, provided music for traditional and modern ballroom dancing until 2.30 a.m.

Music by strolling musicians added a special touch to the 5-course gourmet dinner, based on Viennese classics and contemporary fusion cuisine. The Grand door Prize - two plane tickets to Vienna’s neighboring city: Prague, courtesy of Air Transat was won by first-time guest Jean Pierre Bourdeau. Bidding was active at the silent auction, open throughout the evening and the Casino was jumping all night with super prizes being drawn every few minutes. After its successful premiere last year, many dancers took part in the “Midnight Quadrille” to the music of Johann Strauss Jr.'s “Annen-Polka” under the guidance of dance instructor Carole Brown from Arthur Murray. The evening continued at the rustic Heuriger wine tavern from midnight to a record 4.30 a.m. serving Austrian Goulash soup, sausages, beer and wine and featuring lively Viennese music and songs with guests performing.

West Island gang from left to right: Michael Habrich, Zachary Marquis, Niklas Lorenz, Daphne Kullmann, Jennifer Hillebrand, Zachary Battah, Nicolas Barkun, Stefan Nettel, Jean Chammas, with Ball Committee member Birgit Klema Erdan (whose daughter Leyla Erdan was an usher at the Ball)

As in previous years, all proceeds from the Ball go to deserving causes related to youth initiatives. The primary beneficiary is SOS Children’s Villages, the largest orphan-focused charity in the world, founded in 1949 by an Austrian doctor to help children who lost family and home in the war. The Schulich School of Music of McGill University is also an important recipient in the form of bursaries for the study of music in Austria. The Ball also supports General Romeo Dallaire’s Child Soldier Initiative, Leave out Violence - L.O.V.E. - the leading youth violence prevention organization in Canada, and DSQ (German Language Schools of Quebec) which offer German courses for all ages.

Ball President Harold Scheer, President and Chief Investment Officer of Baker Gilmore & Associates Inc from NDG and Master of Ceremonies Gunter Voss from Kirkland.

Wayne Bews has only been the retail sales manager at CTV Montrealfor three months, yet the former TSN 690 boss is already impressing everyone around him.

The ageless Mutsumi Takahashi and Wayne Bews.

I enjoyed an extraordinary relationship with Wayne during his TSN 690 tenure. He was the sales manager at the old CKGM when they made the switch to all-sports radio and became THE TEAM 990. When his mentor, original program director and station manager Lee Hambleton passed away, Wayne stepped into his role while retaining his regular duties. It is very clear that had it not been for Wayne's leadership, THE TEAM 990 would not have survived long enough to win the rights to broadcast Montreal Canadiens games and stay alive after owners Bell Media announced their intenyt to close the operation down and replace the rechristened TSN 690 into RDS French-language radio.

The all-sports format has been a dream come true for arm-chair jocks such as I. Now that TSN 690 is secure and partnered with former Astral stations CJAD,Virgin Radio and CHOM, the future looks very bright. Bews was rewarded for his good work with the CTV Montreal appointment. Last week he showed what a classy and creative guy he is by organizing an unprecedented afternoon cocktail for the station’s main advertisers. Not only were there drinks and hors d’oeuvres, but the event took place in the actual CTV Montreal studio.

Bews and Randy Tieman.

I thank Wayne for the invitation, wearing my Suburban Newspaper hat and my other one from the English Montreal School Board (EMSB). At the EMSB, we have enjoyed a solid partnership with CTV for years via joint promotions and advertisements.

Wayne has clearly earned the respect of his new bosses, for advertisers were ever so delighted to get a chance to mingle with senior CTV executives and a number of on air personalities. There was an endless lineup at the anchor desk to get a photo taken with Paul Karwatsky and Mutsumi Takahashi, two of the nicest people you'd want to meet. Next was a trip to the makeup room in order to record your very own holiday greeting. I was enjoying the banter too much with individuals whom I normally do not get a chance to spend such extended time with.

News Director Jed Kahane, Executive Producer Barry Wilson, Manager of Creative Services/Marketing/Community Relations and Com Gerry Dixon and Promotions Boss Jason Devine were joined by Rob Lurie, Cindy Sherwin, Caroline van Vlaardingen, Randy Tieman, André Corbeil, Christine Long and Maya Johnson.

I get my chance at the anchor desk.

I was happy to meet Spiro Krallis, the founder, owner and president of sandwich chain Dagwoods. What a business he has built! Julien Hecht, the former GM of The Suburban and the voice of countless radio commercials, was doing the rounds. I recommended to Spiro that he consider a new round of advertisements with Julien raving about their special hot sauce. I also had compliments for Scott Reid, the marketing director for Scores Restaurants - another one of my favorites.

Bravo to Bews!

I had a chance to sit down this week with Chris Bury, the boy wonder news and program director at CJAD and TSN 690. Only 36 years of age, he got his start in the business back in 1998 as a producer for the show anchored by the late Mark Rennie. He continued to work full-time while studying for his Journalism Degree at Concordia. “It took six years, but I got my diploma,” he says.

Bury made a smart career move, accepting an offer to join the now defunct 940 News. Eventually all-news switched to news talk and Bury was gaining invaluable experience as a then very young program director. He’d move on to Q92 (now TheBeat ) and CBC before coming back to CJAD three years ago. “It was quite surreal to be given this job and the very office that was used by the late and legendary Gord Sinclair,” he said.

Bury (second to the right) with McKenna, Price and Starr.

While the father of three’s CJAD duties were time consuming enough, last summer Bury was handed the TSN 690 portfolio. He had to make some difficult decisions, letting go the likes of Ted Bird, Ric Peterson, Chantal Desjardins, Sharman Yarnell and reducing Suzanne Desautels’ footprint at CJAD. Sportscasters Rick Moffat and Abe Hefter were morphed into the newly dubbed TSN Sports Centre. Moffat still does weekday sports, spelled by his new permanent backup Conor McKenna, but has become a regular part of the Elliott Price-Shaun Starr morning show. Mitch Gallo does sports updates for both stations. Gallo, like so many others trained by Mitch Melnick, has become a very entertaining person to listen to.

For the near future, Bury says he does not have any drastic changes planned for Montreal’s all-sports radio station.

Will the Montreal Impact and Montreal Alouettes broadcasts move from CJAD to TSN 690? “We are talking to both teams about that right now,” he says. “It is clear that TSN 690 is all sports and CJAD’s primary business is news and information.”

Bury is pleased with the crossover arrangements he has made with CTV Montreal: Lori Graham and Christine Long contributing to the Aaron Rand Show on CJAD and Brian Wilde, Randy Tieman and André Corbeil becoming part of the Canadiens broadcasts.

"I am happy with TSN 690," he said. "This is a station I always listened to, starting when it was THE TEAM 990. I listened to Mitch Melnick for many years."

This was my first chance visiting the Bell Media studios, which became home to CJAD, CHOM and Virgin Radio well more than a year ago and then TSN 690. It is home to the Bell Media French sister stations as well. The TSN 690 and CJAD crews are right next to each other.

Bury also shared with me the fact that longtime promotions guru Matthew Wood has become his assistant program director.

In my case, I have had the privilege of watching Bury grow in the business. Wearing my other hat as a communications expert for first the Canadian Jewish Congress and then (and now) the English Montreal School Board, Chris and I have spoken regularly during his various incarnations. He has done every task handed to him very well, always rising to the occasion.

Will George Parros ever return to the Montreal Canadiens lineup? The highly educated tough guy suffered his second concussion of the 2013-2014 season in a fight last week against Eric Boulton of the New York Islanders.

Parros has only been used sparingly by head coach Michel Therrien, but having a player with his pugilistic talents in the lineup against the rough and rugged teams like Boston and Philadelphia represents a major plus.

Will Parros be back? I am sure he does not want to end his career on this note. Then again, he has a degree from Princeton and can probably go on to enjoy a very successful post-hockey career before his brain turns to mush.

What should Habs GM Marc Bergevin do? There do not appear to be any enforcers down in Hamilton, where the team's minor league affiliate plays. My suggestion is to go out and get a tough guy now and place him on the Hamilton roster. If Parros calls it quits, bring him up immediately.

So who should that player be? My vote goes to Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond,a six-foot-two, 210 pound forward from Levis, Quebec who played for the New Jersey Devils and the Calgary Flames. He is now with the Pittsburgh Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Check out these career stats. What could be better than a French Canadian enforcer on the Habs?

Let's go out and get Pierre Luc.

Although I was not able to make it personally, I am hearing very good things about a program last week which involved Herzliah High School Secondary I and Talmud Torah Grade 5 and 6 students. They were treated to what is being described as "an extraordinary and most memorable presentation" from 10-year old author Tommy Glatzmayer. He is working at raising awareness for a very rare medical syndrome called Cornelia de Lange.

Tommy’s sister, Melanie, was born with this syndrome, but the family went through a very painful journey before anyone was able to give them an actual diagnosis. During this entire half hour of listening to Tommy, the students were absolutely captivated by this family’s story of love, courage and strength.

The auditorium was filled with laughter as the students interacted with Tommy and Melanie and their two pet rats. The students had an opportunity to view an interesting video about rats and then had a delightful time watching an actual rat race. “This program was really inspiring and touching”, states Secondary I student Hannah Kalin,. “Everyone in our audience was fascinated by this story and by their pet rats. I think Tommy and Melanie’s positive attitude profoundly touched my classmates. They will be talking about this event for a long time.”

Seen here (left to right) in the back row: Secondary I student Matthew Mann, Meran Asefa, English Teacher and Student Advisor, Melissa Sculnick and Hannah Kain. Front row, Melanie and Tommy Glatzmeyer, holding their two pet rats with student Ethan Kovac.

The Glatzmayer family was invited to share their story with Herzliah students through our unique Secondary I Student Advisor program. This program, overseen by Assistant Principal Shelley Mann, is designed to facilitate the transition from elementary school to high school and to give the students an opportunity to learn new and important skills and values. Ms. Mann elaborates on this support program, “Our students meet regularly in small groups with their teacher as a facilitator to learn about important study and organizational skills. Much time is spent on the importance of getting along with peers and the unacceptable behaviour associated with bullying. This program reinforces these important values that we teach every day”.

When Tommy was six years old, he came home crying because his sister was being teased. He decided he wanted to write a book. Since June 2010, 7, 000 copies of this book have been sold and in 2013 a second book, under the same title, Melanie and Tommy have two pet rats and one Syndrome, was released. Tommy was also honored with the 2012 the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award for his important role in creating awareness for this very rare congenital disease.

Tommy’s explains that his sister is a wonderful person and lots of fun. He wants people to know that people with differences should not be bullied. Tommy's message to the students was simple yet powerful: "If you see someone different smile and say hi."

More About Cornelia de Lange Syndrome

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome is diagnosed by clinical features. Children with this Syndrome often have long eyelashes, bushy eyebrows and synophrys (joined eyebrows). Their hairline may be lower than other family members, and they may have more body hair. These features are often less obvious in males after puberty. Children are often shorter than others in the family. None of these features may cause a problem for the person concerned; they are just clues for a diagnosis.

Children with CdLs may have gastrointestinal tract difficulties. Most will have learning problems, although there have been children with CdLs reported with normal or only slightly below normal intelligence. Language delay is a frequent finding. Speech can be very minimal, or even absent. Hearing loss is also associated with CdLs, varying from mild to severe. Eye problems may also be present.The jaw may be small and cleft palate is common.There can also be problems with the upper limbs.

The new look Boxenbaum

Former CJAD talk show host Sol Boxenbaum will make a return to radio via internet station www.rock-fm.ca. He starts on January 6, 2014 Monday through Fridays from midnight to 2 a.m.

“I will be playing music from the 1960s, give or take, plus lots of Quebec artists both on CD and in studio,” he says, noting that he still hopes to catch on with AM600 when it goes on the air next fall.

For a number of years Sol developed a cult following overnight on CJAD. For the insomniacs, he was a constant companion. As a professional dealing with gambling addiction, Last Call with Sol became a place to call for people in trouble. On air they received free counselling. But the show turned out to be just about anything people had on their minds. The lines were constantly ablaze. While the program has been off the air since 2010, Sol had one brief foray on an internet radio station. Now he will do so again.

For anyone with internet access, this is no different than listening to the radio. Just log on to the website and listen. It should be fun if you are up at that time.

I was absolutely delighted to learn that legendary broadcaster Dick Irvin has been named a Member of the Order of Canada.

More than a year ago I got a call from Don McGowan, for years the ever so entertaining weather forecaster on the old Pulse News and the host of a variety of local TV shows. Don asked if I would contribute a letter as part of his push to have Dick named to the Order. I happily complied, indicating to Don (now a resident of Brockville, Ontario) that there could not be a better choice.

Dick Irvin

Dick, now 81, remains a resident of West Island Pointe Claire. He can still be seen at many community events, often sharing his golden voice and encyclopedic knowledge of professional sports with adoring audiences. For decades Dick was the sports director for CFCF Radio and TV. He handled play-by-play duties for Canadiens hockey games on radio and worked as well on Hockey Night in Canada. In 1988 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His late father, Dick Irvin Sr., was a legendary coach for the Canadiens.

I will forever be appreciative of Dick for how he treated me as a young teenager in the very intimidating Canadiens press box. I started off there working for the old Sunday Express and not all of the veteran media there welcomed me warmly. But not Dick. He would take a seat with me in the press room, treating me like one of the boys and always had time to share his thoughts.

Dick was also the author of several books and for many years managed the very successful Sports Celebrity Dinner, benefitting the two local children's hospitals.

Way to go Dick!

Driving through Toronto over the Christmas holidays brought back memories of the ice storm Montrealers survived in 1998. Over 300,000 customers were without power, some for as long as nine days, making this the longest in Toronto Hydro’s history.

For six days in 1998, more than three million people were without power in Quebec and 1.5 million in Eastern Ontario. About 100,000 people went into shelters, hotels or private homes. I remember it only too well.

The Rob Ford Factor

Perhaps the only person in Toronto to come out as a partial winner from this experience was controversial mayor Rob Ford. Each day he met the media, saying all of the right things and showcasing his recent weight loss.

Rob Ford

Residents who lost a significant amount of food to spoilage due to prolonged power outages were able to collect grocery store gift cards at one of 15 Ontario Works offices in Toronto. The gift cards were jointly funded by the provincial government and grocery retailers. Over the years I have lost a significant amount of money from power outages and there were no such gift cards to speak of.

Hotels Get Busy

Places like The Grand Hotel and Suites in downtown Toronto, where my family likes to stay, saw an unexpected spike in occupancy. “The week of Christmas is usually a slower time for us due to businesses being closed and corporate clients not travelling,” said reservations manager Laura Lee Marrin. “When the Ice storm hit there were approximately 300,000 Toronto Hydro customers without power. However we never lost power at the hotel. Starting on Sunday December 22 we had a large number of guests calling and checking in for same day reservations. We were sold out for the next four nights. Guests were extending day by day based on if their power had been restored at home or not. We called in extra staff for all departments.”

The Grand Hotel and Suites, by the way, is perfectly located at Jarvis and Yonge, very close to the huge Eaton Centre. It has all of the comforts of home, especially junior two bedroom suites which come with all the bells and whistles and a big buffet breakfast included in your daily room rate. Weekdays, a shuttle will bring you anywhere in the area you need to go.

My friend Rob Singer, a former Montrealer, and his wife Philippa, reside in the suburb of Thornhill. They lost power for 36 hours. Fortunately they were able to stay with family and an extra freezer there enabled them to keep most of their perishables. “I left Montreal before your ice storm in 1998,” said Rob. “Now we know what it feels like. One lady on our street, whom we never met, did not lose power and she came door to door with fresh coffee. We heard of people using their propane barbeques inside their homes, despite warnings of how dangerous this was. I am sure glad it is over.”

Les Miserables

One place that did not go dark was the magnificent Prince of Wales Theatre on King Street, where a new presentation of Les Miserables has been playing before capacity crowds since October. Despite the ice storm, shows continued each night and the people kept coming. In fact, Les Mis has been extended a number of times, now until February 2. That will be about it because the show moves to previews on Broadway in March, with the superb Ramin Karimloo continuing in the lead role of Jean Valjean. Born in Iran and raised in Ontario, he also played the lead in The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies in London's West End.

Ramin Karimloo

This is a brand new staging of Les Mis and quite spectacular at that. It is well worth a trip from Montreal just to see this show alone as the only thing to compare it to will be...well the soon to mounted Broadway version. With last year’s motion picture version starring Hugh Jackman still fresh in many of our memories, the restaging of the musical was well planned. It, of course, follows the plight of Valjean, imprisoned for 19 years after stealing a loaf of bread in order to feed his sister’s starving child. Upon his release he becomes a successful man with a new identity, only to be hounded by mean spirited Inspector Javert. He adopts Cosette, orphaned by the death of her mother and the story follows their attempt at a normal life. Canadian Idol fans may recall the name of Melissa O’Neil. She was the 2005 season three winner and has gone on to a musical career on stage. She plays the role of Éponine, the daughter of the trouble-making Thénadiers who originally have custody of Cosette until Valjean steps in. Two other Canadian Idol grads, Aaron Walpole and Elena Juatco, are also in the show. Walpole is the understudy to Karimloo while Juatco is in the ensemble. Montreal native Lisa Horner plays Mrs. Thénadier.

Melissa O'Neil

Bravo to Mirvish Productions for providing Canada with yet another first class production.

And a final note on Toronto. As we got set to depart, Mayor Ford filed his papers to declare he is in fact a candidate to be re-elected next November. “Bring him home!” I say.

The 2009 Tony Award-winning musical American Idiot, featuring the incredible music from GreenDay’s 2004 Grammy Award-winning album of the same name, has stopped in Montreal for a brief two day stay at the Placedes Arts. A pair of shows took place on Saturday, January 4, with the finale set for Sunday, January 5 at 4 p.m.

This is essentially a show based on the lives of three male best friends: Johnny, Will and Tunny whose lives go in complete different directions. An energetic young cast of 16 is backed up by a band and a pretty effective set featuring 25 television monitors. The musical begins with a series of news flashes, including the voice of former American President George W. Bush. This all takes place after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The show itself gets off to a very energetic start, with the actual song “American Idiot” being played out.

The virtually sold out Salle Wilfred Pelletier audience at my showing ate it all up. There were clearly loads of Green Day fans in the crowd. Keep in mind that the subject matter is for mature audiences, there is a lot of profanity and the music is very very loud. While the actual dialogue was sometime difficult to hear clearly, I took advance of the two large simultaneous translation screens on each side of the stage.

As the storyline goes, Will stays behind because his girlfriend is pregnant; Tunny goes to war; and Will moves to the big city. There are 21 songs in all and this is a 90-minute production straight through without any intermission. Besides “American Idiot,” the audience seemed to really appreciate some other popular hits such as “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “21 Guns,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends, “21^st Century Breakdown,” and an unreleased love song, “When It’s Time.”

It is a great show and with the very few Broadway productions which roll through Montreal, one worth trying to get tickets for on Sunday. For more information go to www.pda.qc.caor www.evenko.ca.

Appearing on Radio Shalom 1650 AM, Canada's only all-Jewish radio station, brothers Jon and Marvin Gurman spoke about their decision to have their Quartier Cavendish Yeh! Yogurt and Café location go under rabbinic supervision. They were guests on the Money and Business Show, co-hosted by Samuel Ezerzer, Adam Eidelmann and Bryan Wolofsky.

Robert Levy, Marvin Gurman, Samuel Ezerzer and Jon Gurman.

It was an entertaining one hour of radio on a station that really has been inappropriately ignored by the organized Jewish community. Kudos to founder Robert Levy for his efforts and patience in this endeavor. Besides Ezerzer's excellent program, folks like Howie Silbiger, Stan Asher, Sidney Dworkin, Dan "Schmelvis" Hartal and Avi Kimchi are well worth listening to.

You can hear the entire show by clicking here. It is in a clever YouTube format developed by Ezerzer.

From the time the Yeh! store opened last May at Quartier Cavendish, all of the products were kosher. However, the Gurmans decided to take the extra step and seek certification of MK-Canada’s Kosher Certifier and have Cavendish serve as the “flagship store” for kosher franchises.

The Gurmans respond to a question from Eidelmann.

On the Money and Business Show, the Gurmans offered free yogurt for a year to the first family that decides to have a brith at the Quartier Cavendish location. The brit milah is a Jewish religious male circumcision ceremony performed on eight-day-old male infants (actually on the eighth day of the infant's life).

As for the MK status, Marvin Gurman stated: “It’s a natural merger of two great brands, MK and Yeh!. Our goal is to get MK hashgacha in all nine locations currently in Montreal, and we hope it will lead to kosher franchises in other cities as well.”

In addition to frozen yogurt, Yeh! also serves dessert crepes, and are working on lunch crepes for the kosher crowd as well. The stores rotate through several flavours, some of which are pareve. “You will always find pareve chocolate, as well as at least one of mango, grapefruit, or lime sorbets,” says Jon Gurman. “The standard dairy flavours are plain, chocolate, and Greek honey, with five additional rotating flavours that included cheesecake, peanut butter, strawberry, blueberry, and pina colada. Eventually no-sugar-added flavours will be added as well.”

Of course self-serve yogurt is nothing without toppings. In addition to several kinds of fresh fruit, there are other healthy options such as flax, granola, and kashi. Patrons looking for something sweeter can choose sprinkles, cookie dough, Hershey’s chocolate, and Reese’s Pieces. In addition to the toppings, Yeh! provides Ghirardelli syrup in three flavours, as well as hot toppings such as hot fudge. The yogurts and toppings are all cholov stam (milk or dairy products that have been under constant rabbinic supervision from the time of milking the cows until the completion of production and packaging the product).

With the advent of certification through the MK, Yeh! hopes to add catering to their services. “This would involve pre-packaged portions,” says Marvin Gurman. “We will even be introducing pink kippot!”

The store at Cavendish has seating for almost 20, and an outdoor patio for summer. The décor, featuring mostly pink, is bright and cheerful. According to Mitchell Simon, who is in charge of store development for the company, the MK certification will be in place for a grand Chanukah celebration.

For more information log on to www.yehyogurt.com. If you are interested in a Yeh! franchise, contact Mark Segall at 514-887 2077.

Last year the publicity crew from Bell Media’s Space TV sent me some advance copies of their new drama Orphan Black. It was highly addictive and I became immediately hooked to what is already considered a critically acclaimed series.

Well, they did it again to me with the brand new action-packed, original thriller called Bitten. It premieres on Saturday, January 11 (9 p.m.). Based on the New York Times best-selling novels by Canadian author Kelley Armstrong, Bitten is set in a world where werewolves live undetected amongst humans. Drop dead gorgeous actress Laura Vandervoort (Smallville, Ted) sinks her claws into the role as the world’s only female werewolf, Elena Michaels, in this one-hour series.

The series is eerily similar to the Montreal-filmed Being Human, which begins its fourth season on Space on Monday, January 13 (9 p.m.). This show deals with werewolves, vampires and a ghost. The scenes of one of the main characters repeatedly transforming himself into a werewolf were frightening to say the least and this is no different on Bitten.

Shot on location in Toronto, Hamilton, and Hespeler, Ontario, the series follows Elena’s (Laura Vandervoort) dangerous struggle between the new life she’s created in Toronto and her loyalty to The Pack (as in wolf pack), a.k.a her family. In the premiere episode entitled “Summons,” we first met Elena making love to her boyfriend Philip (Paul Greene). Suddenly she stops, tells him she has to leave and dashes towards an elevator. With another woman next to her texting away, Elena successfully controls her transformation to a werewolf until she gets into an alley.

The main cast of Bitten.

While Elena has left New York for a successful career as a photographer in Toronto, having left The Pack a year earlier, she is drawn back to her former life after the mauled body of a girl shows up on the outskirts of Bear Valley in upstate New York. Suddenly Elena is forced to choose between her new “human” life in Toronto with Philip and her past at Pack Headquarters, Stonehaven.

At Stonehaven we meet Jeremy Danvers (Greg Bryk) , the head of the Pack and Clayton Danvers (Greyston Holt). He is also Elena’s former love. There is a bad blood between them, yet the reason for this is not shown in the first two episodes. Only at the start of episode two do we see a flashback set four years earlier with them as a seemingly happy couple. Did Clayton “bite” Elena and turn her into a werewolf?

The term “Mutt” is used often in this series. While The Pack swear not to kill nor let anyone see them transform, “Mutts” live by no rules and their aim is to destroy.

Bitten also stars Joel Keller as Pete, Paulino Nunes as Antonio, Steve Lund as Nick and Michael Xavier as Logan.

Here is the trailer.

As a parent of a child who attended Explorations, probably one of the most rewarding day-camp format summer experiences a youngster can have in this city, I got to know Bertha Dawang quite well. She was a co-founder of the program for boys and girls aged four to 18. Up until last summer, she oversaw every aspect of the operation, with some key collaborators and a solid staff including skilled teachers from the public and private school systems and the university level.

“Do not call them counsellors,” she would frequently say. “They are teachers.”

And that they were, teaching classes such as music, art, photography, dance, cooking, debating, fencing, build your own computer from scratch, exploring Montreal, designing clothing and a panorama of sciences.

The program was originally a designed as a summer school for gifted youngsters, but has broadened its mandate since then. "This is now an enrichment program for all kids, because we feel that everyone is gifted in different ways,” Bertha would say. “We want to give everyone a chance to explore areas of learning which are not part of their regular curriculum.”

When I first connected with Explorations as a parent eight years ago, Bertha told me she was almost ready to step down. “One more year,” she said.

Bertha Dawang

I would hear that line repeatedly. Explorations was too much part of this retired public school principal and teacher's life. I could see her enthusiasm from the moment the annual open house took place each June to the first day of activities when she could manage multiple conversations at a time. By the end of each day she stood guard at the door, making sure no parent or guardian she was unfamiliar with passed by.

It was only last April, when she got the horrible diagnosis of ovarian cancer, that Bertha reluctantly had to step aside. She lost her battle on January 11, leaving behind her devoted husband of 56 years Elie, two children, four grandchildren, a sister and an endless array of friends and admirers.

“Bertha is about the only person I would take a day off work for to attend a funeral,” said a shaken Ian Hanchet, a gifted music teacher at the English Montreal School Board who runs the wildly popular School of Rock program at Explorations. “She was a true mentor to me.”

Bertha and Elie both retired together some 20 years ago. Elie was not only her partner in life, but he too could be found in the Explorations office each morning for the four week summer experiences dealing with parents and staff. During the winter they would travel to foreign countries, such as Cambodia and the Czech Republic and often teach. In all they criss-crossed the globe and made about 50 different stops.

While Bertha was known for her tough exterior, I could always see her soft spot. She was an incredibly special person who always loved a cause to fight for. In recent years she could even be seen participating regularly in public question period at Westmount City Council meetings over traffic concerns on a residential street.

During funeral services, Rabbi LisaGrushcow shared the story about Bertha attending a meeting of the former Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal head office. She went to the washroom, only to find they had two-ply toilet paper. It seemed the schools only had one-ply. “She would not stand for that kind of inequality,” said the rabbi.

Her son Stephen, who lives in Toronto, last saw her over the December holidays. “I had a full life,” she told him in what would be their last face to face.

Bertha was only 76 years young and there is no doubt that she would have maintained her active lifestyle for many years to come. We were told that even in her poor health, she still hosted an Explorations board meeting at her home in November.

Explorations, a partnership between McGill University and the EMSB, is sold out every summer with very little publicity. A few years ago Bertha brought noted educator Cliff Buckland to serve as her co-director and successor. He will steer the ship well. But there is no replacing Bertha. She was one in a million!

Breast Cancer Action Montreal to benefit from surprise musical fundraiser

Laval council candidate Nicholas Katalifos impresses a constituent

Barry Morgan gets permanent mid-day gig on CJAD; The Exchange debuts

Three main contenders to take part in CTV's Montreal mayoral TV debate

Sheldon Fried reportedly becomes the latest CJAD casualty

Wayne Bews: fond memories of TEAM 990, TSN 690; happy to be at CTV

ABBA Memories show set for Place des Arts November 30

Concordia hosts its first Terry's Cause on Campus: Remembering Terry Fox

Another successful Viennese Ball of Montreal is in the books

A classy event by a classy guy: Bews is in the news at CTV

Will Impact and Alouettes broadcasts move to TSN 690? This and more from Chris Bury

Habs need an enforcer if George Parros cannot return: I have the answer

Herzliah and UTT students experience memorable presentation

Next Call with Sol: Boxenbaum rocks his way back to the airways via online station

A well deserved honour: Dick Irvin now a Member of the Order of Canada

Déjà vu for Montrealers? Toronto's ice storm and how Les Mis and Rob Ford warmed folks up

American Idiot the Musical lights up the Place des Arts

Gurman twins promote MK status at Yeh! Yogurt and Café on Radio Shalom's Money and Business Program

Dark new TV series Bitten to launch on SPACE TV January 11

Mourning the passing of educator and Explorations founder Bertha Dawang