Why we shiver and don’t complain

Susan Ruth Fitch

Why do many tenants suffer in silence in inadequately heated apartments during our coldest months of the year? Here are five common misconceptions about apartment heating issues that often act as roadblocks to resolving heating problems.

1. A cold apartment automatically indicates a cold-hearted landlord. Not necessarily. A landlord living away from the property may be unaware of the problem, or a novice landlord may be ignorant of how to most effectively operate your building’s heating equipment. Before any landlord can deal with a heating problem, it has to be clearly and accurately communicated to him or her by tenants.

2. Landlords are only obligated to heat apartments during certain months of the year. The City of Montreal Housing Code states that if heating is included in your lease, your landlord must maintain your apartment’s temperature at not less than 21 degrees Celcius or 71 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year.

3. My landlord says the building is warm enough, but I’m shivering. I can’t prove my apartment is too cold, because it’s his word against mine. Start keeping a temperature log, over a number of days, of the temperature inside your apartment and outdoors. Such a written record can be a useful form of evidence at a rental board hearing. To obtain an accurate indoor temperature reading, locate a thermometer near the centre of a room, one metre off the floor. Send your landlord a registered letter explaining your heating problem and noting his responsibility to honour the heating requirement of your lease. Include your temperature log. Should your landlord fail to rectify the problem you can forward a copy of your letter to City of Montreal inspectors, who will visit your apartment building and advocate for adequate heat on your behalf. Any reliable witness can help provide evidence at a rental board hearing.

4. The rental board is far too busy and overloaded with cases to help me with my heating problem. It’s true that tenants can wait a long time for rental board hearings to be scheduled, but if your apartment is extremely cold you can ask that your case be considered urgent and heard at an earlier date. Additionally, the existence of a City inspector’s report can be mentioned in your application, and this will speed up obtaining a hearing.

While waiting for your hearing, consider purchasing space heaters as a temporary heating measure, and the rental board will require that your landlord pay for the extra electricity consumed. A word of caution: Space heaters may place a serious strain on the wiring of older buildings, posing a fire risk. Inspectors from the Régie du batiment du Québec will come and examine the wiring of older buildings to determine if electrical equipment is up to standard to allow the safe use of space heaters. This service is free. Finally, the rental board can award a rent decrease for the months you were without adequate heating. 5. My landlord is aggressive and I fear he will take reprisals against me if I complain to authorities.

Aggressive people have a way of making others feel isolated and vulnerable. But as a tenant you are not alone. The following community organizations and offices can provide you with the information and support you will need to take a proactive and assertive stance in negotiating with your landlord for adequate heating.

Arnold Bennett’s Housing Hotline: 514-990-0190

City of Montreal Permits and Inspections, Borough of Côte des Neiges / NDG: 514-872-5160

Elder Abuse Info-line: 514-489-2287

NDG Senior Citizens’ Council: 514-487-1311

The Organization for Housing Education and Information of Côte des Neiges: 514-738-0101

Project Genesis: 514-738-2036

Régie du batiment du Québec: 514-873-0976; rbq.gouv.qc.ca

Régie du logement (Rental Board): 514-873-2245; rdl.gouv.qc.ca

Discover your potential at Segal Centre's Academy

For those who have always wanted to sing, dance or play a musical instrument but never had the chance, the Segal Centre for Performing Arts is offering adult-only courses. The mission of the Centre is to entertain, educate and stimulate.

“If you would like to explore a new facet of yourself, then this is the place for you,” says Gisele Rucker, director of the Academy, the educational arm of the Segal Centre. The classes, which are based on skill level, are given in a comfortable setting.

A variety of music courses are offered. “Music for Monotones with Fran Avni, is perfect for adults who have no tonal awareness,” Rucker explains. Avni, singer, songwriter, producer, can create music with anyone, Rucker says.

John Gilbert, one of the premier musical directors in Canada, according to Rucker, will teach Who WroteThat Song?, a six week class. The Segal Centre employs “artists who teach,” not art teachers.

“We do it. We don’t talk about it,” Rucker says with a smile. “If you join Gilbert’s class, don’t be afraid to sing along.” If singing isn’t your forte, many other classes are offered.

Photos courtosy of the Segal Centre

Not all are as hands on. Jewish Life Through Music is a historical and theoretical course that covers Jewish music from the Renaissance to the present. “The sessions offer guided listening to the mosaic of Jewish composers,” Rucker says. For amateur musicians looking to join a group, the Segal Centre Concert Band is open to instrumentalists of all levels. The Home Technology Workshop is geared to those who are afraid to go near a computer, Rucker says. “This course covers the gadgets, the lingo and everything else you need to survive the current technological onslaught.”

For people who love to take videos but don’t know how to edit, MediaWorkshop offers a beginner level program on editing called Final Cut Pro. The Academy is developing a series of courses called ‘So You’ve Always Wanted to …’

Rucker hopes to announce these courses soon: ‘So you’ve always wanted to tap dance’ with Ethel Bruno, a renowned tap dance teacher. ‘So You’ve Always Wanted to Juggle’ is being developed and will be scheduled if enough interest is shown.

“We’ve expanded our adult courses in hopes of allowing everyone access to our center of discovery,” Rucker says. “Now, adults who never explored or discovered certain aspects of themselves, can.”

Courses at the Academy begin October 6 and run until the week of December 16. Registration has been extended until October 24. Prices range from $130 to $160. Info: segalcentre.orgg or 514-739-2301, ext. 8321

Generations sends kids to camp

Natalie Bercovici, co-founder of Generations

Generations Foundation’s Summer Breakfast at Buffet La Stanza in St. Leonard May 22 was sensational.

The EMSB, CSDM and LBPSB school boards were represented by busloads of kids with their principals, teachers, and counsellors. Participants included Services Financiers SFL, the Junior Hockey Club of Montreal and Expos Denis Boucher and Ron Piché. The Junior Hockey Club and the Montreal Canadiens donated auction items and prizes, and there were door prizes from many companies. Magician Blair Marshall performed and created animal balloons.

Magician Blair Marshall (right) joins Generations’ Natalie and Adrian Bercovici along with students and lunch supervisors Rose (left) and Jacqueline (back) from St. Gabriel School Photo: Michael Miller

The new Q 92.5 team broadcast on location with Ken Connors and Suzanne Desautels. The Q on-air auction offered two packages, each containing a weekend getaway at Wyndham Cap Tremblant, a day at Fanny’s of Westmount, a gift certificate from La Coupole and lunch with Aaron Rand at La Sirène de la Mer or golf with Ken Connors. The event raised $80,000 in spite of the H1N1 flu virus, the new St. Leonard location and the economy. Our supporters know the importance of a summer camp experience. Through their sponsorship, many kids will have the chance to be in the country enjoying outdoor activities. There will be fewer children and teens on hot summer streets.

Generations Foundation feeds more than 6,500 children daily in 72 schools and learning centres, including single and expectant teen mothers. Teachers say the daily meals make an enormous difference in their interaction with students. There is no fee for students, nor do we receive government grants.

Unfortunately, some of our loyal supporters have died, and coupled with the financial downturn, funds have decreased. That is why the breakfast fundraisers are so important to us. We will hold a Back to School Bagelthon Fundraiser at St. Viateur Bagel on Monkland in September to kick off the start of the 2009-2010 school year. Please join us then. To help Generations help kids, call 514-933-8585

FADOQ looks at quality of life

One year after the public consultations on living conditions for seniors, Quebec has officially recognized FADOQ’s expertise in evaluating private senior residences. The Fédération de l’âge d’or du Québec is the largest provincial non-profit organization, with a membership of 250,000, advocating on behalf of Quebecers over 50.

In one of the largest funding agreements ever signed between the provincial government and a nonprofit organization, the Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux, the Ministère de la famille et des aînés and FADOQ will work together to the benefit of 80,000 individuals living in senior residences.

Over the next four years the agreement will target nine regions including Montreal where the Roses d’Or Programis already in place, gradually expanding the program throughout Quebec. So far, the Roses d’Or Program has provided the standards of quality for private residences to voluntarily follow, establishments that were not previously regulated in the same way as government-run institutions. As well, it has been publishing a guide to the residences it has assessed in each region.

As of 2009, both public and private residences must be government certified regarding their administration. The complementary mandate now entrusted to FADOQ seeks to develop a program that will work towards ongoing improvement of both residences and smaller facilities. The existing program is now being restructured and by 2010, visits to residences will be carried out by staff from Regional Coordination and a volunteer who will assess client satisfaction.

Unlike government certification, which seeks to enforce socio-sanitary standards, the Roses d’Or program will be exclusively devoted to evaluating the quality of life and the well being of residents.

Residences that have so far qualified for the Roses d’Or distinction will keep this recognition until the end of the revision process. The Roses d’Or residence directory will remain available and be updated on FADOQ’s website, carrefour50ans.com

For more information call Andrée Demers Allan, 514-844-6919.

Literacy Unlimited

Literacy Unlimited, a community resource dedicated to the advancement of literacy, offers a free, bilingual service for adults who struggle with reading documents or filling out forms. By appointment only. Call 514-694-0007.

Church fundraisers unite NDG ‘village’

Shannon Rose

Several committees are working together to create a haven in NDG, with green space and acivites for all members of the community.

“We want the whole world to be as excited as we are,” says Margo Welford, who is on the honours committee for the restoration of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce church. “The church was one of the central points to bring the community together. We really want to bring it back to what it used to be.”

Welford explains that they want the church to be available to the entire community, not just Catholic parishioners. “We want people to feel like it belongs to them,” so they plan to create events that reach out to everyone – concerts, arts sales and sporting events, among many others. “The sky is the limit,” she says, noting that NDG is a very tightly knit community. “I find that it’s like a little village. I get that feeling at the NDG church.”

“The big thing was growing melons here.” In one of the committee’s brainstorming sessions they decided that it would be fun to have a melon patch on the church’s land. “That’s really bringing it back to its roots. I think that some of the older people who have been here for generations would really get a kick out of that.”

Currently such projects are serving as fundraisers for the renovation and restoration of the church. The government is covering 70 per cent of the money needed, but according to the budget, the committee still needs to raise $100,000 a year, for three years. “We need to do the restoration work, but we want it to stay alive for the future, not just for three years.” In other words, the church is going to continue organizing these events long after the restoration has been paid for.

The work includes fixing the doors, restoring the stained glass windows, recovering the fresco on the ceiling and getting the church to look the way that it did in its prime. “Unfortunately, they’ve covered a dome inside that has artwork underneath. This is something that we would love to bring back.”

“There are three facets to the value of the church,” says Alain Mignot, President of the organizing committee. “The historical value, the architectural value and the environmental value.”

Alain says that the church is an important historical landmark. “It was the first church built aside from the Montreal Parish.” The bones of the first mayor of Montreal are buried in a crypt in the back of the church.

“The architecture is very unique. The stained glass windows were made by Guido Nincheri [1885-1973].” This famous artist specialized in stained glass windows and frescoes. He constructed artwork for churches all across North America.

As for the environmental value, the church has a large terrain. The government is converting the green space into a park that will still be owned by the parish.

“It’s really such a beautiful place and a fun thing,” Welford says. “I’m very excited to be part of this project. I’ve taken it to heart.”

Black community thrilled by Obama’s election

Kristine Berey

Barack Obama becoming the president of the United States has evoked a depth of emotion around the world rarely seen in history. Montreal film-maker Laurie Gordon was in Rome on “the long night of Obama” and recalls the anticipation and electricity that permeated that city. “We were six hours ahead so everyone stayed up all night. I was in a café when they were still counting the votes and a barista came in and just said one word: “Obama!”

Closer to home, The Senior Times asked people whose work involves them in community and social justice, what Obama’s victory means to them.

Egbert Gaye, publisher and editor of Community Contact, the black community’s monthly newspaper since 1994: “I’m surprised that America moved so easily to not seeing race as a hindrance. It’s a redemption for the nation.”

Dorothy Williams, Montreal historian whose book Blacks in Montreal 1628-1986: An Urban Demography was re-issued this month. “I was watching the election on TV and realized I was standing in front of History, that nothing was ever going to be the same again. For our youth it was an absolutely life-changing event – it said to them ‘anything is possible.’” It’s a door that is never ever going to be closed again.” Dr. Williams also mentioned that there were American presidents before Obama whose ancestors included black people. “Anybody who knows about race and history knows he’s not the first black president. It’s not a secret because his blackness is visible.”

Egbert Gaye

June McGibbon, program coordinator at the Walkley United Families Association: “I heard one little boy say to me ‘Now I can be what I want to be’ To have a black president is, for this generation, eye opening. I was amazed at the young age group that followed the election right from the beginning.”

Sheila Goldbloom, retired social work professor, recipient of the National Order of Quebec and the Order of Canada. “I’m delighted. I think it provides a universal feeling of hope that we can change the system and make it work.”

Victor Goldbloom, former Quebec minister and president of the Quebec Region of Canadian Jewish Congress. Recipient of the National Order of Quebec and the Order of Canada: “It’s quite spectacular how many different elements in American society supported Mr. Obama. This is really a manifestation of the best that the United States can be. Soon we’ll see more and more people of various origins rising to positions of major responsibility in Canada.”

Dorothy Williams

Gemma Raeburn, senior auditor at the Bank of Montreal. Community activist in the black and larger community, recipient of the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award: “I was originally a Hillary supporter, I would have loved to see a woman in the White House. The night Obama gave his victory speech, it was really moving to see him standing in a crowd of white people, black people, Asian people, everybody together, just applauding and crying. I pray that he does a good job.”

Dan Philip, president of the Black Coalition of Quebec, a human rights and social justice organization serving the interests of the black community. Recipient of the Rosa Parks award from the Canadian Human Rights Commission. “Certainly I had doubts like everybody else but I think it shows what you might call the maturity of American society.”

Dan Philip

Richard Best, son of WWII veteran Mascoll Best who died in action. “Obama’s victory was a healing process for the United States in coming to terms with itself and truly recognizing its diversity and dynamism.” Mascoll Best and other Caribbean veterans are honoured by a plaque in the Canadian War Museum thanks to the tireless efforts of the late R.C.A.F. Flying Officer Owen Rowe.

Luigi Marshall, community worker at the Black Community Resource Centre: “Obama represents progress for all people, not just Americans. It doesn’t changes people’s realities in one day but makes the saying you tell young people – “You can do anything” – more real.”

More paramedics on the horizon

Shannon Rose

Paramedics in Quebec are hard to come by, and wait times can be exceedingly long. “There has been a shortage of paramedics for quite awhile,” said Michel Godon, co-chair of the pre-hospital emergency care program at John Abbott College. “This program will try to get more of them out there which has an effect on response times. Some people have to wait up to a couple of hours before they can get an ambulance. It’s all based on priority.”

He explained that paramedics are frequently overworked. “They just don’t have enough. During the summer people were booking overtime on their days off. They cancelled their vacations to work, because they were needed.”

They operate in 12-hour shifts. They try to stagger the hours so that there are always a decent number of medics on the road.

“As a paramedic, when you need a day off, you’re tired, you’re burnt out; it’s not always feasible to take a day off, because it means that there’s not going to be anyone responding.”

As a teacher in the John Abbott paramedic program, Godon tries to prepare his students for the rigorous nature of the job. “We had them do night shifts on the weekends, some of them didn’t sleep all weekend and they love it.”

Regardless of the demanding nature of the job, it’s rewarding. “One thing about this type of job is that people don’t go into it just for a paycheck obviously. They want to help people. They don’t mind doing extra shifts.”

The students want to learn this profession so that they can help people, but there are other perks as well, Godon said jokingly. “They like the truck with the red lights and sirens. They’re getting paid to break the law, speed through red lights.”

This is the first semester that John Abbott has offered this program. But Godon has been working on it for two years.

At completion of the program, students will be trained for primary care. They take biology, immunology, pharmacology and emergency medical courses in order to learn to stabilize patients before sending them to the hospital. They will be trained to deal with “something as stupid as someone letting off a smoke bomb in the metro,” to dealing with modern day crises inlcuding weapons of mass destruction and hazardous materials.

Paramedics and ambulance drivers are one and the same. During their training, the students take 45 hours of ambulance training.

Godon said that he was chosen to write the program because of his background and connections in the industry. He is a retired paramedic firefighter and also co-chairs the Police Technology program at the college.

With the integration of this program into Abbott’s curriculum, there will likely be more paramedics on the road within a couple of years.

“There’s going to be better care because there will be more people available. If we hire more people there will be less delays.”

Godon said that there are two other colleges, Ste-Foy and Ste-Agathe, who offer a similar program. “I looked at what the other colleges were doing and I consulted with the people that I’m working with and then we decided to add the John Abbott touch to it.” He explained that in the other colleges, the internships were done at the very end of the training. “I felt that if you wait long enough to put someone in the hospital to realize that they don’t get along with sick people, it’s kind of too late.” At John Abbott they start their internships right away. “We’re very pro-success at Abbott. If our students start a program, we want them to finish it.”

Godon explained that the students spent the last two weekends observing in ambulances and dispatch centers, the 911 center where the calls come in for the ambulance. “As a paramedic you’re in the vehicle all the time, you get your calls on the radio.” He explained that even though his students will never be working in a dispatch center, it changes the dynamic when you know what is going on, on the other side of the phone call. “It’s a good idea to know where those calls are coming from, what those people are actually going through while giving you those calls. They’re on the other line talking to this person, who might be really panicked. It’s chaos.”

The students are also spending 24 hours at the Veteran’s hospital and an internship in the geriatric ward of the Montreal General. “More and more patients that they have are elderly. Problems breathing, stomach problems, the flu.”

Older people often wait too long to call for help, he explained. “Maybe they should have seen a doctor two weeks before, but when they call, it’s a crisis situation.” Some paramedics can get annoyed with some of the callers because they feel that they are not in a dire situation. But this type of attitude is unacceptable. “If they’re calling you it’s because they need help, so you’ve got to give it to them.”

Godon emphasized that a priority is to make the students aware of the importance of politeness and respect. “If the patients feel comfortable with the medics, then things will go a lot better.

“We’re there to serve the citizens and give them the respect that they deserve.”

A Christmas dinner for all in memory of Keith Louis

Eight years ago Keith Louis saw someone digging into a garbage bin outside of McDonald’s and thought, “hey, that could be me.” Keith died last December but his company, Keith and Karyn Promotions, is hosting their 8th annual free Caribbean Christmas dinner and toy giveaway Christmas Day, dedicated to his memory. The event held from 1-6 pm is for those who can’t afford a big dinner or who don’t want to be alone. All Montrealers are welcome to the Caribbean Paradise, 8080 Newman, Lasalle (metro Angrignon, bus 106 to Thierry).

The public is asked to donate food for the occasion. What is needed: non perishable foods, chicken, turkey or beef, desserts, milk, soft drinks and juice. Clothes, toiletries and toys are also very welcome. Another way to help is to sponsor a meal for a family of four by donating $20. Pickups are scheduled starting December 6 but the dropoffs are also welcome at 2368 Beaconsfield, corner Sherbrooke.

Guests will enjoy a free hot dinner and live entertainment. There will be a live broadcast hosted by CKUT 90.3 FM, face painting, and gifts from Santa. Housebound individuals can arrange for a meal to be delivered to them on Christmas Day.

Info: 514-486-4423 or keithandkaryn@videotron.ca

Artists transcend limitations to earn success and appreciation

Stéphane Daraiche with parents (photo: Kristine Berey)

Kristine Berey

When they were children, Serge Laflamme dreaded having to go to the hockey arena with his brother Daniel. “Children can be very cruel,” said Serge, as he recalled the kids making fun of his brother, who was born prematurely with cerebral palsy in 1958.

The neurological damage has, among other things, prevented Daniel from ever using his arms. But now Serge couldn’t be prouder of his brother, a successful artist who lives on his own in an apartment, gets around on a special tricycle and earns his living through his art.

Stéphane Daraiche was an active 7-year old whirling dervish until, in 1975, a car rammed into him as he was riding his bike, shattering life as he knew it so far. His mother Micheline Marley was there to help him as he emerged, a quadriplegic from a six-week coma and had to re-learn everything from scratch. “It took him two years to accept it,” Marley said. “He was very angry at first. We had to take things day by day.”

Along their difficult paths, both these young men discovered they had an aptitude for art. For Daniel, the breakthrough came when he saw a television show featuring a young girl without arms who used her feet to accomplish different tasks. Inspired, Daniel learned to eat and draw with his feet. Eventually, he began taking painting lessons at the Couvent Saint-Joseph in St. Foy.

Stéphane first began using a pencil after his accident in order to communicate with his family, since pronouncing words was, and still is, difficult for him. Though confined to a wheelchair and deprived of the use of any of his limbs, Stéphane learned to hold a pencil in his mouth and manipulate it skillfully. Soon the writing turned to drawing just to pass the time, and his mother bought him coloured pencils, then paints and canvas.

Daniel Laflamme demonstrates his dexterity at foot painting (photo: Kristine Berey)

Today Stéphane lives on his own in an adapted apartment. He paints images of his own design in oil and like Daniel, sells his images with the help of Canada’s Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA).

At a recent demonstration at Complexe Desjardins, admiring crowds gathered around the two artists as they built up their canvases. Stéphane was putting the finishing touches on a leaping unicorn he created out of his own imagination and Daniel was completing a robin perched on a leafy branch.

MFPA is not a charity. Its mandate is to locate and encourage mouth and foot painters and help them achieve financial independence through the use of their talent. This is especially significant considering that 52% of people with disabilities are unemployed, while only 6% of able-bodied Canadians are jobless.

MFPA Canada was incorporated in 1961. It is the Canadian branch of the international Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists which has 700 members in over 70 countries. The self-supporting organization is owned and controlled by member artists. It creates greeting cards, calendars and gift items such as puzzles, stationery and prints, featuring the images of the painters. The reproductions of the artists’ work are marketed through a direct mail program and provide an income to all member artists, who retain the rights to their original work as well as the net profits from all sales.

For information or to order call 866- 637-2226 or visit mfpacanada.com.

Snowbird foliage?

Canadians who winter in the South are needed to participate in an upcoming exhibition at The Canadian Centre for Architecture. While these Snowbirds are away, the Wayward Plant Registry will take in their houseplants and care for them until their return. The plants will be part of a Snowbird Garden that can be enjoyed by those who must stay in the cold! If you are a Canadian Snowbird or know one interested in participating, contact heatherring@gmail.com.

Info: waywardplants.org or cca.qc.ca

Advocating for tenants’ rights

Elizabeth France, Ali Khan, Ben Finkelstein (photo: Scott Philip)

Project Genesis is an anti-poverty group that helps on an individual level to improve people’s financial situation. Volunteers are an active part of the organization.

Project Genesis provides is looking for volunteers and provides all of the training. The commitment is four hours a week, and they could be involved in the storefront or outreach programs. At the storefront, volunteers meet with clients and provide infor­mation on welfare, pensions, shelter allowance, family allowances, and advocate for decent housing conditions. Community orga­nizing volunteers could be involved in door-to-door outreach or have a kiosk in a metro station to tell people about Genesis services and campaigns.

Info: 514-738-2036

Candidates show at Generations breakfast

Shannon Rose

Thursday September 18, St. Viateur Bagel on Monkland was filled with morning diners. But none of the profits were going to the restaurant. Everyone who decided to buy their breakfast that morning between 6 and 10 was helping feed 7000 Montreal kids.

It would look like an average bustling restaurant if you didn’t notice the presence of Q92 and four federal election candidates – Irwin Cotler, Marlene Jennings, Anne Lagacé Dowson, and Claude William Genest.

Ironically, “Generations gets no government funding whatsoever,” according to co-founder Natalie Bercovici.

Every year St. Viateur hosts a breakfast where all the proceeds go to Generations. This year $15,000 was raised. The foundation has come a long way since it began in 1999. “It started in our basement where it was for two years,” recalled Adrian Bercovici. “Now we occupy a building on Notre-Dame and serve children in 75 schools and centers across the island.”

Kids receive breakfast, snacks or a hot lunch. “There are no limits,” Adrian said. Adrian and Natalie were inspired to start Generations because they have always felt that “an empty stomach can’t think – how can we expect them to meet the challenges of their day if they haven’t eaten?”

“All the evidence shows that kids who haven’t eaten properly don’t last till lunchtime,” said Anne Lagacé Dowson, NDP candidate for Westmount–Ville-Marie. “They can’t concentrate. The evidence is incontrovertible – a seemingly small thing can make an enormous difference.”

“I’m a big supporter of Generations Foundation,” said Marlene Jennings, Liberal candidate for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Lachine. “I thought it was important that I come and show my support.”

Staff from the Monkland RBC branch were sitting on the terrace. “Our boss told us about this cause several years ago and we love to come and show our support,” Patricia Rodriguez said. “Kids need to eat when they go to school.”

Generations runs a summer camp program for the students. “The Foundation helps send approximately 350 kids each year to summer camp,” Adrian said. “Kids go for a minimum of two weeks to two different camps where they learn various life skills. They have to make their beds, clean their area and they make friends. It’s a bridge between the end of one school year and the beginning of another.”

“We recently started a program with the Montreal Juniors [hockey] where NHL players donate money to Generations which is used to purchase tickets for Junior Hockey games,” Adrian explained.  “So far this year we’ve sent close to 350 kids to hockey games. By the end of the season, we expect several thousand kids to attend the games.”

“To help these kids we must keep them off the streets and we must definitely keep them out of metro stations, where they get into trouble with gangs,” Adrian said. “It’s all about the kids.”

Foster parents needed for rescued mutts

Kristine Berey

In two separate raids on puppy mills in Quebec, 275 animals were rescued from living, and possibly dying, in squalid conditions. The potential pets, mostly dogs, are being housed at the Montreal SPCA’s emergency shelter and are receiving medical care.

Advocates have a message for would-be pet owners: don’t buy live animals from pet stores or on the Internet. “Animals from puppy mills are mostly sold online or in pet shops. If you want to stop puppy mills, don’t buy from them,” said one volunteer as she was hosing down animal cages outside the emergency shelter. Inside the shelter, other volunteers were in the midst of “processing over 100 dogs,” many of which were in need of medical treatment.

Some of the dogs, including a variety of small and large breeds, will become available for adoption within the next few days. Others need time to heal from the effects of gross neglect, and need a foster home until they become healthy enough for a permanent home. People willing to adopt, foster, or volunteer with the SPCA are urgently needed because of the recent crisis, but throughout the year there is a severe shortage of people available to help. Fostering allows another chance at life for animals that are too young or have temporary medical conditions that prevent them from being adopted.

To foster or adopt an animal rescued in the recent raids call Jenn Colahan at 514-739-4444. To volunteer call Anita at the same number. The SPCA can be reached at 514-735-2711.

Fighting for children’s rights runs in the family

Marilynn Vanderstaay

EMSB school commissioner Ginette Sauvé-Frankel is not satisfied with just championing the rights of children and youth locally. A year into her second term, her efforts are focused on Canada’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and creation of a Children’s Commissioner for Canada.

Sauvé-Frankel’s life has been dominated by her passion for children’s rights since she herself was a child. “[As] a grade five student at boarding school I witnessed a little girl who had been tied to a chair by the teachers and was just crying. I couldn’t believe what I saw and I can still see her there sobbing. I don’t know what was worse, seeing her tied to the chair or realizing I had not done anything to try to stop it,” she recounts.

Sauvé-Frankel grew up in a family actively involved in social changes in Quebec, particularly those concerning education. Her grandfather was Arthur Sauvé, MNA for Two Mountains and leader of the Quebec Conservative Party before becoming a federal politician and later Postmaster General and Senator. Her father, former Quebec premier Paul Sauvé, was also the first ever Minister for Social Welfare and Youth, and her mother Luce Pelland was president of the Conservative party in Quebec in the 1960s.

Sauvé-Frankel was studying fine arts at the Ecole des Beaux Arts when she met and fell in love with one of her professors, celebrated photographer Hugh Frankel, 25 years her senior. The two would later marry and raise two sons.

After pursuing a career in the arts and completing an MBA at Concordia, Sauvé-Frankel settled down to run her own graphic design business. What altered her career path was an exhibition in 2003 featuring her family’s heritage of service to the province, which prompted her to think about how she too could make a difference.

Shortly after, longtime School Com­missioner Joan Rothman told Sauvé-Frankel she was retiring, and encouraged her to run for the position.

Sauvé-Frankel ran an effective campaign and won with a strong majority. She spent the first year getting to know the schools and finding out specific needs. As an advocate of literacy, she became particularly involved in trying to increase librarians’ hours. “I didn’t see the sense of pouring money into books in libraries if there wasn’t a trained librarian available at all times to teach the students how to use it.”

Sauve-Frankel has been on the board of the Quebec English School Boards Association for the last five years, and is the commissioner who introduced the inspiring Roots of Empathy program to inner city schools. The Vancouver-born program brings 3- to 4-month-old infants into the classroom in monthly sessions with a trained facilitator, who helps students learn about child development firsthand over a nine-month period. The results are impressive, reducing levels of aggression among students by increasing social competence and empathy skills.

Looking back, Sauvé-Frankel can credit her own unhappy school experience with motivation to help ensure it’s not repeated for others. “I’ve become a fierce defender of children,” she says, “giving them the voice that little girl in the boarding school didn’t have.”

Current champions keep title in shuffleboard curling match

Team Place Kensington

Marilynn Vanderstaay

The competition was fierce but friendly in the quarter-final of the annual Shuffleboard Curling Tournament in Westmount last month. Home team members from Place Kensington in Westmount battled to win back the trophy from Manoir Westmount, the visiting champions. In spite of a valiant effort and a supportive cheering section, at the end of the hour-long tournament Manoir Westmount went home again with the coveted Shuffleboard Curling Cup.

The players, who are in their 80s and 90s, played in style, dressed in the Place Kensington colours of green and white and Manoir Westmount uniforms of black and white. Team members strategized their moves in the hybrid indoor game, which evolved from floor curling and outdoor shuffleboard.

With the NHL enthusiasm of Danny Gallivant, Place Kensington program director Doreen Friedman gave a play-by-play commentary of the moves and the score. “What I really like about this game is that every resident can play, even those who are weak on their feet or use a cane. We can assist them to and from the playing board but they can do their own planning and follow-through of the moves, and it is great fun for all the players.”

Simona Buth, Friedman’s counterpart at the Manoir, agreed. “Both Doreen and I feel very strongly about the benefits of shuffleboard curling for seniors. At the Manoir we have a weekly floor curling program. We have about 10 players on each team with several cheerleaders and spectators popping in.”

Mary Sancton (in black and white) playing for Team Manoir Westmount

In addition to the fun, both directors discovered an unexpected benefit of playing. “It’s a game that brings out the competitive spirit and there’s always a lot of noise and laughter,” Buth said.

“The game brings out a part of their personalities we don’t often get to see,” according to Friedman. “Their competitive side and team spirit come out at the tournaments. At every practice and game they challenge themselves when they plan and deliver their moves. They are energized and really love the game. After the tournament the teams enjoy tea and sweets and get to know each other.”

Buth and Friedman challenge all Montreal residences to get involved: “Yes, the equipment costs a bit of money, but we’ve been playing weekly for about eight years and the activity and tournaments continue to generate excitement, laughter and healthy competition.” Buth and Friedman are happy to answer questions about shuffleboard curling, and invite activity directors, recreation therapists, facility managers and others to drop by and attend a game.

Nascent academy entertains possibilities

Gisele Rucker and George Doxas, Music Director of the academy

Kristine Berey

When 16-year-old Ryan Cons took a Media Workshop course at the brand new Academy for the Performing Arts at the Segal Centre, he discovered it takes a lot more than a state-of-the art camera to create a video worth watching.

"We learned to handle the camera to add ambiance to a scene, and how to do interviews, how to zoom in and create special effects, and how to be in front of the camera." Cons says he learned to see with a critical eye. "My teacher, Paul Shore, used to say, 'You don't want to go to a movie with me because I'll criticize everything.'"

As well, the novice filmmaker had to confront the agony of editing, which he says he found the most challenging. "A movie's made with many takes. Editing is basically taking out stuff that's not important."

It's too early to say whether Cons will become a filmmaker. But one thing is certain: his appreciation of film will have grown immensely.

"Research has shown that performing arts education has significant impact on children," says Gisele Rucker, director of the Academy, as she describes the new lineup. "It allows them to achieve greater academic success and develops self-confidence and resilience." She says another goal of the Academy is to make the arts accessible to the community by keeping the fees affordable and not requiring previous knowledge. Besides the Media Workshop program, there are courses offered in Circus Arts for children (2-13), Theatre Performance (9-17), Theatre Production (high school students) and Music (2+).

There is a practical music session offered to preschoolers, featuring elements from the Kodaly and Orff methods. There are courses in drums, saxophone and guitar, and jazz and rock combos, as well as two music history courses for adults. All courses are taught by professionals experienced in working with kids.

She doesn't have to stretch her imagination too far to see the Centre becoming a foundation for the future. In her thirties she joined the Yiddish Theatre, met her future husband there and years later brought her son to join the cast.

Everything is possible. Rucker speaks of bringing the arts outdoors, perhaps involving the neighbourhood with performances in the park. "We want to provide a safe place to explore and take risks artistically, where students are allowed to dream and play."

"We've just begun, this is a new voyage," says George Doxas, director of the Music Program, who has four decades of instrumental, choral and Big Band Jazz teaching under his belt. He speaks of kids "getting in through the ground floor" and evolving with the Centre through the years. "Once we have a group of kids who know something, we'll streamline the courses."

The future, vast and limitless, still lies ahead. "The exciting thing about working here is that there's a long-term vision," Doxas says. "This kind of commitment makes everybody want to do that much better."

To register, call 514-739-7944. For more information, call Kasia Leskiewicz at 514-739-2301 x 8379.

Epona Foundation: smoothing the ride through life

Savana riding (photos: Andrew Soong)

Kristine Berey

The boys are understandably nervous meeting the lady reporter. They know they are being interviewed about Epona – an organization that keeps kids in school by offering them free tutoring and horseback riding lessons, and they're not sure what to expect.

Initial questions are answered by typical teenage nods and uh-huhs.

But when the conversation turns to horses, Kenry, 13, and Justin, 9, become surprisingly articulate, even eloquent – eager to share their vast knowledge of horsemanship.

"You brush the horse with a curry comb, with a circular motion then use a brush to remove all the dirt," says Kenry, explaining how to gently lean on a horse before attempting to lift his hoof to clean it. "You use four fingers to check that the girth is not on too tight," says Justin, describing how to comb a horse's mane so it doesn't get caught in the bridle. Their knowledge is impressive. Red and blue ribbons, won in a competition at Ormstown, hang proudly in the living room. Their mom, Gloria Julian, says the boys' marks have gone up and believes the confidence gained at Epona has transferred to their studies. Kenry agrees. "My work is getting better. My teacher says I'm a good student to teach."

Front to back: Tanae, Savana, Kiki

The bottom line at Epona is academic success, says Peter Desmier, a youth worker at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres for over 30 years and founder of the four-year-old Epona Integrated Riding Foundation. "One thing I've noticed about kids living with a great deal of stress is that their education suffers," Desmier says. "The whole concept of Epona is working with kids over a long time to develop a relationship so they graduate."

To help "at-risk" children, Desmier drew upon an experience from his own childhood. "I spent a summer feeding, cleaning, putting out to pasture, doing everything involved with horses, except riding. We would spend hours brushing and taking care of the horses. It was magical."

When Desmier finally decided to return to riding, he met Jackie Poirier of Free Spirit stables – a like-minded person who had been contemplating starting a riding facility "for kids who would never have an opportunity to ride" – and Epona was born.

Kenry with his tutor

"I knew the first kids' parents through social services and other programs in the community," Desmier said. "Now they're being referred from school boards and our website."

The other Epona programs partner with community organizations to help kids 5-18, including Stay-In-School (tutoring), Literacy, and Mentoring programs, where Epona graduates return to tutor younger kids and earn riding time in the process. Epona works with parents and within the schools.

Dawson student and Epona mentor Atiba Howell, 18, doesn't yet know whether he'll go into law or police work – but he knows he'll devote over four hours a week as a volunteer tutor with Epona in the long term. As one of the first Epona riders, he describes himself as having felt shy and isolated. He recalls his encounter with the first live horse he'd ever seen. "When I saw the horse's size I said to myself, 'Okay, buddy, you're not going on one of those!'" As he learned to send the right signals to the 1000-pound animal, he realized his mare "Griffin" wouldn't "just warm up to anybody" but liked him especially. So did everybody at the stable. "Eventually I thought it was really cool. Everybody's really nice and you never feel left out when you're there." Howell believes his schoolwork would have been fine with just tutoring. "Without riding I would've had the grades. But with Epona I actually got the courage to speak."

Justin has learned a lot about horsemanship

Desmier instructs his staff and volunteers to ensure the kids feel "it's about them" and asks that they wait for and greet the kids warmly as the bus rolls up to the stables. "This is such a simple yet powerful gesture. It would be a missed opportunity if neglected," he writes in a memo to his staff.

When Sandra Permanad's children Jamal, 9, and Gariba, 7, joined Epona's tutoring program, her young family was going through turbulent times. To make matters worse, her French was not strong enough to help her older son with his schoolwork. She says she had been too stressed to play with them, and Epona in their lives was a godsend, since the kids came home from the sessions smiling. "It really made the load lighter," she said. She fiercely believes in the value of learning.

"Without education you're nothing. Whatever you want to do you're held back."

She wants for her kids nothing more and nothing less than all loving moms want. "I want them to have a good education and a good job."

Epona has a dedicated group of seniors who help with the fundraising that the organization depends on to survive. All volunteers are welcome. For information or to donate call 514-421-7433 or visit eponafoundation.com.

What's Happening September 2008

Art for art's sake

Starting Thursday September 11, 11 am – 6 pm, the Thomas More Associates present the 44^th Exhibition and Sale of Art by Contemporary Professional Quebec Artists and a special retrospective of the works of the late Sarah Gersovitz. Vernissage: Tuesday, September 10 from 5 – 8 pm at 3405 Atwater. Info: 514-935-9585

Friday, September 19 to Sunday, September 21, the Bonsai and Penjing Society of Montreal hosts its 30^th annual bonsai show at the Tree House of the Montreal Botanical Garden. Info: 514-872-1782

Until Wednesday, September 24, view the oil paintings of Ann Kruzelecky and meet the artist Sunday, September 7 from 2 – 4 pm in the media room at Beaconsfield Library. Info: 514-428-4460

Starting Thursday, September 25, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts explores the role of music in the works of Andy Warhol, featuring photos of Elvis, Marilyn, Liz, and Mick Jagger. Info: 514-285-1600

Bazaars and sales

Saturday September 6, 10 am – 2 pm, St Clement's Church holds a rummage sale, Saturday September 20, 10 am – 2 pm, a flea market and Saturday, October 4, 10 am – 2 pm, a book fair at 4322 Wellington, Verdun. Lunch will be served. Info: 514-769-5373

Saturday, September 27 at 9 am, All Saints Anglican Church holds a garage sale at 7325 Ouimet, Verdun. Info: 514-766-0556

Clubs

Wednesday, September 10 at 7:30 pm Shaare Zedek Sisterhood hosts an evening of kosher wine tasting, honey and other treats with chef Garen Blais at 5305 Rosedale. $15. Info: 514-484-1122

Saturday, September 13 at 9:30 am, Montreal Urban Hikers Walking Club meets at Victoria Hall, 4626 Sherbrooke W. Info: 514-938-4910

Saturday, September 20 at 8 pm, Montreal's Single Person's Association hosts a Mix & Mingle dance party at St Catherine Labour Church, 448 Trudeau. $12. Info: 514-366-8600

Monday September 22 at 1:15 pm, Teapot 50+ Center holds an information session about Old Age security and Wednesday, October 1 at 1:30 pm, a budget workshop at 2901 St Joseph. Info: 514-637-5627

Events

Sunday, September 7 at 7 pm, CANGRANDS celebrates Grandparents' Day and discusses the importance of grand-parenting at 6350 Terrebonne. Info: 514-733-4046

Sunday, September 7 at 9 am, the Winners Walk of Hope benefits ovarian cancer research at Mount Royal Park Smith House, 1260 Remembrance. $25. Age 15 and under walk for free. Info and pre-registration: 877-413-7970 x 232

Thursday, September 11, the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada organizes a day trip to Quebec City. Call for reservations. $73. Info: 514-733-7589

Thursday, September 18 from 1 - 4 pm, the Atwater Library holds a beading workshop. $15. Info and registration: 514-935-7421

Friday, September 26 to Sunday, September 28, The Montreal Public Poetry Festival hosts the world's first fringe-like festival devoted to poetry with a line up of 100 poets at Cafe Culturelle, 5124 Sherbrooke W. Info: 514-484-9958

Sunday, September 28, join the Montreal Zoological Society on a trip to the cranberry interpretation center at St-Louis-de-Blandford. Members $50, non members $55. Reserve by September 16. Info: 514-845-8317

Wednesday, October 1 at 7 pm, West Island Palliative Care Residence hosts Fashion Show for Funds at the Chateau Vaudreuil Pavilion, 21700 Route Transcanadienne, Vaudreuil-Dorion. $50 / VIP $100. Info: 514-693-1718

Wednesday, October 1 at 12:30 pm, Atwater Library marks the 80^th anniversary of Dr. Norman BethuneÕs arrival in Montreal. Info: 514-935-7344

Lectures

Thursday, September 11 at 7:30 pm, Wendy Edwards gives a workshop on ovarian cancer at Beaconsfield Library. Info: 514-428-4460

Wednesday, September 17 at 12:30 pm, historian Aaron Krishtalka, Dawson teacher, speaks on Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica at Atwater Library. Info: 514-935-7344

Wednesday, September 17 at 1 pm, Dinu Bumbaru speaks on preserving Montreal's architectural heritage, at the Montreal Council of Women at 2700 Rufus Rockhead, opposite the Atwater Market. $6. Info: 514-768-1245

Wednesday, September 17 at 7:30 pm at Temple Emanu-El Beth Sholom, Jerusalemite Eliezer Yaari discusses Israel's strategies for coping with internal challenges, 4100 Sherbrooke W. Info: 514-937-3575

Thursday, September 18, 1:30 - 3 pm at Pointe Claire Library, Dino Riccio presents a photographic journey of China's silk road. Info: 514-630-1218

Literary fare

Saturday, September 6 from 10 am - 4 pm, Thomas More Institute holds a book sale and open house at 3405 Atwater. Info: 514-935-9585

Sunday, September 7 at 12 pm, Howard Shrier discusses his mystery thriller, Buffalo Jump at the Leisure Institute, 425 Metcalfe. $5. Reservations required: 514-937-9471

Wednesday, September 10 at 12:30 pm, Julie Barlow speaks on recent developments in France and her latest book The Story of French at Atwater Library. Info: 514-935-7344

Wednesday, September 10, Centre Greene holds a fundraiser and reading of Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre's upcoming production of Life is a Dream at 1090 Greene. Info: 514-287-8912

Wednesday, September 10 at 10 am, Michael Tritt reviews Away by Amy Bloom at Temple Emanu-El, 395 Elm. $8. Info: 514-937-3575

Wednesday, September 10 at 7:30 pm, Atwater book club, led by author Mary Soderstrom, discusses De Niro's Game by Rawi Hage, at the library. Info: 514-935-7344

Thursday, September 11 at 5:30 pm, Renata Witelson Hornstein will launch her Holocaust memoir A Tumultuous Journey: Horror, Hope and Happiness at the Jewish Public Library. Info: 514-345-2627 x 3010

Thursday, September 18 at 7 pm, Atwater Poetry Project features readings by poets Maxianne Berger and Peter Dale Scott at the library. Info: 514-935-7344

Saturday, September 20 at 8:30 pm, Temple Emanu-El Beth Sholom presents film screening and discussion of My Dear Clara at 395 Elm. Info: 514-937-3575

Tuesday, September 23 at 7:30 pm, Monique Polak discusses What World is Left (my mother's untold story) at McGill Faculty Club, 3450 McTavish. $10 / $3 students. Info: 514-484-0146

Wednesday, September 24 at 7:30 pm, the Jewish Public Library holds a book launch of Women in Power, a novel by Blema Steinberg. $10 / $5 students and JPL members. Thursday, September 25 at 7 pm, Concordia hosts a lecture by former senator Michael Kirby on the launch of the Mental Health Commission of Canada at Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, 7141 Sherbrooke W. Info: 514-486-1448

Thursday, September 25 at 7 pm, Penn Kemp, Paul Serralheiro and Barry Webster read poetry and prose at The Yellow Door, 3625 Aylmer. $5. Info: 514-398-6243

Thursday, September 25 at 12:30 pm, Atwater Library hosts a reading and talk by poet Dennis Lee. Info: 514-935-7344

Tuesday, September 30 at 9:30 am, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini will be reviewed at Beaconsfield Library. Info: 514-428-4460

Saturday October 4 from 10 am - 2 pm, St Clements Church holds a book fair at 4322 Wellington, Verdun. Info: 514-769-5373

Music

Thursday, September 11 and Friday, September 12, Ogilvy series at Ogilvy Tudor Hall features Johann Sebastian Bach. Info: 514-982-6038

Friday, October 3, POP Montreal presents Burt Bacharach live in concert at Eglise St-Jean-Baptiste, 309 Rachel E. $55. Info: 514-842-1919

Theatre

Until Saturday, September 13, Montreal Theatre Ensemble and John Abbott College Department of Theatre and Music, presents Of Mice and Men at the Casgrain Theatre, 21275 Lakeshore, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Info: 514-287-8912

Until Sunday, September 28, Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre presents Dangerous Liaisons at 5170 Cote-Ste-Catherine. Info: 514-739-2301

Discover the artist within

Registration has begun at the CSL Parks and Recreation's Adult Art Socio-Cultural programs, given at the aptly named Rembrandt Park Chalet. If you've never dabbled in watercolour, oils, acrylics and pastels, but always dreamed of trying, there are courses for novices like you. If you're an experienced painter, you can enhance your skills with advanced painting techniques. Courses are given both in the day and the evening, and both residents and non residents are welcome. There are special rates for seniors.

Info: 514-485-6806

Community events August 2008

Until Sunday, November 16, Madagascar at the Biodome features geckos, frogs, fish and lemurs. August 16 and 17 from 11 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 4 pm, touch, sniff, taste and listen to nature, partially or totally blindfolded, and enjoy a feast as you explore the Courtyard of the Senses at the Biodome with a MIRA guide dog. Until Monday, October 13, an outdoor exhibition of 100 panels designed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand is on display in the Reception Garden, comprised of reflections on sustainable development and biodiversity. Until Friday, October 31, portraits of the Botanical Garden taken “after midnight” by photographer Linda Rutenberg are on exhibit. Info: 514-872-1400 or museumsnature.ca

Sunday, August 10 from 2 pm – 4 pm, tour the Rush Creek Village, beginning at the parking lot of Colonial Hills Elementary School, 5800 Greenwich. Tickets $15, $7 for Landmarks members. Saturday, August 16 from 10 am – 12 pm, take a guided walk around Woodland Park and East Broad Street, gateway to the city’s artistic past. Tour begins at 1610 Hawthorne Park. Tickets $15, $7 for Landmarks members. Info: 614-221-4508

Saturdays from 9 am – 2 pm, Marché Sainte-Anne offers fresh produce from local farms and local artisans selling original creations on the canal boardwalk in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue in front of the town hall at 109 Sainte-Anne. Info: 514-457-7244

Saturday, August 16 at 8 pm, Montreal Single Person’s Association invites 35-plus singles to their August Mix & Mingle Dance at Sainte-Catherine Laboure Church, 448 Trudeau at Clement, LaSalle. $12. Info: 514-366-8600

Saturday, August 16 and Saturday, August 30 from 12 pm – 4 pm, Cause 4 Paws Feline Rescue holds Adoption Days at 11387 Gouin W. Cats and kittens are sterilized, vaccinated, treated for parasites and in excellent health. Info: 514-684-4810 or cause4pawsrescue.com

Thursday, August 17, enjoy a day hiking in Parc National du Mont-Tremblant Pembina Sector with the Montreal Zoological Society. $55. Info: 514-845-8317 or zoologicalsocietymtl.org

Until Sunday, October 12 from 10 am – 5 pm daily, the Missisquoi Museum in Stanbridge East presents an exhibition on volunteer fire companies between the 1800s and 1900s. Highlights include United Empire Loyalist objects, community life in the 19th century, personal and household items from Missisquoi families and 1940s dry goods from Hodge’s General Store. Just off Route 202 along the Route des Vins between Dunham and Bedford in the village of Stanbridge East in the Eastern Townships. Info: 450-248-3153 or museemissisquoi.ca

Mondays from 6 pm – 8:15 pm, Dr. Katie Gough teaches The Irish and African Diasporas in the Atlantic World, and Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:45 pm – 4 pm,Women, Nationalism, Civil Rights: Case Studies from Northern Ireland and the Southern U.S. Info: 514-848-8711 or cdnirish.concordia.ca

Monday to Friday from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, Copie Villa Maria offers free morning Internet services for seniors 55+. 4236 Decarie. Info: 514-486-5053

Thursdays at 2 pm at Centre Greene, persons living with stage 1 or 2 Parkinson’s can learn to dance. Come with an able-bodied partner. Instructors are Susan Chiasson, ballroom dance teacher and Ellen Rubin, retired physiotherapist. 1090 Greene. Info: 514-484-2016

Literary, musical fundraiser a success

The 3rd annual summer solstice literary and musical cabaret at the Atwater Library on June 27 successfully raised $411.50 for the library’s fund to acquire and maintain a piano. These proceeds were from voluntary donations.

Over 80 people attended the event, which was organized by Senior Times contributor Byron Toben and included performances by Senior Times music columnist Paul Serralheiro’s trio. The evening included a play reading, Irish story telling and music, folk music and a tango demonstration. Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette donated an autographed copy of his new best seller Sun Going Down as a door prize.

Contactivity inter-generates song

Students and seniors sing together

Hosting their annual Picnic in the Park would have been a lot easier if it hadn’t rained. But instead of letting a little rain spoil their day, Montreal’s Contactivity Senior’s Centre took their festivities inside the Westmount Park United Church.

About 120 seniors and children gathered to celebrate those born in July and watch the Interlink Inter-Generational Choir perform. Led by Ian Lebofsky and accompanied by Steve Corber, the choir sang songs that according to Lebofsky, “everyone can enjoy.” These included The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Do Re Me.

Bridget Polidoro and Rashale Johar

The soprano-alto choir was a concept that started 13 years ago to “break the stereotypic ideas each may have of the other generation,” said Lebofsky. The two generations – Grade 4 children from Westmount Park School and seniors from Contactivity – start as pen-pals and after two months meet as an ensemble.

“Sometimes these pen-pals carry on for years,” says spokesperson Ginny Thomas. “It becomes like a mentoring.” For more information on upcoming events, call 514-932-2326 or visit contactivitycentre.org.

SPCA: too many creatures, not enough humans

Chopin and Mozart, brothers, born March 24, abandoned June 2 due to allergies

Rachel Lau

The SPCA’s foster program has been working hard to save the lives of animals for 20 years, but is currently experiencing a severe shortage of volunteer help. With facilities in Laval, Jean-Talon and the Plateau, there are hundreds of animals that need a home.

“Some animals are abandoned on the streets and our drivers pick them up and bring them to our shelters,” says SPCA worker Dominique Montreuil. “We have the best variety of animals here – young, elderly, male, female, lactating, pregnant, and cats with the flu, all in need of foster homes.”

The foster family’s job is to nurse the animal back to health. Sometimes that means giving medication or force-feeding cats to stop them from becoming anorexic. Though volunteers’ efforts are not always successful, Montreuil says that just having people care enough to try is a reward in itself.

Beige, 2½ years, found on street pregnant

Those who choose to take in a pregnant cat must care for her through pregnancy and labour. Afterwards, the kittens must be cared for until they are two pounds and eight weeks old.

“Fosters have the first choice to adopt,” Montreuil said. “Sometimes they form a bond with the pets and want to keep them.”

Foster care can last from two weeks to two months, depending on the condition of the animal and whether it returns to full health or not.

2 years old, abandoned June 13 due to allergies

“Some people adopt because they want the animal for the long term, but others travel or work, and they prefer to foster,” Montreuil said. “It’s a rewarding experience helping these animals.”

Those interested in fostering can fill out a form at the Montreal SPCA at 5215 Jean-Talon W. One bag of food, a cat or dog book and medication, if necessary, are provided.

Besides fostering and adopting, the SPCA is in acute need of volunteers as counsellors, drivers and officers.

Next issue features the new SPCA and how it’s changed.

Info: 514-735-2711 or spcamontreal.com

Can you go the Extra Miles?

Developed by the Montreal West United Church following the 1998 ice storm, the Extra Miles program offers companionship and support to housebound seniors living in NDG and Montreal West.

In NDG/Montreal West, seniors represent 16% of the CLSC area’s 67,000 citizens. Reports indicate that although some seniors may suffer from common disabilities affecting mobility, agility, hearing, seeing and speaking, most suffer from loneliness.

Program Coordinator Christine Laberge says, “Extra Miles volunteers bring the outside world into the homes of isolated seniors.” The program is now recruiting new volunteers.

Info: 514-482-3210 or mwuc.org

Intergenerational oasis

On June 20 le Centre des Aînés Côte-des-Neiges held the 15th Marchethon, its main annual activity aimed at bringing CDN youth and seniors together.

Frederic Back, award-winning Canadian film animator and illustrator of the children’s book L’Homme qui plantait des arbres (The Man Who Planted Trees) was on hand, along with Robert Lebeau, president of the centre, Mayor Michael Applebaum and CDN city councillor Francine Senecal.

Over 50 seniors from the centre and 50 kids from École Felix Leclerc unveiled a plaque and planted an elm in Kent Park, establishing a symbolic meeting space for seniors and youth.

Info: 514-344-1210

Community events June 2008

Monday, July 7 Beth Zion holds their fifth annual golf tournament to benefit the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Donations and sponsorships are encouraged and appreciated. Info: 514-620-4489 or 514-212-0812

Thursday, June 12 from 7:30 pm – 9 pm, Temple Emmanuel Beth Sholom presents Professor Benjamin Perrin, Canada’s leading expert on human trafficking. 395 Elm, Westmount. Info: 514-937-3575 or faculty.law.ubc.ca/perrin

After the Fringe is over, theatre buffs who need further entertainment can head to the Atwater Library Friday, June 27 for Byron Toben’s third annual Summer Solstice week literary and music cabaret. It begins at 7:30 pm and features talented local jazz, Celtic, and bossanova musicians. The centrepiece is a dramatic reading of George Bernard Shaw’s witty and snappy one-act play about travel and marriage, A Village Wooing. Readers Pierre Lenoir and Laura Mitchell will appear as well as Paul Serralheiro, music commentator for The Senior Times. Admission is by voluntary charitable donation. Past beneficiaries have included Breast Cancer Action Montreal and Meals on Wheels. Info: byron@theseniortimes.com

Saturday, June 7 and Saturday, June 21 from 12 pm – 4 pm, Cause 4 Paws Feline Rescue holds adoption days for stray cats of all ages. All cats are sterilized, vaccinated and tested. Multi Cafe, 9760 Gouin W, Pierrefonds. Info: 514-684-4810

Saturday, June 14, Animal Rescue Network will hold an Adoption Day at Pawtisserie on 4932B Sherbrooke Street at the Westmount Street fair. The new SPCA staff will be on hand to introduce themselves. Info: 514-488-4729

The Faculty of Dentistry at McGill holds its annual Summer Dental Clinic for adolescents and the disabled Tuesday, July 8 to Thursday, July 31. The clinic treats over 1000 patients at its undergraduate facility at the Montreal General Hospital. The goal is to reach out to those who do not have access to dental services. The clinic offers services such as cleanings, examinations, X-rays, sealants, and fluoride applications carried out by senior dental students supervised by McGill instructors. Info: 514-934-8441, 10 am – 12 pm and 1 pm – 3 pm

Sunday, June 8 at 8 pm, Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom presents this year’s Ruth Richler Memorial Lecture, Aging Gracefully And Gratefully with Dr. Michael Dworkind. The lecture will start at 8:45 pm.

Tuesday, June 10 at 7 pm, Professor Alain Deneault, author of Noir Canada speaks about Canadian mining in Africa at Concordia, room 760, 1455 de Maisonneuve. Info: 514-846-0644

Friday, June 6 from 1 pm - 3:30 pm, Catherine Booth Hospital holds its osteoporosis information day. Topics include nutrition, bone health and more. Limited space. 4375 Montclair. Info: 514-481-0431

Saturday, June 14 from 9 am - 12 pm, West Island Advocacy holds its garden tour and fundraiser. Info: 514-694-5850

Library events June 2008

Atwater Library

Wednesday, June 11 at 12:30 pm adventurer Tony Robinson-Smith reads from Back in 6 Years about traveling the world without boarding an aircraft.

Wednesday, June 18 at 12:30 pm author William Weintraub reads from Crazy About Lili, set in Montreal in the late 1940s.

1200 Atwater at Tupper.

Info: atwaterlibrary.com

Côte Saint-Luc Library

Wednesday, June 11 at 2 pm, Teresa Anuza presents the latest on Alzheimer’s Disease.

Thursday, June 12 at 2 pm, Barbara and Jack Rosenthal discuss their journey to the ancient synagogues in India. $3.

Thursday, June 19 at 7:30 pm, Bowser and Blue perform behind the library. Free. Rain date Sunday, July 6 at 4 pm.

Thursday, June 26 at 7:30 pm, Thomas Corriveau speaks about his role in the Graff-Hyperliens exhibition.

5851 Cavendish.

Info: 514-485-6900 x 4205

Jewish Public Library

Thursday, June 19 at 8 pm, the Yiddish Café convenes Israel@60, a celebration of Yiddish poetry and song. The event is sponsored by the Yetta Feldman Chmiel Endowment. Admission $10, $5 members and students. 5151 Côte-Ste-Catherine.

Info: jewishpubliclibrary.org

Club events June 2008

Saturday, June 7 from 12:30 – 3:30 pm, St. Mary’s Church holds British Afternoon Tea with a bake sale, raffle, and door prizes, $10. Tea is in support of the Walk to End Breast Cancer at 735 Miller in Greenfield Park. Info: 450-923-4879 or 450-672-8442

Sunday, June 8, the Zoological Society of Montreal leads a field trip to Johnville Bog and Forest Park. $55. Info: 514-845-8317 or zoologicalsocietymtl.org

Sunday, June 8 at 9:30 am, the Beth Zion Men’s Club presents Dr. Mitch Shulman discussing Everything you ever wanted to know about the Emergency Room but were afraid to ask. Breakfast and lecture follow morning services at 5740 Hudson, Côte St-Luc. Info: 514-489-8411 x 24 or bethzion.com

Saturday, June 14 at 1:30 pm, Branch 94 of the Royal Canadian Legion holds its monthly Cribbage Tournament at 205 Empire, Greenfield Park. Registration from 11:30 am – 1 pm. $10. Limited space. Info: 450-465-0845

Saturday, June 14 at 4 pm, the Royal Canadian Legion of Verdun holds its Pub Night serving fish and chips, with games, music and door prizes, at 4538 Verdun (métro Verdun). $6. Info: 514-769-2489

Tuesday, June 17 from 7:15 am – 10 pm, Concordia’s Centre for Canadian Irish Studies holds a group field trip to The Irish Memorial, with an island tour by noted Irish Quebec historian Marianna O’Gallagher. $65 covers bus and ferry. Info: 514-848-8711 or cdnirish.concordia.ca

Tuesday, June 17, St. Patrick’s Society holds its 13th Annual Golf Tournament at the Bellevue Golf Club. $120 covers green fees, golf cart, dinner and wine. Info: 514-481-1346

Thursday, June 19 at 11 am, Helvetia Seniors Club holds its “All Swiss” lunch at Monkland Grill NDG. Info: 514-481-2928

Saturday, June 21 at 9:30 am, the Montreal Urban Hikers Walking Club invites walkers to explore l’Ile de la Visitation Park. $15. Confirm before June 14. Info: 514-366-8340

Thursday, June 26, the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada travels to Quebec City and Thursday, July 3 to the Hudson Village Theatre as part of their summer trip festival. Info: 514-733-7589

Breaking the silence on elder abuse

The NDG Community Committee on Elder Abuse is raising awareness about the abuse and victimization of seniors, a subject many people consider taboo.

“With elder abuse incidents continually on the rise, there is an absolute urgency to raise awareness and prevent this phenomenon from escalating further,” says Maxine Lithwick, Head of the Elder Abuse Prevention Program at the Centre de santé et de services sociaux Cavendish.

From neglect and emotional abuse to financial exploitation and physical intimidation, elder abuse takes many forms and West Island community groups are coming together to bring greater vigilance and attention to the issue.

Elder Abuse Awareness Day will take place at the Cavendish Mall Wednesday, June 11 from 1 - 4 pm in collaboration with the Centre-West Seniors’ Committee and the Elder Abuse Consultation Team of the Centre de santé et de services sociaux Cavendish.

Workshops will cover telemarketing fraud, challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease, and the impact of elder abuse on society.

The day’s activities include entertainment by The Policeman’s Band and the Benny Farm Idols, and feature information kiosks on resources in the community to spread awareness and empower seniors.

Info: 514-484-7878 x 1478

New Hope open house

The New Hope Senior Citizens’ Centre, now entering its 29th year, is recruiting members and volunteers and will be holding a barbeque and open house Wednesday, June 18 at 11 am.

Currently 150 members participate in weekly art classes, discussions, trivial pursuit and bingo.

Mandated to alleviate seniors’ isolation, the centre, with a staff of three, currently has 85 senior volunteers. Meals on Wheels is New Hope’s largest outreach program in NDG, delivering 70 hot meals three times a week.

Community lunches are also served three times a week. The volunteer chef cooks four days a week, serving 125 hot meals each day.

“New Hope is like home to everybody,” says Gerry Lafferty, the centre’s Executive Director. “I’ve been here for two years and this is such a positive place. It’s like a big family.”

New Hope Senior Citizens’ Centre is at 6225 Godfrey. The barbeque will be partially sponsored by Les Aliments M&M on Somerled.

Info: 514-484-0425

V-E Day in Côte St-Luc

Veterans in attendance (photo: Max Rams)

More than 300 people attended the annual V-E Day commemoration at Veterans Park May 18. Wreaths were deposited by Côte St-Luc Mayor Anthony Housefather, D’Arcy-McGee MNA Lawrence Bergman, the consuls general of the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and other invited guests.

The V-E Day event was organized by the Brigadier Frederick Kisch Branch 97 of the Royal Canadian Legion and the City of Côte St-Luc.

Courageous cats need you

Carolyn Callender

Are you a cat lover interested in finding the perfect pet companion? Check out Adoption Days organized by the Animal Rescue Network and its clinics, where volunteers can answer your questions. Based on your lifestyle and needs, and the needs of the cat, volunteers will recommend cats they think will be a good match for you.

Choosing­ adoption over petshops

Adoption is less costly. The $130 adoption fee includes vaccination and sterilization (both performed pre-adoption) and 30 days of medical care under pet insurance — an affordable alternative to the $250 to $300 required to purchase, sterilize and vaccinate a store-bought pet.

Your adoption fee helps Animal Rescue Network provide food, shelter and medical care to our growing population of animals. Although you’ll only find cats at Adoption Days, dog lovers can contact the Network and meet dogs for adoption.

Adoption Days

• Saturday, May 10, 12pm – 4pm at Natural Animal & Pawtisserie, 4932B Sherbrooke W. Info: 514-488-4729
• Saturday, May 17, 10am – 4pm at
• J.E. Mondou, 10315 Lajeunesse.
• Info: 514-381-4747
• Saturday, May 17, 10am – 3pm at J.E. Mondou, 2032 Victoria Ave., Greenfield Park. Info: 450-672-5080
• Saturday June 7, 10am – 4pm at J.E. Mondou, 90 Jean-Talon E. Info: 514-271-5503

Founded in 1994 by Barbara Lisbona, the Animal Rescue Network has become the largest no-kill animal shelter in Quebec. The organization never euthanizes an animal unless an extreme level of sickness and suffering necessitates it. At any one time there are approximately 300 cats staying at the main shelter in Rosemont. The shelter does not have any paid employees or receive government subsidies.

The Network also has a number of foster homes. Info: 514-938-6215

Cats up for adoption

Toby, is 8 with a slight weight problem, is sociable and welcomes visitors with a lot of purring. He was adopted in 2002 and returned to the shelter after 6 years with his 2 feline friends since the owners had a baby who is allergic. He loves to roll around and be caressed.

Rambo, a beautiful grey cat male, 7, became homeless after his owner’s death. He is calm and charming. He has since recovered from this shock and just wants to be loved!

Blanche, a lovely female cat, 8, has beautiful green eyes and imma­culate white fur. Her owner abandoned her in 2001 under the pretext that she was bad-natured, which we find hard to believe! She is quiet and calm, hardly noticed around the shelter – but she would dearly love to live in a home where she is noticed and appreciated.

Felix, a cute male cat, 8, lived with a woman who had too many cats. Felix loves other cats and is gentle yet nervous. Perhaps this is his secret to retain his tiny waist as he is thin and in good health.

Info: arn-rsa.rescuegroups.org

Artistry benefits Alzheimer's

Gisele Rucker

Mona Wizenberg with festival souvenir shirt

Art teacher Mona Wizenberg is quick to name all the individuals and sponsors* who are supporting the Sunday, May 25 Artventure for Alzheimer's fundraiser and auction of drawings by her students, seniors who have never drawn before. Her success as a teacher lies in the beauty of these drawings, which she lovingly unveils, one by one, with heartfelt joy, and sometimes sadness, recounting the physical or mental challenges each senior artist must overcome to draw.

“They inspire me,” she says. “They have given me so much: if they can draw, given all their physical ailments, then I can handle anything. Making art makes them forget all their pain. Art is therapeutic and they have become addicted.”

Trained as a Special Care Counsellor, Wizenberg worked for 16 years teaching anger management, problem solving and impulse control to students in schools. When she was laid off, her next vocation appeared to her while caring for her Uncle Noah, who has Alzheimer's. She befriended a woman who is paralyzed except for her left hand. Over three months, Wizenberg taught her how to draw floral arrangements. “She encouraged me to teach seniors how to draw… I fell for seniors — they give me hope and inspiration.”

Her strength is encouraging seniors to boldly take up coloured pencils and overcome their fear of not being able to draw. She tells them, “Your signature is unique and it is actually drawing.”

Persistent about including every senior in her eight week course now widely offered (for a fee) in West Island residences and privately, Wizenberg will adapt tools and techniques to assist those with disabilities. She describes how she and a resident’s occupational therapist adapted equipment to allow a woman with Huntington's chorea, a neurological disorder causing uncontrollable movement, to steady her hand and hold a heavy lead pencil by inserting it into a carpal tunnel glove sleeve around her hand. With her lower arm secured to an armrest off her chair, she could make marks on a poster board taped to a lap tray.

Wizenberg says, “Students who are blind draw too!” — she helps them use their hands as eyes. She brings in her realistic bird sculptures, over which they can run their hands before drawing. She provides magnifying glasses or sheets, aesthetic lamps, and will outline in black the initial shapes her almost blind students draw.

Whether a still life, a highly individualized version of work by the late Gazette cartoonist John Collins, or well-known masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, which appears 36 times on the Artventure souvenir T-shirt, the work of all the artists, who live in different residences of the West Island, will be together for the first time in one huge vernissage and auction fundraiser for Alzheimer's, with 70% of the proceeds going to the Alzheimer Society and 30% to the Bloomfield Centre.

CTV weather host Lori Graham will MC the event, featuring performances by harpist Véronique Couturier, flautist Mariève Lauzon, and songs led by Linda Morrison, former conductor of the Yellow Door Choir. Auctioneer is well-known West Island personality Mike Lawrence. West Island Mayors, along with Quebec’s Minister responsible for Seniors, Marguerite Blais, will also attend. Door prizes include a Robert Bateman signed limited edition print, a VIP tour of CTV and supper with Lori Graham, 8 weekend getaways, James Taylor concert tickets, health club memberships, photography studio packages, and the Arthur Murray Dance School has offered gift certificates (valued at $125) for a dance lesson package, at the door. Artventure takes place Sunday, May 25, 1:30-5:30pm at the Holiday Inn Pointe Claire. Tickets: $20. Info: 514-696-0419.

*Sponsors include Manoir Kirkland, Le Wellesley, Manoir Pierrefonds, The Bayview, Le Vivalis, Le Cambridge, the Sunrise, Masterpeice, Bureau en Gros, Les Résidences Vivendi, Horizon Home Care, Omer DeSerres and the Holiday Inn Pointe Claire.