January 29 th edition of the Free Press

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6 – THE FREE PRESS – January 29, 2013 NDG NEWS Editorial Linguistic harmony — in a song? On January 17, Jean-François Lisée, the Quebec minister responsible for Montreal and relations with the anglophone community, and the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) announced a province-wide school tour of a bilingual video called “Notre Home,” created by musician David Hodges. Funded by the QCGN and $20,000 from the provincial government, the video’s message, aimed at students, is supposed to be one of inclusion. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHLP8ej8f4) The three-minute-plus video begins with the sound of laughter and children laying. Cue lyrics, which ironically, are ostly in English. It is colourful, catchy nd cute, but in reality, the sappy singlong is a sad attempt to avoid addressing he real issues at hand and assuage the oncerns of a community fatigued by ontinued legislative efforts to curtail its xistence, expression and growth. Lisée, and by extension the Parti uébécois, needs to do more than waste Published twice per month – Presstime: Monday at 10:30 am Publisher: David Price Editor: Marlene Eisner 514.488.3939 editor@freepresspaper.com Chief reporter: Isaac Olson mtlreporter@gmail.com Advertising: Leonard Rauch 514.488.5382 sales@freepresspaper.com accounting and classified: Beth Hudson 514.223.6138 office@freepresspaper.com Letters & Comments: We welcome your letters (300 words maximum), but reserve the right to choose and edit them. Please check your letter carefully. We may be unable to make subsequently submitted changes. If you do make amendments, please “redline” them instead of resending the whole letter. Please email any letter and comments to editor@freepresspaper.com time on window dressing, and come up with something more concrete in the form of positive actions to convince anglophones that their future in Quebec is secure. As long as we continue to experience small petty annoyances such as official complaints about the size of lettering on a bilingual sign (see language police in NDG, story on p. 1), to potential laws that would take away the bilingual status of towns and municipalities (see Hampstead mayor William Steinberg’s column on Bill 14, p. 15), there will have to be more than a video of dancing and singing children and teens to placate a nervous constituency that is dealing with such realities as declining enrolment in English schools, the recent proposal to transfer the management of the Lachine Hospital from the English-based McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) to the francophone CSSS de Dorval-Lachine- LaSalle, and exodus of our youth from the province. 26,000+ copies to NDG, Hampstead and Côte St. Luc by and over 40 waiting-room drops The Free Press is printed on paper with a recycled component, the percentage of which changes due to its availability and paper-market conditions. Owned and published by: Sherbrooke-Valois Inc., 310 Victoria Ave., #105, Westmount, QC H3Z 2M9 Fax 514.935.9241 Book sharing box Letters to the Editor You article on Livre-service, which has a box on the corner of Marcil and Monkland avenues, brought to mind what I saw in Britain this summer. The widespread use of cell phones is making the iconic red telephone boxes obsolete. The cost of removing them is hefty so rural municipalities resort to creative ways of reinventing them. Hence the healthy-looking telephone box library I photographed in Little Shelford. Thea Pawlikowska Marcil Ave. Cat concerns: response In response to the letter from Leah Socran, “Concern for cats continues in the winter” (January 15, p. 6) regarding the cats that were released in December, I truly understand your dismay and heartache when you learned of these cats being released in December until they can be relocated in the spring. I too, experience this distress each time I have to let a cat back outside. Where are they to go? We were able to place or foster four out of the 10 cats we caught in this particular instance, but we do not have a place for all of them. We don’t have a shelter. We are continuously looking for foster homes and adoptive parents. I know that some people feel these cats are better off dead than outside in our merciless climate, but we are not going that route. We provide cat shelters for them and food. We can only relocate them (the ones in this particular instance) in the spring, as it is a long process that requires many hours outside, so it must be done in the warmer weather. People have to sterilize their cats if they let them out. People must be prohibited from and fined for abandoning their cat. More municipalities have to have programs to sterilize homeless cats and implement and enforce laws against people who discard their cat into the street and those who allow their cats out unneutered. We are little more than a handful of people in the Côte St. Luc Cat Committee. We are trying, but we cannot do it alone. We need everyone’s help. Shelley Schecter Educhat Editor’s note: For more on CSL cat news, see p. 14. Telephone booth turned book box in England. Photo: Thea Pawlikowska Political words and will The charming and fully bilingual Jean- François Lisée assured all in attendance at the Westmount Library that their English language and rights would be protected. Unfortunately, his government has shown no signs it will deliver on this promise and many signs it will restrict it further in education, health, public transit and the Bill 14 cocktail. I told him that as a spokesperson for the ABM (Advancement for a Better Montreal) we can all work together. Most parents, irrespective of their linguistic background, desire a bilingual education for their children to reach their full potential. I offered him the following “creative” captions to ignite Montreal’s economy, employment, tourism and most important, social peace for cultural harmony: “Montreal, the bilingual city of French flavour” and; “Montreal, come taste the French flavour.” I left regretting these lyrics were not included in the song his ministry funded to bridge the two solitudes. I can only expect that if he became leader of his party he could fulfill his promises or at minimum, his rhetoric could direct the Liberal or CAQ to fulfill mine. Michael Shafter Montreal continued on p. 7
Letters continued from p.6 Snow clearing complaint Absolutely half the streets tonight in NDG (January 20) are marked off for now removal and the only side that you an park on has a no-parking sign for tomorrow from 9 to 10 am. I drove around for 40 minutes from Girouard Ave. to Royal Ave. and from de Maisonneuve Blvd. to Terrebonne Ave. and every street was the same story. I managed to find parking a 15-minute walk away. This morning (January 22), when I left for work there were no signs stating that the snow would be cleared on the side of the street I was parked on. I got back home at 9 pm and the car had been towed and signs had been put up. The sign obviously went up after I left so shouldn’t they give you a bit more warning than 10 hours? I’m sure I’m not the only one who came home to find their car towed. They conveniently placed my car on top of a mountain of ice and it took me exactly 55 minutes to chip and shovel enough ice from under the car to be able to have it move. Underneath the car was literally You’ re lucky, Rex. At least you have a fur coat! packed from the ground to the floor of car with hard snow and ice. Sonny Hill Sherbrooke St. Declining enrolment I am a grade 10 student who has been in the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) French immersion program since primary school. I strongly believe that there are public schools in Montreal that offer an equivalent and/or superior French program to that of the private schools. Many courses such as geography, history, math and science are taught in French. Royal West Academy offers an enriched academic program and is a public school that has to refuse access to hundreds of students every year. This school is a prime example that public schools can deliver. There is no reason for such a drastic drop in enrolment in the English public sector, especially since the EMSB has such a high graduation success rate of 84 percent (figures released by MELS). Anthony Laye Monkland Ave. NDG NEWS N°3 in Quebec* NDG 4240 Av. de Melrose: A bright and spacious home, steps away from the Monkland Village in a gorgeous neighborhood. Close to all amenities, parks, schools and public transportation. 3 bedrooms, 2+1 bathrooms. Large and spacious rooms with hardwood floors,a finished basement. Details given upon request NDG: 5360 SHERBROOKE W. THE FREE PRESS – January 29, 2013 – 7 RENTAL B.514.934.1818 C.514.912.1482 baudinet@royallepage.ca www.baudinet.ca COURTIER IMMOBILIER AGRÉÉ FRANCHISÉ INDÉPENDANT ET AUTONOME *for royal lepage Westmount: 18 Somerville RENTAL Spacious 3 bedroom, 1+1 bathroom apartment in the Victoria Village. Perfectly located with 2000 square feet and parking. Available March 1st $2400 Perfectly located on Sherbrooke street corner Prud’homme, steps away from all amenities, public transportation and great West mount shopping! This contemporary style condominium features high ceilings and modern finishings. 1 or 2 bedroom units available with storage lockers and interior parking. 1 BEDROOM UNITS starting at $165,575 + QST/GST 2 BEDROOM UNITS starting at $242,168 + QST/GST WE BUY GOLD–WE PAY CA$H �e Fraser-Hi�son Library has accepted an invitation to Partner with the NDG Y on Hampton. During the week, the Library provides materials for Y members of various ages, in pre-s�ool, a�er s�ool homework programs and the Rendez-vous seniors’ program, and does Storytime for pre-s�oolers. On Saturdays, Captain Cataly� presents puppet �ows and Science programs for �ildren in the community, whether Y members or not. For more information, phone Frances at (514) 489-5301. �e Fraser-Hi�son continues to o�er its “special delivery” outrea� service to the homebound. We o�er hard and so� cover books in large print and regular print; books on tape and CD; and DVDs. �ere is space available for new cu�omers. Please pass on this message to anyone within the NDG and Montreal We� areas. For more information, phone Isabel at (514) 489-5301.
Page 1 and 2: NDG: Will it stay, or go? Do you wa
Page 3 and 4: Silver celebration Greg Kataroyan i
Page 5: Recently purchased Bunny Berke Real
Page 9 and 10: DISTINCTIVE PROPERTIES INTRODUCING
Page 11 and 12: Is it the end of the line for the N
Page 13 and 14: Panellists paint a picture of CEGEP
Page 15 and 16: HAMPSTEAD NEWS ing to with the cent

January 29 th edition of the Free Press

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