Hill Times Newspaper quotes my blog

 The prestigious Hill Times Newspaper in Ottawa quoted my blog and interviewed me about the recent CJPAC Action Party. Here is the link.

Big Pet Fair and Family Fun Day in Beaconsfield

If you are a pet lover like me then I recommend you consider checking out the Bearepaire Village Pet Fair and Family Fun Day this Saturday (11 am to 3 p.m,) in Beaconsfield. Should Mother Nature rain on the parade, the event will be moved to  Sunday. Hilarie Harubin, the owner of  Boutique Woof! Meow! and director of the  Beaurepaire Village Business Association, is behind this sixth annual event.

 “We had 4,000 people attend last year’s event and 55 animals were adopted on this one day alone,” she says. “  It was a great success and I expect both events this year to be just as successful. Twenty  animal rescue organizations will be at this event with the perfect pet waiting for you. I believes that awareness of animal welfare is an important part of our community life as well as giving back to the community that supports local business.

This event gives you the chance to either adopt a new pet or, if you already have your companion,   gives you the chance to have your questions answered by the exhibitors on site. We have reps from dog training organizations, dog boarding facilities, pet food companies and groomers to answer your questions. We have the blessing of the pets, various dog contests, such as best pet trick, doggie musical chairs and the parade of adoptees which we call “Strut Your Stuff,” to amuse and entertain our visitors.

Many village businesses will be participating as well, for example, Beauty Evolution will be hosting a human/canine  fashion show, Homestyle/Blacklion Pub  will be firing up the BBQ and the art galleries will be exhibiting animal themed works of art.

Info: woofmeow@videotron.ca

Cousin Vinny's first interview at 925 The Beat FM

Following three months of silence regarding his decision to leave the drive home show on Virgin Radio for the same slot over at rival 925 The Beat FM, Cousin Vinny Barrucco made his on air debut Monday afternoon.

“I gave my notice at the end of February, but due to a non-compete clause I was not able to talk about the deal or even communicate about it via social media until now,” the happy go lucky 28 year old Dorval native and current St. Laurent resident told me.

Here is my video interview with Vinny. Please read my column in Wednesday's paper and a feature story in the Friday Suburban Magazine to learn more.

It's official: Cousin Vinny joins The Beat

The best kept secret in Montreal is finally out there. Cousin Vinny Barrucco joins  92.5 The Beat  today, May 28, as their  weekday drive home show host. He left Virgin Radio three months ago, but because of a non-compete clause he was not able to discuss the move until the day of his on air debut.

Cousin Vinny

“Cousin Vinny will fit right in with the rest of the gang at The Beat. He’s a local guy with a tremendous passion for radio, music and this city,” said Leo Da Estrela, Program Director of 92.5 The Beat. “We’re excited to publicly announce that he is now part of our famiglia.”

Cousin Vinny joins fellow broadcasters Cat Spencer & Sarah Bartok (The Beat Breakfast), Donna Saker (The Beat of Your Workday), Paul Hayes (Heartbeats), Ken Connors (Weekend Breakfast), Anne Marie Withenshaw (All-Access Weekend), Nat Lauzon (Feel Good Weekends) as well as TB1 (Beatmix).

Stay tuned  to this space later for my interview with Vinny, his first since jumping to The Beat, and to this week's Suburban.

  

CJPAC "Action Party" was the place to be in Montreal

It was quite the scene last Thursday night at the Arsenal in the now very trendy Griffintown area as CJPAC (the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committtee) held its fourth annual Action Party. More  than 800 people from the Jewish and pro-Israel community jammed the large hall  to enjoy an open bar, deejay music by Total Events, live entertainment, sumptuous appetizers and desserts from caterer Danielle Bitton and most importantly one-on-one access to politicians and their advisers  from all stripes.  

The event was planned many months ago, with every intention of having  representatives from all levels of government. This included the governing Quebec Liberals. What would the odds be of the National Assembly actually sitting for a rare Thursday evening session to adopt special legislation to deal with student unrest? “We lost 15 MNAs from this,” one of the organizers lamented.

Justin Trudeau and Montreal real estate queen Anita Benabou

Rozenblat.

New Democratic Party leader Thomas Mulcair was there with a number of his MPs. The charismatic Tyrone Benskine told me how much  he has enjoyed his first year in politics. “The next election may be three and a half years from now, but we are already working hard to prove to Canadians that we deserve to be the next government,” he shared. Mulcair was spotted having a little chat with easily the most sought after man in the room, Liberal MP Justin Trudeau, who sounded most definite that he will not seek the party leadership this time around.  Interim party leader Bob Rae, with his charming wife Arlene, on the other hand was clearly a man with his eyes on becoming the permanent head of the Grits with many of his handlers working the room. John Walsh, the national president of the Federal Conservative Party, was shaking hands and sending a message that the Tories still hope to cash in on some seats next time around. Municipally, Montreal Executive Committee boss Michael Applebaum represented the mayor, with a few members of council on hand as well.

Glenn Nashen and I chat with Tyrone Benskine

 “It’s amazing to watch so many people who might otherwise avoid politics break through that barrier,” said Kim Heilpern, one of the ACTION Party chairs. “Bringing the community and politicians together for a fabulous party with great food, music and drinks is a great way to show that becoming politically active can be both easy and fun.”

Now in its fourth year, the party once again broke previous records for attendance by both community members and politicians, welcomed two busloads of attendees from Ottawa, and has become a cornerstone of CJPAC’s work in Montreal,  helping to define the organization.

 “CJPAC’s work in Quebec and around the country focuses on Jewish and pro-Israel political engagement, especially among young people,” said Mark Waldman, CJPAC’s executive director. “If our community is going to be heard and have an impact, it will be because average Jewish and pro-Israel Canadians participate in the democratic process; young people are especially open to this message.”

Founded seven years ago, CJPAC is a unique national, grassroots, independent organization. With an office in Montreal, lead by Quebec Regional Director Steeve Azoulay, CJPAC hosts multiple events throughout the year helping activate Jewish and pro-Israel Quebecers in the political process. Having worked for Canadian Jewish Congress for 11 years – an organization which only recently was abolished after nearly a century of existence – I am thoroughly impressed with the work of CJPAC. I remain a steadfast supporter of B’nai Brith Canada, for which I serve as the Quebec bureau chief for their Jewish Tribune Newspaper. CJPAC, of course, is quite different. Created from scratch, CJPAC has made political activism trendy. Never has that been so evident than at the Action Party. There were people of all ages on hand. It was indeed “the place” to be and even individuals who had other things on their agenda that night made it a point of being present and being seen, even if it was for just a short time.

Nashen and I with Saulie Zajdel

The Yuppies (Young Urban Professionals) were indeed out in force and I met many twenty something guys and gals soaking up the atmosphere.  Besides the politicians I already mentioned, others in attendance  included from the governing Tories Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, Federal Minister of State of Foreign Affairs for Americas and Consular Affairs Diane Ablonczy,  Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs  Deepak Obhrai, Rick Dykstra,  Sheryl Gallant and Cheryl Gallant. Representing the NDP were Pat Martin,  Isabelle Morin,  Mathieu Ravignat,  Pierre Nantel, Jamie Nicholls, Françoise Boivin,  Mylène Freeman, and Jonathan Genest-Jourdain. With Irwin Cotler out of town to see his daughter graduate from university with distinction, his able chief of staff Howard Liebman was on hand. Neil Drabkin, chief of staff to Federal Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver, was spotted arriving late in the evening. Saulie Zajdel, who ran for the  Tories in Mount Royal in the last election, was working the floor. Joining Applebaum from Montreal were councillors Peter McQueen and  Andrée Champoux.  My council colleagues  from Côte Saint-Luc included  Dida Berku, Glenn  J.Nashen, Ruth Kovac, Steven Erdelyi and Mitchell Brownstein.  Bonnie Feigenbaum and Michael Goldwax represented Hampstead council while Herbert Brownstein was there from Dollard des Ormeaux, accompanied by his son Ryan Ryder Brownstein – now doing some producing for CJAD Radio with an eye on joining his dad on council in 2013.

A big round of applause for the organizing committee.  Co-chairs Heilpern,  Avi Krispine- 
Jonathan Abecassis  and Julien Newman. Their committee consisted of Montreal movers and shakers Adam Daifallah, Aimee Schnitzer, Alexandre Borduas, Bonnie King, Bram Paperman, Bruno Brami, David Desbaillets, Dominic Mailloux, Eric Prud’Homme, Eva Derhy, Evan Paperman, Gilbert Tordjman, Gillian Eliahoo, Hugo Tremblay, Ian Quint, Janna Boloton. Jason Zuckerman, Jeff Bernstein, Lauren Tatner, Laurence Barchichat, Marc Poisson, Marie-Claire Laflamme-Sanders, Maximilien Roy, Monique Assouline, Natasha Albilia, Noam Schnitzer, Olivier Duchesneau, Orlli Kessel, Rina Scrim, Stephanie Ohnona, Todd Lipstein and Zeynab Diallo plus a cast from Ottawa.

See Glenn J. Nashen's blog about the event.

Impact's Olympic Stadium success brings back memories of Le Manic

It is quite extraordinary to see how well the Montreal Impact’s debut in Major League Soccer has began. At first, the fact that news  their new Stade Saputo would not be ready until June sounded problematic. The team announced that the season would start next door at Olympic Stadium.

Tony Towers

Well, they had a giant sized crowd of 55,000 for their opener in March and packed in 60,000 to see David Beckham and the LA Galaxy on May 12.  This reminds me of the glory days of the Montreal Manic. Although the team only survived here for three years in the 1980s, they enjoyed some pretty good periods here and had some pretty huge crowds of their own.  I attended most home games – indoors and outdoors – as a member of the media. What they did absolutely right was get players out into the community and before long names like Tony Towers, Carmine Marcantonio, Thomas Usiyan, Gordon Alec Hill and Bob Rigby were very familiar. There was amiable head coach Eddie Firmani and a rabid base of fans.

Le Manic were owned by Molson Brewery and their decision to try and transform the team into Team Canada for 1984 fell flat on its face. The franchise folded  and four years later the Montreal Supra, predecessors to the Impact, entered the scene. Playing out of Centre Claude Robillard they brought professional soccer back here via baby steps. They effectively became the Impact in 1992 and with the steady hand of Joey Saputo at the helm developed into what is today a top-notch organization.

Saputo worked very hard to bring the MLS here and he deserves high praise for doing so. His decision to hire Legendre as executive vice-president and people like ticket sales boss  Brian Weightman showed that he has a knack for  selecting front office talent. Legendre was a former  pro tennis player, oversaw the Jarry Tennis Stadium and annual world class tournaments and served as a provincial cabinet minister. He was a key hire in getting  Stade Sapuoto built and now expanded.

While Saputo was unavailable to meet  with me, I did spend some time with Legendre at field level and he shared with me some of the reasons why the Impact will probably continue to use the Big Owe each season. 

Here is my video interview:

Irving Epstein's incredible weight loss

Back in 2007, Côte Saint-Luc’s Irving Epstein went to his physician Ilan Benjamin, for a check up.

I will let Irving take it from here:

 “I was having problems with walking,” he told me. “I was out of breath and did not have energy. I talked to the doctor about looking into the why and what can be done. His scale went up to 350 lbs and I was more than that. My weight was about 357 pounds. He sent me for tests to the Jewish General Hospital. They tested my heart, my lungs and my blood to look at many other health problems Everything came back ok. Ilan told me that the reason for the problem was that I was too fat. I had to lose weight.  

   

“We talked about weight loss surgery and I filled out and sent in the form to the Royal Victoria Hospital. I called the CLSC to try to get a nutritionist. They got back to me saying that there was a waiting list and that I would receive a telephone call when a place opened up. I did wait and got a call and then an appointment.  My nutritionist at the CLSC Rene-Cassin was Ella Gorovoy. I worked with her and had to relearn what to eat and what not to eat. For me, going out for lunch or supper was an event. It was a social event. Eating was a very important part of my life. You can say that it was a social event.

“Ella informed me back at the beginning of 2010 that she will be heading a Lifestyle Modification Program at the CLSC Notre-Dame-de-Grace / Montreal-Ouest. As I was border line diabetic she asked me to join. There was a form that had to be filled in by my doctor, who was happy to comply.

“The Diabetes Reference Center was born and my first appointment was April 1 2010. The study was for a period of three years and the team members were a nutritionist, a nurse, a kinesiologist and a social worker.

“At the beginning of April 2011 I received a call from the Royal Vic and had an appointment on April 7 at 10:45 Aam in room S 6.24. I met with Dr. Oliver Court. We had a talk and he showed me a couple of options. The one he suggested was the sleeve gastrectomy. He said that my surgery should be in September of 2011 as they were booked up to the summer.

“On April 18 I received a call from the hospital and said that they had a date for my surgery. The date was May 3. I had to now prepare for the surgery. No more food. I had to get, from them a replacement for my meals. The product was called Optifast. It came in two flavors, chocolate and vanilla.

Epstein (left0 before the surgery.

“I was told that it was important to take some weight off before the operation to help cut down on the bleeding from the liver. So I drank the Optifast, which I learned to hate and looked forward to my surgery day.

“May 3,  2011 came and I had to report to the hospital for  6:45 a.m. Then , three and a half  and a half hours later, the operation was done and I was in the recovery room. I woke up and all was well.

“I was in the hospital till Thursday and I was so pleased with the care I received. As good as the care, I was happy to go home. There is something about sleeping in your own bed and taking a shower in your own bathroom that gives us pleasure.

“I had to follow a liquid and pureed food diet for the first month. I got to eat solid food around June 3.. I was so done with the pureed food that I went to solid food on June 1. The first few days were not the best, but I seemed to get into the swing of things. At this point I did not know what to do with myself. I sat around the house too long. I had to get back to work. I got back to work and my life.

“Looking at the scale now the reading is 218 pounds. The weight is down and I feel wonderful. I enjoy walking and working out. I want to get a bike and get out on the road once the weather is warm and dry enough.

Epstein after the surgery.

“I went to an appointment at the Lifestyle Modification Program at the CLSC Notre-Dame-de-Grace / Montreal-Ouest on January 17 and met with Ella. I had gone for a blood test a week earlier. I was told that this would be my last appointment as I was no longer a part of the study. I was in better health. My family doctor took me off my medication and said to make an appointment in three months. He is so pleased with the results and I have to thank all involved in the life changing surgery.

“It is great to hear from people I know say how great I look.”