Côte Saint-Luc businessman Michael Gilbert is helping out his good friend Michael Dean Rafferty on a mission. Kera Organics was created to not only to make soap, but specialize in transforming pure and natural ingredients, free from chemical fragrances and processed components like artificial dyes into handcrafted organic products. Kera comes from Keratoconus, an eye disease which, if not treated could easily lead to blindness. For many, surgery is not the answer, but spiral lenses are. Those stricken by this disease may need to go this route however it comes with a very costly price to pay. There are no available government subsidies that you can receive and not many places offer this type of lens with the necessary treatment services. That is why Mr. Rafferty, who has suffered from the disease since he was a child, created the  Kera Cares Foundation ( https://keracares.org) to provide assistance. I caught up with the two Michaels at their Crescent Street booth during Grand Prix festivities.

Man about town Michael Gilbert becomes a "visionary" for Michael Dean Rafferty

Jesse Satov just  completed Grade 10 at Bialik High School in Côte Saint-Luc. His dad Avi is the Principal, as well as Co-Head of School at both JPPS and Bialik. Jesse is a goaltender and he was recently drafted by the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. I spoke to father and son

Bialik's Jesse Satov Drafted By Shawinigan of the QMJHL

Some of the former players in the Côte Saint-Luc Slo Pitch Association, joined by a few alumni from the CSL Executive Softball League, gathered at the beautifully refurbished Kirwan Park on June 22 for a small reunion. They shared memories and even took the field. I did play in the league for a about a decade. It was a blast to chat with Roy Salomon, Mish Granik. Mark Rothpan, Ted Dash and Buddy Manis.

A Côte Saint-Luc Slo Pitch Reunion

DeLaMie is a social enterprise creating vocational opportunities and empowering young people with special needs to bake, craft chocolate, package, and sell just about the best goods ever under the auspices of the Friendship Circle. Fin Gourmet sur l'Avenue, located at 6730 L'Avenue across from Quartier Cavendish, has been serving up gourmet kosher food since September 2024. Now they will begin carrying the products of DeLaMie. Veronique Abecassis, who owns the business along with her husband Edmond, joined me when I visited the Friendship Circle with Assistant  Director Refael Paris and President David Tordjman. The Friendship Circle of Montreal was founded in 2001 as a vehicle to help children with special needs meet other children, overcome loneliness, develop skills and improve their confidence. The Friendship Circle pairs up teenage volunteers from dozens of high schools and universities across Greater Montreal, providing assistance and support, and most of all friendship, through a variety of social programs and activities. The teen volunteers learn the priceless value of giving, the curative power of friendship, and the vital importance of integrating children with special needs into our communities.





The Friendship Circle and  Fin Gourmet team up

The Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra (MWSO) was founded in 2006 by conductor  Joseph Milo and his wife Lucy Ravinsky. This one of a kind orchestra is composed of 55 musicians: about 80 percent of its members are from 15 countries around the world, while the remaining 20 percent are natives of Montreal, who successfully facilitated the integration of the newcomers. 

On Sunday, August 10, 2025 (3 pm) Maestro Milo and his orchestra will perform at a much anticipated free concert in the Ashkelon Gardens behind City Hall. It is part of our Library and Culture Department’s Summer in the City Program.  Bring your lawn chairs. In the event of rain, it will be moved inside and and a limited number of passes will be available (two passes per person) maximum. “Jazz and Symphony” will be theme, with Olga Murysina as a violin soloist, Olivia  Hacinsky-Charette as the soprano performer and Mike Melino the tenor. 

Listen in as he talks about how this unique group was formed.

Côte Saint-Luc's Joseph Milo proud of his Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra

Eli Lallouz is a resident of Cote Saint-Luc and operates a  growing Eyewear  group of stores under the Vision 770 banner. They are present  in locations across the city, as well as St. Remi and   inside pharmacies, hospitals and Walmart spots.  I went to visit Eli and his executive assistant Ingrid Azeroual, an constituent of mine, at their location at the MUHC Glen Campus.  Please listen to our conversation.

Côte Saint-Luc optician Lallouz leads ambitious expansion for Vision 770

The EMSB Podcast is back! 

We're kicking off the 2025-2026 school year at Hampstead School with a new host, Assistant Director General Jack Chadirdjian. Join Jack as he sits down with two Hampstead School alumni: real estate mogul Jonathan Wener and Cote Saint Luc City Councillor Andee Shuster. He is then joined by two proud EMSB supporters: Michael Pinto from Groupe Laudie and Kean Ann Campbell, EMSB parent and a real estate agent for Sutton Quebec.

#WeAreEnglishMTL #ChooseTheEMSB #BackToSchool #Canderel #JonathanWener #ConcordiaUniversity #CoteSaintLuc #QCPoli #HampsteadSchool #TownOfHampstead #Montreal #Centennial #celebration #Education

EMSB Podcast: Celebrating Back to School and Hampstead's Centennial


Fin Gourmet sur l’Avenue is marking its first anniversary this week. They are located at 6730 The Avenue, in my District 2.  facing the Scotiabank at Quartier Cavendish.

The husband-and-wife team of Edmond and Veronique Abecassis are the owners. This culinary masterpiece has a wide variety of prepared foods, packaged grab and go meals, cold cuts, frozen packaged food, baked goods, spices and nuts, fresh challahs, lamb, chicken, minced meat and more. They have weekly Shabbat meal packages and of course special orders available for Rosh Hashana, Passover and other Jewish holidays For more information call 514-369-2522  or e-mail  info@fin-gourmet.ca. I recently dropped by with two of my Bialik High School Local Commerce student interns Avery Hannon and Noah Galambos. They enjoyed one of the house specialties, the chicken schnitzel sandwich; I went for the hamburger steak with rice and Asian noodles on the size.  Everything was delicioius. They do have limited table seating available.






Fin Gourmet Celebrates its first anniversary in Côte Saint-Luc

At 100 years young, Danny Dankoff lives independently, drives a car and plays golf regularly at Pinegrove on Montreal's South Shore.  I went to visit him and his 98 year old brother Sam at the beautiful condo they share in Côte Saint-Luc.

The extraordinary Danny Dankoff: 100 years young and he still does it all

Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) unites students of all backgrounds against anti-Jewish hatred. AVI offers a multi-faceted approach to Israel advocacy and education by empowering a new and diverse cohort of Israel advocates at high school and university campuses across Canada. Noa Peretz Benchaya is a constituent of mine in Côte Saint-Luc District 2. She serves as the director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada. I sat down with her and  Founder/Executive Director Daniel Koren over a bite at Pizza Pita.

 Through allyship programs to Israel, educational workshops, media fellowships, and other advocacy programs, AVI is inspiring a new generation of students to change the narrative around Israel. By embracing our peers, we will establish a movement of students working together to achieve strength in numbers and create a more just society.

 AVI offers a variety of flagship programs as well as resources, access to high-profile speakers, and a suite of educational workshops that give students the tools to build meaningful coalitions, an understanding of regional conflicts in the Middle East, how to refute misinformation from anti-Israel students and professors, and serve as vocal and proactive Ambassadors for peace, coexistence, and human rights. We also offer interactive campaigns for our students to meaningfully engage in dialogue with their peers on campus.


AVI strongly believes that coalition-building is essential to combating anti-Jewish hatred and all forms of bigotry on campus. We believe in real allyship – meaning that no student should ever need to renounce an integral part of their identity (such as Jewish students being forced to denounce their support for Israel) to be considered an “ally.”

Log on to https://www.alliedvoicesforisrael.org  

Noa Benchaya and Daniel Koren from Allied Jewish Voices for Israel

Mike Cohen is the manager of marketing and communications for the English Montreal School Board, an elected councillor in the City of Côte Saint-Luc and a writer and blogger for several publications and websites.  The latter include The Suburban,  The Montrealer, The Jewish Standard Magazine. Montreal Jewish Magazine and  Canadian World Traveller. He is also the publisher of Inspirations Newspaper.

Man about town Michael Gilbert becomes a "visionary" for Michael Dean Rafferty

Personalities from Côte Saint-Luc and Beyond

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