The competition for CSL’s students

The Montreal Gazette – By Janet Bagnall, Gazette education reporter May 20, 2013 6:06 PM

MONTREAL — The EMSB plans to open a public high school in a city that has been without one since Wagar school closed in 2005

It was standing-room-only at this month’s inaugural meeting for students, and their parents, interested in attending Wallenberg Academy — a hauntingly named Côte-St-Luc public high school that for now exists only on PowerPoint.

The future school has been named after Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved as many as 100,000 Hungarian Jews during the Second World War and who was last seen at Moscow’s notorious Lubyanka prison.

Mona Weinstock, mother of four children — 16-year-old twin boys, their 12-year-old brother and a 7-year-old daughter — was at the May 8 meeting to learn more about what kind of new high school the English Montreal School Board intends to offer families in or near Côte-St-Luc, a predominantly Jewish borough.

So far, the Weinstock children have attended school at JPPS (Jewish Peoples and Peretz School) and, in the public system, Royal West Academy, Westmount High School and Edinburgh and Elizabeth Ballantyne elementary schools.

Looking around at the crowd of about 200 people, Weinstock said, “I see a lot of parents here whose kids are in the Jewish private system.”

Weinstock would like an option that is close to home; she’d like there to be Jewish heritage content; and she wants a public school. With four children, the fees involved in a private education impose too high a financial burden, she said. She also thinks her children would be better prepared for life in Quebec with more emphasis on French and less on Yiddish or Hebrew.

“If Bill 14 passes, there’ll be more and more French proficiency exams,” she said. “You have to keep up.” Bill 14, a proposed law brought in by the Parti Québécois government to increase the presence of French in school and in the workplace, would bring in mandatory French proficiency tests for high school and CEGEP students.

In this one, small, mid-week meeting, you could see the forces buffeting Quebec’s schools, public and private, with or without religious or cultural content. Public boards like the EMSB have been struggling to retain or even add to their student population. In 2011, of the board’s 1,727 Grade 6 graduates, 235 left for the private system; in 2012, the figures were 1,684 and 261. (This is on par with an overall shift from public to private at the secondary level in the province: More than 125,000 students go to private school across Quebec, with 6.7 per cent of elementary school students attending private school, and 19.6 per cent doing so at the secondary level.

With the proposed creation of Wallenberg Academy, the EMSB is taking steps to get some of those students back. But the question is whether there are enough families like the Weinstocks to bring the Wallenberg Academy to life in 2014. EMSB officials told the May 8 meeting that a minimum of 60 students must sign up for Grade 7 to get the school underway, and they’d prefer 100.

Demographic change enters into the equation. According to Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, Montreal’s Jewish population decreased by about 5,500 between 2001 and 2011, from 88,765 to 83,200. There was a drop of about 1,000 in the 14-and-under age group, down to 16,055. Within that age group, 3,585 youngsters claimed Yiddish as their mother tongue, suggesting, said Jedwab, that this is a group likely to be interested only in Orthodox Jewish schooling, not schools in the public school system.

Côte-St-Luc, home to a sizable English-speaking Jewish population, is also becoming more francophone, said Mordechai Antal, president of the Federation of Teachers of Jewish Schools.

“The Jewish system is no different from the English system overall,” he said. “The population of kids who are eligible for English education has declined and within the Jewish school system, because of immigration, the population has also shifted from English to French with French Jewish day schools seeing increases in enrolment.”

There has not been a public high school in Côte-St-Luc since 2005 when Wagar High School closed, a victim of declining enrolment. But at the May 8 meeting, board officials, including former Wagar principal and current EMSB school commissioner Syd Wise, told parents they believe the support is there for a new public school. The new school would condense the regular province-wide curriculum to allow most of the afternoon free to pursue sports, heritage or music concentrations. Which sports and what heritage would be determined by the students who sign up for Grade 7.

The May 8 meeting was just the latest in a series of temperature-takings since 2005 in which the EMSB has held out the prospect of restarting Wagar High School. EMSB’s gamble may rely, to some extent, on the troubles of Bialik High School, the board’s closest competitor for Côte St-Luc students. Bialik, a nearby private school, has been experiencing a decline in enrolment, was in merger talks two years ago with United Talmud Torahs/Herzliah High School. The talks led nowhere.

Glenn Nashen, a municipal councillor with Côte-St-Luc whose three children attend private Jewish schools, defended Bialik’s viability.

“JPPS-Bialik is a community Jewish school,” he said. As for a decline in enrolment, Nashen said, “It’s cyclical. In (Bialik’s) heyday, there were four streams (classes per grade level), now there are two and in a couple of years when my son reaches Grade 1, there may be just one, but that was the same as when I started.”

Nashen added, “They’re doing their best to make it economically accessible and they’re offering an advanced French program.”

jbagnall@montrealgazette.com

Twitter: @JanetBagnall

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/competition+C%c3%b4te+students/8410269/story.html#ixzz2TsRcVdnk

Watch more on Global News: Côte Saint-Luc School | Global News Video.

Wallenberg Academy info session May 8

Station 9 Police Watch

Free Press. April 23, 2013. Click to enlarge.

Maimonides to merge with Jewish Eldercare

Over the past eight years, Jewish Eldercare Centre and Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre have worked closely on all fronts to strengthen the quality of long-term care provided to the community. The future will see them joining forces in a more structured way.

The boards of directors approved resolutions to present a proposal to Montreal’s Health and Social Services Agency to proceed with a voluntary merger of the two centres.

This is an exciting time in the combined 160-year history of both centres, one that will engage a great deal of energy, focus and goodwill on all sides. Merging the two centres offers significant benefits to the institutions and the community. It strengthens their mandate to provide quality long-term care within a Jewish setting and ensures their continued ability to care effectively for the more than 1,000 clients who are served each year by our two centres, community-based homes and intermediate resources, day hospital and respite services. In combining their strengths, they will be able to ensure their independence, share and build upon their expertise at every level, and provide a richer ground for training and research.

Their ability to attract and retain the best staff will be greatly improved and they will have a much stronger financial base from which to work. Ultimately, they say all of this will translate into the highest quality of care for their residents.

Maimonides Geriatric Hospital in Cote Saint-Luc

The Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre has been a premier institution in Cote Saint-Luc District 6 for nearly half a century.  A 7 ½ acre site was purchased in Cote Saint-Luc in 1964. The new facility was built containing five floors and accommodating 247 beds.

Read more in the CJN.

Bed bug infestation in Cote St. Luc apartment

Mon, Jan 14: Imagine dealing with bugs that bite you in your sleep for years, and no matter how hard you try you can’t get rid of them. That’s the reality for residents of Caldwell terrace in Cote St. Luc. Global’s Elysia Bryan Baynes reports.

Read it on Global News: Bed bug infestation in Cote St. Luc apartment – Evening News – Videos | Global Montreal

My additional notes:

The City has been involved in this matter since being called by a resident last year however its powers are somewhat limited.  It has compelled the building owner to bring in exterminators which has been done, and by all accounts has improved the situation but has not eradicated it completely.

The main body mandated to deal with health issues is the CLSC and Montreal Public Health.  The Regie du Logements is mandated to resolve tenant-building matters.

Although limited in its powers, the city will continue to offer assistance to the building for the benefit of its residents.

 

Dida speaks out – Remarques de la conseillère Berku

La Presse is reporting that “a candidate nabbed by the Director General of Elections is irritating Côte-Saint-Luc”.  I think it is not just Cote Saint-Luc that is being irritated but the overall Jewish Community as well.

Councillor Berku lashes out that claims by Charles Lugassy, a defeated candidate in the 2009 election in Côte-Saint-Luc, who was found guilty of electoral fraud by the Quebec Court,  ”are an insult” and do not reflect reality.

Berku wrote to La Presse, following a story earlier this week, to protest against conspiracy theories put forward by Lugassy.  Lugassy argued that he was a victim of the fury of the town hall of Côte-Saint-Luc, including the clerk, because he is Sephardic.

“All proceedings and investigations are handled by the DGEQ.  None of the proceedings were handled by the City of Côte-Saint-Luc”, says Berku. “It has nothing to do with our City Clerk. “

“Mr. Lugassy is not the first Sepahrdic candidate to stand for election”, Berku said, contrary to Lugassy’s assertion. She strongly rejected his allegations that the city of 32,000 inhabitants is the “turf” of the Ashkenazi Jewish community, as Lugassy suggested. “It is not a matter of ethnic identity. We are all citizens, residents of Côte Saint-Luc, regardless of our language or religion. Mr. Lugassy only wants to represent his community”.

Councillor Berku, a lawyer, endorsed the conclusions of Judge Johanne White who found Mr. Lugassy guilty on October 16. She considered the story of Mr. Lugassy as “not credible, full of bizarre speculation and not supported by the evidence.”  Lugassy lost the right to vote or stand for election for a period of five years for corrupt electoral practices. He was convicted of trying to pay off a rival candidate, Sonia Cohen-Peillon.

Concerning the electoral defeat of Mr. Lugassy, Berku remarked: “You must get involved in local democracy, come to council meetings, ask questions. We never saw Mr. Lugassy do that”.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with Maitre Berku, as outlined in my opinion pieces on this blog.  Unlike Mr. Lugassy who never attended a single council meeting, I attended and asked questions, together with Ruth Kovac, for 10 full years before we both ran for election.  Ruth and I had a better attendance record than some councillors back then!  And that was after both volunteering in the Emergency Measures Organization and EMS for more than a decade, at the time.

Lugassy’s self-endorsement was, and is, pure fiction.  By contrast, I have been endorsed by many community leaders in several fields, many of whom stem from the Sephardic community, not to mention my own Sephardic connections.

All that said. Luggasy’s outlandish conspiracy theories stand as an insult not only to me personally, but to all Cote Saint-Lucers and the Jewish community as a whole.  As one example, his heavy handed election team were removed by police from the polling station and parking lot where they were caught pressing people to vote for the “Jewish candidate”, insinuating that I am not Jewish, nor my honourable opponent, Sonia-Cohen Peillon.

Lugassy advocates a divided community, along language lines, cultural and religious lines.  He seeks to represent a single segment of the community.  By contrast, I proudly represent all my constituents, indeed all Cote Saint-Lucers, in the language of their choice, regardless of religion or country of origin.  I’m happy to say that my fellow councillors share the same inclusive sense of community.  And judging by the number of emails and comments I received this week, not to mention the vast majority of voters that cast there ballot for me in the last election, most agree with this notion of unity and harmony as one community.

Today’s La Presse article is posted here.

 

 

Publié le 22 décembre 2012

KARIM BENESSAIEH

La Presse

Un candidat épinglé par le DGE irrite Côte-Saint-Luc

Les accusations d’un ex-candidat battu aux élections de 2009 dans Côte-Saint-Luc, qui affirme avoir fait les frais des tensions entre les deux communautés juives, «sont une insulte» et ne reflètent pas la réalité, réplique une élue de longue date, Dida Berku.

La conseillère de Côte-Saint-Luc depuis 1990 en veut particulièrement aux thèses de complot évoquées par Charles Lugassi, qui a récemment été épinglé par le Directeur général des élections et privé de droit de vote pour cinq ans pour manoeuvre électorale frauduleuse. Il a été reconnu coupable d’avoir tenté d’acheter une candidate rivale en 2009. Cette semaine, dans La Presse, M. Lugassi a soutenu avoir été victime de l’acharnement de l’hôtel de ville de Côte-Saint-Luc, notamment du greffier, parce qu’il est sépharade.

«Toutes les procédures, les enquêtes viennent du DGE par l’entremise de la plaignante, rien n’est venu de Côte-Saint-Luc, explique Mme Berku au nom de l’administration municipale. Notre greffier n’a même pas parlé avec lui à ce sujet, il n’a rien à y voir.»

Pas une première

M. Lugassi n’est pas le premier candidat sépharade à se présenter aux élections, précise-t-elle. Elle rejette énergiquement ses allégations voulant que la ville de 32 000 habitants soit «la chasse gardée» de l’autre communauté juive importante, les ashkénazes. «Ce n’est pas une question d’identité ethnique. On est tous citoyens résidants de Côte-Saint-Luc, peu importe notre langue ou notre religion. M. Lugassi, lui, voulait représenter uniquement sa communauté.»

La conseillère fait siennes les conclusions de la juge White qui a reconnu M. Lugassi coupable le 16 octobre dernier. Elle considérait la version des faits de M. Lugassi comme «invraisemblable, truffée de conjectures farfelues et nullement supportée par la preuve».

La défaite électorale de M. Lugassi, elle l’explique autrement: «Il faut s’impliquer dans la démocratie locale, venir aux réunions du conseil, poser des questions. Jamais on n’a vu M. Lugassi faire ça.»

 

Lettre de Dida Berku à La Presse

Dida Berku writes to La Presse in response to article on electoral fraud conviction against Charles Lugassy.  Berku says that La Presse covered this story is a one-sided manner, perpetuating accusations without checking the facts.   Considering that the Quebec Court found Lugassy to be guilty of electoral fraud “beyond a reasonable doubt” and that his statements were “improbable conjectures, outlandish and not supported by the evidence”, Berku says that La Presse should have been more careful in how they presented this piece.

Lettre de Me Dida Berku Conseillère municipale Côte Saint-Luc

20 décembre 2012

Je m’inscris en faux contre l’article de Karim Benessaieh du 19 décembre portant le candidat Lugassy qui fut condamné pour manœuvres électorales frauduleuses commises en 2009 à Cote Saint Luc.

Cette histoire dure déjà depuis plusieurs années et à chaque étape et à chaque occasion qui lui est offerte par les média M. Lugassy profère des accusations de plus en plus malicieuses à l’égard des élus et de l’administration de sa ville. Cette fois ci les accusations vont trop loin et les faussetés sont trop grossières. Il faut les corriger.

M Benessaieh a répété ses fausses accusations à mon égard et à l’égard du Maire et des élus de Cote Saint Luc avec une insouciance telle qui m’oblige de corriger point par point les faussetés gratuites qui y sont faites. Il est inconcevable que le journaliste et votre journal peuvent répéter sans corroboration ni interrogation des parties impliquées, les accusations de la part d’une personne qui vient d’être condamné par la Cour du Québec d’avoir commis une fraude électorale. Je vous souligne que le Tribunal a trouvé M Lugassy coupable « hors de tout doute raisonnable.» d’avoir tenté d’obtenir que Mme Cohen se retire de l’élection en lui offrant un avantage soit de payer pour ses frais électoraux.

Il est clair que votre journaliste n’a même pas lu le jugement car s’il avait lu le jugement il n’aurait jamais pu reprendre les fausses déclarations qui lui ont été avancées par M Lugassy.

On ne peut que conclure que la motivation de votre journal est justement de promouvoir l’hypothèse de M.Lugassy à savoir que le véritable enjeu est «la domination des juifs anglophones ashkénazes» sur la politique municipale dans Côte-Saint-Luc. » Ceci est une fausseté grossière qui ne passe pas le test de la réalité.

M. Benessaieh écarte la condamnation on disant que « la juge Johanne White a essentiellement accordé plus de crédibilité au témoignage de Mme Cohen-Peillon qu’a celui de M. Lugassy ». Mais c’est bien plus que cela.

La Cour du Québec a entendu 6 témoins et a rendu un jugement détaillé de 26 pages dans laquelle Mme la Juge relate les faits et la preuve qui l’ont amené a trouvé l’accusé coupable d’une infraction pénale «hors de tout doute raisonnable ». Il ne s’agit pas du tout comme le prétend M. Benessaieh d’accorder plus de crédibilité à l’un qu’à l’autre, mais plutôt d’appliquer des règles strictes de preuve en matière criminelle. Mme La Juge conclue en disant que « le Tribunal considère que le Directeur général des élections s’est déchargé de son fardeau de preuve. » Elle qualifie au par. 94 de son jugement que la version des faits de M. Lugassy est « invraisemblable, truffée de conjectures farfelues et nullement supportée par la preuve. »… Elle continue au par. 95 « Le Tribunal considère que la version du défendeur ne soulève aucun doute raisonnable quant à l’infraction qui lui est reprochée. » et au par. 109 « Le Tribunal ne croit pas que le Directeur général des élections s’amuserait à entreprendre des poursuites pénales pour assouvir les désirs de vengeance d’une candidate défaite. » Il ne s’agit pas d’une infraction qui a été prise à la légère comme semble impliquée l’article du journal.

A l’appui de sa thèse que la politique est une chasse gardée des ashkénazes anglophones à Côte-Saint-Luc, M Lugassy indique « qu’il a reçu des menaces et de l’intimidation. On se serait cru au goulag, en Sibérie .» Est –ce les élus du conseil qui lui on fait ses menaces ou toute la communauté ashkénaze anglophone de Cote Saint Luc ? Ces remarques sont absolument comme dit Mme La Juge « invraisemblable, truffée de conjectures farfelus et nullement supportés par la preuve… » Il s’agit d’accusations gratuites et malicieuses à l’égard des élus de notre ville qui n’ont pas leur place dans votre journal sans corroboration ou commentaire de notre part.

M. Lugassy allègue que la communauté sépharade représenterait 40% de la communauté juive à Cote Saint Luc, Cette statistique ne tient pas la route. Encore c’est de la conjecture. Selon les dernières statistiques disponibles, en 2001, sur une population totale de 19,785 juifs à Côte Saint-Luc il y avait environ 4,285 sépharades soit 21.7 % de la population de confession juive. Mais peu importe le nombre, les élus de Côte Saint-Luc sont la pour représenter tous les citoyens pas seulement un groupe linguistique ou religieux comme semble vouloir le faire M Lugassy.

« Pour la première fois en 30 ans, la communauté sépharade francophone m’a demandé de me présenter » M Lugassy n’est pas le premier candidat sépharade à se présenter dans les élections de Côte Saint-Luc. En 2006 Mme Aline Malka qui travaillait pour le bureau du maire de Montréal pendant la fusion s’est présentée à l’élection et dans les années 90’s il y avait M Charles Barchechat qui est un homme d’affaires et journaliste. Tous les citoyens de la ville sont invités à s’impliquer dans la démocratie locale. Et tous les élus parlent le français bien que notre ville soit une ville bilingue reconnue par la loi.

« Ils se sont tous ligués contre moi, du maire jusqu’au greffier de la Ville. Il accuse ce dernier de s’être acharné contre lui, notamment en menant, à titre de président d’élections, cinq enquêtes sur sa candidature après la campagne de 2009. » Le greffier de la ville agit comme président de l’élection mais n’a absolument pas de pouvoir d’enquêtes suite aux plaintes portées selon la Loi. D’ailleurs Mme la Juge White en dit autant dans son jugement lorsqu’elle expose au par 17 ce qui suit : « Elle ( Mme Cohen ) a appelé à plusieurs reprises l’avocat de la ville pour lui faire part de la situation, mais cela ne relève pas de sa responsabilité. Elle ne se souvient pas si elle a porté plainte au Directeur général des élections durant la campagne, donc, avant le 1er novembre 2009. ». Le greffier de Côte Saint-Luc qui agissait comme président d’élections n’a pas mené des enquêtes et n’a pas porté plaintes. Toutes les accusations relèvent du Directeur Général des Élections du Québec. Faut il croire maintenant que le Directeur Général des Élections du Québec est au service des « ashkénazes anglophones »?

« Ils veulent envoyer un message au prochain sépharade qui va vouloir se présenter en 2013: la politique est une chasse gardée des ashkénazes anglophones à Côte-Saint-Luc.»

En tant que conseillère municipale depuis 1990, avocate et membre respectée de la communauté Montréalaise, je considère ces accusations non- fondées et très insultantes à notre intégrité et serment d’office. Maire et conseillers nous sommes tous élus pour représenter tous les résidants et non pas seulement les membres d’une communauté linguistique ou religieuse comme semble vouloir le faire M. Lugassy.

Nous avons une harmonie totale à Cote Saint Luc représentant nombreux groupes d’origines diverses ethniques et linguistiques, incluant les personnes d’origine italienne, russe, philippine, irlandais, iranien et israélien. Nous avons une harmonie totale, nous travaillons ensemble, nous jouons aux sports ensemble, fréquentons les mêmes écoles et célébrons les fêtes et la culture en harmonie.

Le conseil est dédié à servir toute la population et tout le monde est libre de participer aux réunions du conseil et participer à la démocratie locale. Jamais depuis que je suis élue ai-je vu M Lugassy s’intéressait aux affaires de la ville. Jamais est il venu à une réunion du conseil pour poser une question. La politique municipale est une politique locale et il faut s’impliquer pour réussir lors d’une élection.

En conclusion le ton de cet article et la façon cavalière que le journaliste a simplement repris les fausses accusations de M Lugassy sont très inquiétant. Dans le contexte actuel ou nous vivons à Côte Saint-Luc anglais, français et allophones de toutes origines et religion ensemble et en harmonie, il est inconcevable que vous faites passer un message si mesquin qui ne fait qu’alimenter les querelles du passé et les comportements d’une autre époque.

Il est d’autant plus incroyable que vous acceptez de reproduire ce contenu sans interroger ni le Directeur Général des Elections, ni la plaignante, ni le maire et les élus de la ville. Le tout uniquement dans le but de promouvoir une manchette sensationnaliste sans mérite ou fondement.

Quand allez vous arrêter d’alimenter l’animosité envers les « anglophones » et la haine envers les « ashkénazes juifs » ? Vous réveillez des querelles qui sont déjà dépassées depuis longtemps et qui ne méritent pas l’attention que vous leur portez, le tout sans vérifier les faits et sans souci pour la vérité.

Related articles

• Lugassy found guilty of electoral fraud – Coupable de fraude électorale dans Côte-Saint-Luc (gjnashen.wordpress.com)
• Court fines Lugassy following conviction of electoral fraud, maybe more charges to come (gjnashen.wordpress.com)
• CSL candidate found to have violated election rule (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

Electoral fraud case makes headlines – Fraude électorale: privé de droit de vote pendant cinq ans

The electoral fraud conviction against Charles Lugassy made major headlines in La Presse again on Wednesday, December 12.  The Montreal daily gave a one-sided accounting of the verdict handed down by the Quebec Court against the 2009 candidate in the municipal elections in Cote Saint-Luc.  The paper only interviewed Lugassy, who went on another absolutely disgusting diatribe against the Mayor and Council and City Clerk of the City of Cote Saint-Luc, let alone the entire Ashkenazi community.  

La Presse did not interview anyone attacked by Lugassy in the article, and took for fact his allegations, many of which are blatantly false.

Lugassy’s divisive and destructive attitude is contrary to a generation of bridge building by the organized Jewish Community of Montreal.  

Lugassy continues to play the role of victim rather than showing an ounce of remorse for his crime.  He was pursued by the Director General of Elections of Quebec and convicted by the Quebec Court, not by an administrative process at the City level. He cheated, lied and violated the law.  The Chief Electoral Officer prosecuted the case based on complaints by Sonia Cohen, another candidate for election in 2009. Cohen testified that Lugassy offered to pay her expenses to drop out of the campaign and the judge said she found Cohen to be believable rather than Lugassy, who was deemed not credible.

And he is certainly not the first Sepahrdi to run in Cote Saint-Luc.  Sonia Cohen is also Sephardi, as is Aline Malca who ran in the previous election (who was cited in the court transcript as saying Sephardim will not vote for a woman!) as well as Charles Barchechat, another candidate from an earlier election.

Furthermore, on a personal level, it is important to clarify that I am married to a Sephardic woman which means my children are both Sephardi and Ashkenazi.  I learned four languages in Jewish day school and I speak French to any (constituent) who wish to carry on a conversation in their preferred language. My friends and neighbours are also blended Sephardi and Ashkenazi, our kids all play together, study together and attend Jewish community celebrations together.  I represent my District 6 constituents and all Cote Saint-Lucers equally, regardless of their language or religion or country of origin.  

I will not allow Lugassy’s disgusting comments go unchallenged, somehow suggesting that my Jewish heritage doesn’t meet his standards and that my family’s Sephardic roots (just like his) should be disqualified or discounted.  Rubbish!  

Most importantly, contrary to Lugassy’s backward thinking, the Ashkenaz and Sephardi communities are well integrated and live quite harmoniously, as neighbours, and as one family within the Jewish community.  Lugassy speaks for no one other than himself.  His comments are totally unacceptable and should be widely denounced.  

 

Here is the content of the La Presse article published on December 19, 2012 as reported by Karim Benessiah:

Fraude électorale: privé de droit de vote pendant cinq ans

Charles Chalom Lugassy, candidat battu aux élections dans Côte-Saint-Luc en 2009, a-t-il été victime d’une cabale menée par des juifs ashkénazes parce qu’il est lui-même sépharade? Ou a-t-il réellement tenté d’acheter sa rivale, Sonia Cohen-Peillon, en lui offrant de payer ses dépenses électorales?

Cette histoire peu banale est la toile de fond d’une décision rendue publique hier par le Directeur général des élections du Québec, qui a condamné M. Lugassy à une amende de 1000$ pour manoeuvre électorale frauduleuse, en vertu de la Loi sur les élections et les référendums dans les municipalités. Fait rare, il se voit privé de son droit de vote et ne peut se présenter à une élection à tous les paliers électifs, et ce, pour les cinq prochaines années.

«C’est la victime qui a été condamnée, soutient Charles Lugassy en entrevue. J’ai reçu des menaces et de l’intimidation. On se serait cru au goulag, en Sibérie. Les oeufs sur la brique devant chez moi, ils ne partent pas, ils sont encore là.»

Élection perdue

M. Lugassy, expert en immigration de 61 ans originaire du Maroc et ancien journaliste, a été reconnu coupable le 16 octobre dernier en Cour du Québec. La juge Johanne White a essentiellement accordé plus de crédibilité au témoignage de Mme Cohen-Peillon. Elle a affirmé qu’en octobre 2009, elle a rencontré M. Lugassy, qui était «très gentil» et lui aurait dit: «Il va falloir que tu te désistes [...]. On a une organisation, on va te payer tes frais.»

Finalement, les deux candidats ont été balayés par le conseiller sortant Glenn Nashen, qui a obtenu 65,8% des voix. M. Lugassy a obtenu 343 votes (30%), tandis que Mme Cohen-Peillon n’en a récolté que 49 (4,3%).

Une «chasse gardée»

Selon M. Lugassy, le véritable enjeu était «la domination des juifs anglophones ashkénazes» sur la politique municipale dans Côte-Saint-Luc. Plus de 68% des 32 000 résidants sont de religion juive, mais peu de données existent sur la répartition entre les ashkénazes, d’origine européenne, et les sépharades francophones, qui proviennent surtout d’Afrique du Nord. Ces derniers représenteraient 40% de la communauté juive, avance M. Lugassy, et seraient en forte croissance démographique.

Le conseil municipal, composé d’un maire et de huit conseillers, ne compte pourtant aucun sépharade.

«Pour la première fois en 30 ans, la communauté sépharade francophone m’a demandé de me présenter, mais mal m’en prit, raconte Charles Lugassy. Ils se sont tous ligués contre moi, du maire jusqu’au greffier de la Ville.» Il accuse ce dernier de s’être acharné contre lui, notamment en menant, à titre de président d’élections, cinq enquêtes sur sa candidature après la campagne de 2009. «Cinq enquêtes contre un candidat battu, c’est du jamais vu. Ils veulent envoyer un message au prochain sépharade qui va vouloir se présenter en 2013: la politique est une chasse gardée des ashkénazes anglophones à Côte-Saint-Luc.»

Il n’a pas été possible de joindre un responsable à l’hôtel de ville de Côte-Saint-Luc.

 

 

The following is an English language Google Translate of the article:

La Presse

Charles Shalom Lugassy, ​​defeated candidate for election in Côte-Saint-Luc in 2009, says he was the victim of a conspiracy led by Ashkenazi Jews because he is Sephardic. Or did he actually try to buy off his rival, Sonia Cohen-Peillon by offering to pay her election expenses?

This story is rather unusual backdrop of a decision made public yesterday by the Chief Electoral Officer of Québec, which sentenced Mr. Lugassy and fined him $ 1,000 for corrupt electoral practice under the Elections Act in municipalities. He was deprived of his right to vote and can not stand for election at all levels for the next five years.

“I am a victim who has been condemned”, says Charles Lugassy in an interview. “I received threats and intimidation. It felt like the gulag in Siberia. Eggs on the brick in front of my house,  they are still there”.

Lost election

Mr. Lugassy, ​​immigration expert of 61 years from Morocco and former journalist, was convicted Oct. 16 in Quebec Court. Justice Johanne White has essentially given more credibility to the testimony of Ms. Cohen-Peillon. She stated that in October 2009, she met Mr. Lugassy, ​​who was “very nice” and told her: “You will have to withdraw [...]. We have an organization, we’ll pay your expenses. “

Finally, the two candidates were swept aside by the incumbent councillor Glenn Nashen, who won 65.8% of the vote. Mr. Lugassy received 343 votes (30%), while Ms. Cohen-Peillon garnered only 49 (4.3%).

A “turf”

Lugassy says, the real challenge was “the Jewish domination of the English-speaking Ashkenazi” in municipal politics in Côte-Saint-Luc. More than 68% of the 32,000 residents are Jewish, but few data exist on the distribution among the Ashkenazi European origin and Sephardic French, derived mainly from North Africa. These represent 40% of the Jewish community, Mr. Lugassy says and show strong demographic growth.

The council is composed of a mayor and eight councilors, yet none are Sephardic.

“For the first time in 30 years, the Sephardic community asked me to present myself, but I did so wrong, says Charles Lugassy. They all conspired against me, the mayor up to the City Clerk. “He accuses them of having pestered him, including  as president of elections, five investigations about his candidacy after 2009 campaign. “Five investigations against a defeated candidate, this is unheard of. They want to send a message to the next Sephardic will want to come in 2013: politics is the preserve of the English-speaking Ashkenazi Côte-Saint-Luc. “

It has not been possible to reach an official at the city hall of Côte-Saint-Luc.

 

Letter to the editor: Lugassy shows no remorse

The Suburban, December 12, 2012

 

I am very disappointed by one thing in the report on Charles Lugassy’s conviction. I would have liked the reporter to speak with members of the diverse Sephardic community of Cote St Luc in an attempt to validate Mr. Lugassy’s claim. As a member of this community, I reject Mr. Lugassy’s divisive and bitter approach. If he wants to get elected, he should start building bridges, not destroying them. This man has show no remorse.

 

Phil Anzarut, Cote St. luc

 

CSL candidate found to have violated election rule

Joel Goldenberg, The Suburban

December 5th, 2012

Côte St. Luc council candidate Charles Lugassy was recently found by Quebec Court judge Johanne White to have violated an election rule, relating to the 2009 municipal campaign.

Sentencing took place Nov. 19. Lugassy was fined $1,000, and he was barred from voting or running in a municipal election for five years.

Lugassy ran against incumbent and eventual winner Glenn Nashen, and Sonia Cohen-Peillon.

According to the decision, it was alleged that Lugassy attempted to get Cohen-Peillon to withdraw her candidacy “by promising a benefit, which was reimbursement of [her] election expenses.”

The judge found that testimony offered in the case provided the evidence of the alleged offence and also found that there was no “collusion or conspiracy” between Cohen-Peillon’s witnesses, which included her friend, daughter and sister.

In his testimony, Lugassy “categorically denied” the offer was made to Cohen-Peillon, and that he did not consider her to be a formidable candidate.

Lugassy told The Suburban that his lawyer is evaluating whether to appeal the decision, and that he had decided not to run in the 2013 election before the court decision was made.

“The court decision is completely unfounded, and this is symptomatic of everything that has happened up to now,” the former candidate said recently. He accused the judge of attacking him by saying he instigated a candidate’s meeting at a local synagogue in October 2009 in which community members wanted one representative from the Sephardic community to run for election and not two, when it was actually organized by members of the Sephardic community.

“What is more reprehensible is that this whole thing has been instigated and encouraged by — I won’t mention names — the people who were against me. Nevertheless, there are going to be changes, with what we are seeing in society at large, all these people who are in place for so many years and who may be taking advantage of their positions, this will sound an alarm to the community in general when it comes to electing people who have been there for 20 years or more. By trying to eliminate me in that I won’t be running, that won’t solve their problem, the problem remains — an important segment of the community has not been represented, and they will bring out their voice loud and clear when the time comes.

“In this whole matter, I am the victim, not them. It is unprecedented in jurisprudence that someone who lost an election has five inquiries [against them], three of which did not go through. This is because I was a threat for them in the next election. I got 30 percent after a preparation of two weeks or less. They may do this to me now, but they won’t be able to stop the tide of others who are seeking to have a voice.

“If it’s not me tomorrow, it will be someone else. The demography of the community has already changed in Côte St. Luc — new, young Sephardim that are buying new houses, and settling here. The old community is going away and the young Ashkenazi don’t stay.”

Related articles

• Court fines Lugassy following conviction of electoral fraud, maybe more charges to come (gjnashen.wordpress.com)
• Lugassy found guilty of electoral fraud – Coupable de fraude électorale dans Côte-Saint-Luc (gjnashen.wordpress.com)
• Self-proclaimed Sephardi candidate guilty of fraud (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

 

All that for a tree? Photo(s) of the week.

A very unusual operation took place on Einstein Avenue last week.  Hydro Quebec had one single, gigantic tree to remove behind a home on Einstein, just north of Kildare.

In order to remove the tree some major equipment had to be brought in.   This lead to an entire street closure for nearly two days.

Resident Lewis Cohen snapped these shots towards the end of the operation. See how many pieces of equipment were needed, how many HQ subcontractor employees, and how much wood was cut?  Keep in mind that this was for removal of a single tree.

Richler or Layton for CSL high school’s name?

Canadian Jewish News

Janice Arnold, Staff Reporter, November 29, 2012

 

MONTREAL — A literary battle of sorts between those in favour of naming a proposed new high school in Côte St. Luc after Mordecai Richler and those stumping for Irving Layton has taken on unexpected intensity.

 

The name-calling erupted after the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) launched a public contest to name the former Wagar High School, which it hopes to reopen for the 2014-2015 academic year.

 

The EMSB suggests Côte St. Luc Parkhaven (the street the school is on), Wallenberg, after the Swedish diplomat credited with saving tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust, or going back to Wagar.

 

However, www.NameTheSchool.com allows for other suggestions, and Beverly Akerman, a research scientist, author and mother, fired the first shot by making a case for Mordecai Richler, who died in 2001.

 

Layton’s oldest son, Max Layton, who lives in Ontario, is dead-set against this, and wants the school named for his father.

 

The naming contest closes on Nov. 30.

 

Akerman, who thinks Richler was “the greatest English Montreal writer of the 20th century,” is running a campaign on Facebook. Notables who agree with her include Gazette cartoonist and Richler friend Terry Mosher (Aislin), Richler biographer Michael Posner of Toronto, and Mordecai’s cousin, Howard Richler.

 

Max Layton, a retired high school teacher, pointed out to The CJN: “Our family lived in Côte St. Luc throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. It was during this time that Dad wrote many of the signature poems for which he later became famous.”

 

Montreal writer Glen Rotchin, winner of two Canadian Jewish Book Awards, is in the Layton camp.

 

Max Layton continued: “In fact, some of these poems specifically refer to Côte St. Luc, and it is at our little house, at 8035 Kildare Rd., that poets such as Dylan Thomas, Al Purdy, Milton Acorn and Leonard Cohen often met.

 

“Mordecai Richler had nothing to do with these gatherings or with Côte St. Luc.”

 

Max Layton suggests that Richler would be more suitably memorialized by naming something for him in the St. Urbain Street area, which he made famous.

 

“Naming a high school in Côte St. Luc for Mordecai Richler would be as completely inappropriate as naming a high school in the St. Urbain area for Irving Layton.”

 

After much public discussion, the City of Montreal last year, on the 10th anniversary of his death, decided to renovate and rename the gazebo on Mount Royal for Richler, a project that has yet to get underway.

 

The elder Layton, who died in 2006, also spent his final years in Côte St. Luc as a resident of Maimonides Geriatric Centre. The city already commemorated him. In 2007, Côte St. Luc named a street in a new development Irving Layton Avenue.

 

One EMSB commissioner, Julien Feldman, has proposed that the Bancroft campus on St. Urbain Street, near the former Baron Byng High School, be renamed for Richler. It currently houses both Bancroft Elementary and MIND High School, and enrolment is growing because of the influx of young people into the Plateau.

 

The Côte St. Luc EMSB campus is currently called the Giovanni Palatucci Facility for an Italian policemen who rescued Jews during World War II. It houses John Grant High School for children with special needs, Marymount Adult Education Centre and the EMSB’s book processing centre.

 

Whether there ever will be a mainstream EMSB high school in Côte St. Luc again still remains to be seen.

 

Two years ago, the board failed to garner much parental support for the project, despite having the backing of the city of Côte St. Luc, which is eager to attract young families.

 

Among its special features would be Jewish and possibly other heritage programs, as well as a sports concentration and enriched science curriculum.

 

Wagar High School, whose enrolment was at one time solidly Jewish, closed in 2005. In addition to the general decline in the anglophone population, the trend toward private education was cited as a major factor in its demise.

 

The EMSB plans to hold a public information meeting next spring for parents. The high school would only open if a “critical mass” of students register by that fall.

Related articles

• Mordecai Richler High School in Cote St. Luc? Help “make it so!” (beverlyakerman.blogspot.com)
• EMSB hopes new Côte St. Luc high school will slow exodus (gjnashen.wordpress.com)
• Mordecai Richler School in the Plateau? (beverlyakerman.blogspot.com)
• EMSB conducts survey to rename Wagar High (cbc.ca)
• Name the School (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

 

Canadian Pacific Railway Holiday Train now in CSL

CPR Holiday Train seen from Mackle Road

It’s the best shot I could get from Mackle Road near Melling Avenue in Cote Saint-Luc, this evening.  The Canadian Pacific Railway Holiday Train is getting set to depart from its home base in the Saint-Luc Sortin Yards for a cross Canada tour.

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will be visiting over 150 communities across Canada. Each event features a boxcar stage, a lineup of great musical talent and a contribution to the local food bank. Everyone who attends is encouraged to donate food and money which stays in their community.

Since it’s inception in 1999, CP raised more than $6.4 million and over 2.6 million pounds of food in the U.S. and Canada.

The Canadian Holiday Train will embark on its three-week journey on November 28 from Beaconsfield, finishing up in Port Moody, BC, on December 18.

More:

Holiday Train departs from Beaconsfield (CTV News)

Court fines Lugassy following conviction of electoral fraud, maybe more charges to come

Following the conviction of Charles Lugassy of electoral fraud for his actions in the 2009 municipal elections the Quebec court has handed down a fine of $1000 and has stripped Lugassy of the right to vote in elections for a period of five years.  Furthermore, Lugassy is also forbidden from running as a candidate in an election, also for five years.

The courts have clearly ruled this case as a serious offence.  Such a condemnation had previously been unheard of in Cote Saint-Luc politics.

And more legal actions are still pending against Lugassy.  The Director General of Elections has scheduled a hearing on April 30, 2013 concerning Lugassy’s electoral expenses in the 2009 elections.

Related articles

• Lugassy found guilty of electoral fraud – Coupable de fraude électorale dans Côte-Saint-Luc (gjnashen.wordpress.com)
• Self-proclaimed Sephardi candidate guilty of fraud (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

Self-proclaimed Sephardi candidate guilty of fraud

Canadian Jewish News

Janice Arnold, Staff Reporter

MONTREAL — A defeated candidate in the last Côte St. Luc municipal election who claimed to represent the Sephardi community says he is considering appealing a court decision that found him guilty of offering a financial inducement to an opponent, also Sephardi, to drop out of the race.

Quebec Court Judge Johanne White last month found Charles (Chalom) Lugassy violated municipal election law by offering to reimburse the electoral expenses of Sonia Cohen-Peillon if she withdrew from the campaign for the November 2009 election.

Such an act is fraudulent, White wrote.

Lugassy faces losing his right to vote or to seek elected office for five years. He may also be fined up to $1,000.

The charge against Lugassy, who was trying to unseat incumbent Glenn Nashen in District 6, was brought by the Quebec Director-General of Elections.

Cohen-Peillon testified that less than two weeks before the 2009 vote, Lugassy urged her to step aside, saying that, if she did, “we are going to pay you your costs.” She refused.

Her testimony was corroborated by her sister, Michèle Cohen, who told the court that Lugassy also approached her with a similar proposition to relay to her sister.

Lugassy categorically denied that he or anyone among his supporters offered Cohen-Peillon any such inducement, saying it would make no sense, because she was never a serious contender.

Nashen, a longtime councillor, was easily re-elected, with Lugassy garnering about half as many votes, and Cohen-Peillon well behind in third place.

The court heard that a meeting of about 10 leaders of the Côte St. Luc Sephardi community took place at a synagogue on Oct. 19, 2009, where Lugassy and Cohen-Peillon were invited to present their platforms.

Lugassy said there has never been francophone Sephardi representation on the city council, and the leaders of the community, which he estimates now accounts for 40 per cent of Côte St. Luc’s population, did not want to split the vote by having two Sephardi candidates in the same district.

Lugassy claims he was the choice of the Sephardi leaders. Cohen-Peillon, sensing that this was indeed true, declined to go along and continued her campaign.

She testified that on Oct. 18, 2009, she received a phone call from a prominent woman in the Sephardi community who said that Sephardim would not vote for a woman.

White wrote in her 26-page judgment that she found credible the testimonies of Cohen-Peillon and her witnesses, especially her sister, Michèle Cohen, now a member of the Montreal police department’s ethics commission.

The judge dismissed Lugassy’s version of events as “implausible, riddled with outlandish conjectures and not in the least supported by proof.”

Lugassy told The CJN that he thinks that White “completely erred in her judgment.”

His sentencing was set for Nov. 19.

He affirmed, however, that his bid for a seat was motivated by his belief that there should be francophone Sephardi representation on the eight-member city council.

Lugassy charged that anglophone Ashkenazim are jealously guarding a monopoly on power at city hall and that since the last election, there has been a campaign to discredit him for fear that he would run again in 2013 – successfully.

He noted that after the 2009 vote, the city’s director-general of elections issued five notices of infractions, against him. He admitted to one charge – overspending on his campaign by a small amount – while three others were dropped, he said.

The fifth infraction was the allegation that he tried to induce Cohen-Peillon to drop out.

Lugassy filed a written complaint in 2010 with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs that it was a conflict of interest for the city clerk to act as director-general of elections.

Jonathan Shecter was, in effect, an employee answerable to the council, Lugassy said, even though he took a leave to serve as director-general of elections.

Lugassy insists that, even before the Quebec Court ruling, he had no intention of running in the next election, set for November 2013.

Dida Berku, a councillor for 22 years, denied there is any attempt to block Sephardim or any other group from municipal power. She reiterated that “there is no conspiracy or closed shop in Côte St. Luc, nor did we push the director-general to file the complaint.

“All candidates are welcome to run and, in fact, there have been a few Sephardi candidates over the past years.”

She added that it is difficult for anyone to defeat an incumbent.

“Running for council requires a long-term commitment and involvement in civic affairs. It is not just about a short campaign.”

Mayor Anthony Housefather limited his comments on the matter to an emailed response: “I think the judgment speaks for itself. It is about a candidate who was not elected to city council and his actions that were judged to be in violation of Quebec electoral law.

“The city has nothing whatsoever to do with this, and I see nothing I would add, as I have no personal knowledge with respect to any of the issues raised in the judgment.”

 

 

2012-11-22 CJN Lugassy guilty of fraud