As friends, family and admirers of Irving Grundman mourn his passing at the age of 92, please allow me to share a story for which I will always be grateful for a time when he stood up for me when it was not even his job.

After being shut down for weeks, pet groomer Jodi Hymans is back in business at Woofington’s Spa and Boutique in NDG. 

It is a new way of life for us with the pandemic. The past year has been a nightmare for all of us. However, in the word of entertainment, we have been thrown some bonuses. A case in point is the 18th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival Canada, led by new festival chairs and McGill alumn…

Live comedy shows via Zoom do work and based on my two experiences thus far, I would suggest the folks at Just For Laughs seriously look into this format. Maybe by next summer halls will reopen for very small, social distanced gatherings. You can be sure the Royalmount Drive-In Event Theatre…

On the eve of our first COVID-19 Valentine’s Day, which falls on Sunday, February 14, we will be marking the occasion like everything else during lockdown. Flowers can be purchased in person, curbside or via delivery.  As for food, restaurants have done a great job transitioning to take-out …

Like most avid listeners of CJAD Radio, I was saddened to learn about the massive purge of their newsroom on Monday.

It is not often I concur with the political viewpoints of the Parti Québecois, but maybe it is time for Canada to break free from the British Monarchy. With our country completely bankrupt due to the pandemic and the recent resignation of Julie Payette as Governor General, the timing would b…

Let’s be honest. These are not easy times to be an elected politician.

Bravo to Federation CJA,   the Cummings Centre and Ometz for their community-wide mental health initiative on Monday,  January 18 which is encouraging people to reach out for help should they need it.

Less than two years before I was born, CFCF Television Channel 12 came into being. Known today as CTV Montreal, six decades ago TV and radio represented entertainment brands that all ages could appreciate. In fact, as a mere toddler, all of my friends were glued to the set.

As the owner of the network of 11 Centre Masliah hearing aid clinics, Haim Masliach has made a big difference in the lives of more than 100,000 clients over the past three decades.

It has been a tradition for my family to get away somewhere during the Christmas holiday break.

It was sadly ironic that during the same week Jack Silverstone and I wrote a piece for The Suburban about why the Canadan Jewish Congress, 100 years since its establishment in Montreal, should possibly be revived that one of the organization's builders passed away.

The guessing game is over.

There are two pretty prominent jobs available on Montreal English radio as of today.

Dollard des Ormeaux resident and piano teacher Melina Soochan would normally be busy performing during the holidays with her jazz and pop cover band. But not this year.

The 26th edition of the CINEMANIA Film Festival is well underway, continuing through November 22. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s selections of French movies with English sub-titles are only available online for the bargain basement price of $8 per film or $65 for a complete pa…

The decision regarding Paul Karwatsky's successor as the 5 pm and 11:30 pm anchor on CTV Montreal News has been made.

Have you signed up for the 26th edition of the CINEMANIA Film Festival yet?

Montreal businessman Jon Gurman was shopping at Party Expert Friday when he came upon a costume accessory which offended him as a Jew. For $3.99 you can own the most sinister moustache known to mankind. While the chain does not advertise it that way, it can only be described as a Hitler mous…

For as long as I can remember, CJAD 800 has given listeners terrific talk radio from 9 am to Noon. We can go back to the legendary Neil McKenty, Melanie King, Royal Orr, Tommy Schnurmacher, Leslie Roberts and now Elias Makos.

When 2020 began, Total Events boss Lorne Levitt and his C3 Events colleague Adam Bultz had busy seasons planned. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March. As the entire world came to a halt, the two businessmen thought outside of the box. They approached Andrew Lufty, the head of the massive …

I do not attend too many film festivals in Montreal. Over the last few years I have taken a shine to CINEMANIA, which always features some superb French films with English sub-titles. For its 26th edition, CINEMANIA will be taking a “hybrid” approach with screenings both in theatres as well …

A feature film on the illustrious  hockey career of Habs legend Guy Lafleur is being developed into a motion picture.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid-March, Restaurant Sho-dan on Metcalfe Street closed its doors like others in the industry. For more than 20 years this place has been traditionally packed for lunch and dinner during regular operating hours, so for charismatic owner Chinh Pham (best know…

Following the surprise resignation of Paul Karwatsky as the 5 pm and late night anchor on CTV News, the folks there have another vacancy to fill.

Add another big save for the Royalmount Drive-In Event Theatre for the non-profit sector. Over the last few months so many organizations have been able to avoid cancelling their fundraising events by shifting the theme to the makeshift Drive-In near the Decarie Circle.

It is that time of year for The Fantasia Film Festival and this 24th edition is taking place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic

When the late Jean Lapierre served as CJAD’s political pundit on the morning and drive home shows, I rarely missed a segment. If I was driving in the car, I’d make sure not to take a call or open my door when he spoke. It was always “can’t miss” radio. His untimely passing left a giant void …

A mother and her young daughter are stuck in Montreal, unable to return to their home in China as the local consulate refuses to give them a Visa. This is all the more frustrating for Cibele Câmara Rosen given the fact the Chinese Foreign Affairs Office in the Jilin Province has approved the…

As we continue to navigate through this COVID-19 pandemic crisis, are enough people taking seriously the law requiring that people aged 12 and over wear masks or face coverings in enclosed or partially enclosed public places?

Dr. David Zukor is the chief of Orthopedic Surgery at the Jewish General Hospital. During a distinguished medical career that has already spanned more than three decades, with a specialization in hip and knee replacement, he has never before spoken out on any government policies – until now.

When Mark Bergman was relieved of his duties as program director and drive home show host on Virgin Radio in the spring of 2019  after more than 20 years of service, he left as a gentleman. Naturally devastated at the time, he knew what kind of business he had signed up for and immediately j…

During the course of this pandemic I have repeatedly praised our local media for their fabulous coverage. On the English side, our four TV stations (CTV , CBC, Global and City) and two news talk radio stations (CJAD and CBC Radio One) have indeed been on their game. But what about TSN 690? W…

Five Greater Montreal area culinary lovers got to be part of Canada’s first all-cheese cookbook, featuring favorite recipes.

When I was young, before I got a driver’s license, I used to take the 161 bus from my home in Côte Saint-Luc to Van Horne and Côte des Neiges. My friend and I would then walk a few blocks to see a movie at Plaza Côte des Neiges. My dad was friends with the manager, Len Lauer. I even remember…

Up until a few days ago I was not too familiar with the NDG raised brother and sister musical duo Just Costa. But when I got a copy of their new feel-good summer anthem “Peachy,” I was eager to hear more about their back story.

Usually about now the hype would be underway for the annual Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 edition has been rescheduled for the fall when organizers hope they will be able to present live shows.

I have known Barry Nashen for a very long time. Friends and family merely refer to him as “Schmidt,” for reasons I never understood. Nonetheless, I always great him warmly as “Schmidty Boy!” By day he and his brother Jeff run Nashen Technologies , a go to source for IT solutions and consulting.

The arts community has been slammed by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have already seen the Jazz Festival cancelled and Just For Laughs moved to the fall (I have no faith that will ever occur in its usual form).

Nancy Wood has decided to take a break as of July 1 as the late night anchor at CBC Montreal TV News. If, by summer’s end she likes her move to the digital team (while still filling in occasionally for supper anchor Debra Arbec), then she will make that permanent. Weekend anchor Sean Henry w…

Gabrielle Fahmy is the newest member of the CTV Montreal team. She joined them as video journalist last week.

As someone whose main profession is in the communications world, I was naturally attracted to get an advance copy of the new documentary Influence. Concordia University alumni Richard Poplak, and Diana Neille, offer an answer by looking at the morally slippery spin doctor, the late Lord Timo…

Paul Zakaib, better known to radio fans as Tasso Patsikakis, wants to get back in the game.

The restaurant business is taking an awful beating during this COVID-19 pandemic. Most places remain shuttered indefinitely while others are trying to remain relevant via take-out and delivery services. The latter is not necessarily an easy task.

Over the last two months, since the COVID-19 pandemic took over our lives, simple things like attending an interesting lecture have become off limits. Any sort of gatherings, from talks to concerts or sporting events, may be banned for well more than a year as we wait for a vaccine.

While everyone remains hunkered down at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, television has become our most welcomed distraction. So the timing of Ethiopian-Canadian filmmaker Tamara Mariam Dawit’s riveting documentary called Finding Sally could not have been better. It will have its world bro…

Amanda Kline has officially be named the new weekend anchor for CTV Montreal. Since Annie DeMelt left the station in January to become part of the MUHC’s Communications Department, Kline has been doing most of those newscasts and was clearly a very good fit. She starts on May 2.

What is the immediate future of the airline industry? The COVID-19 pandemic has halted leisure travel while  most businessmen I speak to are not going anywhere either. Quite simply, airlines have gone into a complete tailspin as closed borders and travel controls crater demand. The Internati…

Please do not consider me an eternal pessimist, but at the present moment I do not believe we will be part of any large gatherings  for at least a year. Only a vaccine will make us safe and that is 12 to 18  months away. Even if social distancing regulations are loosened somewhat between the…