Archive 2019

The Mystery Continues ....
Eight days ago, you might have read about one of my YouTube videos from the 2016 Santa Claus Parade. For some unknown reason, people were watching that particular video. Within 2 weeks, it had over 300,000 views. I had almost 1,000 subscribers to my channel, up from 50 2 weeks prior. Well the trend has continued with a vengeance. As of the early hours of December 26th, The views have reached 1,106,031 and I now have about 4,250 subscribers. The popularity has probably spiked now as people shouldn't be watching Santa Claus after Christmas. December 18th was a big day with 109,560 views. Mexico makes up about 20% of the views, followed by Brazil with 13%, USA 10%, India has sneaked in there at 6%. Canada is down to 0.5% of views which is normal considering all the other views. According to the analytics, 65% of viewers are female but I have no idea how they figure that out. 75% of the views are done on a mobile phone with only 1% on a computer. That stat shows that most people surf the web from mobile devices now.
The question some people are asking is whether or not I can make money with that. First of all, you can only monetize your videos on YouTube when you reach a certain level of followers and viewing time. You need 1000 subscribers and over 4000 hours of watch time. I reached that a week ago but I wasn't sure I wanted to go through the trouble. When I finally decided to sign up, it said it could take up to 3 weeks to approve. I figured that by the time I would be approved, interest in Santa Claus would wane. Somehow, I got approved within days so I turned on monetization on that video. After 3 days, I have made an estimate of $13. My first revenue using the power of the web. The only problem is that YouTube will only considering sending you money when you have accumulated at least $100. So if Santa has some staying power for the next weeks he could be bringing me a late Christmas present. Happy holidays..

Alfred Carpini of Deux Montagnes, Quebec, passed peacefully in the
company of his family on Sunday December 15th 2019 at the age of 85.

He will be fondly remembered by his family and friends.

As per Alfred’s wish, there will not be a service.

Passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at Hotel-Dieu St-Jérôme
Loving wife of the late John L. McDonough. She was a ray of sunshine to her two devoted daughters Holly (Terry) and Lori (Dave). Mom's best times were always spent with her family. She was an amazing Grammy to her two loving granddaughters Karly and Cody. Mom lived and loved life to the fullest .
Mom lit up any room she entered with her glamour and magnetism. She excelled in all sports, especially skiing and kayaking.
Mom's last couple of years were spent at Lachute Residence. A warm thank you to Dr. Michaud, Maggie and all the wonderful staff for their attentive care. As well, thanks to good friends Marybeth, Lu and Bev for spending quality time with Mom. Mom, now you're free to join Dad and ski the slopes in heaven.
Entrusted to Salon Funéraire Guay 418, boul. Labelle Rosemère, Québec J7A 3R8

On Friday, December 20th, visitation from 11h00 to 13h00 with a memorial service at 12h00.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Vanis McDonough may be made to Lachute Residence, Ladies auxiliary, entertainment. Envelopes available at the funeral home. To mail your donations, please mail to: Danielle Hay, President, Committee of Ladies Volunteers, Lachute Residence 377, rue Principale Lachute, Québec J8H 1Y1
Click here to view her online obituary

Holy Family Christmas Concert - Thursday December 19^th
Holy Family Church is hosting a Christmas concert to help the Christmas Basket Drive. Admission is free but you are asked to donate a non-perishable good at the entrance. The concert will feature the Lake of Two-Mountains High School Choir led by Laurie King as well as the Holy Family Choir. They will entertain you with a wide selection of Christmas Carols.
The concert is free to all, we just ask that you donate non-perishable food items on your way in the door.
So come join us at Holy Family Church on Thursday the 19^th at 7:00 p.m.. You will hear some of your favourite Christmas Carols and know that you're helping to make Christmas special for many of our town's needy families.

Something Strange is Happening
A few weeks ago, I posted the video I edited of the 50th annual Deux-Montagnes Santa Claus parade on YouTube. I posted a link to it on this site and on my Facebook account and also posted it on the Two-Mountains Facebook group that has almost 2000 members. Around the same time, I started getting people subscribing to my YouTube channel. At first, I assumed that it was people from the Two-Mountains Facebook group that were subscribing but the names I was seeing were sometimes strange and unrecognizable. I did a little investigation and found that a video I posted 3 years ago of the Santa Claus parade (2016) was getting a lot of views. I have posted about 70 videos to YouTube in the last 10 years. The videos with the most views have just over 1,000 because they have been there a long time. A month ago, I had 50 subscribers. When you subscribe to a YouTube channel you get an email or notification when someone adds a new video to that channel. As of this morning, I had 935 subscribers and the views of my 3 year old parade video have reached over 273,000. Just in the time, I wrote this I got 22 new subscribers. It's a mystery to me why all of a sudden an old video is getting so many views. With a quarter of a million views, I guess Two Mountains is getting a little more known. In case you want to view those videos you can click on the images below.

UPDATE one day later and the views have climbed to 382,818 and over 1,400 subscribers. A breakdown by country: Mexico 15%, USA 8%, Brazil 7%, Argentina and Spain 3%. Canada is way down the list at less than 1% of views. The mystery remains.

On Tuesday November 26th, we visited the light show in Laval that is on the Cavalia site. It was a mild evening so we thought we would walk there from the Colossus Laval after enjoying the movie It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood. First bad idea of the night as the walk from that parking lot to the entrance of Illumi was over 2 km's although it's just across the street. There was a lot of people there as the weather was pleasant but because it was so mild, the ground in some places was very muddy. All in all it was an OK experience with a 'been there, done that' feeling. The admission is over $20, so you will have to judge for yourself whether it's worth it. You can look at the pictures in the link above to help you decide. The grounds are open until January 5th. If you want for info about Illumi, here is a link to the site.
The movie about Fred Rogers was worth the cheapie Tuesday price of $13 for the 2 of us. I am not so sure that the one medium popcorn and one medium soft drink was worth $14.90. Obviously, that's where the money is made.

LTM Bursary Fundraiser
Once again I have kindly been donated a pair of tickets to auction off to raise money for my bursary fund for LTMHS. The tickets are for the Habs/Rangers game on Saturday November 23rd. They are great seats on the blue line in the second row from the glass. Their face value is $296.50 each ($593/pair) and the opening bid is $200 - Final bid was---> $550

To make a bid you can send me an email at auction@2mopaul.com or send me a text to the number written at center ice.

I would like to thank all who bid on the tickets. In the end, I was kindly donated a second pair of tickets that went to the second place bidder. A total of $1000 was collected for the LTM Bursary. 😀 Thank you for your continued support.

Paul Goyetche Named Honorary President of the 2019 Christmas Basket Drive (la Guignollé)

On Sunday, November 24, between 1pm and 5pm, volunteers from Dépannage Saint-Agapit Inc. and Agapé Inc. will come to your door to collect your donations of money and non-perishable food products. These donations will be used to fill the Christmas baskets. Mr. Paul Goyetche has graciously accepted the honorary presidency of this fundraising effort. This drive is important for the families of Deux-Montagnes who are going through a difficult period.

Mr. Goyetche is the son of Mr. David Goyetche, former mayor of Deux-Montagnes from 1970 to 1974. During the 2017 floods, Paul devoted himself tirelessly to help his fellow citizens. During the fundraising that Dépannage and the city coordinated he helped organize a benefit evening at Hurley's Irish Pub which raised funds for flood relief. He is also very involved in the city's versatile English community. In short, we have the honour and the opportunity to have a president who is very dedicated to our city.

Faithful to their traditional commitment to the community, firefighters from Deux-Montagnes / Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac enthusiastically agreed to hold a roadblock on December 14 to raise funds. We hope that citizens will respond generously to their call.

As usual, primary and secondary schools students will participate in this collection of food and toys, that is necessary especially at this time of year. Volunteers welcome - If you would like to help in the collection of non-perishables on Sunday November 24th, simply come to Holy Family Church Hall at 1pm. Click here to view the full press release.

Robert Henry (Bobby) Bell - 1945-2019

After a short illness, at the Saint-Eustache Hospital, passed away on Thursday, November 1st, 2019, Bobby, in his seventy fourth year.

Beloved Husband of Carol McCann. Loving father of Darlene (Marco) and Joan. Dear grandfather of Carrissa, Tyler and Jacob. He is also survived by his brother John (Pam), his brother-in-law George (Ann) and Marion.

According to his wishes a celebration of life will take place in the privacy of his family.

The Class of 2019 LTM graduation ceremonies were held on Friday October 25th at the high school. In its 7th year the $500 Paul Goyetche bursary for Visual Arts and Multimedia was awarded to Ethan Matte. The 2mopaul.com Music bursary went to Carly LeBlanc who received $250 in addition to few other bursaries she also got for her achievement in music. Both students are continuing their education at Vanier College.

Congratulations to Ethan and Carly and good luck in your future endeavours. Thanks to everyone who donated to fund in the last years. There is still enough in the bank for a few more years of bursaries. There is a link at the top right for the bursary. Pictures of past recipients as well as the list of donors can be accessed there.

It is with heavy hearts that the family of Peter Barton announces his passing at the age of 68 on Tuesday September 24, 2019. He will be greatly missed by his daughters Mary (Jose), Melanie (Zoli), son Jason (Mireille), and grandchildren Sabrina Nicole Cameron Nathan.

Peter will be sadly missed by his brother Jimmy (Cathy) and 3 sisters Peggy (Denis), Judy (late Mark), Terry (Kerry) and extended family and many friends. In celebration of his life, a reception will be held on Saturday, October 26th, 2019 at 2 to 9pm at Heritage Club 503 Rue Cedar, Deux-Montagnes, QC J7R 1H1.

A special thanks to the doctors and staff of Maison Sercan for their care and devotion. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Peter to Maison Sercan http://maisonsercan.ca/

Message from the Lions Club - The 16th annual book fair recently held on October 5 and 6th was a great success. We would like to thank the many volunteers who worked so hard to place the books, served in the kitchen and helped make this book fair such a great community event. The breakdown of the book fair on Sunday afternoon went very smooth and we had so many volunteers that were not members of the Deux-Montagnes Lions club. It is so nice to know that when we need help, the population of Deux-Montagnes steps up to the plate.

Some of our children's books not sold were picked up to be shipped to Grenada, where there is a great need for children's books.
Our book fair for 2020 will be held on October 3rd and 4th and we will be starting to collect books on January 15th 2020.

A special thanks to the City workers who worked to transport the books from our sorting place to the Veterans Hall. They were great and very helpful.
The funds raised will enable us to keep serving the people in our region.

22 May , 1940 – 26 September , 2019

Visitation; Monday September 30th 19h to 21h Tuesday, October 1st 2pm to 5pm and 7pm to 9pm. Wednesday October 2nd, open at 9h--, the funeral will be at 11h at the Holy Family Church at Deux-Montagnes.
St-Eustache funeral home 146, rue St-Louis St-Eustache, Quebec J7R1Y2
Click here for view his online obituary.

The Lions are holding their giant book fair this weekend at the Veterans' Hall at 141 Grand Moulin. There are over 25,000 book available. This fair is huge and they are looking for volunteers on Thursday October 3rd to put the books on the tables. After the setup, volunteers will get the opportunity to buy their books that day.

On Friday October 4th, the fair is open between 2pm and 4pm to people with reduced mobility and parents with infants in strollers as the fair gets very crowded on the weekend. Pricing for the books is 75¢ for pockets books, $2 for hard covers and large soft-covers and children's books are 3 for $1.

There is also a collection of non-perishable food items for Agapé Christmas Baskets.

For more information please contact Nancy Rupnik at 450 472-0298 or Martin Hensen at 450 473-1932

A number of Two Mountains' residents, ex-residents and wannabe residents are gathering in September 2020 to celebrate our 50th class reunion. We graduated in 1970 from St. Pierre D'Oka Catholic High (SPOCH) and were a small class and are struggling to find all our classmates.

During the next few weeks we will be posting names and photos of people we wish to contact. Hopefully you will know some of these kindly souls and can help us with some info on their whereabouts or a contact number or address. We're also trying to gauge interest of those from other classes of the late 60s or early 70s from other schools in the area who might like to kick up their heels or share the aches and pains of old age with us.

Feel free to contact me or any other committee member if you have some info on these lost souls or if you would like to attend this extravaganza.

CWL Fundraiser - Bea's Lobster or BBQ Steak Dinner - Saturday September 28th

Reminder - The Catholic Women's League is holding it's annual fundraiser at Holy Family parish hall on Saturday September 28th at 6:30pm. You have a choice of a two lobster meal with salad and rice for $40 or a BBQ Steak with baked potato and salad for $30. Of course bread, coffee/tea and dessert is included. It's bring your own wine/beer, glasses and your lobster cracking utensils.

This event sells out fast, so get you tickets early. No tickets sold after September 22nd.

The Lions Club is holding their fall garage sale on Saturday September 14th between 9am and 3pm. You can donate items by calling Dave at 514 602 7054. If you want to reserve a table and sell your own wares there is a $10 charge to reserve a table. Please call Nancy at 514 825 4167 to do that. The event is happening at the Lions' Den on 13th avenue across from the pool.

Also a reminder that the Lions Club Giant Book Fair is a few weeks early this year on October 5th and 6th at the Veterans' Hall. There are still looking for English books. You can call Martin at 450-473-1932 for information on how to donate books.

Local Boy Wins Rosemère Golf Club Class A Championship
That local boy is me. On Saturday and Sunday of the Labour Day weekend, the Rosemère Golf Club (formerly the Fontainebleau Golf Club) held is club championship. The event is divided into 6 categories. Men's Class AA, Men's Class A (handicaps 5.4 to 10.4), Men's Class B (10.5 and up), Women's A, B and Senior). Stephane Bergevin took the honours in the top Men's class while 16 year old Laurence Lamer held on to the Women's title for this year. In the Men's Class A competition, 18 players fought for the title in what was a windy and challenging weekend. Paul Goyetche and Eric Gagnon were tied for first place after day one with a score of 81. 7 other players were within 3 strokes going into Sunday's action. After 9 holes on Sunday, runner-up Michel Larose had managed to grab the lead by one although I was unaware of his score since he wasn't in the final foursome. I managed a one over par back 9 (37) while Michel shot a 6 over 42. In the end, I won the tournament by 4 strokes and took home the prize, which is only bragging rights. Michel took the low net honours after deducting his handicap. It was a great experience in my first full year membership at the club.

Also, congratulations to my friend and golf buddy Michael O'Neil Sr. who won his senior (55+) club championship at Golf Lachute on the weekend. The format for this competition was match play and Mike went to the final and beat his opponent.

Two Soccer Fields Named in Honour of the Founders of the Tournament
On Saturday August 31st, during the 50th annual Two Mountains Soccer Tournament, there was a timeout in the action to mark the founding of the tournament. During that time, the 15th avenue soccer fields, South and North were named the Neil McLaughlin and Bill Lawrance fields respectively. Relatives, friends and 'officials' were on hand to mark the occasion. The soccer tournament goes on until Monday September 2nd, so there is plenty of time to see some of the action.

Maureen (Sadler) Durand
From Deux-Montagnes, on August 24, 2019, at the age of 63 years old, Mrs. Maureen Sadler, beloved wife of Mr. Raymond Durand, passed away.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children Jasmine (Patrick), Matthew and Adam, her grandson Tyler, her brothers and sisters Mary-Lou (Jim), Diane (Ron), Tom (Diane), Colleen (Danny), Alan, Teresa (Brian), her brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces and other relatives and friends.

The family will receive condolences on Friday, August 30th from 2pm to 5pm and from 7pm to 10pm and Saturday from 9am at the: Goyer Funeral Complex, 147 boul. Arthur Sauvé, Saint-Eustache. A tribute ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 31 at 11am in the chapel of the funeral home.
Your sympathy can translate into donations to the Canadian Cancer Society. Please click here for a link to her online obituary.

17th Annual Wyder Cup - A Final Blast?

For the 17th time since 2002, the boys and girls from USA and Canada went head to head in a friendly golf tournament. This event was touted as the final chapter and it didn't disappoint. 66 golfers hit the links at the Maplewood golf course in Bethlehem New Hampshire which has hosted the last 10 tournaments. The first 7 cups were held on this side of the border at various courses, three of them now history. The USA came out on top in both the Ladies' and the Men's competition. The Men's USA team captured their 7th title in the 16 events that pitted the USA versus Canada as one of tournaments was a 'young versus old' affair. Although Canada lead 12-8 after the first day of competition this year, USA fought back to tie 15-15 before the man on man battle on the back 9 holes. That's when the Americans flexed their golf muscles to grab 13½ of the remaining 21 points. All in all it was a great weekend and nothing beats the international friendships made since 2002.

For pictures of the tournament and the other 'activities' of the weekend, simply click on the picture below.

Labour Day weekend will see Two Mountains mark two 50th anniversaries. The Two Mountains Soccer team will be holding it's 50th annual tournament. There will be special displays of the history of soccer in Two Mountains. There will also be a special renaming of two of the fields in memory of Bill Lawrance and Neil McLaughlin, two of the founding members, who passed away this winter. The tournament starts Friday and goes on until Monday September 2nd.

The second event on the agenda is the RDM Class of 69 High School Reunion. There are events from Friday August 30th to Sunday September 1st.

36th Annual Happy Gang Golf Tournament
This year is the 36th edition of Ron Kesseler's Happy Gang tournament, at the Glendale Golf Course. Sunday, September 15th, 9:00am The price is $55.00 Golf/Cart, plus $25.00 in a pot for prize money. Back by popular demand this year, the first, second and third place teams, will receive will be a nominal prize of $120, $90 and $60 respectively. After those prizes are awarded, all teams names get put into a draw (including winners) and balance of the prize money will be luck of the draw! Prizes range from $240 to $90 meaning more than half of the teams will win something. This is to encourage more golfers to come out with hopes of making a few bucks no matter how well their team places. Ron's main goal is that his long running tournament remains something that all enjoy and look forward to every year. Last year, over 60 golfers participated and this year we would like more. The format is teams of 3 playing 'Vegas Style'. Groups of 6 go out and it's a great competition. You can enter your own team of 3 or if you are alone or with one other golfer, Ron will pair you up to make a team.
To register please contact Ron by sending an email to ronk@2mopaul.com.

Great Weekend in the Big Apple
As you can see by the lack of activity on this website, there is not much going on in Two Mountains. A lot of people on vacation and me taking a little break in the action. The Rocky Holt Softball Tournament is happening this weekend. Last weekend, I got to experience a fantastic time in NYC and was privy to some great seats at the Yankees / Red Sox Saturday afternoon game. We had a great time in the city with much of it documented in the SmugMug picture album that can be accessed through this link. There are a couple of funny videos at the end.

Flood Zone Map Version 3
A third version of the map has been released by the Quebec government. Here is a link to what I believe is the latest version.

Flood Zone Map Revised
As promised by the Quebec government, the revised map of the special flood designation has been modified to reflect reality. It used input from the 2017 and 2019 floods and is fairly accurate. Compared to the first release of this map which caused major concerns, this one seems to be pretty good. That being said, the dike project will have the effect of removing much of these zones from the map. To access the modified version of the map please click here and zoom in on the area of your choice.

Message for the Santa Claus Parade Committee: For 49 years we have enjoyed a Santa Claus Parade in Deux-Montagnes. The parades were and are always organized by a dedicated group of volunteers, and this is the only parade that has been led by the same Santa Claus for 49 years, one who knows most of the families and many kids by name.
This will be the 50th annual Santa Claus parade, and we are looking for some financial help from the citizens. The bands and floats are becoming more expensive each year, and we would really like to make this 50th parade a memorable one. Your contribution to a fund me campaign to show your appreciation for all the years of great parades would be sincerely appreciated. Show Santa and his elves that you appreciate their 50 years of dedicated service by giving a small donation. Here is the link: Gofundme.com/50e-parade-du-pere-noel.

For The Santa Claus Parade committee.
Martin Hensen

English Books Needed For the Lions Book Fair
The Annual Lions Book Fair is just around the corner on October 5th and 6th. This year, there seems to be a shortage of English books. If you have books you are willing to part with they can be dropped off Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 11:30am at the Maison des Citoyens, 220 Henri Dunant. Please call Mr. Ouellet at 450-473-7450 to make sure that there will be someone there to receive your donation . We do not accept encyclopaedias and magazines, however LP's and DVD's are welcome. For more information please call Nancy Rupnik at 450-473-0298 or Martin or Betty Hensen at 450-473-1932.

The town of Vankleek Hill Ontario is holding its annual Porchfest on Saturday July 20th from noon to 5pm. Former Two-Mountaineer Ken Duff who now resides in VH is one of the organisers of this popular day. This year will feature over 40 different performers or groups on over 20 'stages' throughout the city. From country to classic rock and from bluegrass to blues, there's something for every taste.

Deux-Montagnes En Fete - This Weekend (July 13-14)
This Saturday (July 13) will be the 5th edition of DM-En-Fete on Oka Road between 12th and 16th avenue from 1pm to 5pm. Local merchants, organizations and association will be displaying their 'wares'. On Sunday July 14th, the festivities continue with family race day. Visit the Jikko website to register by clicking here. There is a 10km, 5km, 1km for the adults and a free 300 meter run for the little ones.

Over 700 people people showed up at the Quebec government consultation on Thursday July 4th on the new proposed flood zones in the area. So many people turned up at the Constantin Cabane a Sucre that they had to turn people away. This 'consultation' if you can call it that, was to present the June 17th Quebec government decree that would prevent people from building or rebuilding in zones that were indentified as flood areas. It was obvious from the start, that the map that had been published (show further down) was done with broad strokes. They said that it was compiled by a series of aerial and satellite images during the floods of 2017 and 2019 as well as a map of claimants of the 2017 disaster. They promised that they map would be rectified by mid August, which, in my opinion, is an impossible task as it involves over 800 communities in the province. They are asking individuals who think they are wrongfully included in the 'red' zone to contact them through an email address. The whole process is ridiculous and the map in its current format should be removed in order to relieve the stress caused by its flagrant inaccuracies.

They did make a strong statement however and it states that if you were not flooded in 2017 or 2019, and therefore had not made any claim to the government for compensation for damages, that you would be excluded from the red zones on the map. It was also mentioned that Ste-Marthe-sur-le-lac residents were exempt from this red zone as the dike will be rebuilt to protect them from future floods. During the question period, it was asked whether this special dispensation would also be applied to Deux-Montagnes residents that will also be protected by the approved dike project currently in the works. The answer was not clear but it will be considered. The first 'question' during question period was a statement by our Mayor Denis Martin representing the entire MRC of Deux-Montagnes. He made a strong point that this map needed an extreme amount of work and that it should incorporate the extensive maps that developed by municipalities during the 2 years of floods. There was a also a call to remove the map entirely from the government website until it has been refined in order not to cause such a panic. There were many of these consultations around the province, so these same concerns must have come to light there.

The bottom line is that the map that has caused so much anguish and stress is a complete mess and was rushed to coincide with the June 17th announcement. Although there seemed to be a commitment by our presenters that it would be fixed by mid July and finalized by mid August, the reality is that government has never acted in that hasty of a fashion. Also, considering the time of year it is being attempted, don't hold you collective breaths.

All Saints Church Annual Strawberry Social
Saturday July 6th at 2:00PM. Strawberries, cream and homemade scones are waiting for you at 248 18th avenue in Two-Mountains. Coffee and tea will be served. The price is just $8 (Children 5 to 12 - $5). For tickets call 450 473 9541 or email info@allsaintsdeuxmontagnes.ca

Dan Klimas' Drive For The Cure Raises Record Amount
The 19th annual DFTC golf tournament was held on Thursday June 27th, at the Rosemère Golf Club (formerly le Fontainebleau) under beautiful skies. Over 160 golfers took to the links for a day of fun but more importantly a day of fundraising. The final tally after all was said and done was over $110,000 (to be finalized) bringing the 19 year total to at least $920,000. If all goes well, the 2020 edition should break the million dollar barrier. What started back in 2001 when a couple of friends got together to support Dan in his successful fight over Lymphoma has become a huge undertaking with attendees and support from near and far. The weather co-operated once again and the multiple food and drink stations around the course were well received. The Two-Mountains contingency was in full force as well as the many volunteers that make this event a world class outing. Click here to see pictures of this and past tournaments. To view a video that was shown at the tournament and tells how this day originated and how and why it has grown, please click here.

Very Important Presentation Concerning Special Planning Zones for Flood Areas (Thursday July 4th)
Following the spring floods experienced over the past two years, the Québec government has adopted a draft order to declare a special planning zone (SPZ) to promote better management of flood zones. If you think this doesn't affect you, if you live south of Oka road, there is a good chance that you may be within this boundary. Looking at the map below, it's obvious that the government didn't spend much time fine tuning this map, so it is important that you attend this meeting if you live anywhere near this area. This could affect many things not the least the resale value of your property. The city strongly opposes this map and encourages the population to attend this consultation on Thurday July 4th at 7:00pm at Constantin (Cabane a Sucre) 1054 Arthur Sauvé blvd. St-Eustache.

Beloved husband of the late Mrs. June Elizabeth Thornton. He will be sadly missed by his sons Brad (Johanne), Randy and Stewart (Carolyn), his grandchildren Brianna, Sabreena, Sandy, Ryley, Bailey, Alyssa and Andrew, as well as many relatives, friends and colleagues.

A celebration of his life will be held at Royal Legion, 141 Grand-Moulin, Deux-Montagnes, on Saturday, June 29, 2019 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

48th Annual Canada Day Celebrations All Set for Two Mo
A press conference held on Wednesday June 12th to announce the list of activities as well as reveal the parade marshal for the Canada day celebrations that will take place on Monday July 1st. The full announcement and schedule can be accessed at this link on the City website. Here are some excerpts from the press release.

As in years past, a parade will kick off the celebrations. The parade will start at the Royal Canadian Legion at 11 h 45, leading to City Hall, where our national anthem, “O Canada” will be sung. The parade will then continue on to Central Park. In naming a Parade Marshall for 2019, the Committee is honoured to recognize not a single person, but all of the employees of the three front-line departments which protected Deux-Montagnes from the flood water all through this past spring:
      O - Public Works and Technical Services Department
      O - Deux-Montagnes/Sainte-Marthe-Sur-Le-Lac Intermunicipal Fire Department
      O - Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes Police Force

THE FESTIVITIES – NEW ACTIVITIES
Starting at 12:30pm, many family activities will be offered: face-painting, train rides, horseshoes tournament, etc. New for 2019 – pony rides and a giant bubble workshop.
Live music featuring artists from the region will be presented from 3pm right up to midnight. The headlining band is Persuasion, a tribute to Santana, not forgetting, of course, the spectacular fireworks display, presented by the City of Deux-Montagnes, which will fill the sky at 10:15pm.

A PLACE FOR TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS
Thanks to support from Canadian Heritage, a new sub-committee of teens and young adults was form to organize different activities targeting their age group : Virtual Reality Gaming Station, an Escape game, a « Chill Zone », as well as giant games, including Jenga, Foosball and Hungry Hippos.

MUSIC FROM 3:00 PM TO MIDNIGHT
   3:00 pm Frankie Raffa & Andrew Nye
   3:30 pm Courage, A Tragically Hip Tribute https://www.facebook.com/couragehiptribute/
   4:55 pm Relik
   6:15 pm Dan Livingstone & the Griffintown Jug Addicts https://danlivingstone.com
   7:15 pm Carly LeBlanc
   7:40 pm Skyline Drive
   8:45 pm VAN (St. Eustache’s own Vanessa Piunno) https://www.vanpiunno.com/
   9:45 pm Headliner: Persuasion – the Santana Experience http://www.persuasionband.com/
10:15 pm Fireworks, presented by the City of Deux-Montagnes

Rick Lee's Celebration of Life

A celebration of life for LTM alumnus Richard (Rick) Lee was held in St-Albert, Alberta on May 31st. Among the people attending were ex-Two-Mountaineers Gary Leboeuf, Colin Garner, John Garner, Rosie & Norm McDonough.

On Saturday, June 22^nd at 7pm at St. James Anglican Church in Hudson there will be a concert to raise funds for Red Cross Flood Relief. This concert will feature three Two Mountains Alumni, Larry Cool, Frank Everett and Ken Duff.

The tickets are $20 a person with all funds going to the flood relief. Click on the poster on the right for all the info.
Ken Duff also has tickets for sale. You can email him at kduff@saken.ca .

William (Bill) Lawrance - 1935 - 2019

Reminder - A Celebration of life for Bill Lawrance will be held on Saturday, June 1st at 11:00 a.m. at Guay Funeral Home located at 146 Rue St. Louis, St Eustache.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to alzheimers.ca or MUHC Foundation C/O Drive for the Cure - Lymphoma Research Fund muhcfoundation.com.
To view his online obituary please click here.

Agapé (Dépannage St Agapit) will be holding its annual garage sale Saturday June 8th at the Maison du Citoyen, 202 Henri Dunant Deux-Montagnes from 9am to 3pm. Proceed go to AGAPE for food for the needy. Donations accepted the week of June 3rd. Table rental $15

Lions Garage Sale - On Saturday May 25th from 9am to 3pm the Lions will be holding their annual Garage Sale. It will be held at the Lions' Den (111 13th Avenue across from the pool). They will serving food including their famed cabbage rolls. You can rent a table to sell you own wares for $10. If you have any items that you want to donate, the Lion's will accept them. If you cannot bring the items, the Lions may be able to pick them up. Please contact Dave (514-602-7054), Don (438-937-9317) or Art (450-473-2503) to arrange pickup

Glenn Hogan Memorial Golf Tournament
Holy Family Parish is holding its annual golf fundraiser on Saturday June 15th at the Oka Golf course. The golf will be followed by a supper at the church hall. Tickets can be obtained in the church hall on Sundays at 11:00am. The price is $65 for golf and dinner and a limited number of carts can be reserved for $15 a person and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Admission to the steak supper only is $30.

4 Korners’ Women’s Wellness Workshop
Cool as a Cucumber, Healthy Cooking Session

Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7 – 9 p.m.
On the menu
• Arizona Sunset
• Tortilla Salad
• Pan Pagnat (picnic-perfect sandwich!)
• Icy Blueberries

Registration is very important. It is free for members and membership is only $10 a year.
Please sign up by May 29th at lilia@4kornerscenter.org or 450-974-3940.

At 4 Korners’ new activity centre: 1650 Chemin d'Oka, Deux-Montagnes (beside the BMO)

As You Probably Noticed...
My regular readers probably noticed the lack of activity on my website in the past month. It wasn't for the lack of activity going on in the Two Mo area with the flooding and bad weather. We were away on a almost month long adventure on the road. Our main goal was Texas but we stopped in many other places on the way there and back. Our first main stop was Nashville, then we went on to Galveston by way of Little Rock AK and Dallas. We stayed in Texas for almost 2 weeks somehow avoiding the real bad weather there and made our way back through Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. We got to see the Blue Jackets beat the Boston Bruins in Columbus and many places we went had Stanley Cup Fever: Nashville, Dallas, St-Louis and finally Columbus. There was Derby fever in Louisville although we were at Churchill Downs 5 days before the famous controversial race.

As in the past, we kept a detailed log of our travels along with way too many pictures (almost 1000 posted). It was a busy four weeks on the road, all the time thinking about what was happening back home as we could watch and listen to (Montreal) local news through unlimited data on a SIM card I purchased before leaving. We were keeping in the know using Facebook and Facetime.

Now that we are home, we are hoping that the good weather has followed us and that the rivers and lakes recede so that things can get back to 'normal'. In Ste-Marthe-Sur-Le-lac, normal might seem to be far away but hang in there.

Many of our past trips are documented using the link labelled Our Trips on the globe on top.

Click here to See Water levels on the Lake and River (As a reference, the Pointe-Calumet high point in 2017 was 24.60m)

April 27 update: I was wrong. The flood level at the Pointe Calumet reading have surpassed 2017 levels. The weather and snow melt were big factors once again. Thanks to the help of a lot of people in Two-Mountains, the damage so far has been averted for the most part. Climate change is definitely a major factor in this trend and it looks like a 'permanent' solution will have to be expedited in many parts of the area.

Here We Go Again!
It looks like we are in for another round of flooding. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I didn't think the flood of 2017 would happen again for another few years which would probably give Two Mountains enough time to prevent all the destruction that happened in 2017. The dike project which was approved will be a few years in the building and until then temporary measures have to be taken to minimize the damage. The city is already deploying the thousands of cement blocks that sat idle in 2018. The news media is predicting that the flooding could be as bad and even worse than 2017. I am hoping that this won't be the case but with the bad weather coming this weekend who knows what could happen.

On Saturday April 27 at 2pm, All Saints Church is holding an afternoon tea served in fine china along with finger sandwiches and a selection of pastries. The cost is only $12. The event will be held in the All Saints Hall at 248 18th avenue in Two Mountains,

This is to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's birthday which is April 21st. As you know, the May holiday of the queens birthday marks Queens Victoria's birthday which is May 24th and celebrated on the third Monday of May.

Forever Young Theatre Company Presents The Beehive Mystery

On Saturday May 4th, the Forever Young Theatre group will be putting on another show. This Beehive Mystery, a murder mystery by Steve Gillam be served up along with a 4 course meal. The will be an act between each course or visa versa. The feast will be prepared by Chef Garry Wylie. Admission is only $30 and there is a limited amount to be sold.

For tickets please contact Hazel Wylie at (450) 983-6811 or send an email to hazel_wylie@hotmail.com.

The Heritage Social Club is holding a country night with a spaghetti supper on Saturday April 13^th, 2019. The country music will feature the Kid Country Band. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm. Tickets are only $18 and are going fast. To get your tickets, please call 450 473 5429. You can click on the poster (on left) to enlarge it.

To take a look at the other happenings at the HSC, visit their website by clicking here or visit their Facebook page here.

The Band R.E.M. Sues The Caisse de Depot Over Use Of Name for Light Rail System
Michael Stipe, lead vocalist for the Athens, Georgia based band R.E.M. has filed a lawsuit against the 'Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec' for unlawful use of the name REM for their new Light Rail System. The suit names Michael Sabia as the main figure in the filling of the $5US million legal action. Mr. Sabia, head of the CDPQ, has commented that he won't Stand for this litigation. He was quoted as saying that everybody hurts if this ruling comes to pass. His argument is that the new train system regardless of the name will make Montreal area commuters very shiny happy people. Sabia also suggested that instead of fighting this in court, it would not be the end of the world to change the name in order to avoid the claim in this monster lawsuit. He said that 'if they can put a man on the moon, they could change the name using country feedback if they run out of time.
Mr. Sabia was also asked about the new design of the LRT system and the decision to have the trains painted in a highly visible colour reminiscent of an Orange Crush can. He added that since these green (eco-friendly) trains will be driverless and automatic for the people, the bright colour would stand out in our winters, especially when they have been immobilized by white outs. Sabia's lead lawyer on the case, Kenneth Stringfellow, was questioned by a reporter about how often suits like this occur to large government corporations . The answer to 'What's the Frequency, Kenneth?' was this is the first time a suit of this magnitude the CDPQ has faced. However, the Quebec government is now being sued over its efforts to secularize the public sector. The Quebec Premier, Francois Legault, was heard saying 'I don't mind losing my religion because the Quebec is the one I love'. FIRE!
My apologies to people who aren't fans of Rapid Eye Movements. I guess I don't have to tell you what date it is.

Joseph Arthur “Joe” Leeming - November 17, 1941 – March 2, 2019

Peacefully at the Lachute Residence surrounded by family and close friend of many years Margaret Pearson. He will be forever loved and missed by Kathleen, children Andrew (Kim), Lianne (Brian) and Adele (Pat) and all his beautiful loving grandchildren, Jacqueleen, Kendra, Rebekah, Andrew, Emma and Anna. Thank you Residence Lachute for all your kindness and care of our Dad we are forever grateful.

A memorial service and reception to celebrate Joe’s life will be held Saturday April 27 from 1 p.m. to 5p.m. at:
Salon Funéraire Roland Ménard Inc. 395 rue Grâce Lachute, Qc 450-562-4114
In lieu of flowers donations in memoriam to the Fondation de la Résidence régionale de Lachute, 1 rue du Sommet, Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, QC, J0V 1X0

Click here for his online obituary.

4 Korners Offers Suicide Prevention Training Session
The 4 Korners Resource Center has invited the Centre de Prevention Suicide Faubourg to give a one day session on becoming a 'Sentinel'. The session, in English, will be held on Friday April 12th from 8:45am to 5:00pm at Oasis de L'ile on Yale Island in St-Eustache. Space is limited and you must register through email atoundjian@gmail.com or phone 514 799-5458. Lunch and Spa access are included. Click here to view details of the program.

RDM (Régionale Deux-Montagnes) Class of 69 High School Reunion
The Two Mountains Regional class of 69 is holding a high school reunion on Labour Day Weekend this year. They are searching for former students from the class of ’69 and any students who were in their class from 1965 to 1969 , who are also welcome. They are currently trying to track down the following students. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Please respond by email to Terry Goulet at gouletterry@hotmail.com.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, brother, and friend, Joseph (Joe) Landry, age 73. He fought his cancer with dignity, strength, and hope at his residence in Lower Sackville, NS with his wife of 52 years, Rita (Wilson) at his side. He was born in Halifax to the late Leonard Landry and Serena (Peters.) He formerly resided in St. Eustache, Quebec for 45 years.
Joe was predeceased by his brother Donald.
He is survived by brothers Cyril (Kaye), Gerald (Helen), Richard (Marge) and sister Sharon (Thanasis) Azeloglou, all of Montreal, Quebec. He leaves to mourn his sister-in-law Thelma (Mike) Wilson, brother-in-law Dale (Rose) Wilson, and many nieces and nephews.
In Joe's retirement he enjoyed driving for Stock School Bus, World Class Limousine, Avis Budget, and Grape Escapes Wine Tours.
Service to be held 11am Friday, March 22nd at St. John Vianney, 4 Beaverbank Road, Lower Sackville NS., with a Celebration of Life reception to follow in the Church Hall. Interment to follow in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery.
Family flowers only, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
Special thanks to Drs. Simon Houston, W.Cwazna, H.Henteleff, the Palliative Care and VON teams and to our dear friends Brian and Ellen Martel and many neighbours. Gratitude goes to the musicians who provided music for Joe's solace.
Funeral arrangements have taken place under the care of T.J. Tracey Cremation and Burial Specialists, Bedford. (902-835-4212).
To view his obituary and view his guestbook on the Montreal Gazette's Obituary site, please click here.

All Saints Swing Into Spring Dinner and Show
All Saints Church is holding a dinner show on Saturday March 23rd. The show is the Gary Carpenter's tributes to Elvis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and more. The dinner will feature a salad, pulled pork with fries, dessert and tea or coffee. It's bring your beverage. The cost is $20 a person, $7 for children. For information and tickets please call 450 472-3065 or email info@allsaintsdeuxmontagnes.ca. Click here for the poster with all the information.

Mayor Denis Martin Calls Commuter Train Delays Unacceptable
Deux-Montagnes mayor Denis Martin is frustrated (as we all are) by the disruptions that the building of the REM will bring to the 15,000 commuters that currently utilize the Deux-Montagnes line on a daily basis. As I reported last week, the upcoming changes to the EXO schedule are just the beginning of what is proving to be a huge disruption to our service until the optimistic target date of the 2023 when the REM is supposed to be in full service. Between now and then, the planned complete shutdown of the Mount Royal tunnel for 2 years will add an estimated 40 minutes to travel time between Deux-Montagnes and Central Station. That time had been reduced to 35 minutes when the commuter train was running at its finest. The proposed route will involve the current train to Du Ruisseau. A transfer by bus to either Sauvé or Cote-Vertu Metro station (not sure which one). Then a Metro ride into downtown is to follow with either 13 or 14 stops to Central Station. I did a rough calculation of the best case scenario of correspondence assuming that you didn't have to wait for any of the transfers. I am also assuming that the current travel time to the Du Ruisseau station remains at 28 minutes. The best bus travel to either Metro station is 10 minutes and the Metro is around 20 minutes to Bonaventure. This means 60 minutes of travel if you were teleported from one mode of transport to another. I can imagine the stampede to get to buses when 10 full cars of the commuter train disembark to get the buses which hopefully will be there in enough numbers to handle the crowd. It certainly makes sitting in your car for 90 minutes crawling in traffic seem like a better option. Of course, the cost of using your car and finding parking in town is not a cost effective solution.
Anyway, the mayor, being a train user himself, can certainly relate and understand that the current proposed plan is not good for his citizens. He voiced his concern last week and it made the news. Click here for the CBC article.

Oka Road on a Winter Morning
In case you haven't seen it, last Sunday (March 10th), I went out on Oka road during a snow 'storm' and filmed some of the buildings as they stand now and wrote down some of their prior incarnations. I posted the video on the Two-Mountains Facebook page and many ex-pats liked it since it brought back many memories. I thought that the snow added a little flair to the scenes which I recorded at 120 frames per second. This slows down the action to 25% actual speed. I use that speed to film the birds on the feeder. It makes snow falling much 'prettier' especially when we are still getting it in March. Although I filmed a lot of different buildings along Oka road, I still missed a few so I may do another project when the weather gets a little better. Also, I couldn't remember a lot of the prior uses of some of the buildings. Since I only arrived in Two-Mountains in 1964, many of those buildings were built before that. To view the Youtube video, just click on the picture on the right.

4 Korners Events
The 4Korners Family Resource Center Has 2 upcoming events next week. On Monday, March 11th from 6:30pm to 7:30pm is a family craft night. The theme is Get Creative With Puppets. It's $2 per child but free to members. Materials are provided. On Thursday March 14th is a Women's Wellness Workshop. This workshop's theme is Entrepreneurship as a way to be autonomous. The hours are 7pm to 9pm. This is a free event for members. Membership is only $10 a year. You must register for to attend either of these sessions. You can call 450-974-3940 or send an email to info@4korners.org. Click here for more details on the 2 sessions or visit their website here.

Actually Jed's was gone more than 30 years ago, the building that was Jed's has been demolished to make way for a proposed overpass for the REM train system. The bulldozer that has been in the waiting for quite a while, woke up this morning (Tuesday Feb 26th) and did the deed. Only one building remains with the March 1st deadline looming. The light rail system which is now slated for (at least) 2023 is continuing to show its impact. Starting March 25th, a new train schedule will be in effect for the Deux-Montagnes Commuter line. The weekend cut in service will now start one train earlier on Friday evenings. It looks like weekend service will not be returning until the REM is in place. Other than that change, the new train schedule has changed considerably. One of the reasons is that the train will now take up to 8 minutes more to travel into the city. This is probably due to a slow order (speed limit on the rail) in the Mount Royal/Canora area. They are rebuilding both stations for the REM and will put a temporary station between the 2 stops. This will be in effect in late May. To view the current and future schedule you can use the link on the top left.

To keep up with the REM plans on our commuter line, there is a website that describes the development. Here is the link to follow. Once at this page, just click the Deux-Montagnes construction work under the Project Progress heading. You can read about how the REM line will be phased in.

Environment Quebec Approves Dike Project
First of all, I made the front page of our local paper this week. That's me under the stop sign taking the picture you see on the right. The picture is from May 6th, 2017 as the water was still rising. The article in L'Eveil describes how, after over a year of negotiating, the Quebec government has green-lighted the city to get tenders on building a dike to prevent flooding. The decision was probably a bit sped up in the last weeks as our local member of parliament, Benoit Charette, became the minister of the environment on January 16th. During the flood, Benoit stood in that very spot (and many others places throughout the town) and saw the devastation first hand. He has been working very hard to get the dike project approved but as head of the environment he came through. The irony in the picture below is that the dike project does not go that far west. That picture was taken at the corner of Lakebreeze and 18th avenue. In order for the project to be approved and have the least impact on the environment, the actual dike proposal starts at the train bridge and only goes as far as the old El Rancho beach, now the Accurso property. That dike is continuous impermeable berm with a flat top that is about 6 feet wide. The dike itself is about 30 feet wide with slopes on both sides. Another part of the project was to build a removable barrier at the beach which is called Park Gault Gillespie. West of the Accurso property which has a wall that prevents that from being flooded, each waterfront property will have to be looked at and wall will be built or raised up to adequate levels.

This will be a major project as each homeowner will have to assure the integrity of their part in the entire system. This part does not need the environmental approval that the dike required as it affects the shoreline in a major way. It will however require a concerted effort on the part of many people. If water enters any of the lakefront lots from El Rancho to past 18th avenue. it will make its way down Lakebreeze to blvd du lac and to eventually to the soccer fields which at one point had up to five feet of water on them. The west end of Lakebreeze and beyond is another part that is prone to flooding and also will have to be studied closely. That flood zone contains at least 20 houses and needs to be protected.

I personally don't think that waters will rise to 2017 levels for a few years but prevention is good idea. 2017 was the perfect storm of events to make the waters rise so much. Many factors were involved. A large amount of snow has fallen in the winter. The reservoirs in the north were at a higher level than usual. April was a month of constant rain melting the snow much faster than other years. There were major rainstorms in the great lakes including huge storms in Lake Ontario in early May. The add to the mix, the day most of the temporary dikes were breached, high winds were just at the right angle on the Lake of Two Mountains to produce large waves that even broke down some walls that had stood for decades. 2017 could happen again and climate change is not helping the issue but we could have a few years to build up the defences. Click here to see the city's announcement about the dike project.

Philip Martin passed away peacefully on February 18th 2019 at the Saint-Eustache hospital. He was 92 years old.

Phil is preceded in death by his wife Norma and his daughter Susan. He is survived by his three remaining children; Karen (Frank), Scott, and Stephen; his granddaughters Shanna (Jared) and Megan (Andrew) and his two great granddaughters Nora and Claire.

A celebration of his life will be held at Branch 185 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Deux-Montagnes on March 16th 2019 from 2:00pm until 4:00pm.

One Last Bird Video For This Winter
I know I promised that the third video would be the last of the trilogy but I got a couple of good shots of the Pileated Woodpecker in the in the extreme come blowing out smoke like a dragon. Also his cousin the Northern Flicker made a rare winter appearance on our feeding station. He didn't stay very long but I got one shot of him. So that should be it for the birds. The music I used wasn't bad either. Unless a bald eagle shows up on my feeder, this should be it for avian productions for this winter. Speaking of bald eagles one was spotted this summer near the corner of Lakebreeze and 18th Avenue.

I have posted another video that I took on Feb 15^th at the railway crossing on blvd du lac since most of the buildings around there have been demolished. On Facebook, it seems that there is a lot of reminiscing about the way things use to be in Two-Mountains. The imminent demolition of the building itself has struck a nostalgic nerve especially for ex-pats who pine about its demise. Jed's hasn't been there for over 40 years, but I guess for people that grew up there and left during the great exodus in the 70's, it remains in their hearts. Jed's was certainly a big part of south Two-Mountains and because the train station was so close, many people would drop in there or at Pageau's. At one point, these was IGA, Bigras', the dep across the street, Maisoneuve's, Jed's and Pageau's all within 550 feet of the station. Other than the ticket kiosk at the Grand Moulin station there is not much left there now. As the government mandates that the densification near the train stations, this are will build up with many multi storey building. It is the only way we can meet the ratio of population to acreage that the government has dictated. Two-Mountains has been blessed with two train stations even in the new REM plans. This blessing is somewhat of a curse since our little town will have two areas where this densification will need to be done. This will affect some neighbourhoods quite hard. There has been a lot of heated discussion over the city plans. The January counsel meeting was jam packed and they had to turn people away because of the city hall's limited capacity. I hear the Valentine's day meeting was just as amorous. Click here to see the 2 minute video of the area as it stood on February 15th. I will post another one of the same area in a year for comparison.

Honoured recipient of Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal. Retired from CNR since 1989, it is with regret that we announce the death of Vic of Deux Montagnes. Predeceased by parents Stanley Smart, Muriel Flavelle brother Ralph (Connie). He leaves behind his beloved wife of 65 years Yolande Desjardins, son Daniel (Beverley), daughters Sharon (Peter MacArthur), Sally (Rob Hale), Maureen (John Heaney) Ann (Scott Martin) Elizabeth (Jerry Pieper - deceased). Proud grandfather of Philip, Peter Ryan and Sabrina, Jennifer and Stephanie, Katherine and Sam, Emma and Hannah, Grace and Fawn. Remembered by cousin Lorne (Dianne), Jennie Melgar, Ralph Castelli, West Coast Smarties Linda, Sandra, Norma Jean. Vic was a proud Life Member of the Royal Canadian Legion, 30 year member of Branch 185, one-time editor of The Victory, Partner and West-End Editor of The North Shore Gazette, active in NDG and Deux Montagnes community, coach of The Hungry Nine baseball team, Past President of Two Mountains Lions Football Assoc. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 185 Scholarship Fund would be appreciated. Honour our vets' sacrifices by helping our youth and Canada's future.

Family will receive condolences on Friday February 22 from: 2pm to 5pm and 7pm to 10pm and on Saturday February 23 from 10 am at Complexe Funéraire Goyer Ltée 147, boul. Arthur-Sauvé Saint-Eustache. The funeral service will be held at Holy Family Church, 1001 Oka St. Deux-Montagnes on Saturday February 23 at 2pm. Reception to be held at 3:30pm at the Royal Canadian Legion 141 Grand Moulin Deux Montagnes J7R 3C8. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 185 Scholarship Fund would be greatly appreciated.
Click here to view his online obituary on the Goyer site. and Here for the Gazette site.

Rick Lee R.I.P.

The family of Richard, “Rick” Bruce Lee, is saddened to announce his passing, on February 5th, 2019. He is survived by his loving spouse of 17 years Diana; as well as numerous relatives and friends. Rick was predeceased by his parents and brother Bob, as well as relatives and friends.

No service is being held at this time. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date for friends and family. Rick was in the Class of 73 at LTMHS.

Donations can be made to Alberta Diabetes Foundation, 8602 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1

Antiques Roadshow at Women's Time Out
On Thursday February 1st, the Two-Mountains Women's Time Out hosted a mini antique roadshow moderated by Sylvain St-Maurice of Deux-Montagnes Antique on Oka Road. The women were encouraged to bring a vintage or antique item from their homes in order for Sylvain and partner Audrey Simard to start an appraisal process and discuss the items. After a short presentation on 'antiquing', the items were presented with their historical and sometimes hysterical significance. I recorded the interactions and edited them into a 20 minute mini show a la Antique's Roadshow style. It won't be shown on PBS but you can watch by clicking on the picture on the left.

Women's Time Out takes place every Thursday at 1:00pm at the Veterans' Hall with various activities, presentation and games. It has a been a Two-Mountains staple since 1980.

Contest not valid in Quebec
Just a heads up here. I received an email from Qantas Airlines that they were running a sweepstake wherein the winner would get free flights to Australia. You simply had to register to win. Companies offer 'free' stuff like this so that you register with them to receive promotional emails and even regular snail mail. I am always a little leery of giving out too much personal information for these types of promotions but since I already subscribe to Qantas newsletters and they had all my info anyway, I was ready to give it a shot. I used their provided link and got to a website where you could click to register for the contest which involved taking a travel survey. Obviously you have to provide enough information so that if you do win, they can get a hold of you. In the past, I have often seen that somehow Quebec residents could not enter these contests. Sure enough, before registering I clicked on these terms and conditions and Quebec residents could not win the prizes.

At least, Qantas was a little more transparent about excluding Quebec as you can see in the actual registration form in the picture (see above). I have often noticed that residents of Quebec were excluded from contests and assumed it was a language law and that companies didn't want to go to the expense of documenting their 'stuff' in French. I believe that it might be the case for some companies but it's apparently a consumer protection issue.
I think it has more to do with the lottery laws of Quebec which are there to make anything not run by Loto-Quebec less desirable. In my research of why we are excluded from many contests I found a good article that explains it fairly well. I will not list all the hoops that a company has to go through to appease the RACJ (Regies des Alcools, des Courses et des Jeux) but one can easily see why anyone would even try to comply with all its rules. (You can read the article here).

Bottom line, is that under the guise of being protected by our laws, we are being deprived of winning some attractive loot. So before you enter a contest or sweepstakes by giving away some valuable personal information for 'free', read the terms and conditions and check the first paragraph titled ELIGIBILITY. It should be very clear whether you can win anything at all. If somehow you are not excluded, good luck.

The Lions club will be holding a sale of LP’S, DVD’s and CD’s on March 2^nd at 200 Henri Dunant from 10:00 am to 3:00pm. Over the past year, the Lions Club received a good quantity of these articles.

At the annual book fair they do not have the space to properly display and show the items. Thus this sale is being held to liquidate these CD's, LP's and DVD's.

For information please call Nancy Rupnik at 450-473-0298 or Betty or Martin Hensen at 450-473-1932.

Another Birdie Video - Not Really
I have posted another video and it does involve a birdie however this one is on a golf course. This weekend, they are playing the Waste Management Open at TPC Scottsdale. I was lucky enough to play there last November. The highlight of this tournament is the crowd surrounding the 16th hole par 3. It's the loudest golf crowd on the tour. It was pretty loud when I played that hole but for a different reason. You will see why on the video. Watching this tournament brought some good memories. Click on the picture on the right to see the video.

William (Bill) Lawrance - 1935 - 2019

May 7, 1935 - January 19, 2019. Bill died peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer. Bill dealt with his illness the same way he lived his life, straight ahead and with remarkable spirit and humour. Bill enjoyed to travel, and had one final fall trip to his beloved home country of Scotland, and witnessed first hand a victory by his favourite team, Glasgow Rangers FC. Bill was preceded by the love of his life Alice, they were married for over 55 years. Bill and Alice immigrated from Scotland to Montreal in 1957, and shortly thereafter moved to Two Mountains, PQ. Bill threw himself into the Community that was home to his final day. Bill was one of the founding members of the Two Mountains Soccer Club with a great group of friends. He was an active member of the Lake Youth Sports Association, and a long-time Right Honourable Brother (33rd degree) of the Masonic Lodge. Bill will be missed immensely by his son, Steven; daughter-in-law, Mary; and Riley our Labrador Retriever, his best pal. As well his sisters, Jean (John) Grace (Nat); and sister-in-laws, Chrissy (late Ian) and Margaret (late James); and his many nieces, nephews and friends. Our Family would like to extend our appreciation to Dr. Briere, the staff of the St. Eustache Hospital, and the amazing staff and volunteers of Sercan Palliative Care home.

We will hold a Celebration of life for Bill on Saturday, June 1st at 11:00 a.m. at Guay Funeral Home located at 146 Rue St. Louis, St Eustache, PQ.514-871-2020. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to alzheimers.ca or MUHC Foundation C/O Drive for the Cure - Lymphoma Research Fund muhcfoundation.com. Published in The Globe and Mail from Jan. 25 to Jan. 29, 2019
To view his online obituary please click here.

Father Lowe Memorial Hockey Night & Spaghetti Supper

Holy Family Parish is having its annual Father Lowe Memorial Hockey night and Spaghetti Supper on Saturday February 23^rd. 2019. As always, the game will feature the Habs / Maple Leafs rivalry. It all happens in the Holy Family Parish hall. Tickets go on sale this weekend and the deadline is February 17^th. Tickets are $15 and children under 13 pay only $6. The hall is licensed to bring your own beverages. There are door prizes, raffle prizes and a ½ and ½ draw.

The Last of Three Bird Videos
I apologize in advance if you don't like birds but due to the cold weather, I've been staying indoors. That is, except for Saturday for the hockey, going out to shovel and refilling the bird feeders. The cold spell spells two things; more for birds on the feeders and more time to shoot and edit videos. This will be the last of the 3 bird videos since I finally captured the elusive Pileated Woodpecker and finally didn't scare off the Cardinal as I set up my tripod. The Pileated wasn't that elusive after all since he spent at least 20 minutes on the log that I fill with suet (every day now since Woody seems to do a good job of emptying it). As in the last 2 videos, I am capturing the action at 120 frames per second otherwise the birds are just too fast to see them properly. Pay attention to the close ups of the woodpecker and how he uses his tongue. It's quite the sight and something I had never noticed before. Click image on left to view.

Score for the Cure Raises Record Amount
Despite the frigid and bone chilling cold, the community of Two-Mountains came together once again and helped raise funds for the MUHC Cancer research Foundation at the 10^th anniversary of the Score for the Cure Ball Hockey tournament held Saturday January 19^th. A full day of friendly competition between old, young, family and friends brought everyone together for the common goal. It was definitely one of the coldest days of winter with wind the chill reaching -31ºC at times. Hats off to all players and spectators who helped raise and donate over $3900 this year!

The old Two-Mountains Restaurant building is biting the dust today as demolition has started. Actually, it's not really the old restaurant as that was replaced in the 80's with what was currently there. There's no need to get nostalgic about this one because that building was a dump and badly designed. Remember having to go downstairs to the bathroom when in the restaurant. Also, if you were unlucky enough to see the bathrooms in the last few years when the downstairs Karaoke bar was open, you probably agree that there wasn't much to be done to renovate the place. There were a lot of rumours on what would go there. There is plenty of room for development since the Mexican restaurant (the old Rexall building) burnt down last year. It seems that a five storey condo building will be built and probably will fill the entire block. The first floor of the building may be used for commercial ventures such as a restaurant. I am not sure how many condo units there will be there. What amazes me is that condos are being filled at all. I know of a couple of fairly new buildings that are struggling to sell units. With the possible shutdown of the commuter train in order to build the light rail system, it's a wonder anyone would want to settle here if they are working in Montreal.

Another 57 unit condo is in the works (on paper at least) on the corner of 20th and Blvd Deux-Montagnes just behind the Shell. Ground has not been broken yet but it is relying on its clientele to use the REM (light rail system) since it's very close to the Deux-Montagnes station. Not quite as close as you see in the artist rendition on their website here.

One of the (many) things that bothers me about the new REM other than the obvious effects on our current service is that much of the publicity around it shows the trains on an elevated track. It looks great in the drawings but will it actually be on that type of track? If so, why have they expropriated 10 properties on Blvd du Lac to build an overpass? The entire REM project or at least the part on the DM commuter line seems to be mismanaged. We have no trains on weekends since April 2018. It was apparently to survey the right of way. There certainly wasn't much activity at first and does service still have to be stopped on weekends?

Due to the popularity of the bird feeding video I posted a couple of days ago and also due to the frigid weather, I stayed indoors to film and edit another bird video. This one is 2 minutes long and features a few new species as well the birds are identified (correctly, I hope). Still trying to capture a Cardinal which either shows up too late in the day or is skittish and doesn't give me time to setup my camera. Also would like to get a Carolina Wren but none have showed up this year.

Birds Of A Feather Eat Together, Sometimes
We are getting quite a cold spell over the next few days, so the birds on our feeding station are chowing down to beat the cold. This morning, there were loads of birds shuffling to get their meals. I capture some of the action using a high speed setting on my camera meaning that the video will show at 1/4 the speed. It could set it at even higher speed but then the video is not in high-def. To take a look at the 90 second interlude simply click on the screen at the right.
On my opening screen and in this video, you will notice 2 bird feeders. They are squirrel proof bird feeders and they really work. I have had many supposedly squirrel-proof feeders in the past but the rats with furry tails have always figured out a way to break into the booty. Not with these 2 feeders though. They aren't cheap but they are guaranteed for life as the people from Brome Bird Care will replace any part that breaks, even when the squirrels try to bite through them (which they won't as they have given up climbing on my feeders altogether). The company is based in Knowlton, Quebec so their feeders have been tested in our climate too. If you are tired of feeding the squirrels, this is the way to go. You can save enough in seed over time to pay them off.

10th Anniversary of Score For The Cure Ball Hockey Tournament
On Saturday January 19th, the SFTC Ball Hockey Tournament will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. This tournament helps kick off the 2019 season to raise funds for cancer research while having a fun and friendly day. This event launches the Drive for the Cure program with the final fundraiser being the golf tournament in June at Fontainebleau which will now be called Rosemere Golf Club.

There are 8 teams participating in this year's tourney. Spectators are invited to come and watch the action. There will be refreshments (beer, water and soft drinks) and food available for donations all day long. There will also be a raffle tickets (3 for $10) for multiple prizes being drawn through the day including a pair of tickets for the Canadiens vs. Flyers on Tuesday February 19, 2019. (You do not have to be present to win). Once again we appreciate your continued support and look forward to having you make this another successful community event! The location is the Klimas Recreational Center at 254 Regent street in Two Mountains. Click here to see it on Google Maps.

Followed by a community lunch ($5 or donation of choice) at 200, Henri-Dunant, Deux-Montagnes

After a brief but sudden illness, Neil Roderick MacDonald passed away on December 29th peacefully while surrounded by family and friends.

Neil was a Veteran of the Korean conflict, and very active in the Masons, Shriners, Royal Canadian Legion, the Korean Veterans Association and Holy Family Parish. Many would remember Neil from his scouting days when he spent many summers at Camp Tamaracouta.

Neil is survived by his loving wife Arden. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past summer. He leaves behind his loving children Carolyn (Tony) Neil (Cynda) Sandi and Brian, and grandchildren Matthew (Isabelle), Laura, Catie, Rebecca (Rob), Tommy, Ian, Lizzy.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Sercan (http://maisonsercan.ca), Holy Family Parish (http://holy-family-dm.ca), or a charity of your choosing.

Visitation will be at Guay funeral Home 146, rue St-Louis St-Eustache, Quebec on Wednesday, January 2^nd, 2pm to 5pm and 7pm to 9pm. On Thursday, January 3^rd, family will receive condolences at 10:30am at Holy Family Church, in Deux-Montagnes. A service will follow at 11am.
Click here for Neil's online obituary.

The Answer to the 'Question What Time is Midnight Mass?' and More events at Holy Family
Christmas Masses At Holy Family
Please join us at Holy Family to celebrate our Christmas Eve Mass, carol singing and the Children’s Pageant. It all starts at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 24th. We look forward to seeing you. There will also be a Christmas Day mass at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday the 25th.

Holy Family Feast Day – Sunday, Dec. 30th
Please join us after mass for a light lunch to celebrate our parishes feast day.

Thank You and Birthday Gathering for Father Stephen – Sat. Jan. 12th after the 5:30 mass.
We are planning a Pot Luck Supper for Father Stephen to say Thank You for the time he shared with us and to celebrate his birthday. A sign-up sheet will be available at the entrance of the church requesting your name and the dish you will be bringing. Hope to see you there.

Father Lowe Memorial Hockey Night and Spaghetti Supper (parish fundraiser) – Sat. Feb. 23rd
Tickets will be on sale starting Jan. 27th, Adults $15.00 Children Under 13 $6.00
Canadiens versus the Maple Leafs…..more information coming in January.