Last updated on: May 20, 2025

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Back from Emerald Isle

We have returned from Ireland after a 19 day visit to the island. We had packed for the worst of weather as we expected rain, cold and wind. It ended up that we only had to use our rain gear for a few minutes on one day. While we were there, some long standing weather records were broken. On the usually cool west coast, we had one day of 24 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We had a great trip and we kept a travel log with lots of pictures to look back on. You are welcome to see it if you like. This is the link or it can be reached using the Our Trips link above. A teaser video is at the link below:

Mike Fougere - 1952 - 2025

With heartfelt sadness we announce the passing of Michael Joseph Fougere of River Bourgeois, NS, on Thursday, May 1st, 2025, at the Strait Richmond Hospital in Evanston at the age of 72.

Born September 18, 1952, in Montreal, Quebec, Mike was the beloved son of the late Helen (Lunn) and Joseph Fougere and brother to the late Cathy Aitken (Brian), Rick (Lynne) and Paul.

Mike married the love of his life, Valerie (Sharpe), in May 1976 in Two Mountains, Quebec, and together they built a life filled with family, adventure, and community. With an entrepreneurial mindset, he purchased Thornicrofts (Montreal), an electronics repair shop, building upon a career that reflected his keen mind and knack for fixing things.

Mike and Val raised three daughters—Mary Dartmouth, Crystal Graham (Stephen), Judique, and Jennifer Stevens (Scott) Calgary. As a family, they cherished summers camping and traveling to River Bourgeois, where Mike’s parents had settled in the mid ‘70s. Inspired by his father’s path, Mike set his sights on purchasing the local convenience store, Howard’s Grocery, and when the opportunity arose years later, he and Val made that dream a reality. In 1990, they relocated to River Bourgeois, where they became proud owners of the store and settled into the close-knit community. Mike enjoyed chatting with customers and took on processing game meat for local hunters, adding another skill to his repertoire.

A dedicated volunteer, Mike devoted many years to the Tara Lynne Community Centre, serving as caretaker of the building and grounds, and calling bingo—a role that made him a familiar and welcome voice in the community.

Mike was an avid golfer, he found joy and camaraderie out on the course, spending cherished time with his brothers, brothers-in-law, daughter, and dear friends, making memories with every round. He had a passion for cards, playing 45s in St. Peter’s with friends and crib at the seniors’ hall. He also found joy in cooking, taking great pride in hosting meals for family and friends, especially his signature turkey dinner. No one carved a turkey quite like Mike! Christmas was his favorite holiday, and he instilled his love for the season in his family—decorating the house, watching Christmas movies, making Chex mix, and creating warm traditions that will live on.

In 1995, Mike began working with the Strait regional school board and later CSAP as a bus driver, a job he treasured. He became known as “Mr Mike” to the kids. He loved his time behind the wheel, taking care of the children in his community.

Mike and Val shared a love for travel, journeying together across Canada, US and Carribean and in more recent years, enjoying trips with family members Rose and Ron (Tatterton) to sunny destinations.

His love for the outdoors was evident in his passion for gardening, spending hours tending to his greenhouse and garden boxes. He delighted in berry picking, especially the wild blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries that grew around the house.

In 2017, Mike’s dream of becoming a grandfather came true, a role he embraced wholeheartedly. He adored spending time with his grandchildren—Sam, Frankie, Ethan, and Ellie—taking them for rides on his four-wheeler, bringing them to the playground, and sharing the fruits of his garden with them.

Mike lived a life filled with love, laughter, and unwavering generosity. He was a devoted husband, father, uncle, grandfather, and friend, and his presence will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

He is survived by siblings, wife and children, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren.

Thank you to the palliative care team, the staff at the Strait Richmond Hospital, family that visited and neighbors that offered comfort and meals.

Cremation has taken place and notes of sympathy can be shared through Green’s Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Strait Richmond hospital palliative care unit or to the Victoria Order of Nurses. Click here for his online obituary.

Don't Be Fooled By The Smiley Face Moon and Other Celestial Claims

Do you know what is one of my biggest pet peeves? That is, other than the morons who keep banging the glass behind the net at hockey games, and thank you ladies from not joining that club. One of my pet peeves is the internet 'stories' about how you will see something spectacular in the night sky like the alignment of the planets. This week's big claim that if you get up really early on Friday morning you will see the smiley face moon. Unless you are an early riser anyway, don't lose any sleep over this. And, if you are an early riser, save yourself some aggravation as it's nothing you haven't seen before.

Social media is buzzing with the smiley face moon and using a picture like the one in the inset. The sky in the picture on the right is what you would really see at 06:00 on Friday April 25th if you have a perfect view to the east and of course the weather cooperates. You won't see the labels in the sky either and you might be hard pressed to see Saturn with the naked eye. Binoculars would maybe help. Venus however will be very bright as rises at around 5:30 about 15 before the crescent moon.

Don't get me wrong. I have been fascinated by the moon and the stars since my first total solar eclipse in 1963. I watched and taped every episode of Carl Sagan's Cosmos and bought the books. I've wrestled telescopes and made futile attempts at taking pictures of the red moon. I am just fed up with the click bait of social media influencers who have to exaggerate everything to get your attention. You may say; 'Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'. I say, the sky doesn't need the hype. It's the best show on earth and there's no monthly bill.

If you are ever wondering what you are seeing in the sky, there is a great online tool at this link that will simulate the sky at anytime of the day from where you are on the planet. You can see the sky as it is now or change the date and time to see what is coming up. Actually, tomorrow's morning sky will pale in comparison to the morning sky on August 12^th where Venus and Jupiter will appear very close together. That one will be worth getting up at 5am to see. Alexa, Set reminder for August 11^th at 7pm. What's the reminder for? Get your ass out of bed at 4:00am tomorrow morning to see Venus and Jupiter rise together. I can't wait to see what the how the influencers will spin this one.

Rodney Habberfield - R.I.P.

Rodney Habberfield sadly passed away on April 6th, 2025 at the age of 76. He leaves to mourn his wife Audrey and his daughter Kim along with family and many friends.

Rodney was always there when someone needed a hand. He will be certainly remembered as the Canada Day train conductor for all the years he drove his train on the parade route and through the soccer fields.

A celebration of life will be held at the Heritage Social Club on Saturday May 31st, 2025 at 1pm. The address is 503 Rue Cedar, Deux-Montagnes.

Jerry McGaghy - 1953 - 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jerry McGachy, age 71, on April 5, 2025. Jerry was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, known for his kind heart, infectious laugh, and deep love for his family.

Throughout his 71 years, Jerry worked diligently in the printing industry. His hard work and commitment provided for his family and earned him the respect of his colleagues. But beyond his work, he believed in the importance of community. Jerry volunteered with the local softball league, where his enthusiasm and encouragement inspired countless young athletes. He also spent time at the local retirement home, bringing a sense of joy and companionship to those who needed it most.

A true outdoorsman at heart, he cherished his time by the water, often spending hours fishing with his friends and family. He passed down his passions for fishing and music to his children.

Above all, Jerry was devoted to his family. He was a loving husband to his wife Janet, with whom he shared a lifetime of memories. Together, they raised two wonderful children M. (J.) and Laura (Jonathan) whom he was incredibly proud of. He also had the privilege of becoming a grandfather, and his grandchildren brought him immeasurable joy.

A celebration of his life will be held at Salon Funéraire Guay, 146 rue St-Louis, St-Eustache on Sunday, April 20th from 1PM-4PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Fondation Rivières in Jerry’s honour. Click here to view his online obituary.

Rest in peace, Jerry. You will forever be in our hearts.

How Low Can You Go?

(April 10 7:00am)Those of you that have been 'following' my rants about the Trump regime might remember that I mentioned that the Orange man's actions were tanking the market on purpose. I said it was all scheme for the wealthy to sell short and make up all the billions of dollars that they were 'losing' by the markets going down. Trump is 'playing' with the world economy to create havoc. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt that he can't be stupid enough to think that tariffs actually will do anything positive to the U.S. or the rest of the world. By the way, I don't believe that Trump is single-handedly doing any of this by himself. There is a well oiled 'caravan' of evil henchmen and sycophants behind him.

Here are two predictions, one short term and one long term. In the next few days, we are going to hear of a lot of people close to Trump that have somehow made millions of dollars while 'normal' folk watched their life savings shrink on the actions of one man. There are some insiders (in the government) that moved a lot of their stocks to treasury bills just before the crash. We will find out that many of those will have gone back into stocks just before Trumps 90 day 'pause' on tariffs. He actually posted this on Truth Social in all caps; THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT.  Less than four hours later, he announced the pause in tariffs. Now that he knows he can swing the international markets by over 10% in a day or two, what is going to happen in 90 days when we ride the roller coaster again? My prediction is that in the next few days there will be a lot of investigation of insider trading but the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) will do very little about it. The firing of two FTC Commissioners by Trump two weeks ago without cause is a little suspicious, no?

My second prediction is more long term and is scarier. We saw last Saturday (April 5th), around 3 million people in 50 states rallying to protest the actions of the Trump government in a movement called Hands Off. If you want to read more about this movement, here is a link to a Wikipedia article so I don't have to explain it. If protests like this continue, Trump won't like it. I believe that these protests were all very peaceful. If however, these protests ever take a turn and become less peaceful, which is highly likely due to the opposite views of some Americans, trigger happy Trump will declare martial law. He will probably write it as Marshall Law until someone corrects him as he probably thinks that it comes from a new Marshall coming into town to clean it up. When will this happen? It depends. It could happen if ANY protest gets violent. It could also happen near the mid term elections in 2026 which could potentially stop the elections from happening. Who knows? Maybe in 2028, and that's how you get a third term. Just saying.

Florence Rankin (Née Goodfellow) - 1950 - 2025

It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Florence Linda Rankin (née Goodfellow). After a short battle with cancer, she died on April 1st, 2025 at the age of 74 at home surrounded by loved ones.

Born on July 12, 1950, in Montreal, Quebec, she leaves behind her husband Alex of 51 years, her two daughters Kelly (Patrick), Lisa (Kristopher) and her four beloved granddaughters, Madison, Olivia, Danika and Jordana.

She leaves to mourn her siblings Eddie, Freddie, Mary (Johnny) and Bev (Scottie), along with her many nieces and nephews. Flo is pre-deceased by her siblings, George and Marguerite.

She will be greatly missed by her extended family Pauleen, Kevin (Tara) and Kathleen as well as her best friend since childhood Johanne Graham.

Florence loved her family, was loved by them and will be greatly missed. We would like to thank Dre Nathalie Lanthier and the team of nurses from the CLSC Jean – Olivier Chenier in Deux Montagnes for the excellent care they provided mom and our family. We would also like to thank Dre Diane Normandin for her support and care during this difficult time.

Visitation will be held on Sunday April 6th, 2025 at Les Salons Funeraires Guay, 146 rue St-Louis,in Saint Eustache from 9:00am -12:00pm and 1:30pm-4:30pm. A funeral service will be held in the chapel at the funeral home at 4:30 pm. Click here for her online obituary.

April Fools

My regular visitors know and expect that every April 1st I come up with an April fool prank or video like this one from a couple of years ago. My pranks are usually very topical and are about either the city, the province or something that is going on in the world. For the past few weeks, I have been trying to come up with something 'funny' but the way our current relationship with the US, any absurdity I could come up with, could potentially really happen with the Trump 'regime'. The attack on Canada and the 51st state rhetoric might have been laughed off at first but now it's very serious. A few months ago, I wrote that the America First policy would end up America Alone. It's starting to look a lot like that since Trump is basically attacking the rest of the world (excluding Russia and North Korea obviously). April this year will be no joke. If the tariffs go through on April 2nd, the economic 'war' will be in full swing. April will also be a critical month in Canada, with the election of a new leader that will have to (excuse the plagiarism) 'fight like hell or we won't have a country anymore'.

Our fight with the U.S. will be tough economically and both countries will suffer. It doesn't look like anyone around Trump has the cojones to stand up to him and do the right thing. They are turning a blind eye to all that is going on. His oligarchs are immune to the stock market crash as, in the end, they will have made billions selling the market short. There is no other explanation why you would wilfully crash the market by creating so much uncertainty. Either Trump is fiscal genius or a complete idiot. I will let you decide although I have made up my mind.

So, for that reason, I will let the April Fools continue to shatter the world as we knew it. It wasn't perfect, but the next 46 months (or more) of Trumpism will sink us into the abyss even more. Hopefully, Canada will choose the right person to keep us afloat in these treacherous waters.

Are You Scared of Artificial Intelligence? I Am Now.

As you know, I have been editing videos for quite a while now. To tell you how long I have been doing it, I used to edit using 2 VHS recorders to do my mixes. I 'graduated' to using computers about 22 years ago with a software called Pinnacle which, for the time, was pretty good for a 'hobbyist'. A few years ago I changed to a Cyberlink product called PowerDirector. I know that are much more sophisticated tools out there like Adobe Premiere but after years of using PowerDirector, I am not ready to switch as an old dog can only learn a few new tricks. I have a subscription to PowerDirector which means I get 'free' updates. I believe I started with version 13 of the product and am now at version 23. With each new version, comes new features and content.

In the latest version, there was a tool called Image to Video AI. It is supposed to take a still image and turn it into a video. Just for fun, I used a still picture from 2023 of Myrna and I in Alberobello, Italy in front of the many trulli houses there. I submitted the picture to the software and less than 4 minutes later it told me the video was ready. I did this as a joke since I thought the result would look like a cartoon or something not believable. My jaw dropped when I saw the result. I quickly summoned Myrna to come and see this 'picture' we took. The look on her face was priceless. In an instant, we both realized that you could no longer believe our eyes when we see something on the internet.

I tried it with another picture at the Whirlpool Rapids in Niagara Falls. The result was just as amazing. The potential to take a very innocent picture of two people, even strangers, and make them do something that looks like it happened is very scary. If there is a lesson to learn here is that you no longer can trust what you see unless it happens live in front of you. Take a look at the video by clicking on the image below.

Community Connections - A Bi-Monthly Publication

Community Connections is a local newsletter that has been going strong since 2012. Apparently bi-monthly can mean twice a month or every 2 months. In this case, the 32-page newsletter comes out every 2 months. The physical copy can be found in various locations through Two-Mountains and area but if you can't be here, there is a pdf version available on their website. The get to their site, simply click here. There is also a link to all the community sites on top of my calendar page.

Kudos to the team at CC for their dedication. They are Editor in Chief, Dave Byers, Copy Editor, Gordon Wetmore, Sports Editor, Bobby Fordham, Advertising Manager, Martin Hensen and Website Manager, Willy Speekckaert. There are also many other contributors to the content. The mayor, Denis Martin, always has a message to the community which is now very important that our official Deux-Montagnes city website can no longer be published in English due to bill 96. This issue even has an article by me on page 9.

So if you can't get a hard copy of CC, you can always come to my calendar page and see what is happening in the area.

The Tariff War Has Started

Well the tariffs went through as planned. Canada has responded in kind and the war with no winners has started. The stock markets all over the world have reacted and have dropped anywhere from 1 to 2.5%. They will continue the downward slide as this whole situation is causing uncertainty. Canada will suffer but Americans may suffer more. Our social safety nets are much better than in the U.S. and with all the cuts to services there, they will certainly feel worse in the long run. Meanwhile the 1% will get promised tax breaks that will sink the American government deeper in debt than ever.

The other factor in creating uncertainly is the obvious comradeship between Trump and Putin and the fiasco that took place in the White House on Friday. The new world order will put Russia, China and potentially North Korea and Iran at the top of the food chain.  Ok, maybe not North Korea or Iran. Aligning yourself with the likes of Putin definitely changes the meaning of the 'free world'. Putin is playing Trump and Vance

Justin Trudeau's best before date has passed, but I found that today he spoke for most of Canada. We will always have our own Canadian MAGA's just as there are still people claiming that the earth is flat. Trudeau's message to Americans probably fell on a lot of deaf ears. He tried to stroke Donald's ego by calling him a smart guy but with a very dumb idea. To Canadians, he told us it would be hard but to stick together and stay strong. With a federal election coming in the very near future, who knows who will be in charge. Who will have the courage and skill to stand up to Donald Trump.

Right now, each and every Canadian has to do their share to get through this. You don't have to only buy Canadian. Our olive oil isn't that good. Just make sure you don't buy American which will be very easy in places like liquor stores as they are actually moving American products off the shelves. Many of you have cancelled trips to the US. I know some people who have sold their winter homes in Arizona and Florida and will alter their wintering destination for next year. As Trudeau said, nobody wants this but with lunatics running the show down there, we have no choice but to fight for our freedom and democracy.

I watched an Interesting conversation with David Frum, a political commentator and former speech writer for George W. Bush. He was born in Toronto and is the son of the late Barbara Frum, who worked at the CBC for years. This 30 minute conversation is a very good view of what's going on now and how we got there. Grab a beverage, sit back and listen to this very informative talk. I learned a lot listening to this and will watch it again as it really does explain a lot of things. Click on the image below.

Canada Wins a Small Battle

On Thursday, we all held our collective breaths for a few hours waiting for the outcome of our national team against our 'sport' enemy to the south. Our heroes, McDavid, Marner and Binnington to name a few came through and eked out a win. The Canadian flag was raised and the anthem was proudly sung, on key, unlike at the opening of the game. Chantal Kreviazuk, bless her heart, was concentrating on her very appropriate lyric change but somehow forget the melody of our cherished national anthem. Perhaps she was listening at the spattering of boos coming from the stands or maybe she was still in shock, as I was, when Wayne Gretzky was announced as the honourary captain of Team Canada. That is a story on to itself but the 'Great One' should have sat this one out and just watched the game from Mar-A-Lago with his buddy Mayor Lardo. Don't get me started on Wayne, but nein nein on 99 fine wine forever.

I can't even imagine how I would have felt if Canada had lost this game. Personally, I have never felt this invested in a game ever. Maybe in 1972, as a 16 year old watching the final game in a classroom at LTM, I felt that as much then, but I wasn't worried that Russia was planning an invasion of Canada. Our win against Team USA won't do anything to stop the Orange Air Bag from bad mouthing Canada but at least he didn't get this chance to gloat. Now, he'll not only want us for our water, oil and minerals, he will want us to bolster his team in the next winter Olympics. I am happy that Justin Trudeau 'tweeted' a short message after the win: You can't take our country — and you can't take our game. A message short enough for the Trump attention span. Right wing media went crazy saying that 'we' haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1993. Do they know that their teams are 'littered' with Canadians? They also have Gary Bettman to thank for Canadian teams not winning cups (my own conspiracy theory).

Like I say in the title, although to Canadians this was a huge win, it is but a small battle in our struggle 'against' the US, specifically Trump and his cronies. We must keep up the fight which, in the end, may be easier as America self-destructs under the incompetence of its elected government, its insane cabinet appointments, the human chainsaw that is DOGE and the spineless Congress and Senate who letting this happen to save their jobs and pensions. Trumps actions and his love of dictatorship, including of himself, is not sitting well on the international stage but somehow he is blind to it. He claims that respect for the U.S. from the rest of the world is on the rise. It's quite the opposite. He was the laughing stock of the world during his first term. This time around, he is dragging the country down with him and I guarantee that he and his rich buddies won't be going down with the ship. America First will soon become America Alone.

Now back to the game. Postmedia (National Post) has published a 7 page 'special celebratory collection of pictures and words and moments from the game' called the Canadian Revenge. It's a great read and it captures the event quite well. You can access it at this link and save it for a keepsake.

Click on Image below for a look at the Score for the Cure Ball Hockey Tournament

This site is now on a Canadian Host.

The migration of my website has now been done. It wasn't easy and if you know about domain pointers and add-on domains and all kinds of other technical stuff, you will realize that the migration is not always smooth. Anyway, since you are seeing this, welcome to my Canadian hosted website. I mentioned that I will save over $1000cad over the next 3 years just for hosting. That's not all I will be saving. For example, my domain name used to cost $24usd per year which translates to around $34cad. On the Web Hosting Canada site, my domains are now costing just over $18cad per year. To be honest, I was a little sceptical at first on whether I could trust another company to host my site. And I was dreading the cutover as I thought there would be downtime and that things wouldn't work anymore. The support team at WHC was really good and sometimes had to be a patient with me. It's all working now and I have to say that I learned a lot in the process.

My site may eventually get a new look but so for now it will remain the same. I got my old software (FrontPage) to work again. My emails are transferred over too. All in all I am a happy camper and feel good about supporting a Canadian company.

Shop Canadian - It Might Save You Tons

I have had the same host for my website for the last 21 years. As you can see, and how it was highlighted in the recent Global TV news piece, my website still looks like the old kind of website. I am still using Microsoft FrontPage to edit my pages. FrontPage was part of the MS suite but was discontinued in 2003 which coincidentally is the year my domain name was registered. Every time Windows is upgraded, I am afraid that my copy of FrontPage will stop working. If you know me, I am not averse to change but I know this software very well and for the current format of my website, it's all I need.

For the last 21 years, my host was a company out of Massachusetts called StartLogic. Another coincidence is that FrontPage was developed in Cambridge Mass. Anyway, my web hosting was to expire on March 22nd of this year. I got an email that I would be billed for the next 3 years at almost $900usd or over $1,200cad. This was quite an increase but I was told I could negotiate the price the day before my payment was due. In other words, If you don't like our new offer, you basically have one day to find another host and migrate your site.

The search for a new host began and with our new incentive to shop Canadian, I looked at Canadian companies first. After a few searches I decided to call the people at WHC (Web Hosting Canada) to investigate to migration process and also the cost. Within a few seconds, I was connected to someone, Jasmine, who answered all my questions. A couple of days later, I called her back and she set the migration process in motion. Within a couple of days, the migration was complete however my domains are still pointing to my old servers in MA.

The entire process is not easy and I learned a lot as the tools on the new hosting site are completely different. I mentioned that I have more than one domain. Other than the domain name 2mopaul.com, I have 3 other ones that point to small websites that I maintain. I believe that I can have 10 domain names with my current plan. In the end, the total bill for the next 3 years of hosting from a company that happens to be located in Montreal is $174 in 'real' Canadian dollars, a saving of almost $1000. The incentive of shopping Canadian, in Canadian dollars at 15% of the cost will be well worth the effort. That being said, the transfer of this domain name is scheduled for Monday, February 17th. If all goes well, you, the visitor will notice nothing. On my end, I will be adapting to a new way of updating my site, if my trusted FrontPage no longer works. AND with the new tools I will have at my disposal, I may change the look of my site and enter the 21st century.

While I'm on the shop Canada subject I will make this point. Since we live fairly close to the border as most Canadians do, it was often tempting to hop over to Plattsburgh to do some shopping. Until the insanity stops in the U.S.A., this household will not be crossing the border to experience the insanity first hand. People always brag of how little they paid for something when they have bought stuff cross border. Why is it that they always neglect to quote how much they actually paid in Canadian dollars? With the dollar hovering at 70 cents, the savings are very limited and the 3 hours to get there and back might not make the trip worthwhile (except for turkeys, maybe).

Unfortunately, other than an already reserved trip to the US next September, we will not be taking any trips south of the border for a while (maybe 8 years if the king decides to stay in power). The value of our dollar is making our boycott of American travel easier but we have enjoyed our times in various parts of the US. Donald Trump is lying when he says that Canada is taking advantage of America. It's only normal that trade is a little lopsided considering our vast difference in population. Also, his threat of 'invading' Canada in one way or another is not sitting well with us and most Canadians. Until the insanity stops, we will be spending our money locally and in places where we are not the enemy. 

Paul Bedard - January 11, 1953 - January 28, 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Paul Frank Bedard at the age of 72 in Fort Myers, Florida.

Paul was predeceased by his parents, Frank Geffroy Bedard and Barbara Dawn (Johnstone) Bedard, as well as his grandparents, Hazel Ruthford Johnstone, Harry Johnstone, and Charles Edouard Bedard, Lila Annie Heslop Bedard. He was a loving father and grandfather who was affectionately given—and kept—the name “Bug,” a sweet nickname bestowed upon him by Matt that stayed with him for the rest of his life.

He is survived by his two sons, Mathieu (Li Mei) and Francois (Synsine), as well as his four grandchildren—Evianne, Norahly, Liam, and Logan—who lovingly called him “Grampa Bug.” Paul also leaves behind his brother Barry (Judy) and his sisters Sandra (Rick) and Danielle (Dave), along with his nieces and nephews: Amanda (Kyle), Geffrey (Sarah), Kelly (Jack), Alyssa (Nicole), Jordon, David, Gavin, and Clara, many of whom remembered him as “Uncle Wally World” or “Uncle Bug.”

A proud alumnus of Loyola University in Montreal, Paul embarked on a successful career as an entrepreneur before retiring in Florida, where he forged lasting friendships with his neighbours and community.

A celebration of Paul’s life and interment will take place this spring in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec, Canada.
Currently the date is set for Saturday June 21st, 2025. Details will follow....

In lieu of flowers, donations in Paul’s name can be made to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation: heartandstroke.ca.

Geoffrey Bulcock - 1952 - 2025

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Geoffrey Bulcock on February 4th at the age of 72. Geoff is survived by his parents Charles Davies and Jean Hancock, his children Maylenna and Michael, Geoff's partner Claire and her family, his grandchildren Orrin, Mikayla, Ameliah, Lya and many friends.

Geoff loved to laugh and loved to make people laugh even more. Whenever you bumped into him he had a new joke to tell. He will be missed. 

UPDATE: Due to the weather there is a change in dates. A celebration of Geoff's life will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, February 22nd at the Heritage Club, 503 Cedar in Deux-Montagnes.

He's Gone Too Far

As you may have seen in the past, this website usually stays politically neutral, as I have kept my views to myself. This morning (February 2nd) Donald Trump has posted something that can't be ignored by Canadians and should be a shock to many Americans. Trump posted that he does not need any of Canada's resources and that without USA's massive subsidies, Canada ceases to exist as a viable country. Quote 'Harsh but true! Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for people of Canada - AND NO TARIFFS. He also mentioned that tariffs will remain and even increase until Canada cedes to the USA.

The Orange Putin has gone too far this time. To my neighbours in the US, do you stand by this pathetic dictator? I know most of you don't but forgive me if I no longer want to support your economy. Our Canadian dollar is already suffering at below 70 US Cents and this attack on Canada could make matters worse. Trump doesn't understand international relations. He loves the way dictators bully their way into other territories. I will stand with all Canadians to fight fight fight against this bullying. We are fighting back, so hopefully we can have another David versus Goliath result.

Heritage Club Super Bowl Party - Sunday February 9th

The Heritage Social Club is hosting a Super Bowl viewing party on Sunday February 9th. Doors open at 3:00pm. Kitchen opens at 5:00pm, with Chilli ($3), Hot Dogs ($2) and 8 Chicken Wings ($10). Kick off is at 6:30 featuring the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. Call the HSC at 450 473-5429 or click here for the poster of the event.

16th Annual Score for the Cure Ball Hockey Tournament

This is the first step to launching the 2025 Drive for the Cure. The event is taking place next Saturday February 1, 2025. A day to be enjoyed with friends and family, while raising funds for research into Cancer which has touched, does touch and will touch us all in the future.

The entry to the Klimas Recreation Centre is free and is located at 254 Regent Street in Two Mountains, Click here for the map. Thanks to Richie’s families sacrifice and work for hosting and allowing us to take over their property for the day.

As always, we will have complimentary food and beverages (donations accepted) and will be selling raffle tickets for prizes during the day with the main prize being a set of Habs tickets to see Carolina vs Montreal on February 25 in the Desjardins section (center ice) with food included.
Thanks again in advance for the support and on behalf of the Drive for the Cure (celebrating its 25th year) we look forward to seeing you next Saturday!

Click here to view some of the action form last year's tournament.

Bonnie (Fraser) Anderson - 1945 - 2024

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our mother Bonnie Anderson Fraser. She passed of a sudden heart condition in Saint-Eustache QC on December 31st 2024, at the age of 79. Bonnie was born on Oct 12th 1945, in Montreal, Quebec. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Fred; father Eric, mother Gladys, brother Neil and sister Pam. She is survived by her loving partner Jim; children Janet (Frank), Andrew (Bianca), Cory (Serge), Diane; sisters Gwen (Art) and Jill; her grandchildren Auston, Dahlia, Jeremy, Cody and Zoey; and many loving extended family and friends.

Her vibrant personality and love will be missed by so many.
Thank you, mom, for being you and sharing your love with us all. May the light and love now hold you forever.
Please come join us in celebrating her life. Visitations will take place Friday January 24th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the:
Complexe Funéraire Goyer Ltée, 147 Arthur-Sauvé blvd. Saint-Eustache.

A ceremony will be held this same Friday, at 1:00 PM within the chapel of the complex. Please click here to view her online obituary.

Brian Duff - R.I.P.

With great sorrow, we announce the recent passing of Brian Duff on Thursday January 9th, 2025 after a painful and frustrating year and a half with cancer.
Brian was born in Montreal to Edward and Mary Duff (both deceased) and was an eclectic soul with a formidable memory and an open heart to all he came to know. He is survived by sisters Sandra and Gail and brothers Paul (Ana) and Kenneth (Christiane). He will be dearly missed by nieces and nephews: Andrea, Christine, Andrew, Graeme, Stephen, Colin, Robi, Petra, Allison and Laura along with their children. He also leaves behind a long list of close friends, especially Jennifer and Jules along with Wanda and Jim Titus who provided much appreciated support and care throughout his illness.

A celebration of Brian’s life will be held on Saturday January 25th, from 4pm to 7pm at Windsor Tavern, Main Street Vankleek Hill.

We acknowledge and sincerely thank the medical and support staff of the Critical and Continuing Care Unit of the Hawkesbury General Hospital for the compassionate care, support and friendship provided to Brian during his stay with them and for the moral support provided to our family during this time.

Memorial donations in memory of Brian to the Hawkesbury General Hospital Foundation would be greatly appreciated by the family. Click here to view his online obituary.

A Tree of Remembrance in his honour will be planted in the McAlpine Forever Forest, Vankleek Hill.

Garbage and Recycling Changes in Two-Mountains AND Quebec.

On January 1st, a new recycling system in Quebec was put in effect. The city had to make changes to its schedule partly due to these changes. Instead of 4 sectors, the city is now divided into only 2 sectors for garbage, recycling and compost pickup. Also, the large garbage is now on the 4th Wednesday of the month as opposed to the 3rd Thursday inn the past. To view the city website article describing all the changes, please click here. It is loosely translated from the uni-lingual French version and you will get a pop-up saying not to submit from the English. Just answer Got it.

Stephen Moore - 1954-2024

On December 9, 2024 Stephen Moore, son of the late Peter and Josephine Moore, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones at Oak Ridges Hospice in Port Perry, Ontario. Steve “Papa” is survived by his spouse Kim, two children Dana (Steve) and Robert (Katrina), alongside his three beautiful grandchildren Jo, Brayden and Sienna.

Steve was a movie enthusiast, avid gardener and cat lover. He loved to fish, camp, play guitar and spend quality time with his family, especially his grandchildren. Stephen grew up on 4th avenue in Two-Mountains

He was taken far too soon and will be greatly missed by his family. We sincerely appreciate all the love and support that has been shown to us by our family and friends during this time of loss. A private service was held for Stephen at Low & Low Limited, Port Perry Chapel on Saturday, December 14, 2024.

Click here to view his online obituary.
 

This Site Makes the News

A month ago, Dan Spector of Global News interviewed me for a piece that he said would run on the news on a slow news day. It aired on Friday during the 4 newscasts. In case you missed it, click the image below to see the piece that is really well done despite me being in it.

Below is a link to a video that with pictures of the people who have passed on this year. They all are connected to Two-Mountains in one way or another.

A 1968 View from Atop the Deux-Montagnes Water Tower

Seeing John Edkins pictures in Facebook from when he climbed our water tower in the late 60's inspired me to see what the same view looks like now, more than 50 years later. The video below will show you how much the city has changed since the building of the water tower.

Heinz Dieter Becker - R.I.P.

A message from Fiona and Andrea Becker

Dear friends,

We are extremely saddened to announce that Heinz passed away yesterday after a short illness.

He died peacefully with both of his daughters by his side. We are extremely thankful to have been able to hold his hand until his last breath.

We will hold a service and reception in his honour at the All Saints Church, 248 18e avenue, Deux-Montagnes, this Wednesday, December 18 at 11 am.

Please join us and help us spread the word. All are welcome.

With love,
Fiona and Andrea Becker
 

Mary Jane Hepburn - 1950-2024

Mary Jane Huffman Hepburn, 74, of North Platte, passed away peacefully on Nov. 29, 2024, at Linden Court. Mary was born on July 21, 1950, in North Platte, Nebraska, the daughter of George Huffman and Lorena (Jergensen) Huffman.

Mary graduated from North Platte High School with the Class of 1968. She was Managing Editor of the Bulldogger student newspaper in 1967-68. After graduation, Mary began her college studies at Mid-Plains Community College. She received her Associate’s Degree in Science and was awarded "Outstanding Student" in 1970. She went on to the University of Nebraska, majoring in journalism with a minor in education, graduating in 1972. In 1973, she began teaching journalism in Lincoln Public Schools.

In 1973 Mary married Bob Hepburn and they moved to Canada. They were later divorced. While living in Canada, Mary taught journalism in high schools in Montreal and Toronto including Lake of Two Mountains High School. She taught college level journalism in Ottawa, and in Montreal she started a high school journalism program, writing the curriculum. She also did freelance work, writing for magazines in Montreal and Ottawa. During that time, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In 1985 she moved to Washington, D.C., and began working for the National Institute of Health as a communications writer and editor. In 1995 she came back to North Platte. She began working for The North Platte Telegraph in 1996, writing a Faith column that she continued to write until her death.

Mary is survived by her brothers Jim Huffman of Omaha, Nebraska, and Tom Huffman of Phoenix, Arizona; nieces and nephew, Jennifer Huffman Foland, Nicole Huffman Kathol, Bryan Huffman and Kara Huffman Hensley; cousins; and hundreds of devoted readers of her column.

Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at North Platte Berean Church with Pastor John Stone officiating. The memorial book will be available to sign on Tuesday, Dec. 3, from noon to 5 p.m. at Carpenter Memorial Chapel, which has been entrusted with the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Mary Hepburn Memorial Scholarship fund through Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation. Online condolences, livestreaming the service and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at this link.

James William Upton - 1949-2024

It is with great sadness that the family of James “Jim” William Upton announce his passing at age 75, on November 19, 2024, in Fort McMurray, AB. Jim was born March 28, 1949, to George and Betty Upton in Montreal, Quebec. 

Jim is survived by his wife of 45 years, Lilly: his children: Sheryl, Trevor (Arielle), and Tara (Matt); his beloved grandchildren: Taegan, Caprice, Holly, Coraline, Cassidy, Brooks, Lana, Daemon and Melissa; his brothers: Bob and David; and sister, Margaret.

He was best known to many by his faith, big heart and sense of humour. Jim, or “Jimmy” as he was called in his younger years, lived all his childhood in Two Mountains, Quebec. As a child he was active in the Catholic Youth Organization, involved in scouting and hockey. In his early twenties, Jim joined the Canadian Armed Forces, serving two years in the Arctic as a Communications Research Technician (where he first met his future wife, Lilly). After his military service, his training as a Mining Technician led Jim to work for a mining operation in Sudbury, Ontario. An industrial accident cut his initial mining career short when a rock fell and crushed his hip. He had emergency surgery where he received an artificial hip. While rehabilitating from surgery, Jim reconnected with Lilly, and in 1979 moved to Fort McMurray where they were married. Jim then went on to have a dedicated career at Suncor Energy for 33 years.

Despite his bad hip, Jim remained active in his life, with countless bike rides and working on projects around his home, his yard or the Church. He had an interest in old automobiles, reading war and spy novels, and going for a drive with a coffee while listening to CBC radio. Watching wildlife and exploring around the next corner pleased him.  

He was deeply involved with the Catholic Church, as well as the Knights of Columbus for 31 years, in senior leadership roles, and a Fourth Degree Knight, becoming an Honorary Life Member. He spent endless hours mowing the church lawn or shovelling snow at the church, in addition to planting his beloved Manitoba Maple tree which is still flourishing in front of St John the Baptist Catholic Parish. He also spearheaded projects like the recycling of the fence boards at the pre-demolition of Willow Square for funds towards the church, and Bible distribution program for young Catholic students.

Jim loved his family wholeheartedly, and together, Lilly and Jim celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary this past October. In later years, Jim cherished opportunities to travel with Lilly on a pilgrimage to Italy, a Baltic cruise and visiting with his siblings on the east coast. Jim always enjoyed going for drives with Lilly and loved helping those less fortunate by giving food or monetary gifts. He acted in accordance with Mother Teresa’s saying, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one”.

Even with his mobility issues, he remained positive and never complained about his circumstances. His kindness always shone through, and he always maintained his great sense of humour. Jim was easy to talk to, and many sought guidance from him. He touched lives in a way that will never be forgotten by those around him.

Funeral Wake - 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm - Thursday, December 5, 2024 -St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish 3 Hospital Street Fort McMurray, AB
Funeral Service - 11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Saturday, December 7, 2024 - St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish - 3 Hospital Street Fort McMurray, AB

Click here for his online obituary and tribute book.

Céline Baudouin 1957-2024

From Montreal Gazette: Saint-Eustache on November 21, 2024, at the age of 67, passed away Mrs. Céline Baudouin, spouse of Mr. Richard Dupré.

In addition to her partner, she leaves to mourn her daughters Katrine and Julie (Francois), her grandchildren Sara, Antoine, Charlie and Edouard, the father of her daughter Pierre Benoit, her brothers Paul (Patricia), André (Anne), Phillipe (Kim) and Robert (Claire), her nephews and nieces, as well as other relatives and friends.

The family will receive your condolences on Friday, November 29 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, November 30 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Complexe Funéraire Goyer 105 boul. Desjardins Est. Saint-Thérèse 450-473-5934 www.rfgoyer.com.

A Liturgy of the word will take place on Saturday, November 30 at 11 a.m. in the chapel of the Complex.

Your expressions of sympathy can result in donations to the Canadian Cancer Society. Please click here for her online obituary.

A Construction Boom in the City

Below is a video that shows some of the progress of the various construction sites on our town. Three of those projects involve infrastructures such as the retention basin and Centennial park which will eventually give access to the riverfront beside the Legion. A few more projects involve multi-unit projects that have started in order that the city keeps up to mandated densification around the 2 REM stations. Two-Mountains will profit from having 2 light rail stations within its borders but the down side is the fact that we are forced to have a certain amount of units per hectare within walking distance of each of these stations.

Christmas Market - Saturday November 30^th - 10pm - 3pm

Two-Mountains Makers will be holding their annual Christmas Market on Saturday, November 30th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 4korners, 1650 Oka Road Deux-Montagnes. This is one of their biggest events of the year. Join them for a day filled with live music, face painting, henna and Christmas crafts!

All activities are free.

Unveiling of the Remembrance Monument at Hillcrest Cemetery - Lest We Forget

On Sunday November 10th at 1pm, the unveiling of the new memorial monument was done at the beginning of the Memorial Day ceremony. The monument was erected earlier in the year and contains names of veterans who have passed away on one side while the other side is etched with a peaceful scene and the Hillcrest name. The monument was blessed by Reverend David Hart. All the names were read by Veteran Richard Rochette, Dan Dion and Frank Hutchison. To see pictures of the proceedings, please click anywhere on the picture below.

A Wyder Cup Video
I finally got time to edit a video featuring this year's Wyder Cup. The Wyder Cup was a Canada/USA competition started at the Oka Golf Club in 2002 as a small pre-wedding friendly competition. It eventually made its way to Bethlehem New-Hampshire and went on for 18 years. COVID put an end to this competition but last August it was somewhat revived albeit in a different format. Instead of the previous Canada vs. USA match-ups, this year 9 teams were formed through a draft. The video below, shows the venue, the results and some of the fun of the activities.

A Devastating Fire at Two Mountains' condo
Last Saturday, (October 19th), there was a devastating fire in Two-Mountains. Thanks to the quick action of some residents including former firefighter Bobby Slovick, everyone was evacuated safely. The 911 call was made 2:39pm and the fire was still burning on into the early hours of Sunday morning. It started on the 4th floor but there was extensive damage to all 32 units in the building which will have to be torn down and rebuilt. Thoughts go out to the people having to rebuild their lives and thankfully everyone is safe. The video below was taken 5 days later as people were allowed to try to salvage some of the their belongings on the lower floors.

Click the above to see a picture montage of Rollie Fiset that was shown at his celebration of life on October 12th.

Ron Kesseler's Happy Gang Golf Tournament to Live Another Year

After another great year on the golf course, the happy gang boys and girls decided that the tournament will return in 2025 following a unanimous vote. This year's event went on in near perfect weather. The winning team, Randy Emerson and Bob Coll, came in with a scorching minus 9 score while there was a two way tie for second place at -7. The team of Mike Mckeown, Jamie McKeown and Mike Lunny shared second place with team Angelo Saracusa, Pascal Morin and Martin Lauzon. The highlight of the day for the second place team was a hole-in-one by Angelo on the 4th hole that was playing at around 150 yards today. The consensus for the 68 golfers that attended this year's event from as far as Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Ontario,  was to carry on the tradition that has been an autumn staple since 1985.

Roland John 'Rollie' Fiset - 1960 - 2024

Rollie is survived by his wife, Tina Duncan, his children Matthew (Daniela), and Kelly (Mike) and his grandchildren Avery, Lucy, Lily, Arya and Lincoln. He also leaves behind his siblings Gregory (Debbie), Louise (Ron) and Geoffrey (Anita), along with his many nieces and nephews.

Predeceased by his sister Suzanne (John), and his sister Kathleen.

Rollie will be remembered for his warmth, kindness, and unwavering love for his family and friends. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

As per Rollie’s wishes, there will not be a funeral. A celebration of his life will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion, 141 Grand Moulin in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec on Saturday October 12th. The family will receive condolences starting at noon. There will be a short Legion Service at 14:00 where family and friends can share their memories of Rollie.

Should you wish to honour Rollie’s memory, a donation can be made to the MUHC Foundation towards the Drive for the Cure – Lymphoma Research Fund. Please use this link to donate.

Click here for his online obituary.
 

Bruce Maynard - 1959-2024

In Saint-Eustache on August 23, 2024 at the age of 65, passed away Mr. Bruce John Maynard son of late Mrs. Beverly Mc Garr and of late of Mr. Robert J. Maynard.

He leaves in mourning his daughters Kathleen and Sarah, his sister Lynn (Simon) and Trudy (Dave), his nephews and nieces as well as other relatives and friends.

He was entrusted to : Goyer Funeral Complex 3150 chemin d’Oka Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac

The burial will take place Monday September 16, at 11 a.m. at the Saint-Agapit cemetery in Deux-Montagnes

“It would have been Bruce’s wishes that family and friends gather together on their own after the burial ceremony to honour his memory”

Click here for his online obituary

Wyder Cup Revival A Great Success

A tradition that started back in 2002, the Wyder Cup was back last weekend after an absence of 5 years due to COVID. Actually, this was the first year that Canada was back in force. The format in the past was always a Canada/USA rivalry, but due to the dwindling number of Canadians as a result of the weak dollar, the format was changed considerably. This year, the 9 ladies captained 8 threesomes and 1 foursome in a competition that stretched over 2 days. Team Captain Myrna Goyetche and her two golfers Dave Johnson and Kyle Brindamour took the honours with 115 points. There was a 3 way tie for second place at 107 points but the tie breaker would be the team closest to the pin on the 18th par 3 hole. A shot by Team Captain Casey Rose to within 10 inches from the hole sealed second place with her 2 golfers, Paul Goyetche and Randy Emerson. The 2 teams in 3rd and 4th place were captained by Susan Wall and Sharon Wall. Susan's team included Brandyn Griffin and Bob Coll while Sharon had Fran Wall and John Blakeney as team mates. In all, we had over 30 people participate in this year's edition. A video of some of the action will be available in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, pictures of all the Wyder Cups since 2002 including 2024 are available at this link.

40th (and maybe last) Annual Happy Gang Golf Tournament Scheduled For Sunday September 22nd

The 40th Annual Ron Kesseler 'Happy Gang" Tournament is a go. As you may know, Ron has moved to the greener pastures of Ontario but will return to hold his perennial golf tournament once again for one last hoorah (unless there is a vote to hold another one. This year, again, it will take place at the Oka Golf Course. It's a 10:00am shotgun start on Sunday September 22nd, 2024 and we ask you to arrive between 8:30 and 9 to register and prepare for the start. The price this year is $65 which includes golf, cart and a $20 prize 'pot'. If you would rather walk, the price will be reduced slightly.
Everyone is welcome and the format is, as always, a 3 person best ball (Vegas/Scramble), 2 teams per hole. You can make your own team of 3 or if you are looking for a team, Ron can make the arrangements. All the money from the $20 'pot' will be returned to the players with the majority given out in a random draw so any team can be a big winner. There is a maximum of 72 players so hurry up and register by contacting Ron at this email ronk@2mopaul.com.

Deux-Montagnes en Fête - August 17, 2024 - 1pm to 5pm

To entertain young and old, a host of street activities are planned: inflatable games, bumper cars, face painting, mini-golf course, characters, photo booth and more! Take part in the festivities on Oka road, between 12th and 16th Avenue.

You will be able to climb aboard a fire truck, a police vehicle and a road truck. Meeting the city's essential services is always greatly appreciated by the whole family!

Deux-Montagnes en fête is above all an opportunity to discover more about your city through certain local organizations and merchants present as exhibitors.

Calvin 'Cal' Switzer Atkin - June 3, 1931- July 21, 2024

Published in the Montreal Gazette - Loving husband of the late Bernice Audrey Richardson. Loving father of Wendy (Geoffrey), Dorothy (the late Clifford) and Brian (the late Irene). Proud grandfather of Alexandra (J.R.) and great-grandfather of Jackson and Lance. Predeceased by his parents Calvin Reid Atkin and Ethel Maude Switzer. Dear brother of Dorothy Little (the late Raymond), Margaret and predeceased by his twin brothers Robert (Anna) and William. He will also be missed by all his nieces, nephews and extended family especially those who knew him as Grandpa Cal.

Cal was a kind and caring person. He was a RCN - Korean War Veteran, TMR Fire Fighter, TV Fireman personality on Children's television such as Magic Tom and Chez Helene. He was a Scout Master and District Commissioner, Legion Member, Masonic Lodge Brother, Lower Laurentian Cancer Cupboard and Volunteer Driver. Most of all a wonderful husband and father. He enjoyed travelling over the years with his adult children ticking off his bucket list. We will always be grateful for his kindness, compassion and generosity.

Heartfelt thanks to Bev Bentley, Lynn and Gary Kirbyson, Jennifer and Stephane. To our sister Dorothy who took care of him the last four and a half years. The staff of St Anne's Veterans Hospital for their kindness, compassion and support over the last 5 months.

Cremation to follow and a committal service will take place in the fall where he will be at rest with his loving Bernice.
If you would like Donations to the Shriners Hospital for Children Canada in Montreal in Cal's name would be greatly appreciated.

To view his online obituary, please click here.

Steve Jenkins - 1955 - 2024

After a long battle with Cancer and its complications, Steve Jenkins, formerly of Two-Mountains, passed away on July 16th, 2024.

Steve was an excellent athlete and was very active in Two-Mountains soccer. His love of playing soccer also brought him to coach many girl's soccer teams.

Steve will be missed. More details to follow.

Florence 'Flo' Williams (née Champagne) - Dec 16, 1963 - July 7, 2024

On her own terms, Florence "Flo" Williams passed away peacefully at Brockville General Hospital Palliative Care on July 7 surrounded by loved ones. She fought a tough battle to the very end, but her fourth cancer was one too many. Daughter of the late Gerald and Kathleen Champagne of Two Mountains,  she leaves behind her beloved husband, Kevan, daughters Jessica (Scott) and Charlotte, and the granddaughters she cherished, Reese and Navy. Those who knew Flo knew her strong personality and drive. She loved to share a story over a meal with family and friends. She had an innate ability for turning a mundane event into a three-part miniseries, always captivating her audience. She had a love of gardening and travel, but above all, loved the precious time she shared with her granddaughters. She had a strong moral compass that guided her professional and personal life; who has not heard her motto, 'don't lie, cheat or deviate the system and we will be the closest of friends?' She touched so many people in many different ways and will leave a lasting memory with all. As per Flo's wishes there will be no ceremony but consideration of donations to BGH Palliative Care is greatly appreciated. Our love forever Flo.

Click here for her online obituary.

Record Crowd For Two Mountains Canada Day Celebration
A perfect weather day brought out the masses to the 53rd annual Canada Day party in Two-Mountains. Even at noon for the opening ceremonies, the people had already arrived to take advantage of the festivities and activities. The honorary presidents of the event were Canadian figure skaters Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier. Also honoured were long time organizers of the the children races, Frank and Lorraine Hutchison. Everyone seemed to enjoy the variety of music headlined by Rockology. The stage was erected at the north western corner of 13th avenue field near the pool. It was not in its usual spot on the southern location due the the major work being done for the rain water retention basin on the 15th avenue soccer field. I will be producing a video of the day in the next few weeks but for now the pictures are available at this link. Video is now available by clicking image below.

Agapé Garage Sale - Saturday July 13 - 9am -3pm

Agapé Deux-Montagnes is having a garage sale July 13th. 9am to 3pm at the maison du citoyen 202 Henry Dunant.

Agape helps the community by providing food vouchers every month for the needy.

Mr. André Ouellet started this non profit organisation over 30 years ago and we need your help to keep it going.

You can rent a table for $25.00. For more info; 450 473 7450

Construction or Rainwater Pumping Station and Retention Basin at Central Park begins.

Why is this needed? (Translated from city website) When the lake level is high and the storm sewer network is unable to fully evacuate the rainwater naturally towards the lake (by gravity), the new pumping station will take over to redirect the water to the lake using submersible pumps.

Currently, when these situations occur, the City is forced to direct storm water into the sanitary sewer network in order to avoid backups and overflows. This way of doing things leads to a significant influx to the wastewater treatment plant; in addition to not being ecological, this generates costs due to the volume of wastewater coming from Deux-Montagnes.

The start of work for the development of the open-air retention basin at Central Park will begin in mid-June and will take place until the end of 2024. The basin will be located on the soccer field near the play areas (field 15 south). The construction site also occupies the area of ​​the 2nd soccer field which runs along 15th Avenue (field 15 north), but the latter will be refurbished at the end of the work. Ultimately, Central Park will have two soccer fields.

The work, carried out by the Duroking company will cost $7.2 million. This amount will also be covered in large part by grants from the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada.

Similar to a pond, the basin will be connected to the new storm sewer pumping station. It will regulate the flow of water by accumulating it and relieving the sewer network. The pool will be fenced and relaxation areas will be created there, including an island connected by a footbridge. A pedestrian path is also built around the pool, with the installation of lookout points. A water jet fountain will also be installed, with a system allowing the recirculation of water in the pool and aerators to avoid bad odours.

Combined with the dike, the rainwater pumping station and the retention basin complete a system of resilience to the hazards of climate change. Click on the image below for a video of the area.

I

Gary Stephen - April 28, 1947 – June 16, 2024

From Deux-Montagnes, on June 16, passed away Mr. Gary Philip Stephen, husband of Mrs. Ethel Stephen.

He leaves to mourn his wife, his children Scott (Carole), Tracy and Shawn (Rosanna), his grandchildren William and Nathan, his granddog Ellie, his grandcat Charlotte, his sisters: Barbara (Colin), Sandra (late Ross) and Jill (Mike), his brother Ronnie (Thelma), nieces and nephews, and many relatives and friends.

Visitation: Saturday June 29 from 9:00 to 11:30 - Ceremony at 11:30 at Salons Funeraires Guay, Saint-Eustache.

Donation can be at Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
Click here for his online obituary

Arthur Harris - 1940 - 2024

Passed away at the age of 83 May 29th 2024.
Survived by his beloved wife Linda Daughter Joanne and grandson Phoenix and son in law Pat he will be missed not only by his family but by many friends and neighbours.

He was an active member in his community a Volunteer fireman for the city for 15 years , a church warden for 3 terms ,a member of the knights of Columbus.

He enjoyed carving with his weekly group and was the city’s law mower repair man.

He was was truly a great man Father, neighbour, and friend ♥️

Funeral will be at Holy Family on the 22 of June at 10am condolences and then mass

Joe Dubuc 1933 - 2024

Joseph Oliva Anastase Dubuc (Nickname Funna) passed away on May 29, 2024 in St Eustache, Quebec, Canada. He was born on December 19, 1933, in Montreal, Canada, to Annie Dobuck and Anastase Dubuc. Joseph is survived by his children Susan (Russell Campbell), Frank, David, and his grandson Shawn Fillion Dubuc. He was preceded in death by his mother, father, and sister, Doris Dubuc Kiley.

Joseph studied at TEC Engineering. He was a proud veteran of the Air Force Reserve's Education Branch of RCAC, where he achieved the rank of Major. He was also the Regional Director of the Air Cadet League of Canada, Quebec Provincial Committee. Joseph's dedication to his country and military service was admirable. Joseph's career spanned various industries, where he made a significant impact. He worked as an aircraft mechanic at Canadair & Air Canada, draftsman at Canadair, and was the President/CEO of WINDORWAL, a successful company he founded.

Joseph was a talented craftsman, and his love for building parade floats and characters made him a renowned personality in Montreal and City of Two Mountains. In appreciation to his dedication to the community, on July 1, 2021, he was given the honour of Parade Marshal in the annual Two Mountains Canada Day festivities  He was the First Vice President of the Two Mountains Lions Club. He also served as the In Vice-Commander, Sergeant at Arms & Historian at the Royal Canadian Legion Pinellas, Florida. Post 144. Joseph was awarded the first-ever Legion Exceptional Service award, which is another testament to his dedication to serving his community. In his later years, Joe enjoyed writing poetry for all his family & friends for every life event. He has two published books sold on Amazon. "Poems To My Family" & "In Memoriam".

In his personal life, Joseph was very creative, a talented craftsman, generous, possessed great leadership skills, a great sense of humour, and was loyal to his family and friends. All who knew him will miss him.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Air Cadet League of Canada (aircadetleague.com) or the Canadian War Museum (warmuseum.ca) where he volunteered with the restoration of airplanes.

Have You Been Hacked or Spoofed?

If you are on Facebook it is very likely that you have received a friend request from someone that you are already friends with. This is because someone has copied your friends profile and has created a brand new profile and has sent out friend requests to try an trick. Someone may even have copied your profile including your picture and has tried the same thing. When this has happened, the actual person actually posts that they have been 'hacked' and to not respond to friend requests. If this has happened to you, you have not been hacked therefore there is no need to panic and change your password. You have been spoofed and someone who has received your 'fake' friend request may have already reported it to Facebook.

Facebook has worked to stop people from doing this by making sure that someone could not copy a name and profile exactly. The 'spoofers' have just added a couple of letters or numbers at the end of your name to bypass the Facebook check of alike profiles. So if you get a friend request with a name that looks a little fishy, simply deleted and block and you can even report it. Facebook will usually delete the profile fairly quickly. There are other 'real' people that you don't know that will send you friend requests. There may be a real person behind this profile but it probably not someone you would want to be friends with and the picture is probably not of the person. This is called Catfishing. People trying to impersonate someone in order to get your money. These people are very good at developing your trust in them and they out to get something from you.

On the subject of hacking: That is much more serious. This means that someone (or some computer program) has guessed you password and has actually logged on to your account. If this has happened to you, change your password immediately. You should also be using Multi-factor authentication to prevent people from logging in without your knowledge. It complicates things a bit but it might save you many headaches. To learn more about MFA or 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) you can click here.

George James King - July 3, 1948 - May 14, 2024

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of George King of Brighton, ON. Beloved husband of 53 years to Etta (Butt). Loving Father to Scott (Tyler), Lori (Rob), Tammy (Nick), Tracie (Eric) and Justin (Nancy). He will be greatly missed by his 9 Grandchildren and 5 Great Grandchildren as well as his sister and brothers and many nieces and nephews.

George left this world peacefully, surrounded by his family as per his wishes. He has requested for his final resting place to be back home with his parents on Bell Island, NFLD.

The entire King family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Dee and Katie along with the rest of the staff at the Belleville Intensive Care Unit. Your compassion and support mean the world to us. At George’s request, cremation has taken place. No funeral service will be held.

Harold Galley (1927 – 2024)

Harold Galley of Deux-Montagnes and Griffintown, at the age of 96, peacefully passed away on May 4th, 2024. Harold is predeceased by his precious wife Madeleine. He leaves behind his children: Joan (Larry), Bryan (Christine, deceased), Kevin (Roswitha), and Keith (Darlene). He will be greatly missed by his 7 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

Harold is survived by his sister Catherine. He is predeceased by his sister Noreen (Armand, deceased) and brothers William (Fran, deceased) Michael (Dot, deceased), Jimmy (Shirley, deceased). Harold worked for the Canadian National Railways for 40 years.

The family will receive condolences on Monday, June 3^rd  2024, from 10am at Holy Family Parish, 1001 Oka Road, Deux-Montagnes.  A mass will follow at 11am.

There will be a celebration of life for Harold at the Legion Branch 185, 141 Grand-Moulin at 1:30pm

Click here to view his online obituary.

Here is a preview of the videos that I will try to edit in the fall of 2024

Peter Aldersley - 1956-2024

On Thursday, May 2nd, after a courageous battle, Peter passed away peacefully at home with his wife and sons holding his hands.

Aside from the deep sense of loss felt by his wife Kiley (nee Philp), and cherished sons Aiden and Kieran, he also leaves to mourn his mother, Roxanne Bradshaw (nee Purdon), his sisters Paula (Roger) and Nancy (Larry), and his nephews Eric and Gregory. He is predeceased by his father, beloved uncles Jimmy and Charlie, and best friend Eugene (Gino). Peter will be greatly missed by his many friends; most friendships having lasted several decades.

Peter spent most of his youth in Laval West, St.-Eustache, and Two Mountains. He graduated from LTM in ’73. His family spent most summers in Maine at Hermit Island Campground, and these were some of Peter’s fondest memories growing up. He eventually settled in Pointe-Claire.
To name just a few of his work exploits, Peter was a sound engineer for several travelling bands, worked in both body work and mechanics, restored pianos to their brilliance, and drove big green machines.

Peter loved to golf, play bridge, listen to all kinds of music, and collect antique guns. He had a huge passion for classic cars, motorcycles, and boats. He’s owned and restored too many to try to mention. He passed on this love to his oldest son, Aiden, and was so proud to be here to see him start his mechanics program a few weeks ago. Peter was a true “Jack of all trades” and master of many! He could fix anything and had an engineer’s mind for solving things out of the box. His youngest son, Kieran, attacks problems in the same manner, and Peter truly admired this about him.

As per Peter’s request, there will be no funeral or visitation. A private celebration of life will be held with family and close friends at a later date. Should you wish to donate, please do so to the Canadian Cancer Society to promote early screening

Alexander Reid Niven 1927 -2024

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of our father, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle on April 1st. Predeceased by his wife of nearly 50 years, Effie, we hope that they are dancing once again.

Visitation will be held Sunday May 5th at salon funéraire Guay in St-Eustache between 9am and 11am. A ceremony will start at 11am.

Click here to view his online obituary.
 

Click here for Facebook event

We Are Back From Away

Once again, you may have noticed a lull in the action on this website. Other than the weather being so so and the abundance of rain, there hasn't been too much going on. That's not the reason for the lack of updates. You may have suspected that we were away. You were right. We are just getting back from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. We kept a daily log of our activities and posted numerous pictures. Video's will be coming in the next few months as we saw a lot of interesting and had some exciting encounters with wildlife.

To access our log and pictures, you can use this link until we put the link on our travel page.

Claude St-Laurent 1951-2004

Claude St-Laurent, spouse of Mrs. Lyne Châteauneuf, passed away In Rosemère on March 28, 2024, at the age of 72, .

In addition to his partner, he leaves to mourn his sons Marc (Marie-France), Jean-Philippe, Justin and Jérôme, his grandchildren, his brothers and sisters, as well as other relatives and friends.

The family will receive your condolences on Sunday April 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at: Goyer Funeral Complex 105 boul. Desjardins Est, Sainte-Thérèse.

Click here to view his online obituary.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.
 

Possible Major Changes in Future Eclipses

The pandemonium surrounding full solar eclipses has had scientists studying ways of making this event a little more predictable and possibly more frequent. The current NASA project to the moon involves landing close to the south pole of the moon. One of the main reasons for this target is the presence of massive amounts of water (in the form of ice) inside craters that never are exposed to the sunlight due to the angle of the sun. You might ask, why not go to the north pole instead? The answer is complex but there are a few reasons. The first being that the craters on the south pole are deeper and probably contain more water ice. As you know, water is H²O and the Hydrogen contained there can be used as a propellant if split from the Oxygen and recombined resulting in massive amounts of energy. A good example of this is the current development of the Hydrogen fuel cell, with hopes to push the Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) to the side as the anti EV lobby would have you believe. That's a discussion for another day but the potential energy 'stored' on the south pole of the moon is what is of interest to scientists and this is where project Selinas is born. This project is named after the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene.

Firstly, you must understand that the current orbit of the moon around the earth tilts at about a 5 degree angle as compared to earth's orbit around the sun. For example, if these orbits were on the same plane, we would get a lunar eclipse at full moon every month as opposed to currently only once or twice a year. Solar eclipses are just as common but are only seen by a small percentage of the earth surface as the moon is much smaller than the earth.

The Selinas project plans to reduce this 5 degree angle slightly by mounting rockets to the south pole of the moon and, using Hydrogen propulsion, change the path of the orbit of the moon. It has been calculated that for every 10th of a degree of deviation, the occurrences of eclipses would increase by about 10%. The ultimate aim is not to bring this angle to 0 as this could have unwanted side effects. Too many solar eclipses could cause the earth to cool down slightly which some global warming experts see as a last resort for cooling the planet. Another factor in the calculation is that the earth tilts at about 23.5 degrees. This would allow the eclipses to be spread out more equally across the planet depending on the time of year.  One caveat is that we are becoming more reliant on solar energy. More frequent eclipses could impact the electrical grid. One school of thought is to try to control the eclipses' paths to avoid shading huge solar energy arrays on earth to mitigate this problem. This April 8th eclipse already has triggered discussions that the electrical grid might suffer failure and that we shouldn't rely on the sun to power our planet. Have those same people heard of clouds or night time? Most people reading this won't see a direct effect of this as Project Selinas' is not estimated to go live until 2045 at the earliest. The real benefit will be reaped by our grandchildren's children that will be able to gaze at these phenomena through their virtual reality contact lenses. Click here for a visual representation of the Selinas Project which should make the viability of this effort very clear.

What to Expect of the April 8th Solar Eclipse from Two-Mountains

North America is getting ready for a great celestial show. If you are reading this, it is the last one in your lifetime unless you want to travel somewhere to see it. Deux-Montagnes is only a few kilometres away from the path of totality but it doesn't mean it won't be something special. The sun will be 99.8% covered here for a few seconds. It will be dark enough to see Venus lower in the sky at about the 5 o'clock position. The actually time of the eclipse is from around 2:25 to 4:35 with the peak at 3:27:27. Of course, if the skies are cloudy, all you will observe is about five minutes of nighttime and the rest will feel like twilight. If you want to experience totality you only need to make you way to Old Montreal where the sun will be entirely hidden for one minute and 25 seconds. If you were to go a little further south like Lacolle, for example, you would extend the darkness to almost 3½ minutes.

The map on the right shows you just how close we are to being in the full shadow of the moon (red dot is Deux-Montagnes). If you want to see other places in Québec where the eclipse will be seen, check out the interactive map on this site. No matter what, the only time you can look directly at the eclipse without proper eye protection is during totality you might be able to peek at it at 99.8% but I wouldn't chance it for longer than a few seconds. The city was offering free glasses on Monday March 25 at 1pm at the library but they went fast. If you can't get a hold of glasses, the safest way to view any solar eclipse is with a easy DYI pinhole projector. This link has the instructions on how to make one. On Monday morning, March 25th at around 2:00am, the full moon was passing in the earth's penumbra. It's called a penumbral lunar eclipse. It wasn't much of a show as the moon simply got a little dimmer. It was just the moon getting ready for April 8th.

Robert Joseph Hamon - 1941 - 2024

We are sad to say Bob passed away on March 12, 2024.
He was much loved and will be deeply missed by his brother and best friend Norman and his sisters Freda and Cleta.

Brian and Adam Spence (Corina), Martin, Daniel and Susan (Jay)Bruckner, great nephews Zeph and Sam, his stepson Andres Villegas (Vivi) and their children Mila and Arya will all be missing him as well as extended family and many friends.

To read more about Bob, a memorial site has been set up at he link below:

www.forevermissed.com/robert-joseph-hamon
 

DISCO Dance Party Fundraiser for SERCAN

We are inviting you to this event to have some fun and to raise money for MAISON SERCAN. So dust off your disco gear and come dance the night away to music of the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s while supporting a great cause. It's all happening at the Heritage Social Club on Saturday, May 4th, 2024 at 7:00pm.

There will be a 50/50 draw and some other games to help raise money. Prizes for best dressed Female & Male.

Tickets are $20 per person and you can get them by contacting:
Debbie Auger – heavens@bell.net or David Larose – hockey15-1967@hotmail.com

Tickets will be on sale commencing March 10, 2024.
A max of 100 tickets will be sold, first come first served.Tickets sold at the door will be $25 per person (if available).

Atlantic City Trip
The annual Atlantic City trip from Two-Mountains is on again this year. The popular outing had to take some COVID time off but it's back on from May 19th to 23rd. The trip includes deluxe motor coach transportation, 4 nights in a hotel, $40US in 'play' money, 4 x $20 meal vouchers and much more. The cost is $660CAD in double occupancy with more pricing details here. For more info or to reserve, please call Bunny at 438-398-5198. You must hold a valid Canadian passport.
Click here for all the details of the AC trip.

A Skate Around an Enchanted Forest

A few weeks ago, we headed north-east to a little place just north of Trois-Rivières for a little ice-skating in the woods of the lost forest. Back in January 2011, wow I can't believe it was 13 years ago, we went there to try out the trails. Really not much has changed since our first visit except that it seems to have gotten more popular. I spoke to the owner and he said that they have had up to 3000 people on the same day. He also said that he gets a large percentage of visitors from France and north east U.S.A. On the Tuesday we went there were three buses and about 50 cars so it wasn't that busy. Their website says they have 15 kilometres of skating trails. I would have to say that is a bit of a stretch as we tried to skate every trail and only managed to records 10.5 kilometres in the 90 minutes we skated. We did stop quite a bit to see and feed the animals there. 13 years prior, we hand fed some chickadees. This time however, they did not come in for lunch even though we had better snacks. Even if the length of the trails might be exaggerated slightly, the ice conditions were really good despite the roller coaster weather we have been having. The entire property is about 68 acres (about 1500 by 200 metres). If all trails were open, I would say there are 7.5kms of trails which would translate to 15 kms if you measure in both directions.

The reason I know it has been 13 years since we had gone there (in my mind I would have guessed 8 years max), is that the video I took that day was the first video on my brand new YouTube channel. Since then, I have posted around 250 videos and have gotten over 4.2 million views. Disclaimer: 4 million of those views came from the mysterious popularity of my 2016 Santa Class parade video which people from Mexico, Mexico and Vietnam watched. In 2018 and 2019. Whatever caused that uptick in viewership had died has it has moved in 3 years. In those 13 years, hopefully the quality of the videos I am producing has improved. I can confidently attest that, yes, it has improved as this link to my first video will prove.

Score For the Cure Ball Hockey Tournament Raises Record Amount

The 15th annual Score for the Cure was held on Saturday February 3rd. The weather was perfect and miraculously the temperature cooperated to make the ice surface in the best condition in years. All 6 teams were competitive and there were even 2 shootouts to decide the winners of games. The final game also went into overtime to decide the eventual champions. A record amount of money was raised through team entry fees, raffles and donations for food and beverages. The video below shows some of the action as well as the winner and the record amount collected that will go to the M.U.H.C. Cancer research foundation. Thanks to all involved.

James Gordon Norris - 1931 - 2024

James Gordon Norris (92), Gord, died January 28th, 2024, at Southbridge Long Term Care Home, Cornwall, Ontario.

Loving husband of 71 years, to the late Olive Jubin Norris, died March 4th, 2023. Caring father to 7 children: Glen (Ellie), Charleen (Noubar), Diane, Colleen (Michael), Patrick (Donna), Beverly (Rick), and Carol (Ron). Cherished grandfather to Jason, Tanya, Melissa, Laura, Shannon, Stephanie, Shanna, Patrick, Michael, Alexa, Lauren, and Justin. Proud great-grandfather of 14.

Gordon was an exceptional English teacher for 31 years, mostly at Laval Catholic High School, where he touched the lives of many.
In his younger years, he was an avid hockey player, coach and referee. He was a big fan of the Montreal Canadiens and Alouettes.
Another great passion was jazz music. He passed on his love of jazz to many.

He was extremely proud of his family, and he considered his family his greatest achievement. He will be greatly missed.
Special thanks to Southbridge, Tree Haven Suites staff for their care and devotion to Dad.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date for both Gordon and Olive. Click here for his Montreal Gazette obituary.

How To Get Around Bill 96 When Online...but don't tell anyone
As you know, Bill 96, that came into effect in June of last year, has restricted the rights of people, companies and municipal governments. Some of the restrictions are yet to be fully in force as the deadline for full implementation is some time in 2025. The English community has protested but much of it has fallen on deaf ears as premier Legault is just a despicable human and the federal government has not come to bat to protect the rights of English Canadians living in Quebec. Personally, I think that French speaking Quebecers are getting the short end of the stick as they are virtually prevented from learning the 3rd most used language in the world (English) while being pushed the false narrative that French in Quebec is dying. FYI - French is ranked 16th in the world just after Korean. If you want the entire list of native languages, it's here on Wikipedia. Ironically, many politicians (and the rich) can still have their children learn the language of Shakespeare by paying for their education or even have them 'sent' outside the province.

Since Two-Mountains (or officially Deux-Montagnes) is not regarded as a bilingual city, as the threshold for this designation is 50% English, it can no longer provide their website or newsletters in English. I have to say that until Bill 96 was in force, the city did go out of their way to provide English services and documentation. Since June, the Quebec government told the cities that if they continued to pander to their English constituents that they would lose provincial funding for projects and could even be fined in addition. Some people call this blackmail. Of course, the city's hands were tied and they had to bow to the wishes of weasels in power.

So for the 16% of the Anglos of Deux-Montagnes, the link to the city website (on the top of this page) will now actually filter the French only city site through Google Translate. Of course, there are a few translations that might not make sense but the AI around the translation has improved tremendously in the last few years. The results are sometimes funny but you should get the information you need if not a chuckle on how things turn out. Give it a try and let me know how it went. If you want to read my website in French, click here. It might take a few seconds to load because there is a lot to translate.

I just ran across a CBC video on YouTube that shows the absurdity of the new language laws and the potential costs to the retailers when they have to comply to new rules by June 1, 2025. Again, this effort to 'save' the French language. It could cost millions that will end end costing us as consumers or having the chains just stop operations in Quebec. Click here to view the CBC video.

Score For the Cure Ball Hockey Tournament - Saturday February 3^rd

The 15th annual Score for the Cure Ball Hockey tournament will be played this year to raise funds for Cancer research. The action starts at 8:30am goes on all day with 7 teams vying for bragging rights in a double elimination round robin. The entry to the Klimas Recreation Centre is free and is located at 254 Regent Street in Two Mountains, Click here for the map.

There will be food and beverages available most of the day for free. A donation is encouraged. There will also be multiple raffles for gift cards and grand prize, a pair of Habs tickets in the Desjardins section (food included) for the Habs vs Dallas Stars.

This fundraiser is in association with the Dan Klimas Drive for the Cure which has raised well over 1.45 million dollars over the past 22 years. This year's tournament will take place at the Rosemère Fontainebleau Golf Club on Thursday, June 27th.

Click here for a video of a last year's tournament.

3rd Annual City Winter Carnival

A few years ago, the city took the reigns of the Winter Carnival from Lions Club and inaugurated the newly name L' Hivernale. Gone was ToMo, the long-time proverbial winter mascot and in with new furry, Renardo, a shout out to the foxes that were roaming our neighbourhoods. Admittedly, the ToMo bear was getting long in the tooth and the costume itself was a little thin for wear as I believe the original, more 'hefty' suit, had gone mysteriously disappeared. (due to global warming, I guess).

For you people that are constantly pining over the good old days, the Two-Mountains Carnival had lost some of its lustre. The tri-dances and wineskins are a distant memory and although our brains would somehow love to re-enact some of those sleigh rides between venues, our bodies and internal organs wouldn't be up for the ride.

The more tame carnival fare is now a 3pm to 10pm event where wineskins have been replaced by reusable cups to be filled with free hot chocolate. There will be a food truck with some food for sale. The entire event is held at Olympia Park. Since Bill 96 has removed all traces of English from the city website, this link will provide an AI translated description of the event from the French website. There are humourous translations like Strong in the Snow, instead of Snow Fort but the gist of the information can be understood. The good thing about the new format, is that the Sunday morning hangover is a thing of the past...or is it?

Yolande Martell (Charpentier) - 1927 - 2024

Yolande Martell, née Charpentier, passed away in Deux-Montagnes, on January 22^nd, 2024, at the age of 96, wife of the late Mr. Joseph Adélard Martell.

She leaves to mourn her children Sylvie (André), Philippe (Sherrie) and Céline (John), her grandchildren Isabelle, Stéphane, Kayla, Mélanie, Rachelle, Amanda and Ashley, her great-grandchildren Yoann, James, Jessy and Elizabeth, the families of Jerry, Linda and Robert, nieces and nephews, as well as relatives and friends.

The family will receive condolences at: Guay funeral complex, 146, rue St-Louis, St-Eustache on Friday February 9^th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday February 10^th from 9:00 a.m. A funeral will follow at 11:00 a.m. at St-Agapit church, followed by burial at the Deux-Montagnes cemetery. Click here to view here online obituary.

'Flying' Over Two-Mountains

In video below, I flew my drone over the 'center' of Two-Mountains using two modes. The mode I almost always use keeps the camera steady in a horizontal position. This means the 'horizon' is always straight. The DJI Mini 3 Pro drone has an option to film in FPV, meaning First Person View. This mode tilts the camera based on the direction of flight much like an airplane would have to bank to turn. This is done through the built software (firmware) of the drone. It's not perfect, but it does give a different perspective of the ground below. This video shows both modes and asks you to decide which you prefer. You can comment on YouTube or let me know the next we bump into each other.

William Bill Cameron - 1941 - 2024

In St. Eustache, on January 12th, 2024, at the age of 82, passed away Mr William ''Bill'' Cameron, spouse of Ms Yetta Syvret.

He leaves to mourn his spouse, his daughter Jennifer (Karl), Yetta's sons: David, Rod (Karen) and Dan (Mari-Lou), brothers and sister: Marge (Larry), David, Jim, Steve and many other relatives and friends.

The family would like to thank St. Eustache Hospital personnel for their good care and the attention provided.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Canadian cancer society, www.cancer.ca, or to Heart and Stroke, www.heartandstroke.ca. Donations can be made to the St. Eustache Legion, forms will be available at the funeral home.

The familly will receive condolences on Sunday, February 4th, from 1PM to 4PM at Les Salons funéraires Guay, 146, rue St-Louis, St-Eustache. A ceremony will be held in the same room at 4PM.

Click here for his online obituary.

Rita (Langlois) Chibok - 1935-2024

In Saint-Eustache, on January 13, 2024 at the age of 88, passed away Mrs. Rita Langlois, wife of the late Georges Chibok and mother of the late Stéphane.

She leaves to mourn her children: Patrice (Blanca), and Chantal (Gary MacMillan), her grandchildren: Kenya (Henry) and Boris, her sister Rollande, her brothers Normand (Louise) and Yvan (Francine), her brother-in-law Gerry, her sister-in-law Lise, her nephews, nieces and other relatives and friends.

The family will receive condolences on Saturday, February 17 from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at:

Goyer Funeral Complex Ltd 147, boul. Arthur-Sauvé Saint-Eustache

A memorial service will take place the same day at 4 p.m. in the complex's chapel.

Donations in her memory can be made to Parkinson Québec. Click here to view her online obituary.

Click here to view a video tribute on Facebook.

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