2 ? THE SUBURBAN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2010

VSL library extends reach

By Joel Goldenberg The Suburban St. Laurent?s public library is now part of the overall Montreal network of libraries as of late last year, the borough recently announced. The borough said this means greater access to books and services for St. Laurent residents, and to take out and return books at the City of Montreal library of their choice. ?This makes it possible for members not only to have access to the entirety of Montreal?s book collections, about five million documents, but also to carry out transactions online using the Nelligan catalogue,? says the announcement. The Nelligan catalogue, at ville.montreal.qc.ca/biblio, is St. Laurent?s See LIBRARY, page 9

Around the towns

PHOTO EXHIBIT AT CSL LIBRARY

Côte St. Luc?s Eleanor London Library is presenting the exhibition Une visite s?impose by the artistic duo of Mathieu Doyon and Simon Rivest (Doyon- Rivest). The exhibition runs until Jan. 17. ?This series of elaborately staged photographs shows a cast of costumed characters at sites around Quebec City,? says a city announcement. ?This project began in the context of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, ?6 emissaries? by Centre Vu who invited six artists to carry out a photographic mission in the city. The challenge was to capture images of a specific place in the present moment in time. Doyon-Rivest decided to take advantage of this opportunity to photograph places that are not often seen by citizens and visitors to Quebec. This series of images plays with cultural clichés, as a trio of characters visit sites around the city. In their poses, the figures act as wax mannequins and the city takes on the role of a museum.? For more information, call the library at 514- 485-6900 or visit www.elcslpl.org.

HAMPSTEAD MEETING REMINDER

Hampstead?s budget meeting takes place 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at the Adessky Community Centre and is followed by the regular council meeting, purportedly at 8 p.m. But if there are a multitude of questions on the budget, as is suspected, the actual council meeting may start a mite late.

MOWEST BUDGET MEETING

Montreal West?s budget meeting, which will also see the adoption of its 2010-2012 capital expenditure program, will also be held on Jan. 11, in this case at 7 p.m., at the town hall at 50 Westminster South. The regular council meetings in 2010 will be held Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 22, April 26, May 31, June 28, Aug. 23, Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 22 and Dec. 16.

WINTER TRADITION IN ST. LAURENT

The annual Féérie d?Hiver de Saint-Laurent (winter carnival) will take place at Cousineau Park, at the corner of O?Brien Blvd. and Poirier St., the borough announced. The 17th edition of this event will take place Sunday, Jan. 31, from 1 to 5 p.m. ?Visitors will find inflatable games, carriage rides, ice sculptures and tasty treats,? says the announcement. ?Other sweet activities are also on the menu since the theme this year is ?Candyland!? In case of rain or intense cold, the Féerie will be postponed until Sunday, Feb. 7.? ? Joel Goldenberg

PAGE TWO

?So long and thanks for the memories??

By P.A. Sévigny The Suburban After 63 years in business, the ?Vente de Fermeture? posters have far more to say about the future of Verdun?s anglophone community than it does about the end of Pat Mullin?s successful little business near the corner of Woodland and Verdun Avenue. ?People began to move away,? said Barry Mullins. ?Some went to Chateauguay, others went to Toronto and before you knew it, everyone was speaking French.? When Patrick Mullins first decided to open his business in 1947, his suppliers in the city?s north-end rag-trade wished him luck because many didn?t think he could make it in Montreal?s competitive retail trade business. They were wrong. Once the war was over and Montreal began to take advantage of its new postwar prosperity, the city?s Irish community got their chance to move out of Griffintown?s cold-water flats when they began to buy their own homes west of the avenues in Verdun?s west end. With a growing local client base and Mullins? habit of providing personal service, the store was a singular success. Sixty years after he first opened his Verdun Avenue store, Barry and Brian Mullins were still taking care of their father?s business while much of Montreal?s garment business was forced to close their doors forever. As the store prospered, Mullins noticed a new generation was growing up and getting married. Weddings were By Kevin Woodhouse The Suburban Lac St. Louis MP Francis Scarpaleggia, in one of last year?s final sittings of the Veterans Affairs Committee spoke to Brian Ferguson and Publisher: Michael Sochaczevski Associate Publisher: Sari Medicoff Sales Manager: David Solomon National Sales Director: David Broadman Production Manager: Karen L. Cross Classified Manager: Charmaine Worrell Credit Manager: Carol Balinsky 7575 Trans-Canada Highway, Suite 105, St. Laurent, QC H4T 1V6 (514) 484-1107 (Fax) 484-9616 suburban@thesuburban.com www.thesuburban.com Some images and graphics Copyright 2009 Michael Publishing and its licensors. All rights reserved. always a big community event and tuxedo fittings were becoming a major part of the business 20 years after he first opened Pat?s Mens and Boys Wear, the store changed its name to Pat?s Formal Wear Rental. When Pat Mullins finally decided to call it a day, his sons took over the store after he retired. Barry said the tuxedo business made serious money over the next two decades but for a number of reasons, things began to slow down during the ?90s. Even after they were forced to deal with the city?s sky-high business taxes, two economic recessions and one armed robbery, Quebec?s infamous Bill 101 still cost the business its apostrophe and the business underwent another name. Pat?s Formal Wear Rental morphed into a grammatically challenged yet politically correct Pat Formal Wear. Even so, the business began to suffer as a new generation began to vote with Darragh Mogan of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) about accessibility to the Ste. Anne de Bellevue?s Veterans? Hospital. Scarpaleggia requested eligibility for all Allied veterans at the hospital. Scarpaleggia began by asking about the specific requirements for full time care at the hospital. Ferguson told the local MP ?veterans who have overseas service or who were injured in the service of Canada.? Editor-in-chief: Beryl Wajsman (editor@thesuburban.com) Associate Editor: Anthony Bonaparte (anthony@thesuburban.com) Sports Editor: Mark Lidbetter (sports@thesuburban.com) Editorial Staff: Joel Ceausu, Dan Delmar, Julia Gerke, Joel Goldenberg, Walter J. Lyng, P.A. Sévigny, Samantha St. Jules, Kevin Woodhouse their feet when they left the city for better opportunities in the suburbs or down the 401. ?People just weren?t getting married like they used to,? said Barry. As opposed to a single tiny section devoted to formal wear rentals in today?s Yellow Pages, the younger Mullins brother said there used to be at least half a page full of listings for formal wear during the city?s boom years. ?This business has been good to us,? said Brian. ?It paid for our homes and it paid for my children?s education but now it?s time to do something else.? For years, the store?s window used to have a sign that read ?Customers wanted: No experience necessary.? As of last Thursday, there?s another stark red ?A louer? poster in the window with the landlord?s number available for anyone who might be willing to open a little business on Verdun Avenue. n

Scarpaleggia seeks access for all Allied veterans for eligibility at Veterans? Hospital

Lac St. Louis MP talks to DVA?s Brian Ferguson on accessibility

?I think that?s a very incomplete answer, because it?s a little bit more complicated than that based on what I?ve been told,? was Scarpaleggia?s response. ?For example, See VETERANS, page 3 Editorial Contributors: Maria I. Anelli, Akil Alleyne, Sam Bick, Mike Cohen, Alex Di Pietro, Mitch Gallo, Ian Howarth, David Lisbona, Bernard Mendelman, Daniel W.K. Rafuse, Lisa K. Savage, Linda Zlatkin Photographers: Andrew Soong, Rob Taussig, Mico Smiljanic CONTACT US via email: Letters: editor@thesuburban.com | Entertainment: entertainment@thesuburban.com | Features: anthony@thesuburban.com | Sports: sports@thesuburban.com | Community Events: calendar@thesuburban.com | Advertising material: production@thesuburban.com Publisher?s liability for error: The publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher?s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with any advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. Entire Contents Copyright Michael Publishing Co. Inc., Wednesday, January 6, 2010 P.A. SEVIGNY / THE SUBURBAN

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