PHOTO BY DAVE ELDER

The Neowise comet has kindled the interest of many amateur astronomers this summer and while this image taken by Pincourt resident Dave Elder who climbed Mont Rigaud after sunset was visible with the naked eye, even more magic in the stars can be seen with basic starter telescopes.

This summer’s visit by Comet Neowise may have awoken your desire to explore the heavens and while the night sky has a lot to offer even to the naked eye, if you’re considering buying some stargazing equipment it’s important to know the basics. Like many activities that require specialized equipment, astronomy can get expensive. Still, you do not need to invest several months’ worth of income to get started.

Department store telescopes

You might already be one of these people who were taken in by a low-priced telescope in a flashy box at your local retail outlet. The box probably showed impressive pictures of Mars and the Orion Nebula and more than likely also bragged about its very impressive...

PHOTO COURTESY JAY DE LA DURANTAYE

Jay de la Durantaye (back row far right) poses with team Cozy Café of the Hudson Mixed Softball League during last season’s COVID-free days. The team is gamely tackling softball again this summer in what will be a shortened season complying with sanitizing and social distancing regulations.

This year’s Hudson Mixed Softball League season got off to a bit of a rough start. With all sports gatherings shut down earlier this spring, things weren’t originally certain for 2020, but with approval from the government the league finally got things rolling with two exciting season opener games on July 13 at Benson Park.

Pitching to women

“Normally we have about eight teams,” said Jay de la Durantaye, who plays with team ‘Cozy Café’ in the mixed social league, “but this season we’re down to five. We’re missing a lot of people whose lives have been disrupted, or who have concerns about exposure because of more vulnerable loved ones.”

With less players coming out to th...

PHOTO BY JIM HUGHES

Comet Neowise photographed by Vaudreuil-Dorion resident Jim Hughes in Saint-Clet on July 14 using a digital camera, tripod and telephoto lens.

As the pandemic continues to put a damper on many of our summer activities, it’s encouraging to see that nature can come up with a few surprises to keep us entertained.

What was at first an astronomical body that could only be seen using powerful professional telescopes has now turned into a spectacle that can be enjoyed by everyone – Comet Neowise, named for the orbiting telescope that discovered it – it has been gracing our skies since it was discovered March 27. Comet Neowise is brighter than originally predicted, so it’s a great opportunity for the public to see something that might very well be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

This week, as an added bonus, you no longer need to wake up early to see the comet. It can now be seen in the late evening sky if you look up in a general North-Western direction. It should be easy to...

PHOTO COURTESY SHANNON PELLEY
Carole Youssef, centre, with her proud father on the left and Cavaliers Basketball Association President Michel Bento on the right, earned a $500 scholarship and a laptop.

The Île-Perrot Cavaliers basketball association had a shortened 2020 season when games were brought to a halt by COVID-19, but that didn’t stop them from recognizing a few standout players who shone this year. Said association Vice President Shannon Pelley, “We wanted to do something this year, something that was started long before the pandemic, and that was to award $500 scholarship prizes along with free Lenovo laptop computers to players who distinguished themselves– on the court, but also in school and by volunteering in the community.”

The original plan was to have two top prizes through their partnership with Lenovo, one for a male and one for a female player, but when they saw the calibre of deserving young names being submitted, “…we felt like we really had to add a runner-up cate...

The iconic windmill at the Parc-Historique-de-la-Pointe-du-Moulin along the shoreline of Lac Saint-Louis in Notre-Dame-de-l’île-Perrot (NDIP) is undergoing a major renovation to its roof which has been removed from the stone base. A large tarpaulin currently covers the opening to prevent rain from entering the structure.

The restoration work is being done by the provincial government’s Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) which manages several historic buildings throughout the province. For the city, the windmill is an important part of its history and identity and is a prominent part of the city’s logo.

Big part of city’s heritage

“It’s very important for us,” Mayor Danie Deschênes told The Journal. “It’s a big part of our city and heritage. SODEC is the not-for-profit organization that manages it but Notre-Dame has always been a partner. All the funds that go to SODEC which owns Pointe-du-Moulin go through the city.”

Built in 1702, the windmill is one of 20 docume...

PHOTO BY JOHN JANTAK

The closure of the railroad crossing at the western end of Terrasse-Vaudreuil meant a long detour for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians over to the only other point of entry or exit – the crossing on Boulevard Perrot to the east.

Work to complete restoration to the railroad crossing at 3rd Avenue in Terrasse-Vaudreuil is expected to be completed by early Friday morning, July 24. When finished, the work will improve the safety of motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians by providing a more level crossing surface.  

“The rails had to be changed,” Terrasse-Vaudreuil Mayor Michel Boudreault told The Journal. “The last time it was done was maybe five years ago and it was time to do it again. This time they decided to do both railway crossings on Île-Perrot. The one in L’Île-Perrot North was done two weeks ago and the crossing in Terrasse-Vaudreuil is being done this week.”

Inconvenient but necessary

The closure of the Terrasse-Vaudreuil railroad crossing has meant that motori...

PHOTO COURTESY CHARLIE BERCOVITS

Joey, the 8-pound miniature Schnauzer, is safe and sound back at home but gave his Hudson owner a fright after ingesting a tossed-aside marijuana butt, the effects of which landed him at an emergency veterinary clinic.

A long-time Hudson resident is reaching out to warn fellow dog owners after her three-month-old miniature schnauzer puppy became intoxicated following the ingestion of part of a cannabis joint that was tossed onto a well-used walking path in the town.

“The word has to get out there,” said Charlie Bercovits. “I thought he was dying.”

Bercovits didn’t know at first what her eight-pound dog, Joey, had eaten and assumed a long day of playing was the cause of his extreme fatigue when they arrived home that Saturday afternoon in late June.

“But when I took him out of his carrier, he was swaying back and forth and his head was bobbing.” Bercovits let him nap for a couple of hours but found he was completely limp and disoriented upon awakening and uri...

PHOTO BY JOHN JANTAK

Ste. Anne de Bellevue has received government subsidies totalling $1 million to preserve the historic former farmhouse to act as an entrance to the planned 17-hectare municipal nature park on Chemin Ste. Marie.

The City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue has announced that efforts to preserve and restore the Michel-Robillard house may continue after obtaining a subsidy from the provincial Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec Fonds du patrimoine culturel québécois (FPCQ) and a financial contribution from the City of Montreal, for a total amount of $1 million.

“It represents less than half of what it would have cost to build a new soulless chalet,” Mayor Paola Hawa told The Journal. “It’s a win-win for us. It was also part of our contractual agreement with the agglomeration for them to purchase all that green space and all we had to do was have an entrance chalet. I think it’s a pretty good return on our investment for Ste. Anne de Bellevue.”

As reported in Th...

PHOTO COURTESY VILLE DE SAINT-LAZARE

The sprawling grounds of Parc St-Robert offered attendees and councillors ample space to social distance during an informal meeting held July 12.

Threatening overcast skies didn’t dampen citizens’ enthusiasm last Sunday morning as 37 Saint-Lazare residents took part in an informal Politics in the Park meeting that was hosted by the current five sitting members of council at Parc St-Robert on July 12.

It was the first time Saint-Lazare’s councillors took it upon themselves to join forces as a group and meet with their respective constituents in a common setting to discuss issues and answer questions related to various topics that currently affect the town and which have been discussed in various social media forums. The meeting was initiated solely by the councillors and was not sanctioned by the town.

Informative and respectful exchange

While the meeting was originally scheduled to last one-and-a-half hours, most residents stayed for more than two hours...

PHOTO BY TARA FITZGERALD

Judging by the extent of the damage the exterminator was able to establish that this nest of Carpenter ants had been present for at least two years.

Buying a new home is an exciting event but also one that can quickly turn happiness to frustration when things go wrong. The discovery of a hidden defect in a newly purchased home is a crushing disappointment for the buyer but can also be a terrible surprise for the vendor as well.

According to the Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ), "A latent defect is an unapparent problem that existed at the time of purchase but you have not been informed about it; and it is so serious that you would probably not have bought the property or would have asked for a price reduction.”

The OACIQ suggests a pre-listing inspection can help a vendor be as accurate as possible when filling in their seller’s declaration, a document that exists so that both the vendor and the buyer are protected. A goo...

PHOTO COURTESY SYLVIE NERON

A Hudson designer who recently gifted Quebec Premier François Legault some of her locally-made facemasks received a signed thank-you letter from him commending her entrepreneurial initiative.

A Hudson business owner recently received an official note of thanks from Quebec Premier François Legault after she gifted him three face masks made at her studio on Main Road.

Sylvie Neron, designer and owner of Sylvie Neron Design (S.N.D) shared the letter with The Journal which reads, in part, “I wanted to thank you for the three masks that you sent me on June 1. What a great tribute to name your models after members of your family. Thank you for these gifts, and know that I will keep them preciously.

IMAGE COURTESY SYLVIE NERON

I would like to congratulate your company, Sylvie Néron Design, for using its expertise and experience to design protective masks. As a former businessman, I have a special admiration for Quebec entrepreneurs, and I salute the efforts of your com...

PHOTO BY JOHN JANTAK

McGill University students Justin Kashi (left) and Armand Khairabadi stand with a selection of used books they collect from donations and redistribute them to schools or other readers, keeping them away from ending up as landfill due to the challenges in recycling books bound with glue.

Two enterprising McGill University students have started a used book collection service that covers several Vaudreuil-Soulanges municipalities and the West Island with the dual purpose of finding a new home for the books they amass while keeping them from winding up in a landfill.

L’Île-Perrot resident Justin Kashi and Pointe-Claire resident Armand Khairabadi launched their book collection service almost two weeks ago and have already received numerous calls from people who are ready to part with their collections and give their books a new home.

Putting books in the hands of new readers

“Our initiative is all about picking up books for free from people who have old books that are clutte...

PHOTO COURTESY SHUTTERSTOCK

Without an official restriction in place for small motor noise in Saint-Lazare, the mayor said the town would consider a future by-law on their use during certain hours.

Saint-Lazare Mayor Robert Grimaudo opened the July virtual council meeting by once again thanking the businesses, citizens, volunteers and non-profit organizations who are working to help the town’s residents during the continuing challenges in the era of COVID-19.

Legal challenges

Opening the period for pre-submitted questions, resident Richard Meades inquired as to how many legal claims there currently are against the town. Aside from multiple minor ongoing claims, District 6 Councillor Brian Trainor confirmed, “To be transparent we should advise him that we have three legal claims filed that are of any significance, two by developers and one by a contractor.”

Mayor Grimaudo later confirmed that all three were related to measures for protecting sensitive wetlands and old growth forests, as repo...

PHOTO BY NICK ZACHARIAS

Artist Marcel Braitstein, whose works are internationally known, enjoys a moment in his sculpture garden with Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols while she presents him with the Medal of the National Assembly for his contribution to the arts.

Internationally renowned artist Marcel Braitstein was recognized with the Medal of the National Assembly on July 10 in an intimate ceremony in a peaceful corner of the sculpture-filled garden called Gannaiden in Vaudreuil-Dorion. The medal was presented by Member of the National Assembly for Vaudreuil Marie-Claude Nichols, who was visibly impressed with his many years of dedication to teaching and helping others bring art to life in the region. Said Nichols, “This honour is awarded to him to underline his great determination, his passion for his art, his desire to constantly improve - he is a model of perseverance and tenacity.”

Interesting trajectory

Braitstein was born 85 years ago (almost to the day) in Charleroi, Belgium. As...

PHOTO BY CARMEN MARIE FABIO

Some familiar faces will be part of Hudson’s new Cameron Public House in the old Cunninghams Pub building as former staffers from the nearby Château du Lac and the Auberge Willow Inn have been hired at the establishment whose owners hope to open by mid-July.

Global pandemic and a longstanding nearby bar closure notwithstanding, the new owners who are taking over the former Cunninghams Pub Hudson location are optimistically looking forward to opening what will be dubbed ‘The Cameron Public House’ in mid-July.

“I fell in love with this area just driving down the hill from Harwood,” said Charlie Ghorayeb in a sit-down interview with The Journal earlier this week. Ghorayeb, along with his son Michael, currently owns and operates the BLVD Bar & Grill in Châteauguay. The two have paired up with Tony Fewkes and Jeff Oberfeld to launch their new ‘UK style pub’ that will have upscale dining options and their own personal take on the typical pub fare. The mid-July ‘soft-...