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Montreal’s Jewish community is reeling after two young members were among at least 45 killed in a stampede during a religious festival in Israel on Friday.
Officials said it appears the dead had been asphyxiated or trampled at the Lag B’Omer event in Mount Meron in Galilee.
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Dovi Steinmetz, 21, from the Darlington district in Côte-des-Neiges Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, and Outremont native Shraga Gestetner, 35, a father of five, were killed.
David Levy, Israel’s consul general for Montreal and eastern Canada, sent prayers to the families of the victims.
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Whenever one party lures away a member from a rival, it’s typically seen as a coup, a subtle sign of shifting political momentum and a knock against the other leader.
Early in the mandate of Mayor Valérie Plante, a clutch of councillors who had run as part of defeated incumbent Denis Coderre’s roster in 2017, made a break for her administration. Jean-François Parenteau, the borough mayor of Verdun, immediately joined her executive committee, sitting as an independent. Cathy Wong and Marie-Josée Parent eventually followed, but officially made the jump to Projet Montréal.
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Article content Montreal Canadiens left-wing Jonathan Drouin during action against the Ottawa Senators in Montreal on March 2, 2021. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette
Habs’ Drouin takes leave of absence
In a surprising development Wednesday morning, the Canadiens announced forward Jonathan Drouin will take an indefinite leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. He has been placed on the long-term injured reserve list by the club, which requested that his privacy be respected. Read the full report.
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Port labour talks break off
Negotiations over a new labour agreement for Port of Montreal dock workers have broken off, the union said. On Tuesday, federal Labour Minister Filomena Tassi introduced back-to-work legislation to end the walkout. Read the full report.
MONTREAL Former and possibly future Montreal mayor Denis Coderre toured a makeshift camp where Montrealers have set up tents on Tuesday, saying his successor must do more to help the homeless. The site off Hochelaga Rd. in the East End currently has around 12 tents and campers set up, but Coderre, who has announced his candidacy for this fall s election, said the city needs to learn something from a similar camp that sprung up last year. “Instead of re-inventing the wheel all the time, we have a great solution by reclassifying a hotel or acquiring a building,” he said. Welcome Hall Mission CEO Sam Watts said temporarily converting unused hotel rooms into makeshift shelters would offer much-needed flexibility.