Sal the Ironworker comin' to Montreal.

Salvatore Montagna, the reputed boss of the Bonanno crime family is moving to his birthplace of Montreal. Not that he wants to. Sal "The Ironworker" Montagna was born here and now he's being deported back because he was living in New York without being an American citizen. His lawyer says he has friends here and he's going to look for work in the iron industry. 

There are no listings in the Lovell's Directory for Montagnas in Montreal around the time of his birth in 1971.

The only evidence we can find of a Montagna in Montreal is a woman named Maria Montagna who died in 2006. She was mother of Mauro Colella and Adolfo Colella. Maybe she was Sal's aunt. Maybe not. 

So if Sal is looking for some work in the domain of iron, here's some job listings. 

What's this called and where is it from?

Answer: Desmond was on the right track, but the rest of you? Oy vey! You've eaten at Schwartz's, bought Mile-End bagels, and had coffee at whatever they call Open Da Nite these days, but don't know this? It's only the best chocolate babka this side of the shtetl (review 1 and 2), and it's from Cheskie Heimische Bakery (359 Bernard West at Park Avenue).

After being closed a few days for the Passover holiday, there was a Soviet-style lineup today, but little remained on the shelves by the early Friday closing hour for the Jewish sabbath, so if you popped in for a loaf, you were outta luck. See you there Monday.

Montreal's stock of round houses rises to 1 falls back to zero

In the early 50s an immigrant named Francois Mayor built a round house in the east end on Victoria between Laurendeau and Broadway. It was considered a local landmark and got a ton of attention. He insisted that inspectors didn't even visit during the construction because they knew he'd do such a great job building a house that would last for a long time. Somewhere along the line the building disappeared without much fanfare.

Go Habs Go!

Here's hoping starting Thursday in Boston the 08-09 Habs offer a more successful playoff season than what the city endured since October. Here Sandra The Tulip of the Kingdom Strip Club wishes Canadiens' defenseman Josh Gorges all the best. Gorges must be gorgeous because she has unbuttoned the poor sod. Goalie coach, defense coach, power play coach but no strip club coach! They need one to teach the boys that the women strip in such establishments not the clientele. Gorges was once Captain of the Kelowna Junior hockey team.

102 years ago

The building on the left, on St. James Street, north side just east of McGill was demolished 102 years ago and replaced by the kinda weird looking Bank of Commerce building. The technology at the time made the demolition of the Temple Building a big challenge. St. James at that time was the place to be for business.

Mtl views

Top photo from 1977 by Winfield Parks appeared - with a wider view (I couldn't get a good scan without cutting up the National Geographic) accompanying a Peter T. White article called One Canada or Two?
From La Presse: water sprayed on a fire had a bicycle riding up a wall.

The lost architectural treasure of Queen Street

Seventy years ago this month an immense stone warehouse on Queen Street was in the news. The building, in what I guess would be called eastern Griffintown had been there at least for 200 years, which is to say all the way back to 1739, possibly longer. The stone building measured 145 by 50 feet, had 45 foot solid oak beams and walls three feet thick.

W.H. Broadwell, manager of the St. Lawrence Wagon Company in the same building, but on King, gave a journalist a tour of the building and was particularly effusive about the attic, which was a rustic masterpiece. The property was used as a warehouse for the Hudson's Bay Company and was also a workshop where the Accomodation - the first steamboat to sail down the St. Lawrence - was built in 1809.

The building even had the same old ancient locks, complete with huge metal keys. They still were in use when the building was demolished in 1939. The building was so solid that it required dynamite to remove. Had it not been demolished, it would have survived a millenium. The magnificent structure was demolished for a parking lot.

Frankie Zee. what happened to youze?

Y'ever seen that Bowflex commercial where they show the tubby schoolteacher transformed into a meaty babe magnet?

Well, we kinda liked him flabby and nice rather than muscular and narcisssitic.

And that's how I loved Frank Zampino. As Mayor of St. Leonard, he actually used to return my phone calls and had tons of time for me. I thought of him as the great tide-turner against the longstanding tradition of mayhem and anarchy in that town.

So I spoke highly of him to whomever I could within the close circles of the mayor. Next thing you know he's second in command and I felt pride that my boy had gone to the top.

But about 2 years ago I saw him at a public event and he was very standoffish. He had lost a ton of weight, possibly by hitting the gym or more likely by gastric bypass. Laser eye surgery. Very efficient dealing with his mid-life crisis. Myself I just weep in the corner at my own MLC. He had changed. Someone told me that Zampino had snubbed me because he's shy. Bullshit. Not allowed. Especially from a politician.

As you surely know by now, Zampino quit the city and now is under tons of scrutiny for his connections to a possibly crooked businessman buddy who sorta snagged the city's largest-ever contract, which also happened to be like $150 Millz too expensive. The Tremblay party is having no fun these days. It's a fiasco and disaster.

Monique Jerome-Forget gone

We're sorry... or sorta sorry... or ...er.. sorta not so sorry to hear that Quebec's Finance Minister Monique Jerome-Forget has walked the plank. Are we the only ones to notice that she has an interesting mouth? Remind you of someone? Forget is the latest product in the ongoing stubborn refusal of Quebec Premiers to follow the old tradition of getting the token anglo into the Cabinet in the Finance post. When grilled recently in the National Assembly about the massive losses at the provincial pension fund - a hit we're all going to have to pay for in various increased user fees - Forget revealed that she didn't have the slightest clue about certain financial basics. The PQ's Legault had to explain to her the difference between a stock and a stock option, and so forth. We bumped into her at a restaurant last Friday in Chinatown, corner St. Urban and Lagauch, she was munching in a dual couple affair and lemme tell youze the two men at the tables, the presumed hubbies were older than the Canadian Shield. We're talking serious geriatrics. So you can accuse this woman of being many things but a cougar apparently she is not.

Jack Dunham, Mtl's wacky Disney guy dies at 98

Jonathan Jack Dunham, born September 10, 1910 and resident of Montreal since 1955 has died. When? I'm not sure but it seems it was a few months ago. That's him on the right alongside the legendary Tex Avery.

I met Jack Dunham about three years ago. I intended to write a story about his unusual homeless situation for the Globe and Mail. Ironically, the more interesting the stories Dunham told, the less the paper was interested. They thought that surely the old man - around 95 at the time - could not have done all that he had claimed and nobody else lived long enough to confirm his tales.

Dunham's documents were in storage in Lasalle and he couldn't find the key, so we left it at that. They eventually turned up later.

At the time, the 6'4" Dunham, then confined to a wheelchair, was in that French hospital on Dorchester near Berri with his third wife Dorothy. She had a habit of drinking a 26 ouncer of Chivas every day. The two had been kicked out of their apartment at 1225 St. Mark because it was very dirty. They didn't want to be in the hospital and the hospital sure didn't want them there. Everybody was screaming at everybody. The duo - both originally Americans neither of whom could speak French - kept trying to escape.

They had a drug-addicted son that they hadn't seen since 1977. He was either "dead, gay or lives in France."

Dunham's former neighbour, a friendly guy from BC - whose name I'll plug in here once I find it -found Dunham endlessly fascinating, in fact he loaded up a bunch of vids of Dunham discussing his life on this page.

Dunham was a champion name dropper. One night in California he drank so hard with Humphrey Bogart that he never drank again after that.

Jack became a manager at a fledgling Walt Disney studios in 1932. He learned about animationin Chicago and became an animation instructor. He hung out with the President of Mexico and Nelson Rockefeller as well as Salvador Dali.

Dunham met with Walt Disney every Monday for years. Roy Disney, Walt's brother, was a close friend until Roy died in 1971.

After 1947 went on to make commercials in New York and worked security in a hotel. He was hired in Montreal in 1955 to work for Associated Screen News.

One of his first projects in Montreal involved him working on a commercial for Coke. The people had mistakenly thought it was written Koke. Dunham couldn't persuade them otherwise. It was a fiasco.

Dunham drew the St. Hubert BBQ chicken. They told him he'd have free St. Hubert for life but never took a piece. They're still using the same logo.

Dunham lost a finger in a lawnmower at age five in Bismarck ND. His father Otis was a lumber owner. His property bordered on a piece belong to Roosevelt. Dunham's father knew Buffalo Bill and Teddy Roosevelt.

Jack's days at Disney ended when he had a feud with Cardin Walker who accused Jack of sleeping with his wife.

Jack was the best man at Tex Avery's wedding. Tex got sick with cancer and his wife left him.

In 1964 Jack says he worked on the 34 th floor of Place Ville Marie at a fledling company called Reinic Films, owned by a woman named Sicotte, the wife of Canada's Transport Minister. She was a drug smuggler from Argentina and her associate, Reinic was a count who lost his money in Europe. The duo was money laundering and drug importing and Jack eventually realized that the company was just a shell for her real operations. It all eventually blew up and she was suspected of killing a guy in Toronto. She ended up in Europe with Reinic and it ended badly for them. 

Jack documents included a letter from Roy Disney, a $3,000 cheque and letters asking him to return to work for Disney.

Dunham's first wife was Virginia Lucas. She inherited some money and bought a place in Napa Valley.

Jack's second wife was an up and coming starlet. They met at Costello's Bar. Abbott also had a bar in the San Fernando Valley.

Dunham's third wife Dorothy's parents were both doctors in NY. She once lived with an actor named Tyson Powers. She was wealthy and spoiled as a child. She lived in the Astoria Hotel in her youth.

Dunham probably left some valuables. He had some handpainted acetates, known as shells, from Lady in the Tramp, worth a lot of money.

Check out the link above for Dunham spinning his own yarns.

A century ago - poor kid gets whacked by priests, dies soon after

Gabriel Picotte died a century ago. Here's what happened.

At the end of November 1908 Gabriel Picotte's schoolmasters, the Freres Maristes of Visitation Street, smacked him on the head with a stick.

He returned home late, his face had a reddish hue and he had a big bump on his head and complained of being hit on the head by one of the brothers, Emile Bertrand.

His father, a doctor on St. Catherine Street, phoned the school who admitted the punishment and apologized for the excess.

His health went downhill in January and he died of what was described as tuburculotic meningitis in January. Medical science at the time wasn't clear or not whether the blow he suffered was the cause of death.

A jury declared the school not responsible. The judge advised the priests to refrain from hitting children on the head.

How to eat for free

Really there's no shame. There's a recession. You're hungry. You've got no money or you don't want to blow your wad. You don't want to eat and run. No energy to flee.

Here's the solution: head on over to the nearest buffet restaurant and rather than go in the front door, go around back. Instead of paying to eat, you get lunch for free.

Hell bring a date. You'll prove yourself awfully resourceful and inventive.

My old place on Drummond bordered the backdoor to a Chinese buffet and those with the strength to withstand public scrutiny would often battle pigeons for a spot at the dumpster delectables. Perfectly good General Tao Chicken, steamed rice, sometimes even still hot, awaited these hungry mouths. You just had to lean over and pick it up. No waiters to tip.

Here now, is a list that someone has compiled with the best places to find food in garbage in Montreal. We believe that someone can make massive improvements on this list.

Coolopolis practices this as well. The photo shows the Coolopolis Towers kitchen intern starting the process of making sandwiches for the staff.

New Forum - whatever corporate thing they call it - ain't exactly a magnet for developers

Used to get my hair cut here. These two old Italian brothers, one of them moonlighted as a security guard, would shave you up with an electric razor. Cut hair for a lot of black guys from the area. They had pretty cool 50s style 8x10s on the wall of elaborate haircuts like the Duck's Ass that were false advertising. These guys could barely run that razor up and down your head without screwing it up. Cheap though. In spite of its presumably great location south east of the Bell Center this place isn't exactly highly sought after. It's no isolated case, its neighbour, the plant store closes for the winter.
This building looks like it'll get knocked down. It's directly across from the Bell Center, south side. Quite a beautiful sight when you're coming off the highway exit waiting for the light.

If someone wants to speculate as to why such a big deal as the Bell Center has brought zero development or investment in the area, please leave your thoughts in the comment section.

Tamil Tiger power

Sri Lankan Tamils are some of the sweetest people on earth. Their base is around Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, just across the water from their Tamil bretheren and sisteren in Southern Indian, around Madras. The Sri Lankan Tamils have long been fighting for independence from the Sinhalese majority even though it has ravaged their part of the world. Colombo has routed the longstanding Tamil resistance with the help of India. It doesn't help that the Tamil Tigers have been classified as a terrorist group, partly because they have had the habit of forcing people into joining their cause. These Tamils were demonstrating a couple of weeks ago at the square at the mouth of Park Extension. Shot from the car at a red light.

Garbage day on the strip

Wednesday mornings around 10 am, St. Catherine is semi-deserted except for the piles of garbage tidily piled in front of boutiques. Once in a while you can snag some glossy magazines from in front of magazine stores.

Why is this illegal?

All around the civilized world you can grab a parking spot on the other side of the street without performing the time-consuming and disruptive ritual of turning your car around. But here in Quebec somewhere in the highway code - and yes I checked - it is written that parking your car counter to the direction of the traffic is a fineable offence. Why? No good reason. Let's push to change this. Somebody take this issue up!

Speak about destruction!

Graffiti vandals leave their websites now. Shot today at Oxford Park.
The excellent Laura Roberts shot this from her window on 3rd Ave. between Verdun and Wellington this afternoon, taken from her Twitter thread. Lots of fires in Verdun this year. I could go on....

I took it upon myself to bring this pic, along with others, back to life. It was on the wall of Momesso's restaurant, around 1986. Knuckles Nilan looks like he's about to hammer the poor old guy. Reminds me of this story - apparently Nilan met a Leafs fan in a bar once and didn't much like the kid's yapping. Nilan headbutted the guy and busted his nose. He was immediately contrite, ponied up a $100 and took off, or so the story goes anyway.

Chickens are people too

Here at Coolopolis we believe that chickens are people too. They're people that you catch and kill and pluck and eat. Remember that when you see them crossing Bleury and St. Catherine (photo).

What some might not know is that we murder a whole ton of these guys, one company alone kills 1.7 million chickens a week. One point seven million, that's a chicken getting killed every .3 seconds, 24 hours a day in four factories, Berthierville, St. Damase, St. Jean Baptiste de Rouville

and St. Cuthbert. Not sure what's their technique but the latest cool way to kill a chicken is to gas 'em. That's why the KFC chicken has that flavour.

While we appreciate such efficiency, we think that non-chicken people should show some respect to the fowl they consume. Fast food restaurants should encourage you to say grace at the drive through.

Thanksgiving should be extended to a week long festival honoring the seven types of animal we regularly consume (1-chickens, 2-pigs, 3-cows, 4-lamb, um, 5-deer, err 6-um..snakes and 7-pigeons - unknowingly).

We should also erect a statue to honor the chicken. Here's what I propose, let it

perch right over the Ville Marie Expressway, crossing the road symbolically, like into the afterlife.

Benoit Beauregard, head of Quebec Poultry Limited, sometimes known as "The Giblet Man" reported in 1969 that consumption of chicken rose from 12 to 42 pounds from 1950 to 1969.

He offered this vision of chicken slaughtering in Quebec in the year 2000:

Fowl in the year 2000 will be an industrial product, hatched, incubated, fattend and made into a wide variety of dishes in

completely automated plants. .. Kitchens in the year 2000 will be very small, because of the overall shortage of space, but they will be fully automated. Prepared fowl dishes will be ideally suited to the new work-saving methods of meal preparation.... The chicken will be untouched by human hands. In the plant it will be plucked by ultra-sound and boned mechanically. The plant will have moved closert o the market in the big city.... To show children what hens and chicks look like, parents in the year 2000 will take tots to the zoo. .. Even today, airlines regard chicken as one of the most convenient foods to serve during flighs. By the year 2000, more travellers than ever will eat fowl on their way to Paris or Mars. Dehydrated fowl, in tablet form, will be the bill of fare for exploring galaxies.

Paul-Herve Desrosiers: Quebec's hardware king's story must never be told

This guy Pierre Turgeon watches over a great secret story that happened here in Montreal. He wants to tell you about a bizarre character who changed the history of Quebec. The courts forbid him. He has been censored from telling one amazing yarn.

Here's how his unique conundrum unfolded. In December 1992 the boss of Reno Depot - Pierre Michaud - hired Turgeon to pen the life story of his great uncle Paul Herve Desrosiers, founder of what would become the massive chain now owned by Rona.

Desrosiers opened a hardware store named Val Royal on Jean Talon (pronounced Gene Tallin) and cultivated a close relationship with the powerful Premier Duplessis.

So fascinated was Turgeon with the private archives dealing with Desrosiers that he decided that the story was too good for a mere sanitized corporate text.

Turgeon sought to return the $33,000 advance. He signed a contract to write Desrosiers biography with another publisher.

Apparently it would have been a great story too. According to Turgeon, Quebec's highly unconventional hardware king held a hypnotic grip on the levers of power for a long period from Duplessis to Bourassa.

The Reno Depot people cried foul and went to court against Turgeon's authorized biography turned unauthorized biography. The case went through various levels of courts and Turgeon was not permitted to write his book and since then the case has been considered a black mark on the freedom of expression in Canada.

Ca-Ching! Quebec's Human Rights Tribunal decisions

1-On March 9, 2006, a local anglo named John Rooney called in response to a For Rent ad in the Journal de Montreal, a 2 1/2 at 5731 Cartier, near des Carrieres.

French guy named Jules Bertiboni answers, janitor for 23 years at the building owned by Michel Persechino.

Rooney: "Is the two and a half still available?"
Bertiboni: "Non."
Rooney: "Why is there still an ad in the paper for it?"
Bertiboni: "Tu dois être une tapette!" (You must be a fag)

Bertiboni hung up.

Rooney called back but Bertiboni said nothing.

Rooney called back again. Bertiboni said nothing, but Rooney heard him tell someone, "Attend je parle avec un tapette." (Hold on, I'm talking to a fag).

Rooney got his niece Dana Vardon to call back and ask - in English - if the apartment was still available and Bertiboni confirmed that yes it was.

Rooney considered it a case of discrimination against him as a homosexual. He apparently became depressed and withdrawn after the troubling incident and went on medication, what medication, we're not sure.

Rooney took his case to the Human Rights Tribunal. Bertiboni said he didn't remember the conversation, he claimed he can't speak English (That's not a crime - Chimples). He denied ever making any such remarks.

Rooney had no proof of his claims. Yet the judge, in light of the conflicting testimonies decided that Rooney was more detailed and credible.

On March 17, 2009 the judge condemned Bertiboni to pay $4,000 to Rooney.

----
2-Jean Brisson et Athena Tralemberg (Tralenberg?) were tenants in a fourplex in Terrebonne, owned Canadians of Haitian heritage Calerbe Coffy et Mireille Jules, who live at 3400 Licorne Street in Terrebonne.

On 1 July, 2005, the Haitian landlord Coffy showed up at his building and noticed that the couple had put up a sign for him to see. It read:

"Landlords go home! Proprios retournez chez vous!" There were Canadian and Quebec flags drawn in the background.

The landlord felt insulted and sent a legal notice asking the tenants to take it down. The tenants apparently left it up two weeks, as a way - they claimed - of telling the landlord that he wasn't welcome to come without the required 24 hour notice.

Brisson, who speaks English, says that he put it the sign up in response to aggressive behaviour displayed by the landlord. He told the Tribunal that there was no intent to invoke racist sentiment in his note.

On March 2, 2009, the tribunal ordered the tenants had to pay $1,500 to the landlords.

Local boy goes on TV

Andy Nulman will appear on late night US network TV tonight where he'll be interviewed on the Craig Ferguson Show about his book on marketing. The former Sunday Express columnist once took on this titan of the international feline conspiracy). Nulman is a genuinely nice guy and still reports for work daily in a small office on Main Street here in Montreal.