The Mike Cohen Podcast

Mona Segal has been baking delicious cookies and delicous sweets for the past 25 years. During the pandemic she left her marketing job and made this her full-time endeavor, providing beautifully boxed cookies for all occasions. She gave me a selection to sample when I came to interview her, a nod to the birthday I was celebrating that day. Go to https://www.bakdbymona.com/ and listen to our talk....

Dizz's Bagel & Deli has been an institution on Côte St. Luc Road for almost 30 years. Now owner Steve Dizgun has completed an extensive renovation, highlighted by a restaurant-style sandwich shop with experienced chef Anthony Lyons and Leah Quema at the helm. I went for a tasting. It was oustanding!! Of course Dizz continues to serve up its dozen plus styles of bagels, fresh cold cuts, meals to go...

On Thursday, September 19 (7 pm) at the Côte Saint-Luc Aquatic and Community Centre on Parkhaven Avenue,the Knights of Pythias, a longstanding charitable organization, will present an evening of comedy headlined by Mike Paterson. Joining him on stage will be Lawrence Corber. I spoke to Paterson, along with John Derrick and Brian Blumer from the Knights of Pythias. Tickets are $15. Coffee and refre...

It will be party time at TCBY On August 28 and 29 (Wednesday and Thursday) at 6142 Côte Saint Luc Road for a two day celebration for their 35th anniversary. Owner Lenny Rosenberg says they will have a balloon artist for the kids and older kids both afternoons and certain items on special. In addition they will have a raffle for door prizes. TCBY of course is in the yogurt business and besides serv...

Côte Saint-Luc resident Amelio Santini, 16, is an elite hockey player who is expected to begin play in the Quebec Maritimes Major Junior Hockey League in September for the Halifax Mooseheads. The young centerman played for the Lac St. Louis Midget AAA Lions. He also attended Royal Vale High School. I spoke to him after he joined my foursome in the 2024 Côte Saint-Luc Golf Invitational.

The Côte Saint-Luc Men’s Club Invitational, in conjunction with the Mayor and City Council, will take place on Tuesday, August 6 at Meadowbrook. In the event of rain, it will be held on August 13. Longtime local sportsman and volunteer Eli “Buddy” Manis will be the special honoree. I had a chance to sit down with Buddy to talk about his 60 years of involvement in the community. To register, contac...

It has been two years now since The Museum of Jewish Montreal (MJM) moved into its new headquarters on St. Laurent Blvd. near Fairmount in the Mile End. Recently, I made my first visit to view the new summer exhibition The Past Is Before You by Côte Saint-Luc born artist Arnie Lipsey. A collection of 18 paintings produced over the last six years, Lipsey’s work leans into the surreal to reveal the...

Holocaust survivor Miklos Neumann turned 100 on July 9 and a few days later I was on hand for a birthday celebration at the Côte Saint-Luc home he has resided in for 50 years. He tells me his story.

Pigeon Café, a renowned name in the city's coffee scene, and Zera Café, a not-for-profit social enterprise catering business celebrated for its inclusive employment practices, have announced their collaboration in opening a new café: Pigeon dans le Parc. This unique community café opened its doors on July 3 2024, at, Hampstead Park. I was at the ribbon cutting and spoke to Pigeon Café owner Jonath...

Côte Saint-Luc businessman Michael Gilbert is helping out his good friend Michael Dean Rafferty on a mission. Kera Organics was created to not only to make soap, but specialize in transforming pure and natural ingredients, free from chemical fragrances and processed components like artificial dyes into handcrafted organic products. Kera comes from Keratoconus, an eye disease which, if not treated...

Colin Standish is the leader of the Canadian Party of Quebec. A lawyer by profession, he resides in the Eastern Townships. I was there on business so we met for coffee at Starbucks in Bromont. What are the party's plans heading towards the next election? Listen and find out.

Pierre Brunet has been associated with the McDonald's restaurant brand for more than 50 years. He presently owns 21 franchises in the Montreal area, one of which is at the Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre. Pierre has a special bond with Côte Saint-Luc and we talked about that and more.

Patrick Chevrefils spent 12 years as an officer with the Montreal Police Station 9 based in Côte Saint-Luc. He was only recently transferred to LaSalle. Patrick serves as the emergency backup goaltender at the Bell Centre. If a goalie from either team gets injured during a game he is called upon to suit up on the bench. So far this has happened twice. Listen to my interview with him.

Glenn J. Nashen served six terms in office as one of the eight Municipal Councillors in the City of Côte Saint-Luc for 24 years, from 1990-2001 and 2005-2017. He was appointed by successive mayors to oversee the Public Safety dossiers, Public Affairs, Communications and Information Technology as well as the all-important Emergency Preparedness portfolio, Traffic and more. He remains active in the...

Ben Kepes has been the music director and conductor of Ensemble Hochelaga (formerly La Musique Civique de Montreal) since 2017. In January 2020, Ben founded Orchestre Fidelio and they will perform on March 9 at 7:30 at the Chapelle Notre Dame de Bon Secours (400 Rue Saint Paul East) in Old Montreal. You can purchase tickets by going to this website: https://www.orchestrefidelio.com/ It was nice ta...

Heather Smith is a constituent of mine in Côte Saint-Luc District 2 and a coach in the Côte Saint-Luc Figure Skating Club. I spoke to her at the Lac St. Louis Regional Championships that were held at the Samuel Moskovitch Arena.

In the City of Côte Saint-Luc, we adopted our 2024 budget among the most difficult financial backdrop we've had to deal with since I was first elected over 18 years ago. Facing a $5 million deficit due to a variety of circumstances - a dramatic drop in property sales, a significant increase in our contribution to the undemocratic Montreal Agglomeration Council - we made $1 million in cuts yet ensu...

The McGill IBD Research Group, in partnership with the Montreal General Hospital Foundation, held its annual fundraising event on Thursday, November 30 at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall in NDG featuring a night of comedy with Sugar Sammy. This event raised $375,000 for patient-care at the IBD clinics in the McGill teaching hospitals – the MUHC IBD Centre at the Montreal General Hospital, and the...

BESO Montreal ( http://www.besomontreal.ca), managed by Côte Saint-Luc resident Alan Serour and his partners, brother Avi and Connor Stacey. It was formally launched in 2013. Years earlier Alan had gotten started in the business by working for the legendary Harvey Leavitt of ETMO Catering. BESO is indeed a very well-oiled machine, with all of its kosher kitchen operations entrenched at 8146 Chemin...

Howie Shapiro has been a resident of CSL District 2 for more than 50 years. He is a lifetime educator who now passionately volunteers for a program that educates youngsters in Uganda. It is called the Namuwongo Literacy Project (https://www.namuwongoliteracyproject.com). Please listen to our discussion.

Jamie Shear grew up in Côte Saint-Luc. He moved to Israel 18 years ago and works as a scribe. Jamie's sister is Mindy Shear, one of my constituents and the wife of Rabbi Reuben J. Poupko. Jamie and his wife Naama have four boys, two of whom have been called up to the reserves to fight in this war. I spoke to Jamie.

Côte Saint-Luc’s Rachel Dara came home from Atlanta as a big winner at the recent International Singer-Songwriter Association (ISSA) Music Awards. The 16-year-old dynamo, who is in Grade 11 at Herzliah High School, won International Female Rising Star and International Female Music Video of the Year (“Eighteen”). The ISSA Music Awards ceremony is a grand affair, where artists, industry professiona...

The 42nd annual Côte Saint-Luc Golf Classic will take place on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, honoring the dynamic couple of Joanne Cutler and Merv Middling. Philippe Mamane from Assante Wealth Management Ltd. – Mamane Group and a resident of the community, will serve as the title sponsor. Côte Saint-Luc City Council and the Côte Saint-Luc Men’s Club are collaborating on the event once again with Mannie...

Andee Shuster was first elected as the city councillor for District 8 in November 2021. She is theCouncil link to the Parks & Recreation Department; Chair of the Community Activities and Initiatives Committee; Chair of the CSL Dramatic Society and active on many other activities.

In my series of podcasts with members of Côte Saint-Luc City Council, I speak to District 7 representative Sidney Benizri. We talk about his district, portfolios and his day job at Canadian Magen David Adom for Israel. Dans le cadre de ma série de balados avec des membres du conseil municipal de Côte Saint-Luc, je m'entretiens avec Sidney Benizri, représentant du district 7. Nous parlons de son di...