How would you like to meet Sophie Grégoire Trudeau? The now ex-wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will be organizing a yoga retreat of three days with wisdom teacher David Choy, starting on the day of the Solar Eclipse April 8. The Bloom Holistic Retreat is behind the initiative. On their website, Grégoire Trudeau is described as a certified yoga instructor for adults and children, as well as an outdoor sports enthusiast, a mental health advocate, public speaker and mentor. It will take place in Lac Loughborough, Ontario, 20 minutes from Kingston. Let me say that I know Sophie. She is a vibrant individual with an incredible memory for people. When I last interviewed her over a year ago she immediately recalled the exact year and locale where we previously saw each other. Her separation from the Prime Minister was naturally very public, but thus far the media seemed to have handled it respectfully. Since they are not divorced, she still uses the Trudeau name and that is clearly not bad for business.
TOP PAID CEOS IN QUEBEC: Figures recently became available for the top paid CEOs in Quebec, based on 2022 totals and compiled by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. They are Joseph C. Papa, Bausch Health Companies, $25.7 million; Philip Fayer, Nuvei Corporation, $21 million; Thomas J. Appio, Bausch Heath Companies, $17 million; Darryl White, Bank of Montreal, $14.2 million; Serge Godin, CGI Group Inc, $13.8 million; Tracy Robinson, CN Railway, $13.7 million; Alain Bédard,TFI International, $13.7 million; George D. Schindler, CGI Group, $13.6 million; Mirko Bibic, BCE Inc., $13.5 million; R. Jeffrey Orr, Power Corporation of Canada, $13.3 million; Glenn J. Chamandy, Gildan Activewear,$12.8 millon; Michael Rousseau, Air Canada, $12.3 million; Brian Hannasch, Couche-Tard, $12.2 million; Alexandre L’Heureux, WSP Global Inc., $11.5 million; Laurent Ferreira, National Bank of Canada, $10.9 million; and Neil Rossy, Dollarama Inc., $10.6 million
I CAN DREAM THEATRE: It is so nice to see I Can Dream Theatre getting back on stage for their ninth production, The Godfather’s Wonderful Life with shows Feb. 9 and 10 at the Eric Maclean Centre for the Arts at Loyola High School. I Can Dream Theatre is a charitable organization founded in 2011. Its primary purpose is to provide the development for neurodiverse adults in the performing arts, specifically the areas of acting, singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. According to showrunner Merrill Matthews, the next production takes its inspiration from not only the Corleone family (from the Godfather series), but also from the classic film It’s A Wonderful Life. “Trust us, this is a mashup you didn’t see coming!“ says Matthews. “After a pandemic setback that halted cast and crew from coming together, the group is finally back on stage and ready to go!
COHEN CHATTER: Rip roaring funny journalist and writer Josh Freed will stop by the Cummings Centre Congregation Beth Tikvah branch in Dollard des Ormeaux Feb. 13 (7:30 pm) to tells stories of the ‘Velorution’ and his new book, based on the true story of Bicycle Bob and the Bike Revolution. To register go to programs.cummingscentre.org… It is no secret that Prime Minister Trudeau adores the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel. This is where he stays when he comes to Montreal for business. Last week his cabinet held a retreat there. At Roselys Restaurant at the Queen E, the staff were marvelling over how friendly the Prime Minister is when he walks the lobby and dines there. Former Quebec Premier Jean Charest is also a Roseleys regular…. The West Island Association for the Intellectually Handicapped (WIAIH) recently marked its 65th anniversary with a block party. Organizers extended special thanks to now retired event organizing legend Sheldon Kagan for lending a big hand.
