Category Archives: COVID-19

Posted on

NDG pubs take a hit after bars blamed for COVID 19 spread

It’s lunch time on a warm, sunny fall day, but Ye Olde Orchard’s terrace is almost empty. 

“We are currently functioning at about 60 percent capacity of where we were at the same time last year and that is due to a number of reasons,” says Michael Whitty, co-owner of the popular neighbourhood pub.

“The first being the public fear and apprehension of actually coming into bars and the second being the media– I don’t want to use the word ‘attack,’ but that seems to be the only way to say it– on bars and restaurants.” Whitty adds that social distancing requirements also account for a loss of clientele. 

Continue reading →
Posted on

New NDG businesses struggle with no government support

Sammi Liang and Tony Melki wave from the window of their new NDG restaurant.

Sammi Liang and her husband Toni Melki had always dreamed about opening a restaurant.

“We were set to open March 10 and everything was ready, everything was lined up. And then two days later, the premier of Quebec went on TV and shut down the whole province,” says Melki, from the terrace of Sammi’s Mongolian Delicacies in NDG.    

“I can’t sit here and cry to you about what happened to us, because it happened to a bunch of other people, not just here in Canada but in the whole world.” 

“When we rung in the new year, I mean, who would have thought this would be one of the biggest turning points in modern history?” says the 35-year-old. 

Continue reading →
Posted on

NDG’s Empanada Lady delivers the flavours of Argentina to your doorstep.

Dolores Lopez Barcala

Her husband, Lucio, jokes that she’s the empanada lady. “I like it,” says Dolores López Barcala. “It’s better than Dolores, which means pain in Spanish. When I was a kid that wasn’t so funny.” 

The nickname seems to suit the sparkly-eyed mother of two from Argentina, whose empanada delivery service is giving NDGers a taste of Latin American culture.  

Continue reading →
Posted on

Chill Back-to-School Atmosphere at NDG’s École Rudolf Steiner de Montréal

Nathalie Senécal of the École Rudolph Steiner de Montréal

Superbowl champion and medical doctor Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is often seen knitting during interviews. It’s a skill he picked up at his alternative primary school. 

“I did sculpture, pottery, watercolours and knitting,” said the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker in an interview with La Presse, “I can knit socks and make heels using four needles.” 

Continue reading →