Beryl P. Wajsman
 |
This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. (December 2007) |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) |
Beryl P. Wajsman is public figure in Montreal. In 2007 he was appointed editor of The Suburban, a free, weekly advertiser distributed in ad-bags to homes in Montreal's predominantly anglophone West Island communities that styles itself as "Quebec's largest English-language weekly."[1] In 2008, he launched the free, bilingual monthly newspaper "The Metropolitan", serving as its publisher and editor.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Background
Wajsman studied law at McGill University, earning dual B.C.L and LL.B. degrees. Following his graduation, he edited a short-lived Canadian cultural quarterly, Viewpoints.
Starting as an organizer and Liberal executive member under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Wajsman's involvements in the Canadian capital Ottawa have included directing an IRPP study on Access to Justice in Canada; membership in the Canadian Consultative Commission on Multiculturalism; service in the Ministry of Justice and assistant to a Member of Parliament.
He gained international experience in urban development, social housing and public finance by consulting on important infrastructure projects in the United States, France, and Venezuela.
He has built his Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal.
As an April Fool's joke, Wajsman announced in The Suburban that he would be running for mayor of Montreal. He said he was interested in Montreal’s top job prior to the announcement, and several community leaders as well as his postman people told him they support the move.[1]
[edit] Gomery Inquiry
Wajsman had a small but colorful appearance at the Gomery Commission into the Federal sponsorship scandal in May 2005. He had attacked the Commission in his newspaper columns since late 2004 as being biased, politically motivated and destructive of due process. In April 2005, Mr. Wajsman was accused by Liberal fundraiser Jean Brault of being one of three people at a lunch where Brault allegedly left an envelope stuffed with $5,000 on a chair. Wajsman vigorously denied the implication that he had taken any money and attacked the process for its hypocrisy. At the time of the lunch Wajsman had no ties to the Liberal Party having left a consulting position several months earlier. Wajsman was not charged with anything illegal. Although he was included on a list of people "banned for life" from the Liberal Party of Canada, no such ban appears ever to have been implemented.
[edit] Awards, Honors
- Member, McGill Faculty Club
- Member, National Press Club of Ottawa
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award for promoting human dignity, Montreal, Jan.2009
- Community Service Award from the International Academy of Law and Mental Health
- Medal of Merit from the Association for the Welfare of the Soldiers of Israel
- Présidents d'honneur of UNICEF Canada's 50th anniversary celebration
