Montreal city councillor Rotrand to take on new role with B'Nai Brith Canada
Longtime city councillor Marvin Rotrand is poised to take on a new position fighting hate when he leaves Montreal City Hall next month.
He will serve with B’Nai Brith Canada as national director of its League for Human Rights, the organization announced on Monday.
Rotrand is Montreal’s longest-serving councillor, having spent the last 39 years representing the west-end district of Snowdon under eight different mayors. He announced in June that he would not seek re-election in November’s municipal vote.
“Marvin’s extensive contacts at all three levels of government and his record of defending civil rights and building alliances between various communities will be a real asset for our organization,” said B’nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn in a news release.
Mostyn said Rotrand shares B’nai Brith Canada’s “vision of advancing our advocacy and promoting initiatives vital to the Jewish community and minorities at large.”
Rotrand cited the pandemic in spurring online hate, saying he supports advancing measures to reduce it, and that it foments radicalization and violence.
“COVID-19 has brought out the haters,” Rotrand said in a statement. “Statistics Canada has reported that crime fell nationally by five per cent in 2020 but that hate crimes rose an unprecedented 37 per cent, to their highest reported level in history. Jews are the most targeted. Hatred is unacceptable and this position with B’nai B’rith will allow our organization to work with governments and other bodies toward finding effective solutions.”
Rotrand says he plans to keep his position at city hall until the official transition of power on Nov. 18. The municipal election in Montreal will take place on Nov. 7.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
BREAKING Critical injuries to 7 people in Sharbot Lake, Ont. crash
Ontario Provincial Police say seven people have suffered severe injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont.
Barron Trump selected to be a Florida delegate at Republican National Convention
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, was selected by the Florida GOP as an at-large delegate for Florida at the Republican National Convention, according to a list of delegates obtained by CNN.