Joe Bell was born December 20, 1908 in Chester-Le-Street, Durham, England. He emigrated with his family to Canada in 1919 and settled in Toronto. He married in 1934, and he and his wife Anne had a daughter, Joan. He died in Montreal December 4, 1972.

He received musical training through membership in the Salvation Army Dovercourt Corps Band. He worked as a bank clerk, but wanted to earn his living as a trombonist. In 1934 he left Toronto and the Old Mill, where he had been playing with the Leo Romanelli Dance Orchestra, to join the Kramer Band in Montreal. There he played in numerous night clubs such as The Lido, Chez Maurice, and The Normandie Roof in the Mount Royal Hotel. From 1945 to 1965 Joe Bell played with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra as first trombone, and then as second. He also taught at McGill University's Music Department, as well as at the McGill Summer Music School in the Eastern Townships. He retired in 1965.

Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) Alain Benedetti graduated from Loyola College in 1970. A member of the board of the Loyola Alumni Association since 1982, Benedetti served as President of the Association from 1986 to 1988. Benedetti represented the Loyola Alumni Association on the Board of Governors from 1990 to 1996 and served as representative of the community-at-large and Chair of the Board of Governors Audit Committee from 1996 to 2003. He was first elected Chair of the Board of Governors at its June 18, 2003 meeting and was re-elected at its June 17, 2004 meeting. Benedetti stepped down from his Chair role in 2005 and was then named Governor Emeritus and a lifetime member of the Corporation of Concordia University.

• Benedetti chaired the Advisory Search Committee that would elect Claude Lajeunesse President and Vice-Chancellor in 2004 and 2005.
• Benedetti won an IBM Thinkpad laptop at a Shuffle raffle in 2003 and donated the computer to student Maria Hunt through a raffle.
• On November 27, 1997 Benedetti’s volunteer work was honoured at the Awards of Distinction of the Faculty of Commerce and Administration ceremony.
• January 19, 1995 Benedetti received the Distinguished Service Award at the Concordia University Alumni Awards dinner.
• While president of the Loyola Alumni Association, Benedetti inaugurated the Loyola Educational Grant I 1987 to provide funds to deserving Concordia students.
• Benedetti chaired the 1996-1997 Annual Giving campaign.

In 1984-1985, Concordia University Archives (now Records Management and Archives) put together the Joseph F. Bernard collection to document the history of the Bernard Arctic Collection.

Born December 23, 1878, at Tignish, Prince Edward Island, Joseph F. Bernard became a trapper and trader in the Arctic Ocean. Joining his uncle Peter (Pete) Bernard, Joe Bernard arrived in Nome, Northern Alaska, in 1901. Later on with his 13-ton gasoline schooner, the Teddy Bear, he spent many years travelling in the Arctic waters, trading for furs, and collecting numerous ethnographic objects and natural history specimen. Bernard Harbour, in Nunavut, is named for Captain Joe Bernard. In the 1920s, Bernard settled in Cordova working as a commercial fisherman, then as Cordova’s harbormaster. Joseph F. Bernard died in Sitka, Alaska, on April 6, 1972. His life is largely evoked through “Chasing Alaska: A Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now,” (2013) by C. B. Bernard.

Between 1916 and 1920, he gathered an important collection of ethnographical and archaeological objects, mainly from the Copper Eskimos of Coronation Gulf. The assemblage is known as the Bernard Arctic Collection, Bernard Eskimo Collection, Bernard Collection, or the Bernard Inuit Collection. In 1921, he loaned his collection to Loyola College. He donated it in 1924 for a proposed College museum. The museum never materialized, and in 1947 Loyola College donated part of the collection to the Arctic Institute of North America in Montreal (the Institute moved to Calgary in 1976) and part to Cambridge University's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Other parts of the Collection were donated in 1991 to the Canadian Museum of Civilization and to Loyola High School in 1993; there may also be items from the Collection at the University of Washington Museum in Seattle, the Museum of the American Indian in New York, and the Museum of the University of Philadelphia.

Captain Joe Bernard’s life is evoked through the book “Chasing Alaska: A Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now” (Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press, 2013), by C. B. Bernard.

The Black Community Resource Centre (BCRC) is a Montreal-based organization established in 1992 that provides professional support to English-Speaking public organizations, families, and individuals within the city’s Black communities. The BCRC is a member of the Black Community Forum that aims to develop, plan, and support effective partnerships within the Black Community. Dr. Clarence Bayne holds the position of president of the BCRC, and Jamar Scott the position of Vice-president and chair of Finance Committee. The BCRC is located in 6767 chemin de la Côte des Neiges, and offers information and referral services, support to schools, workshops, and a documentation center. The Black Community Resource Centre has partnered with several organizations such as the Quebec Community Groups Network, the English Montreal School Board, Volunteer Bureau of Montreal, Centraide du Grand Montreal, and the Batshaw Youth and Family Centres, among others, to facilitate workshops, training and programs on health, social services, education, anti-racism, self-esteem, community building, conflict resolution, socio-culture and community development for the integration and empowerment of Montreal minority groups including Black Youth. Dedicated to empowering the Black-Anglo community of Montreal, the centre has developed the Book Project, a historical account of the evolution of the English-speaking black community and Black in Quebec, an in-depth research study into the English-Speaking Black Community in Quebec that aims to provide Black Community Organizations with accurate information, data and sources on their communities.

The Black Studies Centre is a not-for-profit community organization and registered charity in Montreal, Quebec. The Black Studies Centre was founded by Dr. Clarence Bayne, Adrien Espinet and Leighton Hutson in January 1973.

The Centre has its origins in the Research Institute of the National Black Coalition of Canada which was founded by Dr. Clarence Bayne and operated from 1971 to 1974. At the time of its foundation, the mission of the Black Studies Centre was to protect the interests of Black people in Quebec, to help improve their economic status, and to create and foster organizational structures improving their position in society. In addition, the Centre works to improve communications within the Montreal Black community by promoting Black culture through its many cultural programs and by building up research centres promoting and facilitating the study of Black history. The Black Studies Centre continues to organize workshops, conferences, exhibitions, and other events, and partners with other community organizations and educational institutions in order to offer varied programming geared towards Black youth and other community organizations. Over the years, the Black Studies Centre has partnered with and housed other community organizations, including the Black Theater Workshop, the Black Community Council of Quebec, Women on the Rise, and the Quebec Board of Black Educators. It continues to work in collaboration with the Institute for Community Entrepreneurship and Development (ICED) and the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.

The Black Studies Centre is governed by a board of directors. It is member of the Black Community Council of Quebec and has a seat on the Board of Directors at the Black Community Resource Centre. During the course of its operations, the Black Studies Centre has gathered extensive documentation on the histories, contributions, and experiences of Black communities in Montreal, Quebec, and Canada. It conducts “extensive research on the social, political and economic status of Black populations in Montreal and Canada; and [has] presented several briefs on the issues to all levels of Government and to the general public and commissions.” The Black Studies Centre receives funding from the Government of Canada and Government of Quebec.

Between 1972 and 2014 the Black Studies Centre was located at 1968 De Maisonneuve boulevard in Montreal. The building, which was belonging to the Black Studies Centre, was sold in 2014 and proceeds from the sale were used to set up the SC Charitable Activity Funding Program. Money from the trust is used to finance the new home at 3333 Cavendish boulevard, Montreal, where the centre is currently located.

The Black Theater Workshop (BTW), also known as the “Theatre B.T.W.," is an English-speaking theatre company located in Montreal, Quebec that “is committed to reflecting Black culture and community by developing and providing visibility for Black Canadian artists.”

Incorporated in 1972 as a non-profit organization, the BTW is the oldest Black theater company in Canada. Beginning in 1965 as the Trinidad & Tobago Association (TTA) Drama group with the goal of becoming a theatre for the whole Montreal community, the TTA drama group became the Black Theatre Workshop in 1971 with the presentation of How Now Black Man, written by Lorris Elliott and directed by Jeff Henry. To respect the rules of French language use in Quebec, the Workshop officially changed its name to “Theatre B.T.W.” in January 1984.

The mission of the BTW “is to encourage and promote the development of a Black and Canadian Theater, rooted in a literature that reflects the creative will of Black Canadian writers and artists, and the creative collaborations between Black and other artists.” The Black Theater Workshop primarily stages the work of Black Canadian playwrights and selects plays that deal with themes relevant to Black communities in Canada. Since the beginning of the 1980s, the Black Theater Workshop annually runs school tours as part of its regular season.

One of the 35 founding members of the BTW is Clarence Bayne, who also served as both president and artistic director during the first years of the theatre. Since 1991, he has been Vice-President of the organization’s Board of Directors. As Artistic Director, Clarence Bayne was followed by Errol Sitahal (1970s), Terry Donald (1970s), Dwight Bacquie (1983-1984), Lorena Gale (1984-1985), Don Jordan (1985-1988), Winston Sutton (1988-1994), Fleurette Fernando (1994-1996), Nancy Delva (1997-1999), Kate Bligh (1999-2001), Rachael Van Fossen (2001-2005), and Tyrone Benskin (2005-2011). Since 2011, Quincy Armorer has been Artistic Director at the BTW. The BTW is governed by a board of Directors, which is presently formed by Jacklin Webb (president), Dr. Clarence Bayne (vice-president), Dr. Horace Goddard (secretary), Phylicia Burke (treasurer), Yvonne Greer (member), and Allison DaCosta.

The BTW is the recipient of numerous awards, including various Montreal English Theatre Awards (META) and several Montreal’s English Critics Circle Awards (MECCA).

From 1976 to 1985, the BTW used Montreal’s Centaur Theatre performing space. In 1984, BTW opened its first administrative office, and started performing in a space rented from L’Atelier Contenu. In the 1990s, offices were located at 1827 Ste Catherine West. Since 2003, the workshop is using the spaces of the Montréal Arts Interculturels (MAI) Centre, located at 3680 rue Jeanne-Mance.

John Bland, emeritus professor of architecture at McGill University, distinguished architect, town planner, architectural historian and author.

The Blue Metropolis Foundation was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1997. Its incorporation was done in conjunction with the creation of Blue Metropolis Inc., owned by Linda Leith. Initially created to help collect funds for projects like a literary magazine, the purpose of the Foundation soon became the organization of an annual literary festival. This festival, named the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival, was inspired by “Write pour écrire,” an event organized in 1996 by three Montreal writers in partnership with the Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois (UNEQ).

The first Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival took place at the Europa Hotel on Drummond Street in Montreal from April 19 to 23, 1999. In addition to readings, on-stage interviews, and panel discussions, events included the first Blue Metropolis Translation Slam, literacy programming, and community writing activities. These events took place in both English and French. Certain events were bilingual.

The second Blue Met festival took place in 2000 at the Hotel des Gouverneurs, Place Dupuis, in Montreal. During this iteration, Spanish became the third “official” language of the Festival. For the first time, the “Grand prix littéraire international Metropolis bleu” was assigned. It was in that year that CBC Radio and Radio-Canada began their involvement with the Festival. Since 2000, the Foundation has expanded its programming beyond the Festival and began organizing a wide range of educational programs for children and adolescents. The first such program was the Student Literary Program, which was first introduced at the Festival in 2000. The Foundation continues to offer year-round literacy activities.

In subsequent years, new languages were added to each iteration of the Festival. Events in non-official languages, including Italian, Dari, Farsi, later Arabic, Russian, and Chinese, were offered without translation. In order to offer programs in various languages, the Festival conducted outreach to various communities and established partnerships with different community organizations.

In 2007, the Blue Metropolis Arab Literary Prize was created, with annual funding from the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.

Linda Leith was president of the Blue Metropolis Foundation from 2003 to 2011.

Donald L. Boisvert was an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Religions and Cultures.

In 1975 Boisvert was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies followed by a Masters in History and Philosophy of Religion, both from Concordia University. In 1978 he began PhD studies at McMaster University which he completed at the University of Ottawa in 1990.

Boisvert worked for two years as Communications Assistant in the Office of the Leader Opposition of the Canadian House of Commons before returning to Concordia University in September 1979 to work on program development in the Dean of Students Office. The following year he replaced Don Taddeo as Administrative Assistant to Russel Breen (Academic Vice-Rector), a position he held until moving to the Office of the Rector in 1985 to work as an Executive Assistant until 1990.

From 1991-1996, Boisvert was the Associate Vice-Rector, Student Life and from 1996-2003 he was the Dean of Students. In 2008 he succeeded John O’Brien as Speaker of the Senate until 2013. In 2003 Boisvert returned to full-time teaching and research as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Religion where he received tenure in 2011. He served as Chair of the Department of Religion from 2014 to 2015 and retired from Concordia University in 2016.

Boisvert passed away on June 19, 2019. He published two books, including Sanctity and Male Desire: A Gay Reading of Saints in 2004. In 2005 Boisvert was a Lambda Literary Awards finalist in the Spirituality/Religion category. Throughout his academic career he presented his papers at several Canadian, American and European conferences. An openly gay man, Boisvert’s extensive research explored the intersection of religion, gender and sexuality.

• In 1972 Boisvert was the editor of the Loyola Happening.
• During his studies at Loyola College, Boisvert was Vice-President, External, of the Loyola Student Association (LSA) from 1972-1973 and served as Co-President of the LSA with Marc Tigh from 1973-1974.
• In 1975 Boisvert was awarded the Loyola Campus Medal as Graduating Class Valedictorian.
• In 2002 he endowed the Donald L. Boisvert Scholarship for Gay and Lesbian Studies.
• He gave the keynote address at Sexy Religion: The Allure of the Transcendent, an interdisciplinary conference held at Concordia University in February 2006.
• Boisvert received the Concordia University Alumni Association 2010 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching at the May 17, 2010 Alumni Recognition Awards Banquet.
• In September 2013 Boisvert was ordained Priest in the Anglican Church of Canada by the Anglican Bishop of Montreal.