Raise.II.Rise, a community-led fundraising initiative founded in September 2024, will host Pickleball for a Purpose on Sun. Jan. 31 ( 3 pm to 7 pm) at bringing together sport, advocacy, and community support for two vital causes. It will take place at Royal Westcourt Social Club (87 Rue Montrose) in Dollard des Ormeaux .
Pickleball for a Purpose is a fundraising event in support of Brett Wharton, a Montrealer who lost his mobility following a transit accident in 2015 and is now pursuing a surgery that could help him walk again.
This initiative was created with a singular and deeply personal mission: to raise funds for advanced stem cell treatments that may offer the possibility of walking again and living free from chronic pain and debilitating physical limitations. It is being led by a group of lifelong friends—born and raised in Montreal —united by shared determination and hope. Despite growing global evidence supporting the ability of stem cell therapy to regenerate damaged cells and improve outcomes for people living with paralysis and degenerative conditions, the lack of regulation in Canada has left these treatments inaccessible to many patients, primarily because of prohibitive costs.
The event proudly partners with the Angelman Foundation – Angelman Respite Center, an organization that has provided essential respite services and support to families for over 20 years. Pickleball for a Purpose invites participants of all skill levels to learn, play, and contribute to meaningful change—advancing innovation in healing while supporting families in need.
Wharton, 44, says he feels uneasy and uncomfortable to share his story with the public because he has become a very private person, “but I am running out of time. I have been a tetraplegic since July 25, 2015. I can share who I was before the accident. I lived, breathed and found joy and purpose being an athlete. Taking care of my physical health and enjoying the process of learning a new sport, skill and technique was indescribable. The thrill of winning a competition felt like I had purpose. Like a million bucks! Ever since I can remember I was participating in some sport, competition, solo or in a team and this made me feel alive. I was a student of Jujitsu, held a purple belt and was on my way to a brown belt. At this time, I was also teaching and training in a mentor ship role. Developing sets and available as a sparring partner and I was also working as a personal trainer. Truly this was the high of my life. I was in shape working out six days a week and was doing heavy duty mechanics on the side. In our cold Canadian winters, you would find me on the slopes snowboarding and /or playing hockey.”
Wharton said that he travelled a lot before the accident. He had an incredible passion and curiosity to learn about different cultures, the music, the dance and the food. “When I wasn’t dancing, I was rolling (Jujitsu)on the mats, snowboarding the slopes or traveling the globe to see family,” he said. “I was working as a heavy-duty mechanic and upgrading my Subaru and doing side jobs for family and friends. I loved working with my hands from woodworking, welding, crafts and building ornaments with clay and sewing.”
Concerning the accident, Wharton said that he had his Jesus incident; he died and came back. He was on my motorcycle in the middle lane, with his wife in the right lane. There was a car that cut in front of him and he was unable to stop in time and hit the middle frame of the car. At the hospital he learned he was paralyzed. A few months later, still in hospital, his wife left him on the weekend he was discharged from hospital. For five years following this accident he fought and struggled with the SAAQ (Societe de d’Assurance automobile du Quebec) to acquire the compensation that he was owed from the accident. This was a struggle as he had to pay out pocket to support home care including physiotherapy, caregiver services, home adaptations and more. His parents and caregivers look after him. He plays chess, reads audibles and does meditation and breathwork.
Wharton said he started a GoFundMe campaign as stem cell treatment represents a sliver of hope. “ I want to walk,” he says. “I have the right to walk again. Maybe I’m a little wiser now and I am learning how to ask for help. Please, help me walk again.
For more information on the event and to reserve your tickets go here
To hear more of his story and make a donation to his cause his Go Fund Me Campaign link is here.
ALDO NOVA RETURNS: Montreal rocker Aldo Nova, a songwriter, composer, performer, producer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and Grammy Award winner over a career spanning four decades and dozens of hits, is returning to the local stage after a self-imposed hiatus of 35 years. He will appear at the Montreal Casino on Sat Jan. 31 (7:30 pm) Aldo Nova’s career took off at lightning speed when his self-titled debut album, Aldo Nova, reached multi-platinum status and the top 10 of numerous charts, propelled by the hit Fantasy, for which he also directed the music video. Success continued with the release of his second album, Subject… Aldo Nova. Twitch, his third album, was also successful, producing the single Tonight (Lift Me Up). The album Blood on the Bricks, written, composed, and produced by Aldo and Jon Bon Jovi, enjoyed phenomenal success. Over the years, he has collaborated extensively (songwriting, composing, producing) with some of the biggest stars in the business: Céline Dion, Faith Hill, Jon Bon Jovi, Blue Öyster Cult, Elton John, Clay Aiken (American Idol), Carole King, Garou, Robert Charlebois, Éric Lapointe, Cheap Trick, Mario Pelchat, Hall & Oates, Patrick Bruel, Cyndi Lauper and Sammy Hagar.
Aldo Nova
In 2025, Aldo returned to the stage, but an unfortunate fall down a flight of stairs forced him to cancel the tour: fracture of the cervical spine at the first vertebra (C1). This type of injury often causes paralysis and can even be fatal. However, months of physiotherapy have allowed Aldo to resume rehearsals and get back on tour at the very start of the new year. Yep, this will be his first hometown performance since 1991! I had a scheduled interview with him last week, but it was cancelled due to some family reasons on his side. Hopefully it will be rescheduled.
LAURIETS : Applications are now open for the eighth edition of the Lauriers de la gastronomie québécoise awards. Until midnight on Feb. 4, industry professionals are invited to apply or to nominate talents who shape and promote local gastronomy. The Lauriers would like to thank their valuable partners, notably Donald Martel, minister of ’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec, as well as the Gala’s founding members: Daniel Lacombe of LDE Éco-Logixx, ITHQ, and Tourisme Montréal. Their renewed support and commitment to this event are essential to the influence and sustainability of the Lauriers de la gastronomie québécoise. From Restaurant of the Year to Artisan of the Year, including the Best Service Award, Revelation of the Year, or Mixologist of the Year, there are 17 categories that highlight excellence, creativity, and commitment to the Quebec gastronomic community. Visit lauriers.ca to submit your applications. The 2026 finalists will be announced on March 23. As for the winners, they will be unveiled at the Lauriers de la gastronomie québécoise Gala on Monday, May 4, 2026. This year, the event moves to the heart of the Quartier Latin. The networking cocktail and award ceremony will take place at Salle Pierre-Mercure of the Centre Pierre-Péladeau, while the festive evening will continue a few steps away, at the Studio-Cabaret of Espace St-Denis.
Martin Lord Ferguson
MIRACULOUS LIVE STAGE SPECTACULAR :The global phenomenon Miraculous®: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir leaps from screen to stage in an all-new original story, powered by next-generation stage technology, songs, aerial arts, illusion, dance, comedy, acrobatics, and puppetry, crafted for families, fans, and first-timers alike.
Miraculous Corp—the joint venture between Mediawan and ZAG—and MONLOVE have announced a brand-new MIRACULOUS® LIVE STAGE SPECTACULAR, featuring globally loved superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir, set to premiere in 2027. The production has been developed in partnership with Miraculous Corp (Hollywood), owners of the Miraculous® franchise, produced by Monlove (Montreal), and represented by Wasserman Music (New York/London), with Mediawan (Paris) as a key partner.
Created for the stage by Ella Louise Allaire and Martin Lord Ferguson, the award- winning duo behind some of the most innovative family live productions of the past two decades, including Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure, Scooby-Doo! and The Lost City of Gold, and All Systems Are Go! A NASA / Peanuts Experience, this MIRACULOUS® LIVE STAGE SPECTACULAR is conceived as a truly one-of-a-kind theatrical event. Blending emotion and innovation, it pulls audiences into a cinematic stage world where Ladybug and Cat Noir face an all-new threat. Driven by an original story and songs, the show fuses never-before-seen stage-to-video interaction with acrobatics, aerial choreography, illusion, dance, and puppetry, honoring the franchise while pushing it into a thrilling new experience that’s high- energy, funny, emotionally resonant, and pure spectacle. Miraculous Corp will collaborate across the creative and production strategy for the tour.
“I was drawn to Miraculous because of Marinette, she’s bright, athletic, and creative: a teenage girl portrayed as a true superhero,” said Allaire, Founder and Artistic Director of Monlove. “ We need more heroes like Ladybug and Cat Noir for families and for this generation of boys and girls. Our goal is to honor these extraordinary characters and celebrate the world created by Jeremy Zag, Thomas Astruc, and Nathanaël Bronn.”
“This isn’t a typical kids’ show” added Ferguson. “ It’s a premium spectacle for family audiences that fuses stagecraft and technology to deliver moments you can’t get on a screen. It’s crafted like a pop concert, paced like an action film, and grounded in a fairytale, where courage is contagious.”
SALAM: Montreal-based Moroccan-Canadian artist El Mehdi is set to unveil SALAM, a landmark debut EP that reclaims agency over identity, heritage, and visibility. Where the ancestral meets the futuristic, and the intimate intersects with the collective, the project unfolds with art-pop precision, celebrating love, hope, and dignity. Chaâbi rhythms, Amazigh motifs, and Gnawa choirs intertwine with dance pulses, electronic textures, and cinematic arrangements to create a singular soundscape — deeply rooted, yet resolutely contemporary. It will be available on all download and streaming platforms on Jan. 30. “SALAM is the story between homecoming and becoming,” explained the Montreal-based Moroccan-Canadian artist. “ For a long time, I was told who I should be. But I found peace within myself. Now I want that peace to expand collectively.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.thesuburban.com ’
