Joel Ceausuhttp://themetropolitain.ca/articles/author/113frahttp://themetropolitain.ca/articles/view/1130http://themetropolitain.ca/articles/view/1130 I am tired,” says André Gagnière, director-general of the Centre de santé et de services sociaux de la Pointe-de-l’Île. “I am tired of fighting for the Pivot by myself. I can’t do it anymore.” And with that, it’s seemingly a done deal as the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal brings the axe down on a team of social workers that for years had ensured access to English services in the east end for a host of clients including children with intellectual disabilities.  Joel CeausuWed, 18 Jul 2012 18:30:00 -0400http://themetropolitain.ca/articles/view/1145http://themetropolitain.ca/articles/view/1145  I held my son’s chocolate peanut-butter ice cream slathered hand and looked at that nice strip of fresh black bitumen over the former sinkhole that opened up on Ste. Catherine St. last week and wondered like many others in our city, what if?What if it happened in front of my house? What if it swallowed a car? What if some protesting window-smashing “anarchist” had taken a journey down that rabbit hole?  Joel CeausuWed, 18 Jul 2012 15:00:00 -0400http://themetropolitain.ca/articles/view/658http://themetropolitain.ca/articles/view/658 I’ve walked by the home a thousand times. I’ve parked in front of it; knelt by its driveway to readjust heavy grocery bags in my hands; stopped my bike to tighten my kids’ helmet; and dragged my children on their sleds over the mounds of snow that lay in front of it.In a neighbourhood that has seen its share of tragedies – albeit mostly of the règlement de comptes and the occasional corpse-stuffed-in-trunk types – this one has shaken the reserve of Canadians beyond the H1P postal code. Joel CeausuThu, 06 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0400