Two friends and the festival they built
Felix Nadeau The West Island Blues Festival is back. On July 9, the 18th annual edition of the event returns to the outdoors at Dollard des Ormeaux Park after a two-year hiatus. Since 2003, Errol Johnson, who is a long-serving city councillor and deputy mayor in Dollard des Ormeaux joined forces with Jim Beis, mayor of Pierrefonds to put together the free day-long festival, which doubles as a fundraiser that has donated over 250 000$, to various West Island organizations over the years. In a recent telephone conversations, the two friends reminisce on the origins of the West Island Blues …