#202b (June 8/09): CLAUDE BITTON: THE INFOMERCIAL - BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE VILLAGE?
Those who have been following world19 over the past several years know of our interest in the now derelict Odeon Humber site and its uncertain future. We were quick to report on its closing in 2003, its purchase by the Wynn family, and its subsequent acquisition along with the rest of the block to the west by a former Wynn partner, Claude Bitton.
As you may recall, Mr. Bitton also owns the vacant TD Bank space at Windermere, and the pharmacy/medical building at 2150 Bloor, next door to the library. The latter is still occupied, but many of its former medical tenants have left, uncertain over its future.
Needless to say, many in the neighbourhood have wondered… Just who is the “mysterious Mr. Bitton”? What does he have in mind for his growing number of Village properties? And how long must we wait to find out?
Over the last year, we spoke with him on several occasions, but little of substance emerged. Basically, he indicated he was in a “wait and see” mode and that he was interested in partnering with a Tridel-type developer, at least in regard to the Odeon Humber block. Still, much of the mystery remained.
But now, with a sudden burst of web-based activity, Mr. Bitton is taking an electronic leap from out of the shadows in what appears to be a concerted and coordinated effort to lessen the mystery, and create a face…or, at least a Facebook page. And though the Facebook page actually shows no face, it is only one of many web pages devoted to the life and times of Mr. Claude Bitton.
This new google glut of Bitton links is curious since in the past we had great difficulty uncovering online information about him, usually turning up little more than world19’s website. But now, he has published four websites, a blog, and both Facebook and Linkedin pages, all covering many facets of his life and business experience, and presenting himself in glowing terms in a major self branding exercise. See end of this post for the links.
So what’s behind this sudden burst of stagecraft from one who seemingly avoided the spotlight until now?
We’ve come up with three possibilities.
- To kick start some partnership action on his Bloor West properties: Unlike Tridel, with its lengthy track record in the field of major, residential developments and resulting high visibility, Mr. Bitton’s depth of similar experience and relatively low public profile has perhaps deterred prospective development partners.
- To assist in his defense in a pending court action: This case has been previously reported in mainstream media. As some readers know (we’ve received a number of emails about it), Mr. Bitton, along with eleven others is facing charges of fraud and uttering a forged document relating to the Canada Small Business Act. See this press release.
- Both #1 and #2
Maybe you can think of others.
In brief, the websites variously cover his ‘Real Estate’ interests, his involvement in ‘Fashion & Haute Couture’ (his bio says he studied architecture and fashion at the Sorbonne in Paris), his faith-based initiatives, and his philanthropic commitments. His blog touches on all of these, and post-by-post, references his various accomplishments and then links to one of the websites.
Of particular interest, his real estate website states that “Claude Bitton has become not only a visionary for his family but a visionary as a real estate developer. He has looked years even decades down the road to determine what buildings will be needed and where.” But, as far as we know, he has not yet looked down Bloor Street; we’re certainly not aware of a Bitton vision for the Village. And, despite his online pitch, which rivals the original infomercial greats of the 80s, our questions remain: who is Mr. Bitton? What does he have in mind for his growing number of Village properties? And how long must we wait to find out? If his ‘Regency on the Ravine‘ development’s snail’s pace of progress is any indication, we’re going to be waiting a long, long time.
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His Websites:
NOTE: We found originally that most or all of these sites execute some Java script that we’ve discovered can cause browsers (Firefox & Internet Explorer, running on both PCs and Macs) to hang. If your browser asks if you want to disable the script, answer Yes. If you get no prompt, but hang, you should (temporarily) disable Java Scripts. However, the script problem seems to have been fixed on most of the websites. As well, his blog was inaccessible a couple of days ago, but it too appears to have been repaired.
In addition, the blog page currently has problems in Internet Explorer (but works in Firefox). The main page may be blank. If so, go to the “About” tab, and then see the posts via the Archive links.
http://www.claudebittonrealestate.com/ - Real Estate
http://www.claude-bitton.com/ - Judaic outreach (Kiruv)
http://www.claude-bitton.ca/index.html - Fashion
http://www.claudebitton.ca/ - Charity
His blog, http://www.claudebitton.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Claude-Bitton/1533281463
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/claudebitton
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On behalf of world19,
John Leeson
Elizabeth Lines
As always, we invite comments on these and other community issues. You can click the “comments” link below this post, or email us. See our index to past newsletters, where you can subscribe to our newsletter, or visit our main webpage at www.world.com
excellent investigative work by world 19. Thank you for keeping the community informed about issues which other local news media for some reason are unable to do.
This online public relations stint by Claude Bitton is all just a smokescreen to lure in investors. He does not play by the rules and absuses good people. Investigate more…
Does anyone else find it somewhat frightening that Claude Bitton wants to be involved in our neighbourhood? Everything about his various websites screams “Part of an ongoing conspiracy - not meant for reading”.
Great work, World19. Thanks for keeping us informed.