Montreal mourns the passing of Egbert Gaye

Egbert Gaye, 67, founder and managing editor of the Montreal Community Contact newspaper, passed away suddenly on Sunday.  He founded the bi-monthly newspaper three decades ago.

At Samail Image clothing store in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges district Monday morning, there was shock and sadness over the sudden death of a community leader and friend.

“Because we were together just last week,” store owner Sylvan Innis told Global News.

Egbert Gaye, 67, founder and managing editor of the Montreal Community Contact newspaper, passed away suddenly on Sunday.  He founded the bi-monthly newspaper three decades ago to serve the city’s English-speaking Black and Caribbean communities.

Long-time friend and columnist Yvonne Sam says Gaye was the voice of the anglophone and Black communities, and whether it was on issues of employment equity, racial profiling or other problems, the paper’s existence helped make governments listen and accountable.

“Doors were opened for us, decisions were altered” she explained.

Gemma Raeburn-Baynes, another longtime friend, agrees.

“It is such a great loss,” she said, fighting back tears. She said the Community Contact wasn’t just about serious issues, but also a publication of uplifting stories.

“We relied on (the paper) every two weeks,” she said.  “We relied on that Community Contact to find out what’s going on, find out where the dances and the parties are in the Black community.  There was such good content and such good writers.”