Belleville native Sid Spiegel and his son-in-law Gary Stern are the new owners of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

Spiegel was born in Belleville and continues to hold significant business interests in the area including Pan Properties and Crawford Metals. Stern is the Chief Executive Officer of Crawford Metals as well as a co-owner of the Bayview Mall in east end Belleville.

In a news release Spiegel says “It’s amazing for us to be part of the Alouettes, a storied franchise that has meant so much to the people of Montreal and Quebec, and so much to the game we have followed all our lives,” Spiegel said.

“We see this not only as a challenge, but also as something that can be a lot of fun. We want Alouette fans to know we share their desire to see this team win on and off the field,” added Stern.

“We commit to them and our players, coaches and front office that we will do everything in our power to ensure this team succeeds. Our goal is to make Montreal and Quebec proud.”

The storied CFL franchise had been owned and operated by the CFL following the sale of the team by Bob and Andrew Wetenhall last May.

Stern will act as the Alouettes Lead Governor on the CFL Board of Governors. He says their first priority is putting a new President and General Manager in place.