Advertising executives Marlene Hore, a long-time creative director of J. Walter Thompson, and Ron Telpner, who rose to the top ranks of McKim Advertising, are understood to be joining the recently opened Toronto office of Montreal-based bcp.

Hore left the top creative position at jwt in Canada last year after 22 years with the multinational agency, and Telpner has been on his own for about two years running what is now a small agency based in Toronto.

Hore and Telpner have been working together on one piece of business for the past two months, but would not comment on the rumor, other than saying: ‘We love working together.’

A formal announcement is expected soon.

After years of coveting the Toronto market, bcp opened a full-service operation last November when it bought The Robert Kyle Agency.

Robert Kyle founder Robert Monk was then named creative director and chairman.

But it is understood that Monk is now making his home in France, where bcp has a Paris office, and that bcp was looking for someone to head up theToronto office on a full-time basis.

Hore had been rumored to be joining the agency last year.

She had become acquainted with Yves Gougoux, bcp chairman and chief executive officer, when the two worked together on the federal Liberal party’s successful 1993 election campaign.

Telpner has been a small agency owner since leaving the executive suite of McKim more than two years ago.

Telpner’s departure came shortly after the merger between McKim and Baker Lovick.

Telpner’s current accounts include such clients as the Toronto Stock Exchange, Calvin Klein jeans, the Jean Machine and the Ontario portion of Cuba Tourism.

bcp, Toronto is said to be billing in the $20-million range, and bcp nationally is close to $200 million in billings.