Published August 11, 2010
By Geneviève April • NEWSFIRST
“The lack of medical facilities is harming Laval”
During the citizens question period at the most recent meeting of Laval city council, the Committee for a Bilingual Hospital in Western Laval put in another appearance. Through its spokesperson, Martin Bergman, this citizens organization is once again placing front and centre issues it was dealing with back in 2004.
“The population of senior citizens in Laval needs supplementary health services and medical facilities in Laval,” explained Bergman. “The Cité de la Santé is overflowing, and the distance that citizens living in western Laval must travel to get to the hospital is too great.”
Bergman added that the demographic boom Laval went through over the past few years, along with the number of hospital beds available has become unsustainable. He said that not only is the population of the city aging, but young families have come to live in the area who also need quality medical services. While attention and energy was focused on completing the Metro project only a few years ago, it would seem that the context for second hospital today is more favourable.
“We could ask for it [a hospital at the west end of the island], and we could probably get it,” replied Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt. “I recently had a conversation with the minister, Michelle Courchesne, as well as with Mr. Lepage of the CSSS Laval. There’s change in the air. Over the coming months, some thought should be given. I believe that in the coming years, we will have some real possibilities of getting a second hospital.”
Watering restrictions and derogations
While the City of Laval currently has a ban on watering lawns in force, David de Cotis, president of the Mouvement Lavallois, said he was concerned upon finding out that dispensations from the rules are being issued to some residents at a cost of $25.
“If you are really serious about water conservation during a time of shortage, no exceptions should be accepted,” he pointed out to Mayor Vaillancourt.
The mayor noted that the derogations were only available to citizens who had to upkeep newly landscaped grounds, and that they were asked not to abuse the privilege.
“These people have invested thousands of dollars, often to meet municipal regulations,” Vaillancourt said. “For the moment, Laval is not experiencing a shortage of water, it is mostly people on the North Shore who are having the problem. Laval has agreed to hold back its consumption of drinking water by around 30 per cent in order to accommodate them.”