Laval city council, February meeting

The Laval city council chamber was nearly packed for council’s Feb. 7 meeting. On the order paper were many zoning projects, including the much anticipated bylaw modification to allow temporary car shelters. Next Feb. 24, during a zoning consultation meeting, one item on the agenda will be dealing with the question of extending the date when tempo shelters can first be put up each year, as well as the date when they must be taken down.

New dates for Tempos
“We have rules that can be rigid as per the date when installation is allowed to start, and this project is a result of numerous requests from residents,” said Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt. The proposed dates are Oct. 15 for putting up the supporting structure, Nov. 1 for the canvas cover, and residents would have until Apr. 15 to take it all down.
During the Feb. 24 consultation meeting, a motion will also be made to modify the zoning for an area on the western edge of the Laurentian Autoroute, between Souvenir and Saint-Martin boulevards, in order to allow commercial and recreational uses. “It will be for something like the Centropolis,” said the mayor. “This new zoning will allow, among other things, the accommodation of the new show by Cavalia.”

New CSSS for west
Some good news for residents of western Laval. A second zoning modification project would allow for the creation of a health and social services centre (CSSS) on land located on the edge of Dagenais Blvd. West, east of Urgel St. A new CSSS would allow for the population of Laval to be better served, as there is currently a crying need for health services in that sector.
Another project that could cause some users of the Metro to react with anger involves reducing the number of parking spaces at Laval’s three Metro stations. “We want to promote walking and the use of public transit,” said the mayor, explaining the rationale behind the project.

The citizens speak out
Snow removal by private contractors continues to make waves, as was evident during question period. While Gérard Lemire of the Relais communautaire Pont-Viau came to the council meeting to find out about the removal of snow near the community organization which is giving him headaches, Mr. Michaud wanted to know the procedures to follow when a private contractor puts snow in the street despite a prohibition of the practice.
“Each time it happens, you would need to take a picture of the offending snow removal contractor, because we need proof of a violation in order to be able to intervene,” Vaillancourt explained. Faced with the insistence of Michaud, who was clearly not satisfied with having take action himself, the mayor added: “President John F. Kennedy said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ It’s the same thing for snow in Laval.”

Opposition at the mic
Responding to Robert Bordeleau, leader of the Parti au Service du Citoyen, who wanted to know more about developments in the Commodore marina dossier, Vaillancourt said that the Archambault family, the last owners of the property, had found a buyer. “He [the buyer] submitted a first project in which the marina would disappear,” said the mayor. “We asked that the marina be maintained, as well as the restaurant, and we asked for the renewal of the buildings and facilities and the renovation of nearby embankments.”
David De Cotis, president of the Mouvement lavallois, enquired about the possibility first brought up last year of broadcasting city council meetings over the Internet. “I would be lying if I were to say that we (the council) have been discussing this,” replied the mayor. “On the other hand, Montreal spent a fortune to put its council meetings on the net, and fewer than 50 people watch them. What’s more, we have facilities to accommodate media equipment, and nothing is stopping people from filming or recording in the council chamber.”

No PR during allegation crisis
Émilio Migliozzi, an unsuccessful candidate for the Mouvement lavallois in the last elections, wanted to know more about the involvement of National, a communications and public relations company specialized in crisis control. He wanted to know whether they had intervened during the campaign contribution allegations crisis at city hall last November and whether residents were billed for their services.
“I don’t know if I consulted them during the crisis, but if it was so, it is part of their mandate, and so there would not have been additional costs,” replied the mayor. “I dealt with the journalists personally and the court proceedings are being billed to me.”
Responding to a question as to whether he would be following up on legal notices sent to Serge Ménard and Vincent Auclair demanding they withdraw the allegations they made in November, the mayor responded by drawing attention to the serious nature of the accusations, saying that “generally in life, they only draw attention to the worthiness of the accuser. And when I see those who have accused me …” He didn’t finish the sentence.