In August last year, the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, one of several interest groups challenging Quebec’s Bill 21, received word they would be permitted to intervene in the Supreme Court of Canada in the Bill 21 case involving the English Montreal School Board and the Quebec government.
Along with many other interveners, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Quebec Community Groups Network and the attorneys general of six Canadian provinces, the Task Force would be present at the Supreme Court hearing on Bill 21,
“The reason that we’re doing this is we want the Notwithstanding Clause to be properly defined,” Task Force president Andrew Caddell said in an interview with The Laval News.
Bill 21 (‘An act respecting the laicity of the State’) was passed in 2019 by Premier François Legault’s CAQ government. It most notably prohibited the wearing of religious symbols by public employees in positions of authority.
For those who might have missed it, the City of Laval celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2025. Among other things, officials with the city marked the occasion on August 6 with something especially meaningful and sure to be continued by future generations: the awarding of the first Order of the City of Laval Medals.
“The recipients of the Order of the City of Laval embody, each in their own way, the values of pride, excellence and solidarity that define our city,” Mayor Stéphane Boyer said during a ceremony held at Espace Montmorency in the heart of Laval’s rapidly-growing downtown sector.
The city chose seven deserving City of Laval residents from a range of professional backgrounds to be the first recipients. The city held a range of activities over the course of the year to keep the celebration going, including performance events, neighbourhood parties, library events, outdoor theatre, cooking musical performances and culinary happenings.
Our August 13 issue featured coverage of the Corporation Rose-Art 29th annual Symposium de Sainte-Rose. From July 24 to 27, appreciators of quality sculpture and art from all over Quebec, as well as Ontario and other parts of eastern Canada, had gathered in Laval’s historic Vieux Sainte Rose for the event, which has come to be recognized as one of Quebec’s leading and most prestigious outdoor art shows.
Air Canada passengers were left scrambling after more than 10,000 of the airline’s flight attendants took to the picket line. The strike, which lasted from Aug. 16 to 19, grounded flights at the peak of the summer travel season and affected nearly half a million people worldwide.
“I can’t even explain the emotional rollercoaster that we went through,” said Laval resident Rosy Trimboli after the uncertainty turned her family’s first trip to Europe into a drawn-out ordeal. “It’s been hell to say the least,” she said.
