Residents on certain streets in Laval’s Fabreville and Chomedey districts could expect an upgrade in the quality of their drinking water, as well as more efficient flow of storm and wastewater in their sewers, thanks to a more than $26 million grant announced by the Quebec Municipal Affairs Ministry.
As reported in our December 3 issue, Minister of Municipal Affairs Geneviève Guilbault and Minister responsible for the Laval region Christopher Skeete were in Laval in late November to announce that $26,074,021 had been granted by the CAQ government to the city for the water and sewer infrastructure work.
Under the plan, a total of 13,520 metres of drinking water, stormwater and wastewater pipes would be replaced on dozens of streets in various neighbourhoods of Laval. The investment would allow for the replacement of aging pipes in several areas where outages and emergency interventions are becoming increasingly common.
As reported in our December 3 issue, the spectre of U.S. president Donald Trump’s disruptive economic policies loomed ominously during a one-day conference on the Laval region’s economic prospects held in November by Laval économique, the City of Laval’s development arm.
More than 300 export experts, visionary entrepreneurs and economic and political decision-makers accepted the agency’s invitation to gather for a day of strategic discussions. Mayor Stéphane Boyer called the Trump administration’s actions since the Republican president took office last year a “wake-up call for Canada,” while noting that for the longest time, the U.S. was the country’s most important trading partner.
In December, the REM’s new Sainte-Dorothée station was quickly proving essential to Laval commuters, with packed park-and-ride lots and steady afternoon ridership suggesting the service had taken hold just weeks after launch.
Luis Canon, an internet technician who lived nearby, said the REM fit naturally into his routine. “It’s amazing. It’s convenient,” he said. Canon takes the train roughly four times a week, often at peak hours. He said the new system was a welcome return after years of replacement buses.
Following a renewed crime wave in Laval involving the extortion and intimidation of local businesses, Mayor Stéphane Boyer told a meeting of Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry stakeholders that he was hoping Prime Minister Mark Carney would amend the criminal code so that Laval and other cities could better defend their businesses and residents.
“The criminal code must be revised, because at this moment youths are being used by these people without severe penalties,” said Boyer. “As with prostitution where women are being exploited, there should also be sentences which are exemplary to be as effective as possible.”
