A Telus cell phone boutique on des Laurentides Blvd. corner Saulnier St. in eastern Laval is one of several communications services stores in the greater Montreal region which have been hit in recent months by armed robbers who’ve made off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of iPhones and other brands of smartphones.
The wave of brazen thefts by perpetrators armed with handguns has left cell phone boutique owners and staff very nervous – to the point where many cell phone stores stay locked until clients show some I.D. to be allowed in.
According to the Montreal daily news site La Presse, the Telus store on des Laurentides Blvd. has been robbed at least twice – in December and April.
The perpetrators, who arrived masked and dressed in black, pointed their weapons at employees and demanded access to a safe where smartphones (some, like the iPhone 12, worth up to $1,200 each) were stored.
Developer disappears with $17 million in house-building scam
Dozens of families who made large cash deposits in the hopes of buying new homes in Laval are finding themselves in desperate circumstances following the disappearance of the developer along with $17 million of their deposits.
According to the Montreal daily Journal de Montréal, Luc Perrier, owner of Bel-Habitat homes, solicited the money from up to 106 families, luring them with promises of discounts that increased with the more money they left as deposits.
Families also made deposits for homes in Saint-Eustache and Blainville. In some cases reported by JDM, some individuals and families have lost their life savings.
Summer’s arrived when the LPD’s bike patrollers are on duty
You know summer must really be here when the Laval Police Department deploys bike patrol officers all over the city in public places, parks and bicycle paths. They’ll be on duty all summer long until Sept. 25.
The bike team, which includes a dozen officers, has a mandate to enforce municipal by-laws and the road safety code, while ensuring peace and quiet in neighbourhoods.
The LPD says the bike patrol will also be paying attention in the coming months to seeing that motor vehicle drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians share the public roads and pathways fairly and equitably.
New this year, two members of the LPD bicycle patrol will be trying out some new electric bicycles as part of a feasibility test to see if it’s worth adding more of them to the police department’s bike fleet.
Marine patrol unit
In addition to the bike patrol, the LPD operates another auxiliary unit: the marine patrol. It will be out all summer long on the waters surrounding Laval – the Rivière des Prairies and the Rivière des Mille Îles.
They’ll be watching to see that boaters and other watercraft operators are being safe while having fun. In addition to answering calls for emergency assistance, the marine patrollers will be conducting prevention and surveillance operations.
Some of the hazards to be found on the rivers surrounding Laval are narrow channels, low water levels that expose hazards just beneath the water surface, and deceptively cold water temperatures that can bring on hypothermia quickly should boaters suddenly find themselves unexpectedly overboard.
The marine patrol recommends the following precautions:
- Never consume alcohol before or while boating;
- Always have on board mandatory life-preservers;
- Follow all the marine navigation regulations;
Show respect for those living on the river’s edge by lowering your speed near the shore and lowering the volume of music aboard your watercraft.
