The current issue of the Laval News, volume 30-25, published on October 19th, 2022.
Covering Laval local news, politics, sports, and our new section Mature Life.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
Laval News Volume 30-25
Laval Police investigate gunfire near 61st and 63rd in Chomedey
The Laval Police have opened an investigation into yet another gunfire incident – this time near the corner of 61st and 63rd avenues in eastern Chomedey.
Overnight between Monday and Tuesday, the LPD was contacted by 9-1-1 to respond to complaints from residents in the area about gunshots being heard.
According to an LPD spokesperson, the shots were fired on a home, although no injuries were reported.
Laval man, 46, faces two counts of first-degree murder after death of children
A 46-year-old male resident of Lauzon St. in Laval’s Sainte-Dorothée district is facing two charges of first-degree murder and one count of assault causing bodily harm in what police believe is a case of domestic violence turned deadly.
When Laval Police arrived at the family’s home, they found an 11-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl in critical condition. The children were transported to hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
Their father was also transported to hospital in critical condition and under police custody, although his condition was said to be stable later on Tuesday.
According to news reports on Tuesday, a judge determined that the man, identified as Kamaljit Arora, wasn’t fit to stand trial.
The prosecution and defence agreed that he had been unable to communicate since being arrested Monday night.
He is due back in court on Wednesday morning to answer to the charges.
The victims were students at École Pierre-Laporte and École Saint-Martin in Laval.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Journal de Montréal identified the two children as Anzel Arora, a 13-year-old girl, and Aaron Arora, an 11-year-old boy.
LPD investigates following three suspicious Duvernay vehicle fires
The Laval Police have launched an arson investigation after three vehicles were heavily damaged by fire earlier this week from late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.
The first call was received by the Laval Fire Dept. around 1 am Wednesday that two cars were in flames in the parking lot of an industrial building near the corner of Leman Blvd. and Belgrand St. in Duvernay.
Upon their arrival, fire department personnel noticed that a third vehicle parked behind the building was also in flames.
Laval man, 54, faces attempted kidnapping charge
A 54-year-old male Laval resident remained in custody and made a second appearance at the Laval courthouse on Thursday to answer an accusation that he attempted to kidnap a 21-year-old woman last Oct. 1 near the Montmorency Metro station in Laval.
Marc-André Cauvier was arrested earlier this week and was arraigned in court last Tuesday to face charges that also include forcible confinement and assault.
On Oct. 1 around 1:00 a.m., the victim was driven by an Uber ride hailing car to the Montmorency Metro parking lot where she got off.
As she proceeded towards her own vehicle, which was parked at Collège Montmorency across the street, she was, according to the allegations, accosted by Cauvier, who allegedly tried to abduct her.
However, according to an account of the incident given to the police by the victim, the suspect fled after she put up a struggle.
The Laval Police say they have reason to believe the suspect had other victims. The LPD can be reached through their Info-Line at 450 662-INFO (4636).
Preparatory asphalting work to continue on A-13 until winter
Transports Québec says preparatory work for asphalting is currently underway on Autoroute 13 between the Louis Bisson Bridge in Chomedey and the Vachon Bridge in Sainte-Rose, continuing until the onset of winter.
According to the provincial highways ministry, the work will be causing access issues in some areas on at some on-ramps, including the following:
- Two to three lanes of the A-13 northbound between the Louis Bisson and Vachon bridges will be partly or completely closed at night. As well, one or two lanes could be closed during some weekends.
- The A-13 northbound between Exit 12 (Samson, Notre-Dame, St-Martin) and Sainte-Rose Blvd. will be closed completely nights. As well, the Exit 12 ramp will be closed nights.
- The A-13 from Dagenais Blvd. headed southward will be closed completely at night.
The ministry says detours resulting from these closings will be clearly indicated. Lower speed limits will also be posted. The work will be resuming in the spring.
Repair work on A-15’s Gédéon Ouimet Bridge Oct. 14-15
The Quebec highways ministry says the Gédéon Ouimet Bridge, which spans the Rivière des Mille Îles between Laval and Boisbriand on the North Shore, will be partly closed from Friday Oct. 14 at 8:30 pm until Saturday Oct. 15 at 3 pm for road surface repairs and asphalting work.
According to the ministry, the southbound lanes of the bridge will be closed completely during the entire period, with southbound traffic being redirected into a single lane on the left-hand side (northbound) of the bridge.
In addition, the on-ramp leading from Route 344 (de la Grande Côte Rd.) onto southbound Autoroute 15 will be closed entirely during this period.
Transports Québec is warning motorists that due to snarled traffic expected on the A-15 near the Gédéon Ouimet Bridge during this time period, the area should be avoided, and that autoroutes 13 and 640 offer alternative routes.
Man waiting in car shot dead in Saint-François
The Laval Police have opened a homicide investigation after a 31-year-old man sitting in a car in the Saint-François district was shot to death around 11:20 pm on Friday night.
The shooting took place on du Canada St. in Saint-François as the victim was sitting in a Jeep Cherokee.
Saturday morning, the Montreal daily news source La Presse identified him as Stéphane Risler Achille, while saying he had been targeted by at least a dozen bullets.
He was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.
According to La Presse, the shooters were in a second vehicle, but fled soon after. The sound of their gunshots led to several calls being made by nearby residents to 9-1-1.
The LPD’s canine squad and the identification unit were on the scene Saturday morning, and investigators were questioning potential witnesses.
According to La Presse, the victim was a resident of Saint-François, who pleaded guilty seven years ago to personal drug possession charges.
Citing police sources, the La Presse news site said he was known to police as an independent drug dealer and a hustler for prostitutes’ services.
While the police don’t believe he was formally affiliated with any criminal organization, La Presse claims he had been seen hanging around with street gang members from the neighborhood where the slaying took place.
Laval, Montreal and other municipalities throughout the Montreal region have been assailed by a wave of gun-related homicides and violent incidents over the past several years, many of them related to an escalation of activity by street gangs and organized crime.
Disney on Ice’s ‘Let’s Celebrate’ comes to Place Bell from Oct. 6 – 10
Figure skating and travelling are ice performer Freddie Allain’s two passions in life
From Oct. 6 to 10, it will be time for kids along with moms and dads to grab their Mickey Mouse ears for a few hours of non-stop fun when 50 of their favourite Disney friends come to life on ice skates during Disney on Ice’s Let’s Celebrate show at Place Bell.
Classic Disney
For generations of children and kids at heart who grew up with images of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other timeless Disney creations, the show will be an opportunity to see live characters from Disney stories that include Snow White, Pinocchio, Frozen, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Mulan and Finding Dory.
In all, 14 classic as well as more recent Disney storylines are included in the one hour and forty-minute show (there is also a 15-minute intermission), with none other than Mickey Mouse serving as master of ceremonies. But the Disney characters are only the beginning.
Former competition skater
The skating is performed by a cast of some of the world’s most accomplished figure skating professionals – including former Canadian competitive figure skater Freddie Allain.
In the “Tangled” segment of Let’s Celebrate, he plays Flynn Rider, a character from the Disney animated movie based loosely on the German fairy tale Rapunzel.
He is also part of the ensemble and can be found in many other numbers. This is the 13th year Freddie Allain has been touring with Disney on Ice, and by all accounts he loves it.
Two passions in life
“I have two passions in life,” he said in an interview with The Laval News. “Figure skating and traveling. And I’m lucky enough that I found a job that I get to do both of those things and get paid for it. So yeah, I’m good. I’m pretty happy.
“We’re a ton of skaters, so we all have that in common. So, when I tour on a show, I get to like kind of build a second family. So, I have friends that I’ve made all over the world, which is great. So, when you get to tour with these people and get to see the world and get to sightsee wherever you want, like it’s a really a great experience.”
He loves the job
Originally from New Brunswick, after completing high-school he lived in Montreal for six years while engaging in competitive figure skating. When he retired from that, some skating colleagues told Allain about the work they were doing with Disney on Ice. He told himself he’d try it for a year, although he’s still with the company well over a decade later.
During his competitive skating career, Allain, now 36, made it onto Canada’s junior national team and did a couple of international competitions. For novice skaters who might be contemplating eventually pursuing skating as a career, he said opportunities for professional figure skaters are out there to be had.
‘Figure skating is such a beautiful sport and you can do so much with it,’ says figure skating pro Freddie Allain
Career in figure skating
“I was lucky to get a job right away when I auditioned,” said Allain, adding that usually it’s a little bit easier for boys because there aren’t as many male figure skaters. “They hire figure skaters for shows including Disney on Ice, of course. But there are different shows in Europe. Like Cirque du Soleil currently has a show with figure skaters. There’s lots of opportunity.”
For those who are old enough to remember, at one time two professional ice shows dominated the North American market: Ice Capades and Ice Follies. While the former went out of business in the mid-1990s, Ice Follies was purchased in 1979 by the U.S.-based Feld Entertainment which own Disney on Ice.
Family entertainment
Allain, who is currently training to become an ice-show choreographer once he retires from performing, maintains that professional figure skating remains a strong draw in the live entertainment business because of its family-oriented nature and ongoing appeal to children as well as adults.
“I think like, at the end of the day, families and people in general are always wanting to be entertained,” he said. “And figure skating is such a beautiful sport and you can do so much with it.
Bringing joy to families
“So yeah, there are like tons of tons of shows happening all over the world. I also find since COVID that people are just so happy to get out of the house again and then see live entertainment. So that’s always been good to just, like, bring joy to families all over the world.” Performances of Disney on Ice’s Let’s Celebrate are available in English and French. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.ca. Place Bell address: 1950, Claude-Gagné St. in Laval.
LPD arrests street gang members as firearms suspects
The Laval Police say they recently arrested Marlon Étienne-Lafontant, also known by the nicknames Rach and Flip. According to the LPD, Étienne-Lafontant, 29, is a member of the Flamehead Boys street gang.
The police force says that tip-offs provided by the public provided enough information on him to open an investigation regarding his alleged possession of firearms and his alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
The LPD alleges he is a player in drug trafficking in Laval-des-Rapides and that the street gang he is alleged to be involved with is linked to several firearms incidents in Laval this past summer.
In addition to his alleged criminal activities, Étienne-Lafontant is also known in the Montreal region as an aspiring hip-hop performer under the pseudonym Rach. His most recent recording was promoted with panel advertisements on the backs of Société de transport de Montréal buses.
At the same time, the LPD’s Équinoxe Squadron arrested another suspected gang member. Éric Simon, 19, is also suspected of illegal firearms possession. Both he and Marlon Étienne-Lafontant remained detained last week. Simon is scheduled to answer a charge of possession of a prohibited firearm during a court appearance scheduled for Oct. 12.
A 38-year-old man died last Sunday afternoon after his car collided with another vehicle whose driver fled the scene on foot along with a passenger.
Around 4:30 pm near the corner of Jaffa St. and Lisbonne Blvd. in Sainte-Rose, a black Honda Civic driven by the man was struck by a white Range Rover.
According to a police report, the occupants of the Range Rover immediately abandoned their vehicle and fled. LPD accident investigators were on the scene late Sunday searching for evidence that might lead to the suspects.
LPD says its strategy has cut down gun violence
Following a long string of shootings in Laval, many in public places, the Laval Police say they are making progress in fighting gun violence.
Laval Police chief Pierre Brochet told journalists during a recent briefing that the LPD’s work is paying off. According to Brochet, shootings are down by half, with 13 reported this year up to recent weeks, compared to 27 in 2021.
“This is a big change, and we are very proud of all the mobilization,” said Brochet. To deal with the gun problem, the LPD launched its Paradox 2022 project, which is a coordinated approach to dealing with local urban violence.
Brochet said that the concerted and proactive strategy the LPD implemented this year “has certainly contributed to the positive impacts we are seeing on the ground. This is not an end in itself, as the phenomenon is volatile, and our work continues. However, it is a source of pride for our service to see that our mobilization is bearing fruit.”
He said that improved tracking and surveillance of known offenders had helped cut down the number of gun crimes on Laval territory.
“What we did was identify the violent criminals and really put pressure on them,” said Brochet, adding that the criminals in question were known for frauds, thefts, gambling and drugs.
He said firearm-related arrests had increased slightly in Laval, with 29 this year compared to 27 by the same time in 2021.
While insisting that the number of shootings in Laval went down, he said police officers seized more guns than before, with most coming from the U.S.
Laval police say prevention and youth programs are part of their plan and they hope what amounts to a short-term strategy to reduce gun violence leads to longer-term results.
Nearly $52,000 raised during LPD’s 5th annual Heroes’ Challenge
On Saturday Sept. 24, more than 80 officers from the Laval Police Dept., the Montreal Police Dept., the Sûreté du Québec, the RCMP, the Gatineau Police Dept., the Canadian Pacific Police and others took part at Laval’s Centre de la Nature in the fifth annual Parcours des héros (Heroes’ Challenge), raising $51,250 from Quebec Special Olympics athletes from Quebec.
The officers took part in a 5-kilometre obstacle course involving 20 hurdles, while twinned with 21 Quebec Special Olympics athletes.
The money is going to be used by the Quebec Special Olympics to implement several sports and health programs for the benefit of persons with intellectual disabilities. Since the first Parcours des héros was held, a total of $176,250 has been raised by the LPD for the Quebec Special Olympics.
In addition to the police officers and Special Olympics athletes, a significant number of other people also got out to the Centre de la Nature to provide encouragement to the event participants.
Some of the other activities which took place at the same time included a demonstration of canine skills by specially-trained police dogs and their handlers.
