Transport Quebec has announced the closing to traffic of the right-side and centre lanes southbound on the Gédéon Ouimet Bridge on Autoroute 15 during the early morning hours of May 12 in order to allow workers to replace traffic signage.
On Thursday May 12 from midnight to 5 am, two of the three lanes on the A-15 southbound on the bridge between Boisbriand and Laval will be closed.
In case of technical problems or unfavorable weather conditions, the work could be postponed or rescheduled over a lengthier period without notice, says Transport Quebec.
Seven people were arrested on April 22 as part of searches conducted by police in Laval and elsewhere in the Montreal region over the activities of a suspected firearms and drug trafficking ring.
In all, 10 raids were conducted in Laval, Montreal and on the North Shore as part of an investigation undertaken in Projet Centaure, which began last December.
Police say they have reasonable grounds to believe the suspects were directly or indirectly involved in recent incidents of gun violence committed by suspects involved in organized crime in Laval.
As part of the operation, searches were conducted at various homes and in vehicles, leading to the seizure of firearms and ammunition, a significant quantity of narcotics, a vehicle, cash and more.
Police said those arrested were expected to face a range of charges, including drug trafficking, possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and possession of firearms.
Items seized included:
(2) 9 mm handguns
(2) .45 calibre handguns
(1) .40 calibre handgun
Ammunition for a .45 calibre handgun
Ammunition for a .380 caliber firearm
Drugs seized (valued at $1,906:)
3,381.83 grams of cocaine
2,916.98 grams of hashish
1,11593.25 grams of cannabis
1,880.88 grams of leaf cannabis
27,958.75 grams of concentrated cannabis
2,000 tablets of Oxycodone
170 tablets of unidentified narcotic
982.89 grams of violet MDMA
342.41 grams de black MDMA
1,066 tablets methamphetamine
509 vaporizers of THC
221.58 grams psilocybin
Other items seized:
9 Rolex watches
A Mercedes GLC 2017
$200,000 in cash
Articles used in the sale of drugs
6 air pistols
2 air rifles
OPP investigating fatal 401 collision with victims from Laval
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are investigating a collision that took place on Highway 401 on April 18, leaving three people from Laval dead and two others in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., OPP officers responded to collision involving a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle eastbound on Highway 401, just east of Maitland in Augusta Township. Augusta Fire Rescue and Leeds Grenville Paramedic Service also attended the scene.
As a result of the collision, three people were confirmed dead and two others were transported to hospital and have since been released. The three dead (all confirmed by the OPP as being from Laval) were Chantal Dendooven-Legault, 68, seven-year-old Emerik Giroux, and three-year-old Maelie Giroux.
The OPP was still appealing for witnesses at deadline, and were asking that anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash-camera footage of the incident to notify the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Woman issued $2,500+ in tickets for driving over 230 km/h without lights
A 26-year-old woman from Laval could be paying fines totalling more than $2,500, in addition to spending a week without her driver’s licence, after she was clocked going more than 230 km/h at 3 a.m. without her headlights on.
The Sûreté du Québec’s Laval detachment said SQ officers intercepted her vehicle on Autoroute 15 southbound in Boisbriand early Saturday morning April 23 while she was greatly exceeding the speed limit in a 100-km/h zone.
The driver, identified as being a Laval resident, was issued a $2,476 ticket and 30 demerit points for speeding, and a $173 ticket for driving at night without headlights switched on. Her driver’s licence was suspended for seven days.
Transit authority is harmonizing the cost of taking the bus, Metro, Exo and REM
The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), which oversees planning of public transit throughout the Montreal region, hopes do dispel confusion over transit fares by this summer with the introduction of a new system harmonizing the payment structure regardless of your point of origin or where you are headed.
Single fare stays at $3.50
The new fare system, which includes the REM electric train network which is scheduled to open in phases in the next few years, will be based on four zones (ABCD), covering the metropolitan Montreal region. Beginning on July 1, transit users travelling on the island of Montreal, or within Laval or other designated regions, will pay a flat $3.50 per fare whether they are taking the bus, Metro, Exo train or the REM (when it becomes available).
The price of a single fare in all the zones (including Montreal, Laval and Longueuil) will remain as it is now at $3.50. What is changing in the way the ARTM will be charging for public transit is that riders will pay primarily on a per-region basis, rather than on what mode of transit they take. The fare structure will be the same for users everywhere, including Laval, as long as they are travelling within their own region.
ARTM regions ABCD
“The tariff restructuring has already made life easier for a good number of people, although this year it will prove to be even more effective at a time when we all need it,” Benoit Gendron, general manager of the ARTM, said during a briefing for the media last week.
The four fare regions are as follows: A: Montreal. B: Laval, Longueuil, Brossard, Boucherville and St-Bruno-de-Montarville. C: North and South shores within the ARTM’s territory. D: Areas outside ARTM territory.
‘The tariff restructuring has already made life easier for a good number of people,’ says ARTM general manager Benoit Gendron
Transit fares and passes, which will continue to be uploaded onto Opus user cards, will be available for those wishing only to travel within their regional zone, or they can purchase a pass combining two or more regions, such as an AB pass to be able to travel in Laval and on the island of Montreal.
Some examples of new fares
A regular monthly pass for all modes of transit on the island of Montreal will cost commuters $94 a month beginning on July 1, with travel outside this zone costing extra. A single fare to travel between zones B (Laval) and A (Montreal) will cost $5.25 and the cost of a monthly pass will be $150. Zone C will cover the greater Montreal region’s North Shore and South Shore.
Public transit users from Laval will be able to access the Metro and bus services in Montreal at lower cost under the new fare system, according to the ARTM. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
A single fare allowing travel between Zones A, B and C will cost $6.50 and a monthly pass will be $184. The ABCD monthly pass, allowing travel anywhere within the Montreal metropolitan region, will cost $255. A single fare in the ABCD zone will be $9, compared to $18.25 now to take a regional bus, a train and then use the Société de transport de Montréal on Montreal Island.
Savings for Laval users
The ARTM’s restructured fare system offers savings for occasional users of the STM who live in areas such as Laval (Zone B). As it is now, Laval residents pay a $7 single fare to take the bus from their region, then transfer to an STM bus or to the Metro.
Also under the new system, the cost of a Société de transport de Laval monthly bus pass will rise from $101.00, as it is now, to $105.00 beginning on July 1.
The ARTM will be holding public information sessions on the new fare system on May 24 and 25. A comprehensive list of the ARTM’s fare changes can be found on the transit authority’s website: https://www.artm.quebec/en/fare-reform.
Mayor Stéphane Boyer, left and Action Laval councillor for St-Vincent-de-Paul Paolo Galati have agreed to work together on several issues affecting east-end Laval, including the Old Pen (pictured behind them).
Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer and Action Laval city councillor for Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Paolo Galati say they have reached an understanding on two major dossiers affecting the east end of Laval – the future of the Old Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary and the extension of Saint-Martin Blvd. East.
The Old Pen, which has been recognized by the federal government as a national historic site for a good number of years, has been falling into greater deterioration since it has stood vacant near the centre of the village of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.
The Boyer administration and Action Laval have agreed that a working committee for technical issues will be set up by city council and will develop recommendations to municipal and federal leaders for the future of the former penitentiary site.
As for the extension of Saint-Martin Blvd. East, the City of Laval has been contemplating extending Laval’s heavily-trafficked main street eastward for years into the districts of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul and Saint-François.
For now, the plan, as agreed by the city administration and Action Laval, is to fast-track the dossier and consult higher levels of government on the possibility of implementing a type of transit system along the axis so as to unite Laval’s east and west sectors.
“It is a pleasure to work on the realization of major projects in a spirit of collaboration,” Mayor Boyer said in a statement about the new working relationship between the administration and Action Laval.
“I feel sure that by speaking with one voice, these priority dossiers will make their way more easily and more quickly. After all, it is the citizens who will come out as winners. Laval’s east end has great development potential and we agree to do this now.”
“I have been working for a very long time on this dossier,” said Galati. “By collaborating with the mayor, we are sending a strong message to the federal government to get this project going. As several solutions in the district are affected by this dossier, this is excellent news for all of east-end Laval.”
City’s public libraries hold first used book sale in two years
Last weekend, it was time for hundreds of book readers from Laval to get out to the Cartier Arena in Pont-Viau for the first sale of used books and other library materials and documents since 2019, just before the Covid pandemic started.
The municipal library’s most recent sale of used books and other materials took place last weekend.
From Friday April 29 to Sunday May 1, more than 100,000 items – a record, according to library officials – were up for sale. They included soft and hard cover volumes, comic books in French and English, CDs and DVDs. All were available for purchase at $3 per kilo, $1 per single item, and magazines at 10 cents a piece.
“Each year, the library sale is awaited with great anticipation by all Laval residents,” said Sainte-Rose city councillor Flavia Alexandra Novac, who is responsible for dossiers involving the municipal library. “It’s an occasion to make new cultural discoveries at a very good price, to update the home library, or maybe even to develop a passion for reading.”
Although library officials hadn’t calculated the numbers for this year’s sale, the 2019 event attracted more than 4,000 customers over three days, while 89 per cent of the books and other materials available were sold, and 4,200 books were remitted to non-profit organizations as donations.
STL strike cancelled after union, management reach agreement
The Société de transport de Laval and the union representing 625 STL bus drivers have reached an agreement in principle, thus averting an all-out strike that could have disrupted bus service in Laval this summer.
A strike that was set to take place this week has been cancelled, according to union representatives.
The drivers’ local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) confirmed the decision last Friday, when final details remained to be worked out. The strike had been scheduled to take place from May 3 to 10.
Exact contents of the tentative agreement were not immediately revealed, as union officials said they wanted to consult the membership first. As it is, a general membership meeting will be held on May 12 to vote on the tentative agreement. The last collective agreement for STL bus drivers had expired in August 2019. The dispute was mainly about wages.
Covid debt, rising costs challenge small business recovery, says CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is calling on the federal government to help the hardest hit Small and Medium Enterprises across Canada deal with their COVID-related debt.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly says the federal government missed an opportunity in the 2022 budget to forgive at least a portion of loans Ottawa extended to Canadian businesses during the Covid pandemic.
Small businesses are not only facing a long and challenging road to recovery – only 40 per cent are back to normal revenues for this time of the year, according to new data from the CFIB.
The survey results show only a quarter of business owners (27 per cent) say they are fully recovered. Among the many obstacles standing in the way of a full recovery, says the CFIB, is the staggering level of fresh Covid-related debt small firms have had to take on during the pandemic.
Businesses in deep debt
“Two-thirds of small businesses (65 per cent) have had to take on debt, at an average of $160,000, just to survive the past two-years,” says CFIB president Dan Kelly. “For almost 900,000 business owners, up to $60,000 of this debt is in the form of a government-backed Canada Emergency Business Account loan.”
Kelly says Ottawa’s 2022 budget “missed an opportunity to forgive a larger portion of these loans for the most deeply affected small businesses.” All major Covid support programs end on May 7, 2022.
Rising business costs
The CFIB says a huge number of small businesses are also facing major challenges with rising costs for energy, inputs and insurance (90 per cent), as well as increases to government-imposed costs for carbon and payroll taxes (82 per cent). The federation believes this may explain why almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of small business owners failed to find the measures in the 2022 federal budget particularly helpful to their situations.
‘Two-thirds of small businesses (65 per cent) have had to take on debt, at an average of $160,000, just to survive the past two-years,’ says the CFIB’s Dan Kelly
Seeking debt forgiveness
As such, the CFIB is calling on the Liberal government to provide help to the hardest hit SMEs with their COVID-related debt by raising the forgivable portion of their CEBA loan to at least 50 per cent, while extending the repayment deadline beyond December 2023.
The CFIB is also asking the government to help new businesses that were excluded from the CEBA program and to forgive a portion of other federal COVID-19 loan programs like HASCAP. Small business owners can add their voice to CFIB’s petition calling for more debt relief at cfib.ca/covidpetition.
Ahmed Hussen feels certain Ottawa is well-positioned to meet targets by 2024
Federal Minister of Housing, Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen says he is confident his ministry will be able to double the number of homes built in Canada in the next ten years, while being on target to meet quotas for new affordable and social housing by the time the Trudeau government’s current mandate comes up for renewal as early as 2024.
In a statement issued in early April with the Liberal government’s 2022 budget, the government said it recognized that it is becoming increasingly challenging in Canada to find a safe and affordable place to live.
An ambitious plan
An important part of the Trudeau government’s plan to boost the availability of affordable housing is a Housing Accelerator Fund, which will make $4 billion available to the country’s largest cities, facilitating their ability to accelerate their housing plans towards a target of 100,000 new mid-range homes by 2024-25.
According to the ambitious plan, the government wants to double housing construction over the next decade, with additional provisions that include a $1.5 billion investment to extend its Rapid Housing Initiative to create a minimum of 6,000 more affordable housing units across Canada.
Federal Minister of Housing, Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen tells Newsfirst Multimedia the Trudeau government’s latest plan to build the country’s supply of housing is on track to meet targets by 2024.
A range of measures
As well, the government wants to help out first-home buyers by introducing the Tax-Free First Home Savings Account to allow them to save up to $40,000; by doubling the First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit to $10,000; by providing up to $1,500 in direct support to home buyers; by extending the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive to end of March 2025 to allow first-time home buyers to lower their borrowing costs; and by investing $200 million to help develop and scale up rent-to-own projects across the country.
In addition to these measures, the government says it wants to curb unfair practices that have been driving up the price of housing in the last few years, by imposing a two-year ban on foreign capital coming into Canada to buy residential real estate, as well as by taking steps to make property flippers “pay their fair share.”
Multifaceted approach
“We’re tackling speculation, we’re tackling foreign investment, and eventually all of those measures taken together will make a difference,” Hussen said in a phone interview with Newsfirst Multimedia. “Canadians understand that the housing sector is complex, and our tax system is also complex.
“So, we’re moving deliberately in a comprehensive manner to make sure that we’re addressing different aspects of this challenge. With that kind of approach, you begin to have an impact, because you’re not just tackling one thing – you’re tackling supply, you’re tackling speculation, you’re tackling demand, you’re tackling access, while also dealing with unfair business practices. Because we’re doing all of it, I believe it will have an impact.”
Help coming, says Hussen
Although the country’s residential real estate market still shows no signs of cooling off, Hussen said the Trudeau government remains “dead-focused on recognizing that Canadians need help to purchase their homes. They need help to access their due home-ownership and we need to take action to increase supply.
“The issue is not just about price increases,” he continued. “The issue is also just availability of housing supply. We’re taking leadership there, but we’re also been taking leadership on accessibility and fairness while cracking down on speculation and building more affordable housing. So, that’s what we’re focused on and hopefully all of those things will start to bring down prices and make housing more affordable for Canadians.”
“We’re tackling speculation, we’re tackling foreign investment, and eventually all of those measures taken together will make a difference,” says Hussen, seen here with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (second from right) during a housing announcement in Hamilton, Ont.
Not meeting demand
Hussen noted that Canada currently has the fastest growing population of the G7 countries (including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the U.S.), although our supply of new housing has not kept up with the demand. “So, we have to take the initiative and do what we can to increase the housing supply in this country,” he said.
This year’s budget marked the third time since Justin Trudeau first became Prime Minister in 2015 that his government promised to provide Canadians with more affordable housing, but failed to deliver in the first two tries.
According to some real estate sector estimates, housing in Canada is now 100 per cent more costly than when Trudeau first moved into the Prime Minister’s Office, with the average price of a Canadian home now being $869,000, compared to $430,000 around seven years ago.
Unfulfilled pledges
Following earlier pledges to impose a two-year ban on residential real estate foreign ownership, the minority Liberal government had to back off, although the government may now well be able to follow through because of a deal they struck recently with the opposition NDP, who have pledged to support Liberal government initiatives until 2024.
In the meantime, Ahmed Hussen is sounding more confident than ever that the Trudeau government will finally be able to honor its long-delayed housing promises. “It is in our budget and we will be doing everything that we can to make sure that we move ahead on these measures which we promised Canadians,” he said.
Gainey, Houle, Cournoyer among ex-teammates who paid homage to ‘The Flower’
The remains of former Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur lay in state at the Bell Centre earlier this week, as fans and former team colleagues paid a final tribute on Sunday and Monday to Lafleur who passed away on April 22 at age 70.
A national funeral was held on Tuesday May 3 at 11:00 a.m. at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in downtown Montreal. Some of Guy Lafleur’s former teammates shared some special memories of the Hockey-Hall-of-Famer.
Shortly before the start of the Bell Centre tribute, they gathered to share their favorite memories of Lafleur. As reported on NHL.com, a few of the alums included Yvan Cournoyer, Lucien DeBlois, Bob Gainey, Rick Green, Réjean Houle and Chris Nilan.
Cournoyer remembers
“When I saw him for the first time in Verdun, I said, ‘Wow!’ I’d won five Stanley Cups before he arrived,” said Cournoyer. “I said, ‘With this guy, I’m going to win more Stanley Cups.’ And I was right.
Close family attended the wake of Former Montreal Canadiens great Guy Lafleur at the Bell Centre on May 1 in Montreal. Lafleur died April 22 at the age of 70. (Photo: Vitor Munhoz / NHLI via Getty Images)
“I’ve been thinking about Guy the last two years when he started to get sick and having problems with his health, but you don’t forget a guy like Guy,” added Cournoyer.
“I’m talking about the man. The man is so popular, but he deserves it. He’s a natural with the people. Guy loves everybody and everybody loves him. He’s just a natural guy. We were together for 40 years, and every time we see each other, we shake hands. I’m going to miss him everyday.”
Gainey’s memories
Bob Gainey shared this anecdote about the homecoming of Guy Lafleur after he joined the New York Rangers. “The first time the Rangers came to play at the Forum, he was not involved in the game, he was injured, so the expectation just built until he was going to make that appearance. At some point in the game, the score was tied and he had both New York Rangers goals.
Former Montreal Canadiens Yvan Cournoyer and wife Evelyne attended the wake of Habs superstar Guy Lafleur at the Bell Centre on May 1 in Montreal. (Photo: Vitor Munhoz / NHLI via Getty Images)
“There were still a few of us left on the team who had been playing with him, and so we weren’t quite sure whether to cheer or not cheer for him,” Gainey added. “Ultimately, the Canadiens won the game, but I thought it was just an incredible story of perseverance and still being able to show flashes of brilliance that used to be so common, but maybe aren’t so common now.”
Réjean Houle remembers
Réjean Houle said: “What I remember most about Guy is, when we weren’t playing well, which wasn’t often, Scotty Bowman divided us into two teams and made us practice 5-on-5, 4-on-4 and 3-on-3. At 3-on-3, nobody could rival Guy Lafleur. If he had space on the ice, you couldn’t catch him. He was a notch above everybody else. When it was 3-on-3, everybody skated to the bench quickly so they wouldn’t have to practice against him because he was so good.”
Montreal Canadiens fans paid tribute during the wake of Former Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur. (Photo: Vitor Munhoz / NHLI via Getty Images)
Fans wishing to honor Lafleur’s memory by contributing to the Guy Lafleur Fund for Cancer Research can make a donation in his name to the Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM).
The current issue of the Laval News, volume 30-14, published on May 4th, 2022. Covering Laval local news, politics, sports, and our new section Mature Life. (Click on the image to read the paper.)
Front page of the Laval News, May 4th, 2022 issue.
This autographed Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens jersey was among the items auctioned off for the benefit of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation at one of their fundraisers. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued the following statement Friday afternoon following the death of former Montreal Canadiens hockey legend Guy Lafleur.
“I was saddened to hear of the passing of hockey legend, Guy Lafleur,” Trudeau said. “He was unlike anyone else on the ice – his speed, skill, and scoring were hard to believe.
Guy Lafleur, left, seen here with former Laval mayor Marc Demers and property developer John Garabedian helped launch the Aquablu Phase 2 condo project in Laval in 2017.
“Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Lafleur enthralled fans across the country and throughout North America in the old Montreal Forum, winning five Stanley Cup championships while playing with the Montreal Canadiens. He went on to play with the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques, becoming only the second player to play in the National Hockey League after induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“As a child, Mr. Lafleur loved the game so much that he would sleep in his hockey equipment so that he could jump on the rink as soon as he woke up. Later in life, his impressive shot and skating prowess earned him the nickname le ‘Démon blond’, and won his adversaries’ admiration, winning him three Lester B. Pearson Awards for most outstanding player, as decided by fellow players. To this day, he remains the all-time points leader of all those who have worn ‘la Sainte-Flanelle’ of the 24-time Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.
Such was former Habs star Guy Lafleur’s stature in Canada that the country’s postal service issued a stamp in 2016 in his honor.
“In 1980, Mr. Lafleur was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was also inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, and appointed a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec in 2005.
“On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I wish to express our deepest sympathies to Guy Lafleur’s family and friends. My thoughts are with all who are mourning this tremendous loss – in Quebec, across Canada, and around the world. We’ll miss you, Number 10.”
Saying that she wanted to send out a warning to potential sexual predators, a judge last week sentenced a male massage therapist from Laval to seven years imprisonment and a lifetime on a list of sexual offenders.
In sentencing Jean-François Morrison, age 41, at the Laval courthouse on April 15, Quebec Court judge Sandra Blanchard followed a recommendation made by the prosecution that the accused be given a sentence that would be “severe” as well as “exemplary.”
Morrison was found guilty in February of sexually assaulting 20 women between 2015 and 2018, most of whom were massage clients. According to evidence presented during his trial, he had also posted a compromising photo on Facebook of another woman without her permission.
In a pre-sentencing report, the judge called Morrison a “predator” who lied about his qualifications as a massage therapist and who manipulated his clients.
Prosecutor Stéphanie Gilbert said the Crown felt it was necessary to send out a warning message to anyone who might feel tempted to act as Morrison did towards his victims – at least one of which was under the influence of alcohol or drugs when assaulted.
Statements heard in sexual assault by woman on boy
Impact statements were heard last week at the Laval courthouse in a case involving a 43-year-old woman who pleaded guilty last year to sexually assaulting an eight-year-old boy she had been hired to improve his grade-school marks.
According to a statement taken from the boy, he now suffers from insomnia, nightmares, learning difficulties, and obsessive-compulsive disorders, as a result of the sexual abuse by the woman, identified as Josianne Lévesque.
After two years, the boy decided to tell his mother what was going on, even though, according to testimony, Lévesque warned him that she could go to jail if he were to tell anyone about their relationship.
Lévesque had been the boy’s school teacher at a Montreal-area private school the year before the abuse started. She was later hired by the parents as an academic tutor for their son over a period of 17 months, according to evidence heard by Judge Serge Cimon.
Lévesque is scheduled to be sentenced in May. The prosecution is seeking a jail sentence of two years or more.
