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Trucking’s ‘heroes of the highway’ wage a valiant fight against human trafficking

Martin C. Barry
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Trucking’s ‘heroes of the highway’ wage a valiant fight against human trafficking

Canadian trucking firm Day & Ross renews $100K commitment to train drivers

Day & Ross, one of Canada’s oldest and largest trucking companies, has decided to extend a partnership with a non-profit organization that provides training to truck drivers so they know how to identify and combat human trafficking.

As those who have occasion to travel the trans-Canada highway system may be aware, Day & Ross’ trucks are a constant presence along the long ribbons of highways and autoroutes throughout the country.

Warning signs

“Truckers are the eyes and ears of our nation’s highways and are in a unique position to make a difference,” says Day & Ross COO Doug Tingley.

As this places Day & Ross’s drivers in a position to be the eyes and ears on Canada’s highways, the Hartland NB-based company believes that by training its drivers on what to watch for and by seeing the warning signs, they could be in a position to provide badly-needed assistance to those in need when it becomes a necessity.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where people are bought and sold for forced labour or sex work. Although the problem is often overlooked, experts report that it is actually happening in Canada every day.

Victims of human trafficking are often targeted at truck stops and on highways. Day & Ross says that with the help of the non-profit Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), reports from drivers have led to both arrests and victim recoveries across North America.

$100k donation to cause

For the second year in a row, Day & Ross is donating $100,000 to sponsor the organization. The sponsorship will not only be providing TAT with the funds to help educate drivers on identifying human trafficking scenarios, but will also allow them to harness the power of a large trucking fleet for an excellent cause.

The two organizations are working in tandem to provide the training, resources and information the truckers will need to report suspicious activity. For the first time ever, the TAT mobile exhibit is coming to Canada and to the Day & Ross main terminal hub to help educate their employees.

Featuring a theatre station and actual artifacts from trafficking cases, the TAT mobile exhibit helps tell the stories of victims and showcases the important role drivers play in combating human trafficking. All Day & Ross employees and drivers across Canada and the US will have access to the online TAT training.

Many victims are minors

Human trafficking has become a concern around the globe, and Canada is no exception. The U.S.-based National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) reports that in the last five years, more than 41 per cent of the cases truckers have reported to them involved victims who are minors.

According to Statistics Canada, “there are various forms of human trafficking, including trafficking for forced labour, for the purpose of exploitative begging or for organ removal; however, trafficking for sexual exploitation is the most detected.” Day & Ross says its teams are trained to identify and report these incidents.

Trying to make a difference

“Truckers are the eyes and ears of our nation’s highways and are in a unique position to make a difference,” says Doug Tingley, Day & Ross’s Chief Operating Officer in Canada.

Day & Ross says its drivers are in an excellent position to spot and report suspected human trafficking because of their constant presence on the autoroutes, highways and roads. (Photo: Courtesy of trucknews.com)

“With our drivers travelling from coast to coast, they’re able to make a difference in every province and every town along their route. To date, there are over 1.2 million truckers trained by Truckers Against Trafficking, making a significant difference in the fight against human trafficking.”

Began hauling potatoes

With more than 8,000 employees, drivers and owner operators across Canada and the US today, Day & Ross got its start in 1950 by hauling potatoes out of New Brunswick. Today, the company’s key services include Less Than Truckload (LTL) and Full Truckload (FTL), as well as cross-border transportation, logistics, dedicated fleets, and residential delivery.

The company offers a diversified portfolio of freight and delivery solutions to top companies across North America. For more than a decade, Day & Ross has also been consistently recognized as one of Canada’s best managed companies and has been named a top company for women to work for in the transportation sector for the past four years.

#NewsMatters: The National Assembly Report

Laval News Contributor
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#NewsMatters: The National Assembly Report
With Raquel Fletcher in Quebec City

For those still holding out hope that Quebec will not adopt Bill 96, time is running out

Thousands of people took to the streets last Saturday in protest of the government’s controversial reform of the French language charter. For those still holding out hope that Quebec will not adopt Bill 96, time is running out.

The National Assembly adopted final amendments to the bill Thursday, including the hotly-contested modification to increase the number of French classes English CEGEP students must complete. Final speeches began with two impassioned allocutions that illustrate the very stark schism that exists between Quebecers with very different points of view on this matter. French Language Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette was first to rise in the Blue Room: “Mr. Speaker, I think rarely have I ever been so proud to stand in this house to express myself in my language, in our common language, French. It is not an accident of history or some sort of miracle that it’s possible today to debate in French in this space. It is rather the fruit of the tireless effort of a determined nation.”

Quebec City correspondent for QCNA Raquel Fletcher.

This nation defied expectations as well as political, economic, legal and demographic threats to the preservation of its language, he continued. He thanked the tenacity, audacity and patience of his ancestors, a united people who systematically fought against assimilation.

“Quebec is what it is today,” the minister said emphatically. “Because, in 1837 and 1838, the women and men who came before us knew how to re-establish the status of French in places of power. It is also because, years later, others made real the ideals of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s to bestow upon Quebec a modern state, a French state.”

For the Coalition Avenir Quebec, the government is writing the next chapters of history with Bill 96. According to the minister, this reform is a modern iteration of Bill 101, adopted in 1977, and will ensure a balance between the collective rights of the Quebec nation and the rights and freedoms of the individual. The “legislative mechanisms” in the bill, the minister said, alluding to, among other things, the use of the notwithstanding clause, allows for the “justified, legitimate and necessary” protection of the French language.

At least, that is one way to look at it. The Liberal Party has decided to vote against Bill 96. Following Jolin-Barrette’s final speech, Liberal house leader André Fortin began his own by explaining why he did not see eye to eye with the minister.

“I love the French language,” he started. “It’s my mother tongue. It’s the language my mother taught me, that which her mother taught her. It’s the language my grandfather learned when he immigrated to Canada after a difficult childhood during a war … in Indonesia.”

Fortin stressed that his grandfather chose to learn French and was not forced to learn the language because the government denied him access to services in another language. The reference alludes to an article in Bill 96 which would deny access to services in English for immigrants who have resided in Quebec longer than six months, just one of the aspects of the reform the Liberal Party sees as heavy-handedness on the part of the government.

“He learnt it,” Fortin continued, “because he fell in love with a young girl from Masham. He learned the French language out of love. (And) he learned it out of respect for his neighbours, for his friends, and so he could be fully involved in the lives of his children.”

According to Fortin, Bill 96 would not foster this kind of love for French because it is too divisive. “I’m against this bill because it creates two classes of Quebeckers: historic anglophones and everybody else. I’m against this bill because it does not foster unity,” Fortin said in English.

He continued by saying it denies rights to certain Quebeckers, both anglophones and francophones. The law, if adopted as is, would allow searches to be conducted of businesses without warrants.

It would also complicate access to higher education. Fortin told the National Assembly that he, himself, chose to study at the University of Ottawa, where he completed his first year of studies in French, while improving his English to the point he could take a full course load in English by his third year.

“That only increased my pride in being Quebecois,” he said, adding that francophones who go to St. Lawrence, Heritage or Marianopolis, do not set foot in an “assimilation machine.”

“They make the choice to go there to improve their English, like a lot of my colleagues have,” he said, calling out CAQ MNA’s who also studied at English post-secondary institutions in order to improve their English. Fortin continued to speak to other concerns about how the new law would impact new immigrants, First Nations and small businesses, but the Liberal MNA was cut short because of time. Final speeches and the ultimate adoption of Bill 96 is expected to happen the week of May 23rd when the National Assembly reconvenes following the Victoria Day long weekend.

Elected officials join students for ‘Next GEN’ Assembly of Leaders

Martin C. Barry
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Elected officials join students for ‘Next GEN’ Assembly of Leaders

SWLSB and EMSB team up to help form the next generation of leaders

Secondary school student leaders from the Laval, North Shore, Laurentian and Montreal regions were joined remotely by local federal and provincial elected officials at John F. Kennedy High School in Montreal on April 28 for the first annual Next GEN Assembly of Leaders.

The students participating in the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board’s Secondary Student Leadership Certificate program were from Laval Junior Academy and Laval Senior Academy in Laval, from Lake of Two Mountains High School in Deux-Montagnes and from Ste. Agathe Academy in the Laurentians.

Building connections

The English Montreal School Board students were all from John F. Kennedy High School in the Montreal borough of Villeray/St-Michel/Parc Extension.

According to Daniel Johnson, a spiritual animator with the SWLSB, who worked with Rocco Speranza, his counterpart at the English Montreal School Board to organize the event, the idea was simple: Connect young people with Canadian and Quebec leaders to discuss issues facing the country and province.

“We wanted the students to work in diverse groups on complex issues,” Johnson said in an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia, adding that the event is believed to have been the first of its kind across Canada.

From the left, Next GEN program facilitator Vicky Kaliotzakis, student participant Angelo Varuzza and student participant Alejandro Gutierrez. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)

Learning from the leaders

He said the students’ objective was to learn from their Senator, Member of Parliament or Member of the National Assembly and offer solutions to issues that their politicians relayed to them. Johnson said the student leaders worked hard as they were confronted with ideas and problems that they had never had the opportunity to explore before.

“It’s ideal for our students to see government leadership in the process, even though the voice of the students is also important,” said Speranza. “For the youths to be able to work with the government leaders who make decisions about things like education or health was a good thing for them to see how the process works and that their voices are valued.”

Heard from MNAs and MPs

From the Senate of Canada, Senator Tony Loffreda spoke to the students remotely about the Senate Inquiry on Immigration.

Vimy MP Annie Koutrakis (who is Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport) spoke on Transportation issues. Alfred-Pellan MP Angelo Iacono spoke about High Frequency Rail service. Saint-Laurent MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos talked about the Notion of Gender Based Violence. And Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel MP Patricia Lattanzio addressed the Gun Violence issue.

Among the members of the Quebec National Assembly, Viau MNA Frantz Benjamin talked about Education. Mille-Îles MNA Francine Charbonneau talked about Bill 9 (a piece of legislation that proposes replacing Quebec’s National Student Ombudsman).

Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette talked about issues involving end-of-life care. Nina Segalowitz, an elder and leader within the Montreal Indigenous community, delivered the keynote address. She also spent time working with the student leaders as they grappled with the topic of gender-based violence.

Interacting with leaders

By the end of the day, the students were ready to deliver their feedback and they formulated ideas and responses directly to the political leaders. “Through interactions like these, we can build more compassionate communities and a better country for all,” Johnson said, estimating the valuable lessons in leadership the students learned during the day.

The students taking part in the Next GEN Assembly of Leaders got a chance to interact and speak virtually with MPs and MNAs from Laval and the greater Montreal region.

He said the conference was unlike any other concept ever applied to develop leadership skills in students. “Because the students are working directly with the politicians on real issues and offering real solutions, this is something that usually isn’t done at this type of conference. This is tactile work where students have a voice and they have a seat at the table.”

‘Young but not powerless’

Several students we spoke to said they were already inclined to take on student leadership challenges, such as participating on student council or taking part in organized sports. But the Next GEN Assembly of Leaders was yet another option to develop their leadership skills, they said. “We are young but we are not powerless,” said Kassylia Bourque of Lake of Two Mountains High School.

Alejandro Gutierrez, a grade eight student at Laval Junior Academy, said he came away impressed by Vimy MP Annie Koutrakis’ message. “She was amazing and had a lot of things to say,” he said, noting that she seemed very knowledgeable of her dossiers.

Laval News Volume 30-15

Laval News Staff
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Laval News Volume 30-15

The current issue of the Laval News, volume 30-15, published on May 18th, 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.
Front page of the Laval News, May 18th, 2022 issue.

Laval’s police, fire responders driven to their limits in recent weeks

Martin C. Barry
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Laval’s police, fire responders driven to their limits in recent weeks

It could be easily be an understatement to say that over the past two weeks or so, officers with the Laval Police Dept. as well as firefighters with the Laval Fire Dept. have been worked off their feet responding to an exceptionally large number of gun-related criminal incidents and fire calls.

What follows here is a summary taking into account a good number of these incidents and calls.

One arrest, two cars seized in crackdown on gun violence

At least one person was arrested and two vehicles were confiscated in Laval on Thursday May 12 when officers from the Laval Police Dept. executed searches related to recent episodes of gun violence. 

Police sent out notices of the actions taken shortly after 11 a.m. The Laval region has been undergoing a particularly violent period lately, with several shootings reported over the past few weeks.

The 25-year-old suspect in this particular case was said to be potentially linked to recent violence in the city, said police.

28-year-old man shot to death in Chomedey

A 28-year-old man was shot and killed early Sunday morning May 8 in the Chomedey sector of Laval. Three other people were also injured in the shooting which took place on Curé Labelle Blvd.

Police were called around 1 a.m. after a car was shot at while five occupants were inside. A 28-year-old man who was in the car succumbed to his injuries after medical technicians tried several times to revive him, said a Laval Police Dept. spokesperson.

Two other people suffered minor injuries, but were not hit by gunshots. The occupants of the car were not known to the police, the police spokesperson said.

Fire destroys house on des Châtelets in Chomedey

The house on des Châtelets St. that went up in flames. (Photo: Courtesy of Association des Pompiers de Laval)

A residence in Chomedey was decimated by a fire on the evening of Thursday May 12.

The scene on des Châtelets St. on the late afternoon of May 12.

Around 4:25 pm, Laval Fire Dept. firefighters were notified of the blaze on des Châtelets St. According to reports, it was neighbours, concerned by the sight of black smoke coming from the residence, who called 9-1-1.

According to an LFD spokesperson, firefighters saw thick smoke upon their arrival, but soon discovered that no one was home. A preliminary estimate of fire damage to the building suggested it was a complete write-off.

The cause remained unknown at deadline. Around forty firefighters were called out to deal with the blaze. They were forced to deal with unseasonably warm heat on the day of the fire.

Man in hospital after drive-by shooting in Laval

Laval police were investigating after a shooting on the afternoon of Tuesday May 10 in a residential neighbourhood of Chomedey.

According to a Laval Police Dept. spokesperson, a 9-1-1 call was received, reporting gunshots on Normandin St. just after 1 p.m.

When officers arrived, they located a 33-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the leg. He was rushed to hospital, but there was no fear of his losing his life.

The police said the perpetrators were in a vehicle when they fired shots towards the victim, after which they fled. Police had no immediate description of the vehicle, and as of last week no arrests were made.

According to the LPD, the victim was known to the police and he was expected to meet with the investigators as soon as his health status would allow it.

Three homes destroyed by fire on Dansereau St.

Three side-by-side residences on Dansereau St. in Chomedey were gutted by fire during the early morning hours of Sunday May 8. In all, six residents were forced out of their homes by the conflagration.

One of the houses on Dansereau St. in Chomedey destroyed by fire. (Photo: Courtesy of Association des Pompiers de Laval)

The blaze started around 2 am in the first house. The heat from that fire was so extreme that it caused flames to spread to a second house and then to a third.

Fire destroys multi-unit residence on Lévesque Blvd.

A residential building on Lévesque Blvd. West near 87th Ave. in Chomedey was destroyed by fire on Saturday May 7, leaving up to 20 people homeless.

Firefighters responded to the blaze around 4:50 am. The flames spread fast, necessitating a second and third alarm and additional firefighters.

There were no injuries, although one resident was attended to briefly by paramedics after complaining of smoke intoxication symptoms.

Gosselin St. blaze destroys two-storey house

On May 2, Laval firefighters battled a blaze where flames shot through the roof, eventually destroying a residential dwelling.

The Laval Fire Dept. was alerted to the two-storey building fire on Gosselin St. in the Chomedey sector around 12:30 p.m.

Although the firefighters were able to quell the blaze, it was not before the building was destroyed.

Streets closed off or temporarily affected by the concentration of firefighting trucks and equipment included Gonthier St., Gendreau St. and Louis-Payette Ave.

LPD to hold Fraud Prevention Day on May 21

Come meet LPD officers and learn how to protect against fraud on Fraud Prevention Day May 21.

The Laval Police Dept. is inviting residents to come out to LPD headquarters at 2911 Chomedey Blvd. to take part in their annual Fraud Prevention Day, where advice will be offered in a wide range of measures to protect yourself and loved ones against fraud.

Experts with the LPD will have information on the types of fraud which have become common these days, including online phishing, fake e-mails, identity theft and fraudulent phone solicitation.

At the same time, it will be an opportunity to bring quantities of personal documents, bills and other papers containing sensitive information to be shred in industrial-size shredding machines the LPD will have on hand for that purpose.

There’s no better way to protect yourself from having information like credit card or social insurance numbers stolen by criminals.

At the same time, officers will be on hand to provide guided tours of key pieces of equipment the LPD sometimes uses in the field, including its Mobile Command Centre.

Temporary lane closings on A-15’s Gédéon Ouimet Bridge during early hours of May 12

Martin C. Barry
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Temporary lane closings on A-15’s Gédéon Ouimet Bridge during early hours of May 12

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.

The roads ministry suggests motorists consult an interactive map provided by Québec 511 in order to plan ahead.

Seven arrested in Laval and Montreal firearms/drug raids

Martin C. Barry
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Seven arrested in Laval and Montreal firearms/drug raids

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.

New ARTM public transit fare structure comes into effect on July 1

Martin C. Barry
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New ARTM public transit fare structure comes into effect on July 1

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 Boyer and Action Laval councillor agree on common goals

Martin C. Barry
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Mayor Boyer and Action Laval councillor agree on common goals
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.

Bus in Laval Qc.

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.

Ottawa’s Covid support programs for businesses end on May 7

Martin C. Barry
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Ottawa’s Covid support programs for businesses end on May 7

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.

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