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Quebec tries to catch up, with an overdue overhaul of its recycling programs

Martin C. Barry
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Quebec tries to catch up, with an overdue overhaul of its recycling programs

Refundable deposits rising to 10 and 25 cents, wine and liquor empties included

Although it’s been two years since Quebec pledged to upgrade the province’s recycling capacity with a new liquid container consignment program and higher refundable deposits on empties, Benoit Charette, the environment minister in the Legault government, announced last week that the program won’t be getting underway until spring 2023 – six months longer than originally planned.

Covid blamed for delay

Initially announced to be starting up by the fall of 2022, Charette, who is also responsible for the CAQ government’s climate change portfolio, blamed most of the delay on labour shortages caused by the Covid pandemic.

“We are very, very aware of the issues and the impacts from the pandemic which have caused a lot of harm to various players, and this is the reason why we are agreeing to an additional six-month delay,” Charette, who is the MNA for Deux-Montagnes and Minister Responsible for the Laval Region, said during a webcast press conference.

10 and 25 cent deposits coming

Under the new rules, the number and variety of glass, plastic and metal liquid containers that will have to be recycled is being extended to include anything as small as 100 millilitres and up to 2 litres. Some other types of liquid container, such as plasticized multi-layer juice box-formats, will become subject to deposit and recycling two years after the program begins.

Quebec Environment and Climate Change Minister Benoit Charette announced major changes last week for the province’s recyclable materials programs.

The deposits, which now range from 5 cents for soft drink cans to 10 cents or higher for larger containers depending on size, are being standardized at 10 cents and 25 cents. When the program starts up, this will include wine and liquor bottles, on which deposits of 10 and 25 cents will be due.

Public consultation in March

According to Charette, a province-wide public consultation will be taking place on the recycling overhaul until this March 11.

While some media are reporting that Quebec has long lagged behind other Canadian provinces in updating its recycling capacities, Charette’s ministry claims the province’s reform will “allow Quebec to become a global leader in this domain.”

All the same, the environment ministry acknowledges that the Quebec overhaul “was inspired by the best practices in Canada and internationally,” with local goals added.

Expanded role for Recyc-Québec

The new system will be largely self-governing and led by a consortium of companies whose products are packaged in recyclable containers. Recyc-Québec, an umbrella group already supervising a large expanse of recycling responsibilities in the province, will be mandated to oversee the new entity.

“Thanks to proposed regulations, we can at last foresee a net improvement in the management of our waste materials with a reduction in the amount sent to landfill,” added Charette. “At the same time, we will be helping to strengthen the recovery and recycling industries in the coming years with local outlets. This is another way to reduce waste of resources, while encouraging the circular economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

More use of recyclables

By not sending up to 50,500 tonnes of waste into landfill, the government expects to prevent the release of around 26,500 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. In 2020, the equivalent of $50 million worth of materials composed of paper, cardboard, plastic, rubber and glass were imported into Quebec from outside. The government believes most of these materials could be replaced by materials coming from recyclables produced by the new recycling system.

According to the environment ministry, a large consigned container returns and deposit refund network will need to be developed, requiring 1,500 points of service in order to reach more than 90 per cent of Quebec’s population beginning in 2023. 

Containers not included

Not included in the overhaul are drink containers of less than 100 millilitres or more than 2 litres, as well as containers for concentrates, ready-mixes, condiments (bouillons, sauces, etc.), medicated syrups, beverages sold in soft packaging (wines), self-serve-type containers (ground coffee pouches), and multi-fill containers (8-litre water tanks, for ex.), which according to the ministry are already subject to their own deposit systems.

‘We can at last foresee a net improvement in the management of our waste materials with a reduction in the amount sent to landfill,’ said Charette

The environment ministry says the amount set for each type of deposit is intended to serve as an incentive to improve recycling, while creating a uniform system whose ultimate goal is to make life easier for consumers and others who play a role in the system.

Waste goals unmet, says BAPE

In addition to increasing the private sector’s role in the province’s recycling efforts, the government says the reform will also help to focus more attention on the role of municipalities as entities which are closest to the population.

Charette unveiled the new program a day after Quebec’s environmental impact consultation agency, the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE), upbraided provincial officials for not meeting waste reduction goals.

According to the BAPE, nine of Quebec’s 38 landfills will reach capacity by 2030, while 13 others will get there between 2030 and 2041 if the dumping of waste continues at the current rate.

You’re never too old to learn or practice something wise or something new?

Renata Isopo
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You’re never too old to learn or practice something wise or something new?

But parents-in-the-classroom are not the solution to the current crisis of substitute-teacher shortages

So it’s come to this: in the event that schools that re-opened two weeks ago will soon face predicted teacher/staff shortages for various reasons, including Covid-related developments, Minister of Education François Roberge intends to deploy willing parents to classrooms to oversee in-person-learning, or as it will turn out, to baby-sit/child-care anyone who shows up for a day-at-school.

Where to begin to unravel this Covid-knotted cotton ball of mismanagement of the basic fact of education – professional presence in Québec classrooms? Let’s start by addressing the challenges this poses for school principals. Their job description includes managing the school’s budget, supervising staff and making big-picture decisions. But soon, some may have to return to their former roles of teacher and coach, filling in for absent teachers in the face of severe shortages of qualified substitute teachers.

Recent published reports acknowledge that many schools have been able to find substitutes for only 80%-85% of absent teachers on any-given-day, leaving existing staff to fill the void. It’s an all-hands-on-deck process. This has always been part of the emergency substitution plan inserted into teachers’ schedule for decades.

For teachers active in the system, the recently emerged need to fill-in for others is nothing new given that they did, on some days, in fact on many days, teach all day without planning periods, requiring them to do the planning at late-afternoon and evenings. What is new, however, is the impact on many staff members who are reaching the end of their rope, as debilitating fatigue is on the increase in all sectors of society.

It’s the latest example of how the pandemic has exacerbated the already exhausting challenges of running schools. When teachers are absent due to illness, COVID-19 exposure or other reasons, principals face the daunting task of finding qualified replacements to take their place, according to the Ministry of Education.

Numerous principals and school-board-officials maintain they were having trouble finding enough qualified substitutes to cover teacher absences long before Covis-19 struck, admitting that finding qualified substitute teachers is now even more of a challenge than any other school position, including bus-drivers, technicians, paraprofessionals, full-time-teachers, and custodians.

Clearly, the pandemic has provoked an escalation of staff-stress, impacting mental health at every level, according to teacher unions. Like all educators, the job of a substitute teacher has become more fraught during the past two years. They are called upon to teach in schools where children are likely still unvaccinated and might not be required to wear masks. In some cases, they’re filling in for teachers who are quarantining at home after being exposed to COVID-19. And many substitute teachers are in an age group more vulnerable to the disease. A substantial number of substitute teachers are retired educators, and in many cases, they simply are not willing to risk the COVID challenges to return to classroom/school work.

But the shortage of substitute teachers also preceded the pandemic in many places, as they face unpredictable schedules and the challenge of supervising students who might misbehave in the absence of regular teachers. Substitutes have no protection, no security; they pay union dues but are minimally-protected since they’re usually not-on-contract.

Several school boards have responded by changing requirements to become a substitute. Some schools have created emergency substitute-teacher lists, loosening requirements in response to severe-staffing-shortages. Yes, “loosening” as we have heard from Quebec’s Education Minister, Jean-François Roberge. Is he suggesting that parents, caretakers, anything with two legs and breathing, warm bodies are permitted to be substitute teachers, without credentials, not even minimum university requirements? Is he saying that all you need are baby-sitters in the classroom? A band-aid to the crisis of lack of qualified substitute-teachers? This has been an on-going problem for years, its solution escaping both the Ministry of Education and school boards. Covid-19 is a very poor excuse to play the blame game.

Without additional substitute-teachers, irreparable harm is inflicted on school children. These loosened rules, stop-gap-measures used to address critical shortages, are signs of desperation, indications of negligence in putting in place effective tools to fill needs that have had a long history of plaguing our public schools.

But merely lowering teaching qualifications is worrisome. Education experts and concerned parents, clamour for systemic changes that would make the profession more desirable and competitive long-term, especially for substitutes with university degrees, needing certification. They should be helped to obtain teaching certificates through special short-term university programs. Are those at the helm sleeping-at-the-switch? They will eventually also lose these individuals to other sectors in the workforce, if they don’t act swiftly. Where are the 8,000 qualified teachers reported to be needed by 2026 going to come from, if the Québec government doesn’t wake up from its Covid-19 deep sleep?

Yes, Minister Roberge’s suggestion that lowering standards for substitutes to the point where you’re not getting people skilled or knowledgeable in the content area, is questionable, and problematic, but he neglected to even remotely address the issue of the critical current void, in sane and pragmatic ways.

Schools, school boards, and the Minister of Education — because much of this is their responsibility — need to rebuild the teaching profession in ways that offer interested individuals the tools to facilitate certification based on their education and years of dedication and service to the community.

No, M. Roberge, as Education Minister, you must be accountable and held responsible for our children’s education. Warm bodies in classrooms simply will not do.

Renata Isopo

renata@newsfirst.ca

Laval Senior Academy students ditch the masks for COVID-19 protest

Martin C. Barry
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Laval Senior Academy students ditch the masks for COVID-19 protest

More N95 masks and rapid testing to be available, says board chair Paolo Galati

In spite of directives from the provincial government and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board calling on students to wear face masks in order to minimize COVID-19 transmission, as many as 200 students at Laval Senior Academy staged a protest against the rule one afternoon last week by going maskless.

According to an estimate by the SWLSB, at least 50 students at the high school on Souvenir Blvd. in Chomedey took part in the protest on Jan. 27, part of which was captured on video and uploaded to the web.

The students staged protests inside the school in the morning, and then outside during lunch hour. A video posted to Facebook showed noisy teenagers shouting in a Laval Senior Academy hallway while waving handmade protest placards.

Face masks everywhere

The teens weren’t happy about the Covid face mask restrictions which were back in place following the post-Christmas resumption of classes, requiring them to wear face coverings everywhere in the school except while eating in the cafeteria, a Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board spokesperson said.

A still from the video posted online by students at Laval Senior Academy who staged a no-mask protest last week.

In a letter sent out to parents on the day of the incident, Laval Senior Academy’s principal maintained the demonstration was mostly peaceful, but that a few students’ families were contacted and disciplinary measures were necessary.

Principal Nathalie Rollin said the parents of some students were contacted as some disciplinary enforcement was needed for a minority of students who were deemed to have acted inappropriately.

Police called at one point

She said several students left class during the second period to express their concerns about the sanitary measures in place at the school. The students gathered outside on the sidewalk on Souvenir Blvd., while carrying placards.

But at one point, she added, school administrators decided to call police, although the protest was under control, and most students went back to class and continued with their day. By the end of recess, most students had returned inside the school, added Rollin.

However, while most students returned to class, others continued walking in hallways, prolonging the disruption. Rollin said some students were then escorted outside by administrators, who listened along with police to their concerns and the reasons behind their protest.

Students rejected masks

Although the SWLSB estimated the number of participants at about 50, others claimed there were at least 200 students involved at one point.

In her letter to parents, Rollin said the students complained that “they find it challenging to wear the mask at all times and find it difficult to only have the cafeteria as an option to eat their lunch. The cold weather and the fact that restaurants are closed add to their frustration.”

While maintaining they had to uphold public health rules for the safety of all, Laval Senior Academy officials offered to seek solutions to the lunch-hour cafeteria issues so that students might have more freedom on where they can eat within the school.

Challenge ahead, Galati says

In a recent televised interview prior to the resumption of in-person classes and before last week’s student protest, Paolo Galati, chairman of the SWLSB council of commissioners, emphasized that what the board is looking for is a safe in-person return to school.

While the SWLSB estimated the number of student protesters at around 50, others claimed there were at least 200 students involved

“And our highest priority, as always, is to ensure the health and safety of all our students and staff,” he said. “We know it’ll be a challenge. But we know we will get through the next couple of weeks together.”

Quebec’s new national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, has initially dismissed the wearing of N95 masks in most classroom settings. However, Galati noted that Education Minister Jean-François Roberge said that teachers and support staff working with special needs students will have access to N95 masks.

N95 masks for all staff

“Although we are happy about this, we still feel that all staff – and I repeat all staff – who wish to have N95 masks should be entitled to have them. We want to protect our teachers and staff to the best of our ability, who as we all know will be exposed to the Omicron virus while in their classrooms or within the hallways and throughout their school environment. So, our wish at Sir Wilfrid Laurier is to provide N95 masks to any staff member that requests one.”

Responding to a suggestion that at some point volunteer parents might step in to provide in-school help if too many teachers come down with Covid, Galati said: “To have parents come in, I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”

Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board chairman Paolo Galati.

Guest mask guidelines

As it is, guidelines regarding the wearing of masks in schools (updated by the provincial government on Jan. 25) allow for visitors, who are defined as “any individual carrying out work at the school (e.g., guest speaker, science facilitator).”

Regarding COVID-19 rapid testing, Galati said that just as rapid tests were distributed to all elementary school students in December, the SWLSB was undertaking a second distribution to elementary students as the test kits are received, after which a third distribution would take place in February.

Galati said students who develop symptoms at school will be sent home whether they test negative or positive. “Omicron being very contagious, we’re not taking any chances due to the higher false negative results of rapid tests,” he said. “So, we will immediately isolate students who have any symptoms, as well as their siblings.”

Laval News Volume 30-04

Laval News Staff
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Laval News Volume 30-04

The current issue of the Laval News volume 30-04 published February 2nd, 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, February 2nd, 2022 issue.

More snow expected Thursday into Friday morning

Martin C. Barry
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More snow expected Thursday into Friday morning

The federal meteorological service issued a special weather statement Tuesday afternoon advising that Laval and other areas of greater Montreal can expect a snowfall of up to 15 centimetres beginning Thursday and continuing through Friday morning.

According to the weather service, a low pressure system from Texas will merge with a cold front moving across the province on Thursday. These two systems will affect mostly the regions south of the St Lawrence.

Rush hour traffic on Thursday evening may be difficult due to rapid snow accumulation on roads. Beginning Thursday afternoon, moderate northeasterly winds will result in blowing snow, leading to poor visibilities locally.

The weather service says there is still some uncertainty regarding the track of the weather system, which could impact the snowfall amounts expected.

The forecast for Laval and Montreal is more optimistic than the one for the north-eastern U.S. states, where weather officials are on the watch for a full winter storm.

Laval man arrested by Smiths Falls Police for alleged identity theft

Martin C. Barry
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Laval man arrested by Smiths Falls Police for alleged identity theft

A 58-year-old male resident of Laval was arrested on Tuesday Jan. 25 by police in Smiths Falls, Ont. after trying to buy a vehicle worth more than $100,000 at a car dealership while using identity documents which were not his own.

The Smiths Falls Police Service charged Ghislain Galipeau with fraud and identity theft.

They were alerted by staff at the car dealership after Galipeau had completed on online financing application on Monday Jan. 24, which he had filled in with information from the allegedly fraudulent I.D. documents.

Upon returning the following day, he was arrested by the police.

The charges against him include:

  • Being in possession of two fraudulent identity documents;
  • Identity fraud;
  • Identity theft;
  • Fraud over $5,000;
  • And obstructing a peace officer.

Restaurant dining rooms re-open Monday after latest Covid lockdown

Martin C. Barry
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Restaurant dining rooms re-open Monday after latest Covid lockdown

Although bars, public gyms and casinos remain closed for the time being, the province’s restaurants will be open for business again on Monday following the end of the latest lockdown for COVID-19.

The lifting of the pandemic restrictions means that restaurant dining rooms will be open for business beginning Monday, although at 50 per cent seating capacity for the time being.

However, there are still come conditions.

Customers will have to show vaccine passports, and per-table seating will be limited to four persons from a maximum of two different families.

The reopening is part of a gradual lifting of Covid sanitary restrictions announced by Premier François Legault last week.

Also beginning Monday, private indoor gatherings are being allowed, but with certain restrictions.

Sports and leisure activities for children and teens under 18, including extracurricular activities in schools, are also resuming, except for competitions and tournaments.

However, spectators are not allowed and groups are limited to 25 people.

Motorist in Sainte-Rose crash with snow removal vehicle dies of injuries

Martin C. Barry
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Motorist in Sainte-Rose crash with snow removal vehicle dies of injuries

The driver of a vehicle making its way along des Oiseaux Blvd. near the corner of rang de l’Équerre in Sainte-Rose has died of injuries suffered in a head-on crash with a snow removal vehicle around 1 pm on Friday.

According to reports, the driver of the smaller vehicle was ejected and thrown some distance by the force of the collision, after which he was taken to hospital in a then-unknown condition.

The Montreal daily Journal de Montréal reported on Saturday afternoon that the driver, a 52-year-old man, had died. The driver of the snow removal vehicle, a blue collar employee, was not injured.

Woman, 80, dies in Sainte-Dorothée house fire

Martin C. Barry
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Woman, 80, dies in Sainte-Dorothée house fire

An 80-year-old woman from Mimosa St. in Sainte-Dorothée is dead and her home has up to $40,000 in damages following a fire last Monday night.

Laval Fire Department firefighters found the woman alone and unconscious after entering the dwelling which was ablaze.

Although she was immediately transported to hospital, she was later declared dead by medical personnel.

The home on Mimosa St. in Sainte-Dorothée where an 80-year-old woman was found following a fire last Monday night. (Photo: Courtesy of TVA Nouvelles)

A lit but unattended cigarette is suspected to have been the source of the fire, said fire department officials, while noting that a smoke detector was installed in the home but wasn’t working.

Gun seized, two young men arrested in Laval

Martin C. Barry
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0
Gun seized, two young men arrested in Laval

Officers from the Laval Police Department arrested two young males on weapons charges last week after they allegedly tried to flee from the police.

The LPD said that officers stopped a vehicle Thursday Jan. 20 around 5 p.m., following which the driver gave a fake name and tried to flee. The officers proceeded to arrest the two suspects, 21 and 22 years old respectively, while seizing a 9 mm. firearm.

Police placed the 21-year-old under arrest for possessing a firearm, breaching conditions, and obstruction of justice. At the same time, the 22-year-old was arrested for obstruction of justice and possessing a firearm illegally.

Laval Police Department related news

Both were in custody, pending court appearances last Friday. The arrests were part of the province-wide Operation Centaure, an anti-gun trafficking and anti-violence program that the LPD is taking part in.

While announcing the arrests, the LPD noted that the City of Laval increased its budget to allow for the hiring of more staff on the Equinox Squadron as well, as in the force’s criminal investigation division, thus increasing police presence throughout Laval’s territory.

Anyone who believes they may have information about the arrested suspects is invited by the LPD to call their confidential Info-Line at 450 662-INFO (4636) or 911. The file number is LVL 220120-074.

Laval man arrested as York Regional Police recover 50 stolen vehicles

Investigators with the York Regional Police just north of Toronto say Ali El-hage, age 20, of the City of Laval was among the suspects arrested following the recovery of 50 stolen vehicles valued at around $3 million in an ongoing YRP probe called Project Extinction.

According to the YRP, in the past several years they received an increase in reports concerning thefts of vehicles from residential driveways. The majority of these occurred between midnight and 6 a.m.

Car thieves were using tools such as screwdrivers to gain access through the driver or passenger doors, while making certain not to set off alarms.

Once inside, an electronic device, typically used by mechanics to reprogram the factory setting, would be connected to a port below the dashboard in order to program the vehicle to accept a key the thieves brought with them. The vehicle was then driven away.

The entire process only takes between 10 to 20 minutes, according to the YRP, and the stolen vehicles are typically sent overseas in shipping containers.

In the YRP Auto/Cargo Theft Unit’s investigation, eight suspects were identified and seven were charged following search warrants executed at two residences and a commercial property. At the same time, police seized $80,000 in cash.

Police intervene when Laval man barricades against bailiffs

A major police standoff got underway in Laval on the afternoon of Tuesday Jan. 18 after a man reacted badly to being served some legal papers by bailiffs.

Two bailiffs arrived outside an apartment on Laurentides St., near Sand St. in Laval’s Auteuil sector of just before 1 p.m. Although police weren’t informed as to what kind of legal notice the bailiffs were serving the man, he reacted in a way that alarmed the bailiffs enough to call the police.

Although he didn’t make any threats, an LPD spokesperson said the bailiffs decided to walk a distance from the address to call for assistance to get their job done. When police finally arrived, according to police, the man barricaded himself in his dwelling and remained there past 6 p.m., alone apparently the whole time.

While no one was injured during the incident, no threats were made, and there was no clear evidence of the use or potential use of a weapon, as per the procedure used by police in such situations, they continued attempts to establish contact with him to ensure the situation was under control.

To that effect, there was a major response team set up on the street, with firefighters, mental health responders and others ready to intervene if necessary.

Man, 40, arrested after going behind walls at Cité de la Santé

A middle-age man was placed under arrest by the LPD last week at Laval’s Cité de la Santé general hospital after it was discovered he had entered a crawl space next to the emergency department while trying to get away.

After initially being spotted and seen as suspicious by hospital personnel, he is said to have fled to some washrooms, where he climbed up through the false ceiling and entered the crawl space area.

According to LPD spokesperson Chantal Moreau, it took around an hour for the police to locate him within the walls of the hospital.

He was placed under arrest and a file with information on the incident has been sent to the provincial Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) to follow up with formal charges. Cité de la Santé security personnel are said to be working on a strategy in the meantime to assure there are no such further incidents.

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