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Laval Citoyens mayoral hopeful Michel Poissant promises a nature trail if elected

Martin C. Barry
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Laval Citoyens mayoral hopeful Michel Poissant promises a nature trail if elected

Eight-kilometre pathway would travel through several of Laval’s wetlands

Despite a current lack of support from the city for his project, Laval Citoyens leader and mayoralty candidate Michel Poissant is pledging to build an eight-kilometre nature trail through some key wetlands in Laval if he becomes mayor in the November municipal elections.

Poissant, the city councillor for Laval’s Vimont district, made the announcement last week during a press conference held outside the Quintessence high-rise condo building complex on St-Elzéar Blvd. on the northern edge of Chomedey.

An electoral priority

A large group of residents came out to express support with placards calling on the city to protect Laval’s wetlands from development. The proposed trail was mapped out and designed by Georges Pelletier.

Placard-holding Quintessence complex residents expressed their support for the nature trail project.

The condo buildings on St-Elzéar are located next to a wetland. Poissant is pledging to make the nature trail – to be known as the Parc linéaire Ruisseau Papineau-Lavoie et rue des Charmes – a priority should he be elected on Nov. 7.

‘Citizen project,’ says Poissant

While addressing the crowd, Poissant maintained that the trail should be relatively easy to complete since the land it would travel across is owned largely by Hydro-Québec and the City of Laval. “It’s a project that is very interesting from the standpoints of being economical and citizen-driven,” he said.

‘It’s a project that is very interesting from the standpoints of being economical and citizen-driven,’ says Poissant

“Thanks to the creativity and perseverance of a resident of the area, Mr. Georges Pelletier, we are pleased to present one of the many projects of our program, namely an eight-kilometre nature trail that will be carried out during our first term,” he added.

Bike and walking path

“The vast majority of the land used is already owned by the city and/or Hydro-Québec and therefore acquisition costs will be minimal. As soon as we take office, we will begin negotiations.”

For the areas under power lines where there is more space, Poissant said they will develop a path for pedestrians and cyclists. “We can then move or rearrange certain bike paths nearby,” he continued. “This trail will be the biggest in Laval and can be compared to those of several cities of the north shore.”

Making Laval greener

He noted that the route of the proposed path would contribute to the Laval region’s growing green heritage. “The pandemic made us realize the importance of having access to nature as a prized resource,” he said.

While explaining the route of the path, Georges Pelletier acknowledged that there could be some obstacles to overcome.

He said there are some private tracts of land where it would have to pass across. In all, the path would cover 90 hectares of land.

He said they would try to buy the private tracts, while paying as little as possible.

Sonia Baudelot unsure whether she’ll run for mayor under her own banner

Martin C. Barry
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Sonia Baudelot unsure whether she’ll run for mayor under her own banner

Says she split from Action Laval after a merger with her party broke down

While insisting that she is still surrounded by volunteers and candidates after leaving Action Laval, former AL mayoralty hopeful Sonia Baudelot told the Laval News earlier this week that she hasn’t made up her mind yet whether she’ll be running for mayor under the banner of her own party.

The underlying cause

Baudelot, who had been tagged by Action Laval last November to run as their mayoral candidate, issued a statement last week questioning the veracity of the Laval city council opposition party’s assertion that she had dropped out after citing a lack of available time because of family obligations.

Baudelot, who has also been a candidate in Laval for the federal Conservatives and who ran her own Avenir Laval municipal party in the 2017 election, suggested instead that a failure to achieve harmony between her faction and long-standing members of Action Laval was the underlying cause.

Unsure whether running

“I don’t know if I’m running again – I really don’t know,” Baudelot said last Monday in a phone interview with TLN. “The decision is not taken at a hundred percent,” she said. “I have doors that are open with people and I’ve been talking with people. But I just don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Although Baudelot has so far not succeeded in winning an elected office, there is good reason to consider her politically “bankable.” In the 2017 election, when she ran for mayor, she managed to garner 17,155 votes for 15.6 per cent support overall.

A respectable following

In addition, over the years she has managed to develop a respectable network of backroom support from well-established Laval-area politicians such as Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette, who endorsed Baudelot publicly during one of her past campaigns.

Baudelot said this week that she sensed the volunteers she brought to Action Laval were losing their spirit as they moved more closely into the ranks of Action Laval.

She claimed to have brought at least 40 volunteers to Action Laval, and “they all left with me, candidates have left.” Baudelot didn’t specify exactly how many candidates she took away, but said that she had contributed as many candidates to Action Laval as had the party.

How to run a campaign

In a separate interview, Action Laval president Archie Cifelli insisted the reason why Baudelot and the party parted ways was because of a fundamental disagreement over how an election campaign should be run.

Baudelot claims she brought at least 40 volunteers to Action Laval and “they all left with me, candidates have left”

“The only way to win a municipal election is to be on the ground, talking to people and going door-to-door,” he said, while claiming that Baudelot considered that to be old-fashioned and that modern electioneering should rely much more on the use of social media to stir up support and get the word around.

Told of Cifelli’s reaction, Baudelot took exception to his remarks.

“Politics in 2021 is a team effort,” she said. “It’s teams that work together. Not two sides apart. When I joined, it was a fusion of two parties basically: my team and theirs. That’s what it was supposed to be. But it wasn’t that.”

Opposition parties unanimously denounce city workers’ salary increases

Martin C. Barry
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Opposition parties unanimously denounce city workers’ salary increases

Deputy Mayor Boyer defends 1.2 per cent hike as necessary to retain employees

Laval city council’s opposition members, who are often divided along party lines, were unanimous during last week’s July city council meeting in condemning the Mouvement lavallois administration for a measure that will raise city employees’ salaries by 1.2 per cent, so they won’t be tempted away by the prospect of better-paying jobs.

‘Unacceptable,’ said Revelakis

Leading off the criticism was Action Laval city councillor for Chomedey Aglaia Revelakis. “I believe it is important that the employees of the City of Laval get paid equitably,” she said, while noting though that she didn’t understand why the proposed salary increase is higher than the indexed inflation rate.

As well, she wondered why the salaries are being raised only a few months before voters in Laval go to the polls for city-wide elections, and why the increase is being made retroactive to 2019.

While pointing out that many Laval residents have lost their jobs since the beginning of the pandemic early last year, that businesses have closed and employers are finding it difficult to find workers, she said, “Yet in Laval we are raising raising salaries, which is unacceptable.”

‘Lacking respect,’ says De Cotis

Action Laval city councillor for Saint-Bruno David De Cotis said he fully agreed with Revelakis as well as AL councillors Paolo Galati and Isabella Tassoni. “I have nothing against the employees of the City of Laval who are doing excellent work,” he said. “It’s a question of principle and respect towards the citizens of Laval.

“The last two years have been difficult for our citizens,” he noted. “Granting salary increases that are retroactive, without a strong mandate to do it, shows a flagrant lack of respect for the electoral process that is almost upon us.

“My colleagues Mrs. Revelakis, Mr. Galati, Mrs. Tassoni, Mr. Poissant and Mr. Trottier are all correct: We should let the people decide,” said De Cotis. “In any case, madam president, the increases are retroactive. So, we should let a new administration decide how to deal with these increases.”

‘Perks’ concern Trottier

Parti Laval city councillor for Fabreville Claude Larochelle said he and party leader Michel Trottier had no problem with a mandated salary adjustment, but were more concerned with perks also included in the deal. These included five additional vacation days, and the reduction (from eight years to one year) in the amount of time an employee must be on staff to be eligible for five weeks vacation annually.

“After such a challenging year for society as a whole, this is a little indecent,” Larochelle said, while maintaining that according to recent ranking of municipalities across Quebec, the City of Laval was already in second place for the scale of salaries paid overall to its work force.

A need to retain workers

Mouvement lavallois city councillor for Sainte-Dorothée Ray Khalil, who is responsible for public works dossiers on the executive-committee, justified the proposed perks and salary increases on the basis that the city needs to take the means to hold onto good employees.

‘Granting salary increases that are retroactive, without a strong mandate to do it, shows a flagrant lack of respect for the electoral process that is almost upon us,’ said Action city councillor David De Cotis

“The experience in all public administrations and companies is that you have to offer benefits in order to attract workers,” he said. “While, yes, there are some people who’ve recently been through difficulties, in certain sectors the difficulty has not been finding a job, but rather to not lose employees. And often within our own operations, that is the problem we are facing and the problem for which we must take action.”

Deputy Mayor Stéphane Boyer denied the administration was moving forward with the salary increases for electoral reasons, insisting instead that they were showing courage and transparency. “I think that what we are doing today is in complete transparency,” he said.

Boyer justifies increase

“We have adopted new collective agreements for the whole of our work force, as well as for our managers and other senior directors. They have working conditions and they have a right to see that we revise them. They haven’t been revised in a while and we are bringing them up to date.”

According to Boyer, prior to 2014 the average City of Laval employee salary increase was 3.1 per cent.

The latest hike, he added, amounts to 1.2 per cent. As well, he maintained that a HEC Montréal study ranked the cities of Terrebonne, Montreal, Gatineau, Québec, Blainville and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu as having senior managers who earn higher salaries than those paid by the City of Laval.

Mayor pledges assistance to Bel-Habitat Homes bankruptcy victims

Martin C. Barry
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0
Mayor pledges assistance to Bel-Habitat Homes bankruptcy victims

‘This is a drama without precedent,’ Demers said during the July 6 city council

Speaking during the July 6 Laval city council meeting, Mayor Marc Demers pledged on behalf of the city to provide assistance to the dozens of families and individuals who entrusted large sums of money to Bel-Habitat Homes, a company whose owner has declared bankruptcy while vanishing with an estimated $17 million in deposits.

‘Unprecedented,’ said Demers

“This is a drama without precedent,” said Demers, after listening to questions and comments sent in by e-mail by an extensive list of families and individuals from Laval who have been directly impacted by the unfolding financial scandal.

“I am speaking on behalf of all the members of city council to say that we are moved by these events. Yes, we will be taking action to come to the assistance of the people caught up in this litigious issue, this scam, if I may allow myself to use that word.”

LPD is investigating

According to Demers, the Laval Police Department has opened a file and is currently investigating allegations that the law was broken and charges may be pending.

“I can promise you that no effort will be spared in this dossier and we will be asking the police to show diligence. I have already asked them to regularly furnish follow-up reports on the progress of the investigation, up to what is allowed in terms of information they can release.”

Get in touch with GCR

In addition, Demers said the Laval Police have entered into an agreement with Guarantie de construction résidentielle (GCR), a non-profit organization whose stated mission is to protect the interests of buyers or beneficiaries of guarantee plans for new residential buildings.

‘I can promise you that no effort will be spared in this dossier and we will be asking the police to show diligence’

The mayor said all individuals and families impacted by the bankruptcy of Bel-Habitat should get in touch with GCR in order to open a file, as well as to facilitate the investigation being conducted by the Laval Police. “GCR also offers psychological help, for people who might need it, on their site,” added Demers.

City exploring other means

Given the magnitude and extraordinary circumstances of the situation, Demers said he had asked administration officials at city hall to look into what resources are available and within the means of municipalities in order to provide assistance to those impacted by the Bel-Habitat bankruptcy.

“And we would also like to receive clarification from our legal team,” he continued. “They are lawyers who have a specialty in legal law, who may be able to help and provide some useful information.”

He said he felt certain that city council is unanimous in the view that the city should be involved to provide the Bel-Habitat victims with help.

Laval News Volume 29-22

Costa Hovris
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0
Laval News Volume 29-22

The current issue of the Laval News volume 29-22 published July 14th, 2021.
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.
https://lavalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TLN-29-22-WEB.pdfFront page of the Laval News, July 14th, 2021 issue.

The Centre Alain-Grandbois is a library once again

Laval News Contributor
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The Centre Alain-Grandbois is a library once again

Laval’s Multicultural Library gets a new location

A municipal building on Samson Blvd. that the City of Laval had designated nearly forty years ago as the Alain Grandbois branch of the library system will be returned to its original purpose when the Multicultural Library moves in.

Located at 4300 Samson Blvd. in Chomedey, the Centre Alain-Grandbois (as it is now known) was built by the city in 1983 as the Bibliothèque Alain-Grandbois.

Good move, says Dib

It ceased being a library building in 1996, five years after the opening of the Multicultural Library. The Centre Alain-Grandbois currently houses the Société d’histoire et de généalogie de l’île Jésus et le Centre d’archives de Laval.

“This is excellent news for the residents of the district of Chomedey, where the Alain Grandbois Library will be at the centre of life and more accessible from now on,” said Laval city councillor Aline Dib, who is responsible for cultural dossiers.

“Each year, the Multicultural Library welcomes more than 250,000 visitors,” she added. “By moving its activities to Samson Blvd., we are greatly improving access for residents of the sector.”

A seamless move

According to the city, the Alain Grandbois building is large (1,145 sq. metres) and will help facilitate a seamless transition and transfer of essential services from building to building.

A building enlargement is planned, to bring the surface area up to 2,600 sq. metres, thus offering a place better adapted to the needs of families, including play and gathering spaces, reading and work areas, presentation rooms and digital areas.

The city says that measures are being taken to find new quarters for the Société d’histoire et de généalogie de l’île Jésus and the Centre d’archives de Laval that are better suited to their needs.

Six new branches

According to the city, the reopening of the Alain Grandbois Library was foreseen on a smaller scale in a master plan for the city’s public library system.

The building enlargement work is expected to provide the same amount of area to the public as the former Multicultural Library building on Chomedey Blvd. did.

When fully implemented, the master plan for the library system will build six new library branches in neighbourhoods in Laval, for an eventual total of 16 library branches, including a new branch in northern Chomedey which the city says has been set as a priority.

Cell phone boutiques robbed of high-end smartphones

Martin C. Barry
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Cell phone boutiques robbed of high-end smartphones

A Telus cell phone boutique on des Laurentides Blvd. corner Saulnier St. in eastern Laval is one of several communications services stores in the greater Montreal region which have been hit in recent months by armed robbers who’ve made off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of iPhones and other brands of smartphones.

The wave of brazen thefts by perpetrators armed with handguns has left cell phone boutique owners and staff very nervous – to the point where many cell phone stores stay locked until clients show some I.D. to be allowed in.

According to the Montreal daily news site La Presse, the Telus store on des Laurentides Blvd. has been robbed at least twice – in December and April.

This Telus cell phone boutique on des Laurentides Blvd. in Laval is among the communications retail outlets in greater Montreal robbed of smartphones in recent months.

The perpetrators, who arrived masked and dressed in black, pointed their weapons at employees and demanded access to a safe where smartphones (some, like the iPhone 12, worth up to $1,200 each) were stored.

Developer disappears with $17 million in house-building scam

Dozens of families who made large cash deposits in the hopes of buying new homes in Laval are finding themselves in desperate circumstances following the disappearance of the developer along with $17 million of their deposits.

According to the Montreal daily Journal de Montréal, Luc Perrier, owner of Bel-Habitat homes, solicited the money from up to 106 families, luring them with promises of discounts that increased with the more money they left as deposits.

Families also made deposits for homes in Saint-Eustache and Blainville. In some cases reported by JDM, some individuals and families have lost their life savings.

Summer’s arrived when the LPD’s bike patrollers are on duty

You know summer must really be here when the Laval Police Department deploys bike patrol officers all over the city in public places, parks and bicycle paths. They’ll be on duty all summer long until Sept. 25.

The bike team, which includes a dozen officers, has a mandate to enforce municipal by-laws and the road safety code, while ensuring peace and quiet in neighbourhoods.

The LPD says the bike patrol will also be paying attention in the coming months to seeing that motor vehicle drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians share the public roads and pathways fairly and equitably.

New this year, two members of the LPD bicycle patrol will be trying out some new electric bicycles as part of a feasibility test to see if it’s worth adding more of them to the police department’s bike fleet.

Marine patrol unit

In addition to the bike patrol, the LPD operates another auxiliary unit: the marine patrol. It will be out all summer long on the waters surrounding Laval – the Rivière des Prairies and the Rivière des Mille Îles.

They’ll be watching to see that boaters and other watercraft operators are being safe while having fun. In addition to answering calls for emergency assistance, the marine patrollers will be conducting prevention and surveillance operations.

Some of the hazards to be found on the rivers surrounding Laval are narrow channels, low water levels that expose hazards just beneath the water surface, and deceptively cold water temperatures that can bring on hypothermia quickly should boaters suddenly find themselves unexpectedly overboard.

The marine patrol recommends the following precautions:

  • Never consume alcohol before or while boating;
  • Always have on board mandatory life-preservers;
  • Follow all the marine navigation regulations;

Show respect for those living on the river’s edge by lowering your speed near the shore and lowering the volume of music aboard your watercraft.

Action Laval chooses Sophie Trottier as mayoralty candidate and new leader

Martin C. Barry
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0
Action Laval chooses Sophie Trottier as mayoralty candidate and new leader

‘I like working proactively and not reactively,’ says career Quebec civil-servant and OQLF employee

Following word that Sonia Baudelot is no longer leading Action Laval towards the Nov. 7 municipal election, the party has announced that Sophie Trottier, a long-time Quebec civil servant and current employee of the Office québécois de la langue française, is the party’s new leader and mayoralty candidate.

A resident of Laval’s Saint-Vincent-de-Paul district, Trottier has worked in various capacities for the provincial government’s Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity as well as Services Québec for almost 25 years.

At OQLF since last year

Fluent in French and English, she’s been employed with the OQLF since last November as a liaison and facilitator helping small businesses conform with the province’s regulations that sometimes require the application of French verbally or in writing.

With her background in social work and communications, Action Laval is hoping Sophie Trottier can fill the gap left by the departure of Sonia Baudelot. Among other things, Trottier is expected to provide viable solutions to help improve the City of Laval’s finances and overall management.

Pro-active approach

“I like working proactively and not reactively,” Trottier said in a statement issued by her party. “As in any administration, there are always problems. It’s not just a question of fixing them, they must be prevented.

“I would like to see Laval become a model city internationally that other municipalities around the world will be watching and from which they will want to draw inspiration. I have been working with businesses in Laval for several years now and I know their potential. I’d like the people of Laval to be proud of their city.”

According to Action Laval, Trottier is already out campaigning. Her familiarity with social issues is said to put her on a good footing to deal with problems in Laval involving businesses and employment. The party says that under Trottier’s leadership, the City of Laval’s services would be overhauled to focus more closely on their targeted delivery in the districts.

Trottier at the Hellenic Summer Festival last weekend.

A ‘red flag’ issue

For English-speaking voters in Laval, Trottier’s employment with the OQLF stands out perhaps more than anything else as a red flag. In an interview with the Laval News, she was asked what she would do to win the support of Laval’s English-speaking voters.

Trottier said she draws a line between what she does for a living and the elected office she hopes to win in November. “Supposing I was a nurse,” she said. “The day that I become mayor I am no longer a nurse. And, you know, when you work for a government, we have rules to respect and we do what needs to be done.

“But I’m not worried at all,” she continued. “Because I’ve had many anglophones as my clients and they’ve always been happy to get my services. But all this has nothing to do with my becoming the mayor. It’s two different things.

Likes helping people

“When I’m on the ground talking to people, I’m the mayoral candidate,” she added. “And what I’m always telling people who want to know about my background is that I was always helping people who were looking for work, who were receiving welfare or unemployment benefits and I was there helping them.”

For English-speaking voters in Laval, Trottier’s employment with the OQLF stands out perhaps more than anything else as a red flag

While Action Laval’s previous mayoral candidate had a substantial track record of involvement in politics in Laval, as a federal Conservative candidate at one point and as the leader and mayoralty candidate of her own Avenir Laval municipal party, Sonia Baudelot was a relative newcomer to Action Laval and was not a long-time member.

A long-time AL supporter

Sophie Trottier, on the other hand, maintains she’s been a grassroots supporter and frequent volunteer at Action Laval-sponsored events for years – even though she wasn’t necessarily a card-carrying member during that period.

“I always voted for Action Laval. Its values for me are very important,” she said, insisting she never voted for Mayor Marc Demers’s Mouvement lavallois, although she admitted that she was initially hopeful he would bring change to Laval after the outgoing mayor was first elected in 2013.

Hundreds attend a scaled-down Laval Hellenic Summer Festival

Martin C. Barry
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0
Hundreds attend a scaled-down Laval Hellenic Summer Festival

Partyers hold a muted post-Covid celebration of Greek roots and heritage

While the crowd count was a lot lower than usual and there was no Canada Day cake, hundreds of people with Greek cultural roots did at least get out for three days last weekend to attend the annual Hellenic Summer Festival at Holy Cross Church in Chomedey, after a one-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And although there were no Greek folk dancers or singers flown in from Greece this year because of some ongoing sanitary restrictions, there was still lots of charcoal-broiled souvlaki and Hellenic music piped in from Greece on a live web connection.

Covid rules followed

As well, many of Laval’s elected officials, election candidates and other dignitaries turned up for a special event on Saturday evening – bearing in mind perhaps that 2021 is an election year for municipal politicians.

From the left, Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal president Andy Crilis, Nick Katalifos and Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette are seen here with the National Assembly Medal presented by Ouellette to Katalifos at the Laval Hellenic Summer Festival. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)

“This year we said let’s try having the festival, even though some people are still concerned about the Covid. So, we followed all the public safety rules,” said Denis Marinos, president of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal’s Laval regional council.

Usually big crowds

The Laval Hellenic Summer Festival is normally one of the biggest Greek cultural events in Quebec each year. People arrive from many areas of eastern Canada, eager to meet and greet old friends and members of their extended families.

In Laval there are an estimated 40,000 Greek residents. Arrangements were made to receive up to 700 people over three days at this year’s festival – a far cry from the thousands who normally attend the Hellenic Summer Festival.

No dancing this year

“We’re not allowed to dance,” said Marinos, noting that particular rule. “But do have music live from Greece and people can enjoy it while sitting at the tables enjoying their food. And hopefully by next year this place will be rocking when things are back to normal again.”

‘Hopefully by next year this place will be rocking when things are back to normal again,’ said Denis Marinos, president of the HCGM’s Laval council

Among the dignitaries were Laval city councillor for Chomedey Aglaia Revelakis, l’Abord-à-Plouffe councillor Vassilios Karidogiannis, Quebec MNA for Chomedey Guy Ouellette, Laval-Les Îles MP Fayçal El-Khoury, Vimy MP Annie Koutrakis, Senator Leo Housakos, Action Laval mayoralty candidate Sophie Trottier, Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal president Andy Crilis, Montreal city councillor for Parc Extension Mary Deros and English Montreal School Board director-general Nicholas Katalifos.

A medal for Katalifos

A highlight Saturday evening was the presentation of the National Assembly Medal to Katalifos by Ouellette. While Katalifos has been an educator and administrator at the EMSB for decades, he is also known for his leadership and support in the Montreal region’s autism spectrum community, including the presidency of the Giant Steps School.

Ouellette pointed out that in receiving the National Assembly Medal, it was the second time Katalifos had been presented with a medal symbolizing the recognition of a constituted government assembly. Around three years ago, he was awarded the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal by Senator Leo Housakos.

‘For the team’

“I’m accepting this, but not just on my behalf, but also on behalf of the entire community that I’ve been working with,” Katalifos said after accepting the medal, emphasizing a major project now underway at Giant Steps to build a new autism centre and school campus in east-end Montreal.

“It’s an enormous group of people working on this – fifty, sixty strong,” he said. “And that’s why it’s shaping up into such a success. Because everybody’s working together.”

MPs share their thoughts

The dignitaries were invited by festival organizers to step up to the microphone to share some of their thoughts, including El-Khoury and Koutrakis.

A large number of elected officials from the Laval area as well as other dignitaries turned out last Saturday evening at Holy Cross Church on Souvenir Rd. for day two of the Hellenic Summer Festival. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)

“The Greek community is great and contributes to our diversity, to our progress, to our prosperity and you’re doing a great job,” El-Khoury said.

“I’m very proud to be here today,” said Koutrakis, who served briefly as the HCGM’s first woman president just before she was elected MP for Vimy in 2019.

“I hope you feel that as parliamentarians, we are here by your side and ready to serve.”

City confirms its commitment towards its young residents

Martin C. Barry
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0
City confirms its commitment towards its young residents

The City of Laval has a new five-year plan for youth issues, say city officials, based on the premise that all children and teens in Laval should have the same chances to develop to their full potential in a safe, secure and inclusive environment.

For the first time, the plan brings together two earlier municipal projects affecting youths ranging from 0 – 17 years of age: the Municipalité amie des enfants (MAE) program, and the Fonds Place-du-Souvenir (FPS). The city says that unifying the two programs will streamline efforts and help improve both.

Demographic planning

The plan was developed in conjunction with a consultative committee for the FPS and a partners committee for the MAE, which include members from the Centre de services scolaire (CSS) de Laval, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval and some local organizations.

Its development was based, among other things, on data coming from demographic information on the health of youths aged 0 – 17 years that was gathered together in Laval in 2020. The data was compiled in conjunction with the CISSS de Laval and made public last March.

City open to youth

“The action plan supports the commitment made by Laval towards being a welcoming and attractive city for youths,” said Laval city councillor for Saint-Martin Aline Dib, who is an associated member of the executive-committee responsible for family and youth issues.

“By recognizing the great diversity of youth in Laval, we are helping each of these young persons to develop personally, socially and professionally. By giving them, in conjunction with our partners, the necessary tools to develop, we can be sure we are building the future of Laval with citizens who a better chance of fully reaching their goals on an equal basis.”

Helping the underprivileged

According to the city, the plan revolves around five major strategic orientations upheld by precise goals, as well as 67 actions to be taken to bring about change. Among these are an intention to develop awareness-raising initiatives geared towards ethnocultural diversity, improving conditions for economic access by youths to cultural, sports and leisure activities, as well as making available educational materials for youths from underprivileged backgrounds.

The city says the plan is structured into age sub-groups in order to take into account the particularities of groups in their stages of development. The plan has also been made with respect to male and female needs and differences, taking into account the different realities lived by youths.

Executive-committee input

The City of Laval’s executive-committee is expected to make recommendations to the plan, including the attribution of funds to the largest number of organizations, which are expected to apply for support through programs made possible by the plan.

According to the city, 20 per cent of the population currently is less than 18 years of age. More than half the youths in this category (56.2 per cent) are from immigrant communities (either first or second generation).

The average size of families in Laval is growing (it currently stands at four persons per household). And around 11. 7 per cent of families in Laval with children or teens are low-income households.

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