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Quebec aims to deploy 90,000 CO2 detectors in schools by mid-December

Martin C. Barry
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Quebec aims to deploy 90,000 CO2 detectors in schools by mid-December

Education ministry had wanted to complete task by autumn and back-to-school

Air quality experts with the Quebec government are giving their assurances that up to 90,000 carbon dioxide (CO2) detectors will be installed in schools across the province by mid-December in a bid to improve the overall air quality in Quebec’s public education institutions.

The news, delivered by Deputy Education Minister Marc Sirois and air quality researcher Ali Bahloul during a press conference in Montreal recently, contradicted Education Minister Jean-François Roberge’s assertion in June that CO2 detectors would be installed in all Quebec’s public schools by fall when classes resume after the summer break.

Doing it correctly

Although Sirois maintained during the technical briefing that implementation of the detectors will begin in September, he added that the government wants to see they get installed effectively and correctly, hence more time is needed to meet the goal.

“This is a major undertaking,” said Sirois. “We are talking about 90,000 detectors in 4,000 locations. We wanted to do this quickly, but also to do it well. In 90 per cent of cases, ventilation is adequate.”

While saying that the government tried to do things as quickly as possible, he said the suppliers of the detectors needed time to get into the schools where the detectors will be deployed. “We proceeded at the greatest speed we could while assuring quality,” Sirois said.

December deadline

While the government had planned to issue calls for bids on the supply of the CO2 detectors at the beginning of June, it was only in mid-July that the process got underway. Installation of all the detectors is expected to be finished by Dec. 17.

Based on testing conducted last winter, the education ministry insists that the quality of the air at most schools across the province is “acceptable,” although the detectors will help maintain it at that level or lead to improvements.

Health not an issue

Installation of up to three-quarters of the CO2 detectors is expected to be completed by the middle of November, half by mid-October, and a quarter by mid-September. “In 90 per cent of cases, the ventilation is adequate,” added Sirois. “This is something involving comfort. So, there are no issues involving the health of students.”

The Quebec education ministry plans to install 90,000 CO2 detectors in 4,000 public school locations by mid-December

Ali Balhoul, who is a clean air specialist with the Robert-Sauvé Institute of research for Workplace Health and Security (IRSST), agreed the delay installing the CO2 detectors is justifiable and valid, and due in part to logistics impacting the suppliers.

“It’s time to stop the fear campaigns,” said Balhoul. “In addition to improving the quality of the air, we will be testing it as never before.”

Current levels ‘acceptable’

The provincial government hopes to lower the concentration of CO2 to 1,000 parts per million (ppm) throughout the public school system. According to the government, the average level is currently 1,500 ppm, regarded as acceptable and much lower than the 5,000-ppm level Health Canada defines as posing health risks.

Explaining how the detectors will operate, Sirois said they will be taking air readings every five minutes during every hour when classes are in session in the schools. As CO2 levels fluctuate, teachers will be able to take measures to counteract excessive levels by opening doorways or windows as deemed necessary.

No impact on Covid

In the meantime, health and air quality officials acknowledge that detecting the excessive presence of CO2 in classrooms will have no impact on the spread of COVID-19. Still, the education ministry is advising that the best protection against Covid in classrooms in the coming school year will be face masks to protect against airborne droplets which are the most common medium for Covid spread.

In addition to all this, the cost for the implementation of the CO2 detector program remains secret, since the CAQ government claims it didn’t want public information on costs to interfere with the call for bids.

An election win by inches, not yards

Robert Vairo
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An election win by inches, not yards

I’m not sure why we are having a federal election at this time. Isn’t it a four-year mandate? And is this only two years since the October 2019 campaign? We know what the ruling liberals are all about. A left wing, woke, millennial political party, that would continue that political route, if re-elected. The Liberals needed the support of at least one other party to pass legislation and they have been getting it, making a deal here and there, surviving in their minority government role. It was either a deal with the Bloc for debate closure on Bill C-10, the government’s controversial plan to bring streaming giants such as Netflix under Canada’s existing broadcasting rule, or the NDP for Bill C2. That was a confidence vote where the ruling liberals could have fallen but Jagmeet Singh shook Trudeau’s hand, and a deal was made to assure a two-week sick leave for Canadians. There are many more examples of deals between parties. The point is, this government was working. There is a lot to be said about minority governments. Canadians benefit for the most part. So why an election after 23 months, and not the traditional 48?

Thankfully the campaign lasts 36 days, nowhere near the year long affair that goes on with the Americans every four years. The Trudeau liberals no doubt decided on the shortest campaign allowed under federal law, 36 short days, because the polls show them ahead, and with just over month, you would think that would mean less time for other parties to present their platforms, and less time to allow Canadians to change their minds and reverse the polls.

Well timed for the election is the compulsory vaccination of federal employees including travellers by air, plane or train in Canada. (The Conservatives leave the option for mandatory daily tests to the unvaccinated.) That decision pleases 80% of Canadians (Ipsos-Global pollster). In fact, Canadians are angry at those who are not jabbed. And with reason. The unvaccinated are mostly responsible for spreading the virus and creating variants, flooding the emergency rooms and occupying hospital beds, and weighing heavily on an overworked community of health care workers, grappling with mental health issues.

The bottom line for the liberals, and the academics who teach political science seem to agree, when the polls show a minority government with an opportunity for a majority, it usually means a visit o the Governor General’s office. And it did.

For the biggest spender in Canadian history, with the largest deficit ever, the Prime Minister has allotted an additional 100 million for mail in ballots during this fourth wave of the pandemic. It’s estimated this election will cost Canadians close to 700 million dollars.

Strange that the most recent Ipsos poll shows the Liberals handily ahead, but the same poll shows 57% that say it’s time for a change of party. (41% want a change, in a recent Moru poll) Hmmm…it leaves one thinking of just how to interpret those results. Very often the national leaders’ debates (SEPT 8,9), do not move the needle, but sometimes they do create a massive shift in voter intentions. In 2015, the third place Trudeau had everything to gain, and he did, but this time he is on top, with everything to lose.

Interesting to note that in the five pandemic elections held provincially, all re-elected the governing party. Except one. A week ago, Tuesday the 17th, Nova Scotians toppled a liberal party that had ruled 8 years, and had one poll actually leading by over 20 percentage points when the election was called. Premier elect Conservative Tim Houston, a chartered accountant, campaigned with a laser focus on eliminating “chronic shortages of family doctors, nurses and long-term care beds.” It worked.

Some of the issues of concern, millennials, the biggest group of home buyers leaving their city apartments and moving to the suburbs in search of an affordable home, our abandoned Afghan interpreters, mixed vaccines not acceptable by all outside of Canada, Joe Biden no friend of Canada, begging Saudis for more oil, while cancelling our KXL pipeline to the U.S.

In this federal election, the Maru poll identified jobs, health care, taxes and public spending, equally, as top concerns for Canadians. Surprisingly, the dole out of billions of dollars the liberals are hoping will buy them votes, including the $500 deposit to all seniors, is not that prominent in this poll where “just one in ten (11%) saying the government’s response to the pandemic is most important to their vote.”

Affordability has suddenly taken center stage.

This could be an election of inches, not yards, or a big surprise.

That’s what I’m Thinking.

Robert Vairo

robert@newsfirst.ca

Laval is hoping Moderna will build a facility at Cité de la Biotech

Martin C. Barry
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0
Laval is hoping Moderna will build a facility at Cité de la Biotech

U.S.-based vaccine maker has benefited hugely from the COVID-19 pandemic

With one of its most prized pieces of industrial parkland primed and ready to welcome major players from the domain of scientific technology and research, the City of Laval is making no secret of the fact it is inviting one of the world’s largest Covid vaccine manufacturers to set up operations in the Cité de la Biotech.

In a statement issued by Mayor Marc Demers’ office last week, the administration calls on Moderna to choose Laval and the Cité de la Biotech for an expansion the multinational company says it wants to make somewhere in Canada.

“As a leader in the domain of biotechnologies, Laval’s economic community quickly contacted management at the company in order to let them know all the facts about the Cité de la Biotech, the qualified workforce and the strength of the economy in Laval,” the mayor’s office said in its statement.

Laval’s the place, says Boyer

Deputy Mayor Stéphane Boyer was more direct. “Laval has everything it takes to accommodate such an investment,” he said, maintaining that the city has a base of highly qualified workers, an already-established international clientele at Cité de la Biotech, high-quality available industrial space, and a diversified economy guaranteeing stability during potentially turbulent times.

Caroline De Guire, president and CEO of the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Laval (CCILaval), is also sold on the idea that Laval has what it takes to welcome virtually any company that might wish to set up operations in Laval – including Moderna.

“Bolstered by around 12,000 enterprises, retailers and industries, the Laval business community has all the requirements in terms of diversity in its qualified workforce, as well as complementarity in its economic sectors and projects for sustainable mobility,” De Guire said.

Laval is courting Moderna

The CCIL says that key sectors of the city’s industrial parklands, such as the Cité de la Biotech, will have a key role to play in the process for jump-starting the economy once the post-Covid recovery gets underway.

“Laval places a high value on the research and innovation taking place in this sector and has a highly resilient, inclusive and dynamic business community, conferring on the city a very attractive and competitive cachet,” added De Guire. “We would be honoured to welcome Moderna into our business community and contribute to its arrival in Quebec.”

“With the arrival of Moderna in the Cité de la Biotech in Laval, the company would be able to rely on a logistical chain specialized in life-sciences as well as expertise in infectious diseases and bio-manufacturing with the presence of the INRS biotechnology campus of the Armand Frappier Institute,” said Perry Niro, executive-director of the Centre québécois d’innovation en biotechnologie (CQIB).

Moderna’s fast rise

“Moderna will also be able to count on innovations from a new generation of entrepreneurs supported by our incubator,” he added, referring to the CQIB, which leases out research and development facilities, while helping guide the way towards subsidized support for entrepreneurs launching startup biotech ventures.

Headquartered in Cambridge Mass. USA, Moderna was regarded in recent years as little more than a biotech startup. That is until the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020. Monderna has come a long way in a short time, compared to other global pharma and biotech companies whose fortunes have also been buoyed by the pandemic.

Seen here from an eagle’s-eye point of view, the City of Laval’s Cité de la Biotech is home to more than a dozen science and research companies doing active work towards finding treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19.

But while other companies involved in the development of Covid vaccines (Pfizer, Astra-Zeneca) have at least some history behind them and a degree of diversification, Moderna was founded just 11 years ago and focuses exclusively on producing vaccines based on a proprietary messenger RNA (mRNA) process.

Future in Canada

As well, Moderna’s only commercially-successful product to date has been its COVID-19 vaccine, although it is said to have as many as two dozen vaccine candidates for other health issues including influenza and AIDS.

In terms of its Canadian expansion plans, the company announced on Aug. 10 that it has signed a non-binding pre-contract memorandum of understanding with the federal government to build a state-of-the-art mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada.

This understanding with the federal government would presumably be a precursor for Ottawa to eventually provide significant subsidies to Moderna as an incentive for its establishing a production facility on Canadian soil.

Although details are scant, the idea is that Moderna Canada would use a Canadian site to supply this country with direct access to rapid pandemic response capabilities, including the company’s current version of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, according to a statement issued by Moderna.

Laval News Volume 29-28

Costa Hovris
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Laval News Volume 29-28

The current issue of the Laval News volume 29-28 published August 25th, 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/2021/08/TLN-29-28-WEB.pdfFront page of the Laval News, August 25th, 2021 issue.

Two suspects arrested after shots fired in Chomedey

Martin C. Barry
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0
Two suspects arrested after shots fired in Chomedey

The Laval Police made two arrests and have launched an investigation after shots were fired on the afternoon of Aug. 9 in Laval’s Chomedey district.

A police spokesperson said the LPD received an initial call reporting gunfire shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 9.

Several police officers who were nearby answered the call and saw two men walking away from the area from where the first report of gunfire had been made.

One of the suspects fit the description of a possible suspect and both were apprehended for questioning, according to the LPD.

A subsequent on-site investigation found spent shell casings near the intersection of 2nd St. and 80th Ave., although it appeared no one had been injured.

Two days after the shooting, the LPD issued another statement saying two individuals had been arrested.

The LPD identified one of those arrested as Grant Alexandre Jean- Louis, age 25, who was arraigned at the Laval courthouse and charged with illegally discharging a firearm.

The second suspect, age 21, wasn’t identified by the police and was released with conditions after making a statement. The LPD said two handguns were seized during their intervention.

Anyone who feels they have information regarding this incident can contact the Laval Police confidentially at their Info-Line at 450 662-INFO (4636), or by balling 911. The file number is LVL 210809 053.

Murder attempt, three suspects arrested

The Laval Police Department has confirmed that three individuals have been arrested following an incident which took place on July 10 at the Aztec Bar in Chomedey.

According to the LPD, around 1 am that night, an altercation broke out involving several individuals inside the Aztec. Then, around 1:20 am, another altercation broke out in the parking lot outside.

The LPD says one gunshot was fired, injuring two individuals and they were transported to hospital. An investigation led to the identification and arrest of three suspects believed to be associated with the incident.

The three suspects were arraigned at the Laval courthouse and face charges of attempted murder. They are identified as Marc Kenson Milien, 28, and Chayanne O N’eil Peralta Garcia, 27 ans. Both remained in custody last week.

Anyone with information about the above incident is encouraged to call the Laval Police Department’s confidential Info-Line at 450 662-INFO (4636), or 911. The file number is LVL 210710-009.

City council creates a new committee for senior citizens

Laval News Contributor
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City council creates a new committee for senior citizens

Laval’s seniors will finally be getting a voice of their own

During the August 10 city council meeting, the council members adopted a resolution officially creating the new Comité consultatif des personnes aînées lavalloises (CCPAL) to represent the interests of Laval’s senior citizens.

To better understand

The city says that the purpose of the committee is to come to a better understanding of the realities and preoccupations of Laval’s senior citizens, who represent 20 per cent of the city’s population.

The committee’s mandate will be study and formulate advice or recommendations on all questions posed by the executive-committee relating to issues involving senior citizens in Laval.

Several new committees

This committee will be added to several other city council committees implemented since 2019, including the Conseil des Lavalloises (which encourages women to participate in municipal politics), the Consultative Committee on Youth and the Committee for Intercultural Relations.

“The City of Laval proudly wears its title as a Municipality Friendly to Seniors (MADA), confirming our desire to pay particular attention to the needs and issues of seniors living in Laval,” says Mayor Marc Demers.

Helping with decisions

“This committee will be able to deepen our understanding while inspiring new measures and decisions that will respect the reality of these people.” The city is currently seeking candidates for the new committee.

From five to seven committee members are expected to be appointed and the selection process will be taking place over the coming weeks.

The appointments are for two years and are renewable. The deadline to submit an application is Oct. 1.

Ottawa invests over $85 million in garage expansion at the STL

Martin C. Barry
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Ottawa invests over $85 million in garage expansion at the STL

Project to include 100 new parking spaces to recharge electric buses

On Aug. 10, federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna, along with Laval-Les Îles MP Fayçal El Khoury, Alfred-Pellan MP Angelo Iacono Vimy MP Annie Koutrakis and Marc-Auréle-Fortin MP Yves Robillard announced more than $85 million in federal funding to expand a garage for the Société de transport de Laval (STL) by nearly 20,000 square metres.

For public transit

The project will include approximately 100 new parking spaces to recharge electric buses, as well as additional vehicle maintenance and repair bays.

“The government of Canada is proud to invest in infrastructure that supports public transit in Quebec,” McKenna’s ministry said in a statement.

“While creating good jobs, these investments will provide Quebecers with more options to get around, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote the electrification of public transit.”

Efficient and safe

According to the Infrastructure and Communities Ministry, Ottawa is contributing to the STL’s project through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The government of Quebec is also investing in the project and will reveal its contribution at a later date.

“Investments in public transit infrastructure allow Quebecers to travel efficiently and safely,” said McKenna. “I am pleased to announce today federal funding of more than $85 million for the STL garage expansion.

Fighting climate change

“Thanks to this project, the STL will continue its transition to green and sustainable energy, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support our fight against climate change,” she continued. “Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”

The four local MPs were impressed by the government’s contribution and grateful for the amount allotted. “I would like to thank the federal government and Minister Mckenna for having thought once again about the safety and quality of the public transport network in Laval by investing more than $85 million in a major project to expand a garage of the Société de Transport de Laval,” said El Khoury.

‘A positive impact’

“Through this investment, residents of my riding of Alfred-Pellan will enjoy greener services from the STL and I am proud to be a partner for Laval residents,” Iacono added. “This collaboration reinforces my commitment and that of our federal government to keep on investing in infrastructure projects that have a positive impact in our Laval community.”

‘Through this investment, residents of my riding of Alfred-Pellan will enjoy greener services from the STL and I am proud to be a partner for Laval residents,’ says Member of Parliament Angelo Iacono

“As the Member of Parliament for Vimy, I am proud of this announcement from our government and I thank Minister McKenna for this investment in the STL,” said Koutrakis. “Our investment of more than $85 million will benefit all transit users in Laval and help further protect our environment.”

Electrification necessary

Yves Robillard noted that the federal government’s contribution comes at a time when electrification is becoming increasingly necessary to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in order to deal with the long-term consequences of climate change.

“In order to achieve our goal of a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2028, we must encourage the electrification of public transportation,” he said.

“In this regard, I am very pleased with the government’s funding announcement made by Minister McKenna. This announcement of $85 million will allow the Société de transport de Laval to double the surface aera of its current site to provide it with new infrastructure adapted to electric buses.”

Overall Quebec investment

According to McKenna’s ministry, the federal government will be investing more than $7.5 billion in Quebec between 2018 and 2028 through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) for cultural and recreational infrastructure projects, green infrastructure, public transit and infrastructure in rural and northern communities.

As well, adds the ministry, since 2015 the government has invested $7.3 billion in Quebec in more than 1,880 infrastructure projects under Ottawa’s Investing in Canada plan.

Laval reports positive economic results, in spite of COVID-19 pandemic

Martin C. Barry
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Laval reports positive economic results, in spite of COVID-19 pandemic

Despite a less than ideal economic climate due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Laval managed to finish the 2020 fiscal year with signs of future growth and promising results, according to figures released last week by city officials.

In its 2020 report of economic results, the City of Laval says the region outperformed all other municipalities in the greater Montreal area with the lowest recorded negative economic growth at – 4.1 per cent (according to Desjardins), with an economic upsurge of +10 per cent forecast until the end of 2021 (which is higher than the average for all of Quebec).

While negative growth is considered anathema in normal economic times, the pandemic has turned it into an everyday factor that many governments and corporations are taking for granted these days.

According to the city, the impact of the pandemic has been in Laval primarily in the sectors of tourism and retail commerce.

Some sectors prospered

However, Laval has also benefited from the fact that other sectors, such as high-technology and the bio-sciences, have been able to seize on opportunities created by the pandemic for the products and services they provide.

“Laval’s performance indicates to us that we are well-positioned to regain our momentum despite the difficult economic environment,” said Mayor Marc Demers. “I would like to recognize the entrepreneurs and businesses from Laval for their capacity to adapt and their energy.

“It’s mostly thanks to them if Laval has come out of this so well,” Demers added. “I would also like to point out the collective effort involved: All together, we are taking the means to meet challenges brought on by COVID-19 in order to establish solid bases on which we will regain our momentum for the years ahead.”

A positive outlook

Deputy Mayor Stéphane Boyer, who is vice-president of the executive-committee and oversees economic dossiers, has also been feeling optimistic lately about the City of Laval’s prospects for growth in the years ahead.

“We have all been affected, as we survey the impact of the pandemic on our businesses here in Laval,” he said. “Nonetheless, we have also been fortunate to see how, through incredible will and the mobilization of all the economic partners, our businesses were able to collaborate in order to get things done.

In an annual report on the city’s economic state, Laval mayor Marc Demers says the city has managed well since last year, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This solidarity by our businesses, with help provided by the city and higher governments, became a force against the difficulties that the business community as a whole was able to confront,” added Boyer.

According to Desjardins’ economic evaluation of Laval for 2021, the city will be seeing an economic rebound during the coming year. Here are some highlights from the 2020 report:

Employment

Laval had an unemployment rate of 8.2 per cent in 2020, which is substantially lower than metropolitan Montreal (10.1 per cent) and the province of Quebec (8.9 per cent).

Real Estate

Through various economic sectors in Laval, the value of new residential and non-residential real estate investments totaled $857.7 million, for a drop of 18.6 per cent, according to the city. The city says these numbers were negatively affected by a 36. 2 per cent drop in industrial and institutional real estate investments.

The city says the number of residential housing starts grew by 68.3 per cent compared by 2019 to reach 2,851 units, a peak since 2009.

Support for business

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the city says it has put into place various emergency measures to support businesses, including deferring property tax payments, COVID-19 business loans, and a moratorium on repaying loans.

Covid and Cité de la Biotech

The city says that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a dozen businesses in Laval involved in bio-tech and bio-sciences have been actively involved in efforts to fight COVID-19.

Whether it was research for finding new vaccines, medications, diagnostic tests or decontamination technology, the expertise of these businesses proved to be indispensable and put Laval on the global stage.

The city is currently planning a major expansion of the Cité de la Biotech to further encourage this success.

Laval gets a pass from Auditor General – despite noted shortcomings

Martin C. Barry
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0
Laval gets a pass from Auditor General – despite noted shortcomings

City still needs to improve its snow removal strategy, says Véronique Boily

In her fifth annual report presented to city council last week, Laval Auditor General Véronique Boily acknowledged that the Demers administration could do more to improve its financial statements, as well as its compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, but that overall the administration gets a passing grade.

“This fifth report produced since I took office highlights common issues that emerge from the analysis of the various subjects audited this year,” said Boily, who summarized the report for journalists during a webcast press conference last week.

“This analysis can enable the city to go beyond the isolated treatment of the findings and recommendations presented in each of the performance audits and improve certain key aspects of its management,” she said. The report includes four performance audits which resulted in recommendations from Boily’s office.

Snow removal

Boily notes that in October 2015, the City of Laval adopted a new snow removal strategy to help guide its snow removal operations. Despite the fact the strategy sets clear priorities and deadlines for situations considered normal, “the strategy is incomplete,” she concluded.

Referring to “recurrent under-estimation” by the administration, she said the budget allocated to snow removal “is not based on real needs and does not constitute a tool for controlling expenditure as it should.” She said the city has developed several useful and relevant performance indicators, except for abrasives spreading operations.

In addition, she said the city hasn’t developed a comprehensive management plan that includes measures to improve the efficiency of the spreading activity and reduce costs, while contributing to a better environmental balance.

Information technology

Boily’s office also examined whether the city manages its information technology (IT) projects to ensure that they are completed successfully and efficiently. While admitting that the project management framework follows accepted approaches, she said it isn’t supported by a methodology.

She said the content of deliverables, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders, are missing from the city’s strategy. “This opens the management framework to interpretation regarding how documents are completed and the presentation of relevant project information,” said Boily.

In addition, she said the cost estimate of IT projects was absent or incomplete for projects audited by the Office of the Auditor General because the cost of internal resources, among other things, was not included. “The risk analysis register is well designed, but not always used,” she said.

Finally, she observed that authorizations to move from one phase to another for IT projects is supposed to be granted by the governance committee. “But since this committee does not exist, these steps have not been subject to a request for authorization,” she added.

Monitoring of infrastructure

Boily noted that a significant portion of the City of Laval’s annual budget is allotted for the maintenance, improvement and development of infrastructure. She said management information for monitoring infrastructure work in the engineering department “is difficult to produce and insufficient to allow department managers to exercise proper governance.”

The report includes four performance audits, resulting in recommendations from Boily’s office

As well, she said some contracts were not reported to the executive-committee, as required by the contingency management and framework policy. Several non-compliances with contracts, the city’s monitoring guide and other internal forms were also identified by her.

Finally, Boily said the department has no documented analysis to support decisions on whether to carry out monitoring work internally or externally and has not assessed the risks associated with its reliance on external firms.

Pesticide, fertilizer and invasive species

On a somewhat brighter note, Boily pointed out that in recent years, the city adopted policies, strategies and objectives potentially affecting pesticide and fertilizer use and invasive species management. She said her team confirmed that the city’s actions to manage invasive species and reduce risks associated with pesticide and fertilizer use “are effective and consistent with the principles of sustainable development.”

She said the City of Laval is complying with applicable laws and regulations regarding the use of pesticides and fertilizers. However, even though it has adopted several recommended practices to reduce the impact on health and the environment, “it still has some progress to make in certain areas,” Boily concluded.

In the meantime, she added that the city is taking numerous actions to control the spread of invasive species such as ragweed. “However, these actions are not part of a structured, multi-year control plan,” said Boily.

Boily’s overall observations Overall, she said that to a greater or lesser extent, all the audits carried out this year by the Laval Auditor General’s Office “reveal a lack of control to ensure compliance with the frameworks in force. A lack of operational guidelines or instructions was observed in some audits. This deficiency is affecting the uniformity of practices in the various sectors of activity.”

2020 review: reduction in the number of fires

Laval News Contributor
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2020 review: reduction in the number of fires

A year of challenges for the Fire Department

Laval, August 12, 2021 — On August 11, the Service de sécurité incendie de Laval filed a report on its 2020 activities, in which there was a 19% decrease in calls and, above all, a 14% decrease in fires. These findings show that despite the pandemic that began in March 2020, the constant efforts and creativity of practices to ensure services to citizens while prioritizing the safety of staff in the field have borne fruit.
“The people of Laval can be proud of their Fire Safety Department. The year covered by this report was one of challenges for firefighters and management. This report demonstrates that the mission of prevention is fulfilled thanks to the imagination and creativity of the head of division and her team. In terms of interventions, the field teams have improved response times, and we can only congratulate them on that. Once again, congratulations to all the staff of the service and management for their outstanding work. »

— Sandra Desmeules, member of the executive committee, responsible for public safety issues and municipal councillor
“The year 2020 will be marked forever in our memories, with the additional challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these, all of the fire department’s resources have maintained at a high level our mission to protect the lives and property of the population as well as the City’s infrastructure. »
— Patrick Taillefer, Director of the Fire Department
Prevention: a priority
The year 2020 was marked by the temporary cessation of on-site inspections. From March to September, the Prevention Division team chose to modify its practices in order to carry out the follow-ups required to ensure the safety of citizens. It was therefore by making telephone calls that the re-inspections were carried out. Awareness-raising and education work with daycares, schools and seniors’ residences, among others, has continued with some technological transformations to reach all audiences. Since September, inspectors have resumed face-to-face visits, while respecting public health guidelines.
Strike force never known to date
The strike force consists of 10 firefighters arriving in 10 minutes at the scene of a medium- and low-risk building fire (within the urban perimeter), with an additional 5 firefighters within the next 5 minutes for high- and very high-risk buildings (within the urban perimeter). In 2020, 96% of the response time was obtained, which is a significant overshoot of the initial target: in the revised fire risk coverage scheme, it was 90%.
Interventions of all kinds
In addition to fighting the flames, firefighters responded to a multitude of other situations, including:
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
• Dumping of hazardous materials;
• Road accident and release from custody;
• Flooding;
• Ice rescue and nautical rescue;
• Gas leakage;
• Civil protection disaster.

Some highlights
• 1,321 fewer calls than in 2019, for a total of 5,752 calls.
• 38 fewer building fires than in 2019, a decrease of 14%.
•490 fewer responses for unfounded alarms, a decrease of 20%.
Between1 May and 31 October, firefighters carried out 14,400 home prevention visits to residences in Laval; this represents approximately 400 addresses per team (group or fire station). This prevention work has made it possible to achieve 99% of the initial objective of the revised fire risk coverage scheme 2015-2019.

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