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LPD seeks victims of arrested child porn suspect

Martin C. Barry
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LPD seeks victims of arrested child porn suspect

​The Laval Police Department says it arrested 34-year-old Carlos-Rodrigo Perez-Martinez and charged him with extortion, possession of child pornography, criminal harassment, luring with a computer and distributing sexual images without the subject’s consent.

The LPD says that during the summer of 2020, the suspect allegedly contacted the victim, who is a minor, while using Instagram, under the pseudonym Paranoid mexicain 2020.

The police allege that after establishing a bond of confidence with the victim, he took pictures of her. They also allege he demanded more pictures of her, threatening to post the picture he already had of her if she didn’t comply.

The LPD says they have reason to believe that Carlos-Rodrigo Perez-Martinez may have had other victims and they would like to question them.

The suspect was arrested last February and was released with conditions to observe until his court date. He is due back in court on Aug. 4.

Info-Line

Anyone who feels they have useful information can contact the LPD through their Info-Line at 450 662 INFO (4636), or by calling 911. The file number is LVL 200925-038.

Shots fired in Chomedey

Laval News Contributor
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Shots fired in Chomedey

Shots were fired last Sunday evening May 23, in front of a business in Laval.

Police were called at around 9:30 p.m. for gunfire outside a Couche-Tard and an Esso gas station on Highway 440 near 100th Avenue.

No victim was located on the spot by the police, according to a spokesperson for the Service de police de Laval (SPL).

Evidence was found at the scene, however, and the scene was protected for investigators to analyze. The investigation is continuing to determine the exact causes and circumstances of this event, it was added.

A busy week for City of Laval’s firefighters

Some residents of the residential Equinox Tower on Cartier Blvd. West in Chomedey were forced to change their plans on the evening of May 18 after a fire accidentally started on a balcony on the 25th storey of the high-rise, riverside residential building.

Around 7:30 pm, 911 was called after a sudden gust of wind threw over some lit candles sitting on balcony on a table. In all, more than 20 Laval Fire Department firefighters ended up responding, from a half-dozen units which were in place by 7:38 pm.

A complication got thrown into the mix when the responding firefighters were unable to get a clear view from the ground of the smouldering blaze. The fire was happening on a side of the building facing out towards the waterfront, while the LFD personnel arrived on the opposite side on the ground.

As a result, although witnesses reported seeing flames, the firefighters themselves were only seeing smoke at first.

Eventually, officers from the Laval Police Department arrived on the scene to help conduct an evacuation of several dozen residents from the luxury condo building. The fire was declared to be under control at 7:51 pm, with damages limited to the exterior balcony.

Damages are said to be around $10,000, which is the estimated cost of replacing floor tiling on the balcony damaged by the flames.

While this is one fire that ended better than might have been the case, the Laval Fire Department issued a reminder to all residents that the use of candles – even in outdoor settings – can be highly hazardous and they should be used carefully and away from combustible materials.

Other recent fires in Laval

May 20: Building fire on 10th Avenue in the Fabreville sector. Residential building, 2 storeys. Smoke apparent. Code was 10-07, meaning intervention necessary.

This fire on Beauchesne St. in Chomedey required full intervention by the Laval Fire Department.

May 21: Building fire on Régimbald St. in the Sainte-Rose sector. Residential building, 2 storeys. Smoke apparent. Code was 10-07, meaning intervention necessary.

May 22: Building fire on Trépanier St. in Chomedey sector. Residential building, multiunit, 2 storeys. Flames apparent. Code was 10-07, meaning intervention nécessary.

May 22: Building fire Lévesque Blvd. Ouest in Chomedey sector. Residential building, multiunit, 4 storeys. Smoke apparent. Code was 10-07, meaning intervention necessary.

May 23: Building fire on Beauchesne St. in Chomedey sector. Residential building, 2 storeys. Smoke apparent. Code was 10-07, meaning intervention necessary.

May 23: Building fire on Beauchesne St. in Chomedey sector. Code was 10-09, meaning full intervention, with possible aggravating factors.

(Photos: Courtesy of the Association des Pompiers de Laval via APL Twitter feed.)

Urgences-Santé, Prime Minister pay homage to Paramedic Services Week

Laval News Contributor
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Urgences-Santé, Prime Minister pay homage to Paramedic Services Week

Citizens invited to thank emergency response personnel from May 23 – 29

Paramedic Services Week, which is being held this year from May 23 to 29, will be an opportunity for those who support emergency services workers to celebrate paramedics’ expertise as an essential link in the pre-hospital emergency care chain.

“This past year has been a challenging one for paramedics,” says Joshua Arruda-Aguiar, a paramedic for the Corporation d’urgences-santé. “In the span of a few weeks, COVID-19 put us on the front lines of the fight against a global pandemic! This challenging situation caused a lot of stress for many of us.”

“Our profession is a true vocation,” he added. “While my colleagues always appreciate Paramedic Services Week, it will certainly be very heartwarming to receive words of encouragement this year.”

Dedication in pandemic

“Over the past year, paramedics had to show great adaptability, resilience and courage,” said Yvan Gendron, Acting President and Chief Executive Officer of the corporation.

“They certainly delivered and protected the public with skill, diligence and kindness. This week, let’s take the opportunity to celebrate their important contribution to the fight against the pandemic.”

“I’d also like to recognize the contribution of the Corporation’s other employees, including emergency medical dispatchers and commissioning attendants,” he continued.

“Without them, Urgences-santé would not be able to fulfill its primary mission, namely to provide the people of Montreal and Laval with quality, effective and appropriate pre-hospital emergency services, in order to reduce mortality and morbidity rates associated with emergency medical conditions; in other words, to save lives.”

Citizens are being invited by Urgences-Santé to thank the paramedics they meet on the street for their work and send them words of appreciation for services they received through the Corporation’s website.

Statement from Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also took the time this week to issue a statement for Paramedic Services Week. “Today, on the first day of Paramedic Services Week, we honour the brave individuals on the front lines of our health care system,” he said.

“Tens of thousands of paramedics and communications officers across Canada have dedicated themselves to saving lives and helping those in need. Under ordinary circumstances, their work is remarkable; amidst the pandemic, it is extraordinary.

“Over the last year, paramedics have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID‑19. Day and night, these hardworking health care professionals put their mental and physical health on the line. Despite the risks they face, paramedics continue to show up for Canadians, and serve their communities, with the utmost care, compassion, and professionalism.

Do your bit for safety

“We can all do our part to help keep paramedics and front-line health care workers safe if we keep following public health advice. This includes staying home as much as possible, wearing a mask, washing our hands regularly, maintaining the greatest physical distance possible from others, and downloading and using the COVID Alert app. It also includes getting a COVID-19 vaccine when it is our turn to be vaccinated. Together, we can keep our loved ones, our health care workers, and our communities safe from the virus.

“To all paramedics: thank you. Thank you for risking your safety, sacrificing time with your loved ones, and going above and beyond every day to help keep us safe and healthy. All Canadians are grateful for your incredible dedication and service.”

Friends and SWLSB colleagues share memories of Elizabeth Rossi

Martin C. Barry
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Friends and SWLSB colleagues share memories of Elizabeth Rossi

Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation loses a devoted and loyal volunteer

For hundreds of parents and school board staff who were regulars at the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation’s annual fundraisers in January and June over the past 16 years, Elizabeth Rossi’s face was a familiar one indeed, as she was as one of the foundation’s most trusted, hardworking and reliable volunteers.

Rossi passed away at age 59 on May 14 following a courageous battle with cancer.

Remembered by family

She leaves behind her devoted husband of 35 years, Serge Juteau, as well as daughters Amanda (Pascal) and Vanessa (Marco), and a granddaughter, Alicia.

She is also survived by her mother, Antonietta Maratta, and her brother Tony. Her father, Eugenio Rossi, pre-deceased Elizabeth.

“She was a very fine person,” said Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board chairman Paolo Galati, who met Rossi when he first joined the foundation board in 2012.

Always willing to help

“She was a kind, caring, elegant human being who never hesitated to offer her help. Always smiling and a very loyal employee and colleague at the board. Just an amazing person.”

Galati recalled that at the galas and lobsterfests, Rossi would often be at his side during an especially-important moment: when school board and foundation officials would make the rounds at tables selling long stretches of raffle tickets for the night’s prizes.

Elizabeth Rossi had been a Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation volunteer since around 2005 when the foundation was first launched

“I think that probably ninety per cent of the time, she and I were always together for that,” he said.

‘A ray of sunshine’

“I think probably the best way to describe Elizabeth is that she always so positive and really a ray of sunshine for so many people,” said former SWLSB chairwoman Jennifer Maccarone, who is now the Liberal MNA for Westmount-Saint Louis.

“She could always be counted on to volunteer and to help out. And she always did it with a smile. Even if you were having a bad day, she was the kind of person, if you met her along your way, you would feel better afterwards. She was very sweet and very genuine.”

A model volunteer

According to board communications coordinator Maxeen Jolin, Elizabeth Rossi had been a Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation volunteer since around 2005. That’s when the foundation was first launched to raise additional funds for SWLSB educational projects.

Elizabeth Rossi (seen on the far left) would often be at SWLSB chairman Paolo Galati’s side during fundraising evenings, when school board and foundation officials would make the rounds at tables selling long stretches of raffle tickets for the night’s prizes.

Rossi’s volunteerism was in addition to the work she had been doing at the SWLSB for years before as an administrative technician in the school board’s pedagogical services department.

A caring person

“Elizabeth was a very generous person and she was always willing to help,” Jolin, who also coordinates volunteers for the SWLF, said in an interview, recalling that Elizabeth was always eager to take on and complete tasks at foundation events.

“She was always very willing to help, always available, and she seemed to really care about people. When she asked how you were, she really meant it. She really wanted to know how you were doing. And she was very classy and stood out. For sure that’s how I’ll remember her.”

A real ‘do-er,’ says colleague

Susan O’Keefe, another long-time SWLSB staffer who is the school board’s graphics arts technician, worked alongside Elizabeth for many years as part of the closely-knit team of staff and volunteers who assure everything goes smoothly during the June lobsterfests and January gala evenings.

“Elisabeth was a do-er,” she said in an e-mail. “The last time we were together we bonded over the fact she was going to be a grandmother. Once COVID hit, I stopped seeing her. She was an asset to our foundation and she will be missed. It will be very sad to have the next one without her. I’m sorry that I didn’t have one last time to tell her how much we appreciated her.”

Laval ranks 6th in Quebec for per-resident cost of fire protection

Martin C. Barry
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Laval ranks 6th in Quebec for per-resident cost of fire protection

However, city’s population is also booming, with heightened fire risks

The Laval Fire Department ranks sixth in Quebec for cost-efficiency on a per-resident basis, officials with the LFD revealed while tabling a risk assessment report for the years 2021-2025 with the city last week.

Laval is 6th most efficient

At $99 per citizen, the LFD, which serves a population of 433,990 City of Laval residents, ranked just behind Quebec City (population 569,399) which runs its fire department for $102.09 per resident.

The City of Montreal, with a population of 2,033,189 residents, topped the list with a fire department that was operated in 2020 at a cost of $165.39 per resident.

The cities of Lévis, Gatineau and Sherbrooke came next. Trois Rivières and Longueuil followed Laval as the seventh and eighth most efficiently-run fire departments in Quebec.

Careful spending, says fire chief

“We see to it that every dollar is carefully invested in Laval as far as the fire service is concerned,” said Patrick Taillefer, director of the Laval Fire Department, who explained the contents of the report during an online presentation on May 18.

According to provincial public security ministry requirements that have been in effect since the year 2000, every municipality in Quebec now must regularly compile and submit a report on fire safety risks to the government every few years.

The 2021-2025 report is the third submitted by the City of Laval’s fire protection service and summarizes actions taken from 2015-2019, as well as improvements the fire department plans to implement over the next four years.

Missed one target

According to the report, the fire department completed eight planned tasks during the last four years, but failed to deliver on one.

Those completed included the hiring of four new fire inspectors and 24 new firefighters, implementation of a new GPS vehicle-tracking system, reorganization of firehall No. 2 in Chomedey and firehall No. 5 in Saint-François, and the addition of seven pump trucks and three ladder trucks to the fire department’s fleet.

However, the replacement of firehall No. 6 in Laval-Ouest remains unfinished, although, according to the report, it is currently underway and scheduled to be completed either before the end of this year or early in 2022.

City growing, as are risks

The report notes that the City of Laval’s population and hence its fire risks have been growing fast in a relatively short span of years. Between 2013 and 2019 alone, Laval’s population rose by nearly 16,700 residents. As well, the Quebec Institute of Statistics is forecasting a demographic growth of 18.6 per cent from now to 2036, including a 7.41 per cent rise in the number of persons 65 years of age and older.

The report notes that the City of Laval’s fire protection risks have been growing fast in a relatively short span of years

In following through on a Public Security Ministry directive to assess the economic impacts of fire prevention on Laval’s territory, the report said that the number of deaths from fire-related causes was reduced, while the number of fires fell by one per cent, despite a three per cent annual increase in new construction.

10 firefighters/10 minutes

The Laval Fire Department’s current overall fire protection strategy calls for 10 firefighters to be mobilized within 10 minutes at incidents involving low risk buildings (which are the most common type of structure on Laval’s territory). The plan also calls for five additional firefighters to be mobilized in the five minutes following the first 10-minute period at buildings where risks are elevated or very elevated.

According to the report, the highest number of fire alarms were received over a ten-year reporting period by firehall No. 2 on Souvenir Blvd. in Chomedey and firehall No. 9 on des Laurentides Blvd. in Vimont.

More prevention planned

Looking to the future, the report says the fire department plans to invest more time and energy in the next four years concentrating on prevention. On-site inspections will be part of the plan, with student residences, seniors retirement homes, children’s daycare centres, reception halls, restaurants and residential religious institutions among the priorities.

Money-wise, the Laval Fire Department plans to spend more than $46.2 million from 2021-2025 on long-term investments, including the hiring of 32 new firefighters, two inspectors, a trainer/instructor and the purchase of new equipment.

City of Laval signs collective agreement with firefighters’ union

Martin C. Barry
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City of Laval signs collective agreement with firefighters’ union

New contract grants firefighters an indexed 2 per cent annual pay raise

The City of Laval announced last week that it has signed a new and historic collective agreement with its firefighters, which will be in effect retroactively from 2019 until 2024.

According to a statement issued by the city, the agreement meshes well with Laval’s long-term fire safety plans, while also pushing forward significantly the city’s intention to integrate first responders into Laval’s overall public safety agenda.

The agreement grants the firefighters a 2 per cent annual salary increase indexation.

Win-win city and union

“This agreement raises the quality of life of our firefighters, while offering them significant additional support in their work,” said Laval city councillor for Bois-de-Boulogne and executive-committee member Sandra Desmeules, who handles public security dossiers.

“I would like to point out the close cooperation of the union executive all through this process,” said Patrick Taillefer, director the Laval Fire Department.

“With an agreement where all parties work with a common goal, we can be proud to still be at the front of the line where it comes to working in the field of firefighting. I should mention at the same time the professionalism of our firefighters and our prevention inspectors, who have pursued their activities with rigor and devotion throughout the pandemic.”

Details of new contract Some major elements of the new agreement: Some parts of the collective agreement were modified in order to optimize supplementary working hours; implementation of a 24/7 air supply and equipment transport vehicle allowing firefighters to be more efficient during interventions; revision to training modalities, in order to favour the development of firefighters while increasing their efficiency at interventions; more flexibility in the work contract in order to improve prevention activities with citizens, in conformity with the city’s new fire risk coverage plan.

This year, May 24 was Tax Freedom Day

Laval News Contributor
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This year, May 24 was Tax Freedom Day

Date came week later, because of higher tax revenues this year

Tax Freedom Day in Canada this year falls on May 24, according to the Fraser Institute’s annual calculations — although there is no reason to celebrate as all signs point to a rising tax bill in the future, the think tank says.

Tax Freedom Day measures the total yearly tax burden imposed on Canadian families by federal, provincial and municipal governments. If you had to pay all your taxes up front, you would give government every dollar you earned before Tax Freedom Day.

Last year, Tax Freedom Day landed on May 17.

“This year, Tax Freedom Day arrives a week later than last year because of the increase in tax revenues forecasted by Canadian governments in 2021,” said Jake Fuss, senior economist at the Fraser Institute.

Average family pays 39.1 %

In 2021, according to the institute, the average Canadian family (with two or more people) will pay $48,757 in total taxes — or 39.1 per cent of its annual income ($124,659). Taxes include income taxes, payroll taxes, health taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, fuel taxes, carbon taxes and more.

Represented as days on the calendar, the numbers add up to more than four and a half months of income — from January 1 to May 24. It’s not until May 24 — Tax Freedom Day — when families start working for themselves and not the government.

Moreover, says the policy analysis group, all indications suggest Canadians are looking at a much later Tax Freedom Day in the future. The $233.5 billion budget deficits the federal and provincial governments are running this year are simply taxes deferred into the future, the group maintains.

Balanced Budget

To see how these deficits impact Tax Freedom Day, the Fraser Institute calculates the Balanced Budget Tax Freedom Day: the day of the year when the average Canadian would finally start working for themselves if all governments paid for all their spending with taxes collected this year.

In 2021, the Balanced Budget Tax Freedom Day won’t arrive until July 7. “Deficits are deferred taxes, so future generations of Canadians will have to pay significantly higher taxes for the unprecedented deficits governments across Canada are running,” said Fuss.

Quebec must rebuild restaurant and hospitality work force, says Francine Charbonneau

Martin C. Barry
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Quebec must rebuild restaurant and hospitality work force, says Francine Charbonneau

Liberal critic for vocational education agrees with Montreal C of C study findings

Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Francine Charbonneau, who is official opposition critic for vocational education in the PLQ shadow cabinet, is in agreement with the conclusions of a recent study by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal on rebuilding the restaurant and hospitality sectors following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reviving economy

Both believe the CAQ government needs to increase support for provincially-sponsored vocational education programs that train chefs, table servers, sommeliers and other high-end restaurant staff if this sector of the economy is to fully recover.

In a special report published last week on the state of restauranting in Quebec in the coming post-pandemic era, the Montreal C of C noted that the COVID-19 crisis, which brought massive restaurant closings since early last year, has also resulted in a drastic drop in enrollments at vocational educational institutions teaching cuisine and other skills crucial to the province’s restaurant and hospitality sectors.

Enrollment drops

According to the chamber, the total number of available personnel involved in professional kitchen work has dropped by 22 per cent since early last year, while enrollments at the Montreal-based Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (Quebec’s leading educational venue for providing secondary-level, college-level, university-level and continuing education for the sector) are down by a full one-third.

Among other points the report makes to help revive the province’s higher-end restauranting sector, it suggests developing the culinary trades, and specifically the cooking trades, in partnership with vocational education institutions and schools.

The interest’s not there

“There’s been a loss of a lot of students,” Francine Charbonneau said in an interview with the Laval News. “First of all, nobody wants to go into hôtellerie right now because everything is closed. These schools teach cooking, learning to serve tables, winery. But students are not buying into the fact that these are jobs that can be learned and done, because everything is closed.”

At the same time, Charbonneau pointed out that for certain skills and professions, it’s impossible to teach them with distance-learning methods. “You have to be there with a teacher who teaches you how the methods and tools are used,” she said. “These are things that can’t be learned just by looking at a video feed. And that’s why these schools are closed now. These are hard times for everyone in this sector.”

Vocational training neglected

Despite the challenges, Charbonneau maintains that Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge seemed to have forgotten during the pandemic about the dire situation in the restaurant and hospitality sector. She maintains that the students’ needs went largely ignored, while vocational education teachers were kept largely in the dark about the protocols they needed to follow during the pandemic.

‘There’s been a loss of a lot of students,’ says Charbonneau, noting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vocational and skilled training institutions

“The minister just forgot about them,” said Charbonneau, noting that while the education ministry devoted a lot of attention to the situation of students and staff in the grade school and secondary school sectors, vocational and skills education were largely ignored.

Serious worker shortage

“The minister just didn’t come forward on anything that had to do with adult or vocational training. So, while it’s been a bumpy road, we’ve had to push the minister a bit for answers on what he was going to do.”

Acknowledging that more recently Roberge appears to have wakened up to the challenges facing the restaurant/hostelry/vocational education sectors, Charbonneau said the province’s employment ministry is now facing the reality that there is a serious shortage of workers in key areas of the economy, including hairdressing and other positions requiring skills and training.

Keeping salaries competitive

However, another point she makes (which is also raised by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal in their report) is that even before the pandemic hit, salaries in several areas of the skilled trades haven’t kept up with other parts of the economy.

“The thinking of the Premier [François Legault] right now is that a job under $58,000 is not a good job,” Charbonneau said. “But if you’re a hairdresser, of if you’re serving in a restaurant, or you’re a cook, it’s not guaranteed that’s the salary you’re going to get.”

Under those circumstances, she suggested the government will still have a lot of work to do to make the restauranting, hospitality and other skilled work areas more able to attract potential workers in order to successfully rebuild Quebec’s post-COVID economy.

Laval News Volume 29-15

Costa Hovris
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Laval News Volume 29-15

The current issue of the Laval News volume 29-15 published May 26th, 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.
Front page of the Laval News, May https://lavalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TLN-29-15-WEB.pdf26th, 2021 issue.https://lavalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TLN-29-15-WEB.pdf

LPD seeks suspects in sales transaction gone wrong

Martin C. Barry
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LPD seeks suspects in sales transaction gone wrong

The Laval Police Department is asking for the public’s help to identify suspects wanted in connection with an armed robbery.

Around 1 :30 pm on April 3, the victim was on 10th St. in Laval-Ouest in order to sell a watch. During the transaction, the first suspect asked to see the watch, which the victim agreed to.

At that moment, the second suspect sprayed the victim with pepper spray. The suspects then fled with the watch and boarded a vehicle that was parked a short distance away.

Description of suspects

Suspect 1:

 Arabic male, around 20 years old

  • Spoke French
  • Height 1 metre 70 (5’ 5’’)
  • Was wearing a black tuque, a grey cotton pullover, dark pants

 Suspect 2:

 Arabic male, around 20 years old

  • Spoke French
  • Height 1 metre 68 (5’ 5’’)
  • Was wearing a black coat by Columbia, brown pants with Puma logo.

Vehicle description:

  • Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent 2015 white

Anyone who feels they have useful information can call the LPD’s Info-Line at 450 662-INFO (4636) or 911. The file number is LVL 210403-032.

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