The current issue of the Laval News volume 29-05 published March 10th, 2021.
Covering Laval local news, politics, sports and our new section Mature Life.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
Laval News Volume 29-05
Mass vaccination centres open in Laval starting Thursday Feb. 25
The Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval says it will begin COVID-19 vaccination of Laval residents aged 85 and over (born in or before 1936) on Thursday Feb. 25.
In anticipation of this massive operation, several centres are becoming operational over the coming days to maximize vaccination options.
The CISSS says that for an appointment to receive the vaccine, you should visit Québec.ca/vaccinCOVID starting on February 25, 2021 at 8:00 a.m.
The CISSS says this is the fastest method. If you are unable to book your appointment online or if you are experiencing difficulties, ask a friend or family member for help, or call 1 877 644-4545.
A person accompanying a resident who is 85 years old and over can also receive the vaccine if he or she meets the criteria set by the government:
- 70 years old and over;
- Providing support at least 3 days a week to their loved one who is 85 years old and over;
- only one person accompanying someone 85 years old and over can get vaccinated.
Location of vaccination centres:
To ensure accessibility for Laval residents, vaccination will take place in shopping centres. They are as follows:
- In the west, the Méga Centre Notre-Dame, off Autoroute 13;
- In the centre, Quartier Laval, near place Bell and Cégep Montmorency;
- In the east, SmartCentres Laval Est, at the corner of Papineau Autoroute and the 440.
Outplay prostate cancer during Procure’s ‘Hockey Nights’
Help raise money to combat prostate cancer in men
Missing your regular hockey games with your favourite team? Is your sense of competitiveness itching for a new challenge? Like many people, cancer isn’t on the ice either. When the world went on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, the relentless disease continued to progress.
From now until March 1, you can participate in the second edition of PROCURE’s ‘Hockey Nights’ and get the chance to bring your team to play a game at the Bell Center in the presence of this year’s Honorary President Dany Dubé, a well-known play-by-play announcer among Quebec’s French-language radio listeners.
Financing research
PROCURE is a Montreal-based charitable organization engaged in the fight against prostate cancer. It educates, supports, and informs people affected by this disease. It promotes and contributes to the financing of scientific and medical research.
‘We were all very impacted by what happened to Jean Pagé,’ says play-by-play radio announcer Dany Dubé
Last year, amateur hockey enthusiasts were invited to dedicate a match from their regular playing schedule to efforts being made to combat prostate cancer. This year, since no one is able to get onto the ice because of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporters are being encouraged to raise funds for the cause. Up to now, 26 teams and leagues have signed up.
Common in men
Prostate cancer is a disease that usually progresses quite slowly and is completely curable when detected at an early stage. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. In the majority of cases, and in the absence of spread elsewhere in the body (metastases), the survival rate is excellent. Hence the importance of screening for middle-aged men. In Quebec, twelve men are diagnosed daily.
How can you help in the current campaign? Encourage your loved ones to support men with prostate cancer and their families by donating or by buying the La Soirée Hockey PROCURE box, containing hockey essentials for only $99 (Real value: $155).
Remembering Jean Pagé
The participant (individual, team or league) that raises the most funds will win the Jean-Pagé Cup, Jean Pagé being the inspiration behind Les Soirées du Hockey PROCURE. Pagé, who did the play-by-play for the Soirée du Hockey on Radio-Canada for many years, died from prostate cancer in December 2019 more than 20 years after he was first diagnosed.
“We were all very impacted by what happened to Jean Pagé,” Dany Dubé said in an interview with the Laval News. “Prostate cancer is a disease that affects a lot of men in Quebec. And I think it’s important for we who are involved in the field of sports to raise awareness of the cause. Men’s health is important and needs to be talked about and shouldn’t be concealed. I support this cause and I do it in the best way I can.”
How you can help
GET INVOLVED IN 3 STEPS
- Register for free as a participant here: https://lsh.procure.ca/en/register.
- After registration, you can decide to take up the challenge alone or as a team. Simply open your profile to CREATE or JOIN an existing team.
- Raise funds.
- As soon as your registration is complete, rally hockey fans around you and suggest they make a donation or buy the LSH PROCURE box, intended for hockey players who want to make a real difference (Price: 99$ – Real value: 155$).
3- Pass the puck on social media. Share your engagment and your hockey memories on social media with the #LSHPROCURE.
Keep remembering that everyday the health of 12 Quebecers is put into play. That’s the equivalent of two teams on the ice.
Cinémas Guzzo owner refuses Legault’s compensation offer
Theatre chain won’t reopen Feb. 26, citing lost snack stand revenues
In spite of a pledge by Quebec Premier François Legault to compensate movie theatre owners for revenue lost after not being allowed to sell snacks when theatres reopen in pandemic red zones on Feb. 26, Cinémas Guzzo owner Vince Guzzo is turning down the offer, saying it’s not worth the trouble.
Film theatres in Quebec have been closed since earlier this year when the provincial government decided to reimpose wide-ranging measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including an 8 pm – 5 am curfew.
Looming March break
The lifting of the closings comes as the province heads towards the annual March school break, when parents seek ways to keep their children busy. One of the rules at reopened theatres will be that film-goers must wear masks at all times during screenings.
Last week, Legault insisted the government has no intention of allowing snack food sales when theatres reopen ahead of the March break. In the meantime, despite the reopenings, the province’s curfew in the Montreal region will remain in place.
“I can understand that a part of the profits for the movie theatres is coming from popcorn,” Legault told journalists last week. “So, we want to open movie theatres for the school break, the March break, for the children, and Mr. Guzzo said that he doesn’t want to open movie theatres, and he has many in Quebec, if we don’t permit him to sell popcorn.”
‘Not a good idea’
Legault said that public health officials have been telling the government that opening restaurants everywhere would not be a good idea, so selling food in theatres should follow the same logic. “If you want people to keep the mask during all the movie, of course, you cannot sell popcorn,” he said.
‘I will not be reopening. I will be waiting for the food restrictions to be removed’
Vince Guzzo, who heads up the largest privately-owned chain of movie theatres in Quebec, has been known over the years, long before the pandemic struck, for stating that film venues rely on the sale of popcorn and snacks for half their revenue.
Possible legal action
“It’s not what I asked for,” Guzzo said in an interview regarding Legault’s offer, noting that it was the theatre-owners’ association that expressed satisfaction with the province’s decision to compensate for the loss of snack food sales.
While Guzzo served as president of the association up to ten months ago, he said he is no longer even a member. “Somebody else asked for money,” he said. “I just want the right to sell my product and offer my service.”
He said he is considering taking legal action against the province, but is waiting until the damage can be fully assessed. “We’ve always seriously considered it on a damage level,” he said. “You have three years after your damage to claim for it. So, damage is ongoing because they’re still not allowing us to reopen adequately.
End restrictions, he says
“He [Legault] wants to compensate – I means it’s his right to – but ultimately [reopening] is all that I want,” he added.
Guzzo was adamant that, given the current conditions offered by the province, Cinémas Guzzo would not be reopening on the date proclaimed by Quebec.
“I will not be reopening. I will be waiting for the food restrictions to be removed,” he said. “There is one restriction they’ve got to remove,” he added, “which is the restriction forbidding us from selling food and drink to be consumed on the premises.”
War Amps launches 2021 Key Tag Service campaign
CHAMP program has helped Laval student Philippe Monette
As many Laval residents who check their mail regularly may realize by now, the War Amps began its 2021 key tag mailing campaign to Laval residents last week with the theme “You Are a Part of What We Do.”
The start of the 2021 campaign marks the 75th anniversary of the Association’s Key Tag Service, and they are paying tribute to the public for helping make it a success.
While launching this year’s campaign, the War Amps pointed out that it remains committed to making a difference in the lives of amputees like Philippe Monette, 19, of Laval.
Philippe is a right arm amputee and a member of The War Amps Child Amputee (CHAMP) Program, which provides young amputees with financial assistance for artificial limbs and recreational devices, peer support and regional CHAMP seminars.
Computer student
While some CHAMP program members lost limbs through accidental causes, Philippe was born without a right hand because of a congenital defect that prevented the hand from growing normally. He is currently pursuing studies in computer technology at Collège Montmorency in Laval.
‘I encourage everyone from Laval and from other areas to subscribe to the Key Tag Service’
“I encourage everyone from Laval and from other areas to subscribe to the Key Tag Service,” he said, noting that he uses the tags himself, and that he has benefited from the many services the War Amps provides to CHAMP program members.
The Key Tag Service was launched in 1946 so that returning war amputee veterans could not only work for competitive wages, but also provide a service to Canadians that would generate funds for the association’s many programs, including CHAMP.
The Key Tag Service
The Key Tag Service continues to employ amputees and people with disabilities and has returned more than 1.5 million sets of lost keys to their owners. Each key tag has a confidentially coded number.
If you lose your keys, the finder can call the toll-free number on the back of the tag or place them in any mailbox in Canada, and The War Amps will return them to you by courier, free of charge.
The War Amps receives no government grants and its programs are possible through public support through the Key Tag and Address Label Service. For more information, or to order key tags, visit waramps.ca or call 514-398-0759.
Nicolas Macrozonaris running for council seat in Saint-Martin
Former Olympic sprinter makes a second attempt to enter Laval city politics
If there is an ironic lesson to be learned from municipal politics in the City of Laval in recent years, it is perhaps that finishing first in track and field and making it to the Olympics doesn’t guarantee by any means you’ll be elected to Laval city council.
No less than two former Canadian track and field short-distance “sprint” champions who competed at the Olympics have tried, with much less success, to prevail at what you might think would be the easier task of winning a seat on Laval council.
In November 2019, Canadian sprinter Bruny Surin tried to win a seat for Mayor Marc Demers’ Mouvement lavallois during a by-election in the district of Marc-Aurèle Fortin. In the end, he finished in second place after being jilted by voters who chose Parti Laval leader Michel Trottier instead.
Running in Saint-Martin
Two years before that, in the 2017 general election, another one-time Olympic sprinter, Nicolas Macrozonaris, ran for the opposition Action Laval party in the district of Sainte-Dorothée. For all his efforts, he finished third, well behind the incumbent winner, the Mouvement lavallois’s Virginie Dufour, who sits on the executive-committee today.
‘I knew immediately on the night of the election that in four years I was going to try again,’ says Macrozonaris
For the 2021 election in early November, Macrozonaris is back as an Action Laval candidate, although this time in the district of Saint-Martin. There, he’ll be competing against incumbent Mouvement lavallois councillor Aline Dib as well as others who are almost certain to enter the race.
Since officially retiring as a track and field athlete more than a decade ago, Macrozonaris has enjoyed a fair degree of success while operating a training academy and track club for aspiring Olympic sprinters and running athletes.
Developed winning athletes
“Right now, we have three national champions, which is extremely rare in this domain,” he said in an interview with the Laval News. “And it’s been an amazing thing for me to be able to develop these athletes. We’ve had incredible results with them and I am super proud of my athletes.”
Politically, Macrozonaris attributes his weak performance in the 2017 election to his being given too little time to prepare for that year’s voting day. “They asked me about 40 days before the election,” he said.
However, he suggested that he is much better prepared now and feels the same sense of determination to win that helped him at track and field events in the past. As well, he has eight months to get ready this time around.
“I truly did love the experience of running in 2017,” said Macrozonaris. “I enjoyed talking to and meeting people. I really felt like I was in my element. And although I was obviously disappointed that it didn’t work out my way, I knew immediately on the night of the election that in four years I was going to try again.”
Pledges sports complex
Heading up a list of current needs in Laval that Macrozonaris says he would work diligently to fulfill would be the construction of a comprehensive multi-purpose indoor sport centre, not unlike the Claude-Robillard Centre in Montreal, where athletes in a range of multidisciplinary sports often go to train.
The centre in Laval would complement the growing list of sport-oriented facilities that have been built or are on the verge of being built in Laval, including Place Bell and the future aquatic centre. “This is something that already exists in many cities, but we don’t have anything like this yet in Laval,” said Macrozonaris, noting that even the Borough of Saint-Laurent in Montreal has its own multi-purpose indoor sport facility.
Would help the economy
“So, I think Laval needs one of these where different sports could take place and we could continue to produce great athletes,” he continued, while adding that sports activities as diverse as basketball, gymnastics, martial arts, or simply walking and running, could take place under one roof year around without concerns about inclement weather.
While the City of Laval outfitted a special outdoor track and field facility at the Parc-école de l’Odyssée-des-Jeunes in Auteuil/Vimont for the Jeux du Québec, Macrozonaris said that having an indoor facility would attract a lot of national and international sporting events, which in turn would stimulate the local economy.
While saying that the fundamental needs of residents of Saint-Martin are also among his priorities, Macrozonaris added that he feels many people living in Laval would agree it’s time the city got its own indoor sports complex.
Two words from Newsfirst columnist Robert Vairo: ‘Private Enterprise’
I’m hearing and reading a lot about Canada getting more vaccines by the end of each coming week, 500 thousand from India, and Pfizer now says 4 million by the end of March.
There’s also that repetitive point, “by September, vaccines will have been administered to everyone who wants to be vaccinated”-Justin Trudeau. That would mean close to two million vaccines into the arms of Canadians every week. Who is he kidding? This is the end of February and we have only received under 2 million for a nation of 38 million. And with no real system of distribution, and confusing priorities of order set by different provinces, he expects to get this done by then? 70% of Canadians don’t believe him. (National Post) And friend Joe Biden? Forget about it. Biden has kept Trump’s order of no vaccine exports, not even to his good buddy Justin.
What we are not hearing is the manner and method we are going to apply to get these vaccines as swiftly as possible into the arms of Canadians, once they arrive on Canadian soil. Justin Trudeau is quick to defend his so far failing mark by saying “we are working with the provinces to coordinate blah blah…” The leader of the NDP talks about getting “everybody involved like retired nurses and doctors and anyone able”, and licensed to inoculate. Wait a minute!
Should Canadians once again trust our politicians? They have already bungled our vaccination procurement. As of the weekend, Canada ranked “40th in the world on a per-capita basis” of vaccines received today. 40th! That’s behind most industrialized nations and some less developed countries. And now we want to leave the rest of the vaccination schedule, administration, and logistics to these same politicians? I don’t think so. Is there a better way? Absolutely. Two words.
Private enterprise. Why leave a vital and vibrant private sector out of this emergency. They could offer a phenomenal benefit with their experience and expertise. If “everybody” should be involved, then bring in the Costco’s, Walmart’s, drive through restaurants, pharmacies, corporations that own and operate casinos, arenas, and stadiums. Not only do they have acres of parking space and buildings that would provide health professionals the quickest and most efficient way to administer vaccines, but who can best organize, coordinate, focus on clients, (in this case those inoculated), provide excellent management teams, retain good employee talent. They are able to keep detailed records, adjust and innovate for better productivity, even adapt new technology. Unlike inexperienced and rookie politicians during this pandemic, who improvise with no predetermined plan, corporations do this every single day. And they are very successful at it.
I have not heard one politician speak about harnessing talent, know how, and experience from the corporate sector to help out. Have they been approached? Why not? Let’s do it then.
Some U.S. states are working with the private sector. How do you think Israel became leader in per capita vaccinations? Round the clock drive throughs and pharmacies have led to most over 60 vaccinated.
“It tastes awful, but it works”. You recognize Buckley’s tag line, popular since the 80’s. And it’s applicable to our lock downs and curfews. They taste awful but they are apparently working.
Quebec cases have dropped to around 900 after several weeks of the curfew, best since November and hospitalizations are fewer too. Good behavior has to be another reason. I even see people wearing their masks outdoors. Aside from being cautious, it does admittedly keep the face warm in these frigid temperatures.
But, there is a ‘but’. Our progress is being threatened by a potential third wave, brought on by variants. And even Pfizer admits its vaccine may not be nearly as effective, especially against the south African variant. In the end, yes, the pandemic will end at some point, but likely not this endemic virus.
I can’t leave just yet without mentioning another major gaff. Our liberal government still has not learned its lesson. With the two Michaels still in jail, the continued abuse and bullying by China, our government has signed another deal with this regime. According to the Globe and Mail “Chinese police own a company that collects details of people applying for visas to Canada”, through Canada’s visa center in Beijing. Are you kidding me? What is going on? Fix this, immediately, please.
And a tip of the hat to 80-year-old Dr Anthony Fauci, who won a top international prize for “his exceptional work with infectious diseases over his life”. Congrats Doc.
That’s what I’m thinking.
Robert Vairo
Ottawa invests in Laval’s metal products sector
Custom Diamond International receives $350,000 for expansion
Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis has announced a $350,000 repayable grant to Custom Diamond International, a Laval-based company specialized in the manufacture of stainless-steel cabinets and containers for restaurants, as well as medical and laboratory-based industries.
Koutrakis made the announcement last week on behalf of Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages Mélanie Joly.
In Laval since 1997
Established in Laval in 1997, Custom Diamond International (CDI) is part of the family-owned Diamond Group, which has been one of North America’s main manufacturers of restaurant industry stainless-steel containers for more than 85 years.
In more recent years, CDI also began designing, manufacturing and supplying displays, medical and laboratory equipment, as well as custom stainless-steel products for the retail sector.
In Laval, the metal products industry includes a number of dynamic businesses with innovative ideas whose work is adding to the region’s reputation across the country. Challenged by the economic realities created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government says these and other SMEs are now poised to rebound.
Economic recovery
“The government of Canada recognizes the need to intervene based on the strengths and assets present in each region,” Koutrakis said in a statement announcing the subsidy to CDI. “As such, CED’s support for Custom Diamond International will enable Laval to position itself at an advantage to participate in the coming recovery.”
‘CED’s support for Custom Diamond International will enable Laval to position itself at an advantage to participate in the coming recovery,’ says Koutrakis
“The Government of Canada has a mission to accompany the country’s businesses and regions into tomorrow’s economy and to help them seize the business opportunities that will arise,” said Joly, who is also the minister responsible for the six regional development agencies (RDAs), including CED.
“That is why we are providing our support to the specific assets of Quebec’s different regions, such as here in Laval. They will be essential elements in ensuring an inclusive recovery and in creating good jobs in all of our communities.”
New machinery
According to the government, the repayable loan will allow Custom Diamond International to acquire and install new machinery and manufacturing equipment, including three CNC production machines with a generator to complete more complex tasks more quickly.
The government says CDI’s project, aimed at enhancing business productivity, will lead to the creation of 20 jobs. With its 12 regional business offices, Canada Economic Development has a mandate to accompany businesses, while supporting organizations in all regions across Quebec to help the growth of their economies.
The subsidy to Custom Diamond International was granted under CED’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program, which aims to support the development of Quebec SMEs.
City of Laval says it has improved snow removal – but not everyone agrees
Ex-ML councillor Ray Adams not totally happy with administration’s snow cleanup record
If anybody is in a position to understand snow removal problems in Laval, says former city councillor Raynald Adams, it ought to be him.
During the four years he served the residents of the district of Renaud, he says, he came to understand why poor snow removal was such a sore point for so many people, leading to complaints year after year.
Ex-ML critical of the party
What makes Adams’ criticism of the city’s current snow removal efficiency claims all the more scathing is that the party he sat with was the Mouvement lavallois – the administration, in other words – which is currently taking great pride in the vast improvements it claims to have made to snow removal service in Laval over the past two years.
In an interview with the Laval News, Adams maintained it’s not so much the council administration he has a problem with, but rather the public works department. “Even when I was the elected representative, I’d call them up and they’d just look at me and say that’s the best we can do,” he said.
Hazard for school kids
Adams’ particular snow removal issue involves sidewalks on his street, Hector Charland Ave. in Renaud. (Poor sidewalk snow and ice removal was also reported by a Chomedey resident who contacted the Laval News.) A U-shaped crescent, Hector Charland leads at both ends towards École Simon-Vanier on Dumouchel Ave.
According to Adams, the uncleared sidewalks force children heading to and from school each day to walk in the middle of the street, where inevitably they encounter motor vehicle traffic and danger.
‘There is a disconnect that was there even when I was a councillor‘
It’s a recipe for disaster, he says, and a problem that could be fixed if not for what he claims is a breakdown in communications between district councillors and the public works department. “It’s an issue I raised as a councillor, and they have just never followed up on it,” he said. “There is a disconnect that was there even when I was a councillor.”
A ‘disconnect,’ claims Adams
He blames at least part of the disconnect on the relationship between the administration and the unionized blue- collar workers. Adams said that even though he sat on the executive-committee, “I could not call public works. I was supposed to go through the general manager’s office. It could not be done directly.”
He said that even the city councillor who replaced him, Aram Elagoz (who is also with the Mouvement lavallois), “is not in a position to call public works.” In an interview with the Laval News, Councillor Elagoz acknowledged that he heard recently from Adams about the Hector Charland Ave. snow removal problem, and pledged to do something about it.
At the same time, Elagoz confirmed Adams’ claim about a disconnect between council and public works. “This is a reality,” he said, maintaining that the Mouvement lavallois implemented new safeguards, after the former Vaillancourt administration was ousted, in order to create a more formal chain of command to the public works department.
Complaint from Chomedey
From Chomedey, the Laval News received the following message via our Facebook Messenger interface recently. “If only Laval would clean its sidewalks,” said the missive, written by a retired, long-time Chomedey resident.
“When we go out for our 3 km. walk, I should be walking on the sidewalk in Chomedey. But no, it’s either not cleaned of snow or left in a state of ice with no salt applied where I could fall and break a leg etc. If I walk on the boulevard instead, I could easily get hit by a vehicle and maybe killed. Lastly, being 80 if the above two don’t get me, COVID-19 could.
“In the sector west of Curé Labelle up to 100th Ave., north of St. Martin to Boulevard Cléroux, I find it very dangerous to go for a walk during the winter,” he continued, adding that the following streets with sidewalks on Boulevard Cléroux, Rue Légaré, Rue Favreau and 100th Ave. “are very dangerous” and “either the sidewalks are not properly cleaned of snow, ice has formed, [or] no salt has been applied and/or no aggregate.”
Much improved, says Khalil
As the executive-committee member responsible for public works, Sainte-Dorothée city councillor Ray Khalil has the unenviable task of dealing with snow removal (and the numerous complaints it brings) every winter. Still, he maintains, two years after he was appointed to get the city’s snow removal act together, things have improved, and he has dozens of positive remarks and e-mails from residents to prove it, he says.
“Most councillors, if not all, have received a lot less complaints, and for the first time I’ve received over 20 thank you e-mails,” said Khalil, noting that he can back up the better snow removal claims with more than just testimonials.
“One of the main things I look at is the speed at which everything is removed with each snowfall,” he said. “In previous years there’s been snow storms where it’s taken us weeks to get the work done. Whereas now, almost everything gets done within a week. We’ve managed to cut the time by an important amount.”
Khalil defends city
Regarding the snowed-in sidewalks on Hector Charland Ave., Khalil said he was aware of the complaint, but insisted the sidewalks were cleared within 24 hours after the end of that particular snowfall, which he called “a reasonable delay.” Regarding the streets in Chomedey about which there were also complaints, Khalil said he was surprised, as the city’s snow removal crews had been paying particular attention to them this winter.
Regarding the alleged communication breakdown between public works and local councillors, Khalil said the system now in place requires residents with snow removal complaints to call 3-1-1 before anything else can happen. “The reason for that is that we don’t want any questions coming up about anyone playing favourites just because you’ve called your councillor and expect your street to be done first,” he said. “We want to normalize things so that it’s fair to everybody. If you see a problem, call 3-1-1. Then if it’s not resolved, call your councillor and we will get involved to try and fix the situation.”
Laval News Volume 29-04
The current issue of the Laval News volume 29-04 published February 24th, 2021.
Covering Laval local news, politics, sports and our new section Mature Life.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
