The current issue of the Laval News volume 29-02 published January 27th, 2021.
Covering Laval local news, politics, sports and our new section Mature Life.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
Laval News Volume 29-02
Dead 7-year-old Chomedey girl’s mother released on $1,000 bail bond
The mother of 7-year-old Chomedey girl who suffered a gruesome death at home in early January was released on a $1,000 bail bond on Monday, with one condition of her freedom being that she not contact her other children.
The woman, who speaks the Afghani language Dari and required an interpreter during an appearance at the Laval courthouse, is charged with criminal negligence causing death.
While previous news reports said the girl had been the object of an intervention by Quebec’s child protection authority (DPJ), the DPJ was not alleging child abuse at that point.
However, according to a news report on Monday, the mother is currently also facing an assault charge against her daughter that dates back to last June.
The bail conditions, which were agreed upon by the defence and the prosecution, required, among other things, that the accused post a $1,000 bail bond and surrender her passport to court officials.
The conditions also require her to live at her current address on Le Boutillier St. in Chomedey.
She is also not allowed to communicate with certain people (including her other children), unless it becomes necessary to prepare her legal case with the assistance of a lawyer.
Her next court appearance has been scheduled for April 12. Neither the woman nor the victim can be identified because of a news publication ban currently in force.
COVID-19 outbreak at CHSLD Idola-St-Jean claims 10 lives
An outbreak of COVID-19 at CHSLD Idola-Saint-Jean has resulted in 10 deaths, with 70 residents and workers testing positive for the coronavirus.
The CISSS de Laval says no visits to the CHSLD on Cartier Blvd. in Pont-Viau are being allowed until Jan. 23, with the exception of visits to those in the last stages of dying.
CHSLD Idola-Saint-Jean had an outbreak of COVID-19 in September last year, although it was contained and there were relatively few serious casualties.
City says it’s ready for snowfall expected this weekend
With up to 20 centimetres of snow expected to fall this weekend, the City of Laval says its snow-clearing crews and equipment are ready for whatever nature throws at them.
According to the city, operations will be undertaken from the start of the snowfall with the spreading of abrasives on streets and sidewalks.
However, the city is reminding residents and private snow removal contractors that shovelling or moving snow out onto the street is forbidden.
The city offers the following advice to help facilitate snow removal operations:
- Park 30 centimetres (around a foot) from the edge of the sidewalk to diminish risk of being struck by the sidewalk plow;
- Shovel snow onto your own property rather than on the sidewalk;
- On garbage or recycling days, avoid leaving your bins on the sidewalk or roadway;
- Respect parking restrictions on signage warning of snow removal.
The progress of snow removal operations can followed online at neige.laval.ca.
Mother of dead 7-year-old Chomedey girl to make second court appearance Monday
The mother of 7-year-old Chomedey girl who died under apparently violent circumstances is expected to make a court appearance on Monday, after being arraigned and charged with criminal negligence causing death following her arrest last Friday.
According to published reports over the weekend, evidence gathered by the Laval Police Department suggests the alleged acts took place between Dec. 30 and Jan. 3.
Since a publication ban currently forbids revealing the identity of the victim, the identity of the accused also cannot be provided.
Emergency responders and police who were called to the home on Le Boutillier St. in Chomedey on Jan. 3 found the girl lifeless and her body already in rigor mortis.
Reports said the girl’s body appeared to show signs of severe abuse, including second-degree burns to 80 per cent of her body.
According to La Presse on Saturday, the LPD has the preliminary results of an autopsy, but is waiting for additional autopsy information before making a statement.
The Laval News takes a look back at 2020’s news in our ‘Year in Review’
Although the pandemic was last year’s biggest story, it wasn’t the only one
What is there to say about a year that was so dominated by a single issue – the COVID-19 pandemic? Except perhaps to remember that 2020 was also the first year of a new decade – leading some perhaps to wonder what the next nine years hold in store.
That being said, however, the coronavirus wasn’t, in fact, the only issue that made news in 2020. It only seems so because of the sheer magnitude and continuing impact of the pandemic. In our first issue of 2021, the Laval News is reviewing last year’s events.
January
Despite the turmoil lying just ahead, the year started with good news at the front of our Jan. 8 issue that featured coverage of the recent victory in the sport of synchronized skating by Les Pirouettes de Laval.
The renowned Pirouettes de Laval’s pre-juvenile contingent scored 19.66 in the first phase and 17.45 in the second to reach the top of the podium where they were adorned with gold. Numbering 16, these U-12 skaters danced and dazzled for three exhilarating minutes to rousing cheers of on-lookers.
The not-so-well-kept secrets of the team’s top-level performance? Imaginative choreography and symphonically-synchronized teamwork that convinced the judges that they were the best.
“The principles on which they were judged included transitions, interpretation, skating skills, difficulty of elements, and ultimate performance,” Luigi Massimo, whose two daughters train with Les Pirouettes at pre-juvenile level, stated to TLN.
Microchipping and ID tags for pets became mandatory in Laval at the beginning of last year. All dog and cat owners had to obtain a permit for every one of their pets and had to make sure that each one wore an ID tag. The city had already announced a fee reduction for all pet IDs. In fact, dog ID tags were now $20 instead of $27 and cat IDs were $10 instead of $15 including their collar tag.
In police and crime news, two people robbed and shot at a man in Laval on the evening of Monday December 30th, in what may have been an internet sales meetup gone wrong. Bystanders called police around 5 p.m. and said they heard shots fired near the corner of Ampere Ave. and de Royan St., near De la Concorde Metro station.
Officers rushed to the scene and found an uninjured man, Laval police said. The man had agreed to meet up with two people to finalize an internet sale and had purchased an item legally from them before the interaction turned hostile, police said. The two suspects shot at him at least once and stole his money, police added. Witnesses saw two people in their 20s fleeing the scene.
Plane noise from Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport prompted one citizens’ group to take action through an online app that monitors aircraft noise and forwards the gathered results to airport authorities to take action.
The app’s creator, Montréal-dB founder Bill Mavridis, claimed the ADM had been under-reporting airplane noise complaints since 2013. Based on the distribution of complaints by postal codes, potentially a total of 1,594,171 residents of the Montreal Metropolitan Community, including Laval, are affected by airplane noise, said Mavridis.
Once AÉROplainte is downloaded, anyone who wants to report a plane noise incident can activate the app and fill out a complaint form which is forwarded to the ADM’s automated online complaints system.
Quebec Immigration, Francization and Integration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette made a trip from Quebec City to Laval to announce that the CAQ government planned to spend more than $8.3 million to help improve the French language skills of immigrant workers in the Laval region.
“The addition of these new resources for the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration is good news for the Laval region,” said Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete who joined the minister and Laval city councillor Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier at Laval city hall for the announcement.
Federal Middle Class Prosperity Minister Mona Fortier, who was appointed to the Trudeau cabinet following the fall 2019 election, defended her dossier during a stop in Montreal that we covered in our Jan. 22 issue.
“The Prime Minister has asked me to look at how we can make sure that we have sound decisions on quality of life measures, affordability measures, to make sure that Canadians continue to grow the middle class,” she said in an interview.
On January 14, intelligent, articulate, and delightfully positive-minded Manon Ouellet was proudly celebrated by Laval Police Director Pierre Brochet, awarding her the city’s Medal of Merit for bringing justice and equity to a wide range of issues and having a profound impact on women in policing.
February
Our first issue in February brought the news that would impact everyone for the remainder of the year and beyond – the onset of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
On January 25, the Government of Ontario had reported the first case of 2019 nCoV in Canada. The case occurred in a person who had been in the city of Wuhan, China in the 14 days prior to becoming ill. Other provinces also began reporting cases and outbreaks.
Despite the pandemic and additional problems posed by drastic changes in the taxi industry, at least one Montreal-area taxi firm was weathering the turbulence.
As Taxi Champlain president George Boussios pointed out in an interview with the Laval News, the province’s new approach to managing the taxi sector opened it up to anyone willing to provide consumers with transportation services, the most notable examples being drivers for Uber and Lyft.
“Taxi companies may be able to survive if they just change the way they’ve been working over the last 40 years,” Boussios said. “Because now the market is open to anybody who has a car and just a regular license.”
Chomedey independent MNA Guy Ouellette told the Laval News he was waiting for the outcome of a police investigation before deciding whether to proceed with a lawsuit against Quebec for allowing him to be arrested by UPAC as a suspect allegedly involved in an information leak at the investigative agency.
In a controversial manoeuvre three years before to find the source of the suspected information leak, investigators with Quebec’s Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) used a cell phone text message to draw Ouellette to the residence of a leak suspect, where Ouellette ended up being arrested.
“We are waiting for the investigation by the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes,” said Ouellette. “We would have to go to court and launch a file against the government for civil damages.”
As the pandemic wasn’t yet fully underway, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation’s annual January Gala took place as usual and raised $26,270 to help fund additional educational resources at Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board schools and learning centres.
Held at the Embassy Plaza in Laval, the popular event featured a silent auction segment showcasing, among other things, a Montreal Canadiens jersey signed by Habs great Guy Lafleur, sports and rock and roll memorabilia, and many other items of art and jewelry.
The presence of two senior provincial government ministers for an announcement that the City of Laval was pushing forward to develop a large tract of land near the downtown core was a good sign Quebec was on board to see the project through, according to Mayor Marc Demers.
Carré Laval, as the area was called by Laval urban planners, is an almost perfectly square territory measuring approximately 4 million square feet – equal to 68 football fields. It is bounded in the east by the Laurentian autoroute, Daniel Johnson Blvd. to the west, Saint Martin Blvd. to the north and Souvenir Blvd. on the south side.
In the aftermath of news reports alleging three prominent Action Laval city councillors were in a perceived conflict of interest involving local real-estate dealings, Action Laval announced the departure from the party’s caucus of city councillors David De Cotis, Paolo Galati and Isabella Tassoni.
“I have nothing to hide,” De Cotis said in a phone interview with the Laval News, while noting that several e-mails from the city’s e-mail system that were leaked to the media didn’t contain any incriminating evidence or statements. The three were exonerated later in the year by provincial authorities who investigated the matter.
After a previous postponement of the City of Laval’s long-awaited Aquatic Complex project, officials with the municipality announced yet another delay: the cancellation of a contract with an architectural firm to produce the initial plans for the Aquatic Complex.
It was the second time Laval had postponed the project estimated by the city in late 2018 at $61 million. In the fall of 2018, the city also cancelled a call for bids when contractor applications came in 50 per cent higher than city estimates.
March
Officials with the City of Laval confirmed they had ratified a new collective agreement with the police force, which they said would lead to the improvement of services for citizens by allowing for better public security.
A restructuring of staff, creation of new policing units, construction of a new station in western Laval and a major increase in the number of patrol hours are just a few examples of new measures to be implemented following completion of the agreement.
In the runup to a leadership election by Liberal Party of Quebec members later in the year, the Laval News had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with one of the only contenders – former Drummondville mayor Alexandre Cusson.
“We have to put an end to the us and them outlook that is currently the practice of the Legault government,” Cusson said in an interview, alluding to the CAQ’s overall outlook as expressed in legislation such as Bill 21 banning religious symbols.
While Cusson’s leadership of the PLQ might have boosted the party’s support in rural areas of the province, he eventually withdrew his candidacy and Dominique Anglade became the Quebec Liberal Party’s leader.
An offer you can’t refuse, a Sicilian/Calabrian message, cement shoes, or minced meat in the butcher’s shop. One of Laval’s finest actors on big and small screens was an integral part of the latest crime saga that had scored big with movie fans of all ages.
Gritty or romantic, disturbingly silent or loaded with tough talk, the movie, Mafia Inc. was heavy on red sauce and made plenty of room for Montreal’s most notorious mobsters. Actor Domenic Di Rosa, strikingly embodied the rotten force of a fresh-faced gangster butcher. That’s probably why what should have been a simple act of murder ended up spiraling out of control.
Our second issue in March brought more news of the escalating crisis over COVID-19. “In 2020, we are facing a new crisis and a severe challenge to the health and well-being of individuals, their families, and to the community-at-large – COVID-19,” the Laval News’s co-publishers, George Bakoyannis and George Guzmas, said in a statement on the crisis on the front page of our March 18 issue. Most of the issue’s coverage was devoted to getting out the latest information on the pandemic.
In our coverage, the City of Laval announced the pandemic measures it was taking. The established three priorities: protecting the health and well-being of its employees; maintaining services for residents; and respecting measures to be implemented by the Public Health Directorate at the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced COVID-19 measures by the federal government. Among other things, Canada was barring entry to all travellers who were not Canadian citizens or permanent residents. “My top priority is the health and safety of all Canadians,” said Trudeau. “Our government is doing what it must to protect all Canadians, and to support workers and businesses.”
The Government of Quebec also took a number of measures to contain the spread, including, the adoption, on March 13, 2020, of an Order in Council declaring a health emergency throughout Quebec territory. The measures included voluntary isolation, as well as mandatory isolation. Our COVID-19 coverage in the Mar. 18 issued also included a long list of “myths” and inaccurate beliefs about COVID-19 compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO).
April
The cover of our April 1 issue was anything but an April Fool’s joke, as we announced the federal government’s initial $107 billion aid package to provide Canadian citizens and businesses with assistance and relief from the fallout of the pandemic.
On his return to Laval from Ottawa following the suspension of the House of Commons because of fears of infection by the coronavirus, Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury said he immediately self-isolated at home in order to protect members of his family.
“Due to the fact that I have to keep working, I isolated myself in my basement,” he said in an interview with The Laval News. “I have a large basement where I have a bedroom and I have my office. So when I need to eat or drink, my family brings it to me.”
With her offices closed in Ottawa as well as in Laval because of the COVID-19 virus restrictions, Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis said she was continuing to work from her Chomedey home, answering calls, e-mails and other messages from constituents as best as she can with staff support.
“This has all been quite trying for everybody,” Koutrakis said in an interview with The Laval News. She said that during this trying time, she was maintaining a distance from her 88-year-old father, but was not finding it easy.
In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the City of Laval’s executive-committee decided to postpone the date when residential property and business taxes would be due.
“While waiting for compensation measures that will be brought in by the government, residents who are affected by mandatory quarantines or the temporary closings of many businesses will be dealing with a loss of revenue,” said Mayor Marc Demers, explaining the move.
And the Société de transport de Laval also advised transit users that many of its buses had been re-scheduled in order to deal with the sudden drop in ridership brought about by fears of the pandemic.
The momentum of relief measures provided to deal with COVID-19 accelerated over the course of this month. In our April 15 issue, we provided up-to-date coverage of the federal government’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. Passage of the legislation, followed by scrutiny by the Senate and royal assent by the Governor General, cleared the way for $73 billion in additional assistance to companies, families and individuals across Canada whose livelihoods were seriously disrupted by COVID-19.
“Without reservation, without pause, we must fight for every inch of ground against this disease,” said Prime Minister Trudeau. “We must be there for one another as we spare no effort to safeguard our collective future.” Although the Conservative opposition still had issues with the way the wage subsidy would be implemented, they agreed to allow the legislation to be passed anyway so that the recovery could get underway.
In the same Laval News issue, the former chief of the Laval Police Department, whose wife had been recently transferred to CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée, suggested that management at the long-term care facility was incompetent, after his wife and many other residents became infected with the COVID-19 virus.
“She became infected soon after her arrival,” said Jean-Pierre Gariépy. “The transmission took place stage by stage, through an employee who was badly prepared and badly protected. The management clearly was lacking leadership. CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée would go on to have one of the highest COVID-19 mortality rates in Quebec last year and is currently undergoing an investigation.
In response to a request from the Quebec government, the Canadian Armed Forces’ Joint Task Force East (JTFE) dispatched medically-trained military personnel to the Montreal region in late April to assist at nearly a half-dozen long-term care residences struggling with COVID-19 – including a CHSLD in the Laval area.
Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) had identified long-term care centres (CHSLDs) as institutions requiring the most assistance. CHSLD Villa Val des Arbres on Saint-Martin Blvd. East in Laval was among the care centres selected for assistance. As if things weren’t bad enough with the pandemic, the City of Laval also had to keep an eye on the river waters surrounding Île Jésus, in case there was a recurrence of spring flooding as there had been in recent years. The city installed protective anti-flood barriers along certain streets near the waterfront, including streets in Laval-les-Îles, Souvenir-Labelle, L’Abord-à-Plouffe, Saint-François and l’Orée-des-Bois.
(To be continued in our next issue, January 27 2021.)
New bus times and service improvements on STL routes
New shared taxi route for Sainte-Dorothée and Laval-sur-le-Lac
The Société de transport de Laval (STL) winter schedule, which came into effect last week, contains numerous service improvements.
By adding more buses weekdays, during morning and afternoon rush hours, the STL says it is looking to offer a safe commuting experience adapted to the needs of the people of Laval.
As announced in the fall, the exo6 Deux-Montagnes train line ceased running on Jan. 4. To offset this stoppage in service, the STL has introduced two new bus routes: buses 730 and 744.
New bus routes
As a result, Sainte-Dorothée commuters who normally transit to the Côte-Vertu metro station will be able to take Bus 744, and users of the Roxboro-Pierrefonds and Sunnybroke train stations will be able to avail themselves of Bus 730.
The STL is also adding a new shared taxi route, T27, for the areas of Laval-sur-le-Lac and Rang Saint-Antoine. Meanwhile, Taxi T26’s route is being broadened to also cover Île Bigras weekdays. These shared taxi routes will operate on-call and will transport users to the bus platform of the Sainte-Dorothée train station, where users will be able to take the shuttle bus 498, operated by exo, to downtown Montréal.
Easier time checks
The STL says it is now even easier and faster for Laval residents to check bus times, thanks to the new STL website, revamped to adapt to both mobile and desktop devices. Also, the STL’s itinerary calculator has been upgraded to include an interactive map that now makes address, bus route, and bus stop-based searches possible across the STL network.
Commute times and itineraries are quickly and directly provided on the map, including any detour information that might apply and estimates of how crowded the bus will be. To view the new schedule, go to stlaval.ca. You can also find the complete list of REM-work-related mitigation measures undertaken by the STL at stlaval.ca/rem.
CISSS de Laval announces new hours and restrictions for COVID-19
Visitors not permitted, but caregivers are with some restrictions
The CISSS de Laval has announced adjustments to the usual hours for visiting its health and social services establishments in order to respect restrictions made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since Jan. 9 and until the provincial government lifts the curfew regulations now in place for 30 days, all access at CISSS institutions will end at 7:30 pm. As well, access by visitors will not be permitted until further notice.
Access restricted
However, the CISSS says caregivers who are providing significant help will be able to have access to public and private CHSLDs, to intermediate resources of more than 20 beds, and to private residences for seniors as long as access is by one person maximum per 24-hour period.
For Cité-de-la-Santé hospital and the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital, the CISSS says visits are temporarily limited.
Visitors and companions are not allowed for the time being, taking into account the alert currently underway, except for users admitted in palliative care and end of life where visits are permitted at all times with some conditions. However, caregiver visits will be permitted at the above two institutions, subject to prevailing visiting hours.
Suggested measures
The CISSS says it is counting on the cooperation of everyone to put into practice the prevention recommendations to stop the spread of COVID-19. These measures include hand sanitizing for at least 20 seconds when going in and when leaving establishments. The public is being asked to not visit any CISSS centres under the following conditions:
• If you have flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, breathing difficulties, muscle aches).
• If you are returning from a trip outside Canada in the last 14 days.
• If you have been in contact with a person returning from a trip or who was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Pandemic takes a toll on recreation services in Laval
City adjusts normally-scheduled activities to stop spread of COVID-19
Following the provincial government’s announcement of a 30-day curfew and other anti-COVID-19 measures, the City of Laval says it has made changes to services available to residents.
The city says the measures, which will be in effect until Feb. 8, are being taken to help brake the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to protect its workers and Laval’s overall population.
Here is a list of locations and services affected by the new measures:
| Arenas: free-skate activities and stick hockey | Suspended. |
| Pools: free-swim activities | Suspended. |
| Outdoor skating rinks | In view of the 8 pm curfew, supervision will be ending at 7 :30 pm. Authorized free-skate: 25-person max. per rink. Practice individually or in family bubbles. Two-metre distancing at all times. No scrimmage hockey (nets are withdrawn). For Bleu Blanc Bouge rink at Émile Park: online registration mandatory for free-skate. Note that park chalets are not open, except for use of toilets (face mask mandatory). Benches are available outside to put on skates. |
| Centre de la nature : reservations mandatory | Because of the 6 pm curfew, free-skate ends at 7 pm. Park closes completely at 7 :30 pm. Reservations mandatory for sledding, skating and cross-country skiing (in force all winter). Practice individually or in family bubbles only. Two-meter distancing at all times. No scrimmage hockey allowed. Skating rink: stick hockey in family bubbles only reservation mandatory). Closes at 6 :30 pm. Note that park chalets are not open, except for use of toilets (face mask mandatory). Benches are available outside to put on skates. |
| Libraries | Modified open hours: From 9 am to 7 :30 weekdays* From 9 am to 5 pm Saturdays and Sundays Access to borrowing counters only; returns through return chutes. * Note: 5 of the 9 libraries will be closed Mondays. |
Online reservations for activities at the Centre de la nature and the Bleu Blanc Bouge rink can be made at inscriptions.laval.ca
Executive committee approves $409,713 expense for outdoor sculptures
During their Jan. 6 public meeting, members of the City of Laval’s executive-committee made decisions to improve the availability of visual art in Laval, as well to improve outdoor sports on the territory.
Theme sculptures
As part of a plan to embellish the city with greenery and foliage, five three-dimensional mosaic-type structures will be erected in various areas of Laval beginning in the spring.
According to the city, residents will thus be able to admire the structures, which include a wheel, an eye, a leaf, a hand and a heart. The inspiration came from the five themes that are part of the City of Laval’s strategic vision 2035: Urban by nature.
Heart homage
The heart sculpture will be placed back in front of the Cité-de-la-Santé hospital. It may be remembered that the heart had been installed in that location last spring in order to pay homage to the essential services workers for their exceptional work around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city says the purpose of the sculptures is to underscore events or locations judged to be significant to Laval residents. As such, the executive-committee decided to award a contract worth more than $409,713 for three years to Ferme d’Auteuil.
Ski club giveaway
In another decision, the executive-committee gave the go-ahead to the city’s supply services division to give away 60 old and worn-out outdoor skating rink panel boards to the Coureur des boisés cross-country ski club.
The wooden panels will be used by the club to repair portions of the ski trails which are located in various forested green spaces in Laval.
Every year, the city gives away worn-out skating rink panels to a selected local organization. The panels would otherwise go to waste as they would be thrown out, says the city.
Committee members The City of Laval’s executive-committee meets each week to make decisions on a variety of issues. The executive-committee includes the following people: Mayor Marc Demers, vice-president Stéphane Boyer (also councillor for Duvernay–Pont-Viau) councillors Sandra Desmeules (Concorde–Bois-de-Boulogne), Ray Khalil (Sainte-Dorothée), Virginie Dufour (Sainte-Rose) and associate members Nicholas Borne (Laval-les-Îles) and Yannick Langlois (L’Orée-des-Bois).
Ottawa counting on women for COVID-19 economic recovery
Vimy MP Koutrakis joins Small Business Minister Mary Ng for online discussion
What role will women entrepreneurs be playing in the revival of the Canadian economy when the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over?
That was the big question raised during a webcast discussion last month between federal Minister for Small Business Mary Ng, Vimy MP Annie Koutrakis and a dozen women entrepreneurs from Laval and other cities, on advancing women’s economic empowerment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women impacted
“We are all aware of the disproportional impact that the pandemic has had on women across the country,” said Koutrakis, noting that a large proportion of Canada’s population of women work in sectors of the economy that have been most affected.
At the same time, she pointed out that many women have been forced by work obligations during the pandemic to make difficult choices, such as choosing between a career or temporarily putting aside responsibilities towards children and family.
“In the end, this pandemic has exposed the systemic obstacles with which women who are business owners are confronted daily – obstacles that we must make efforts to overcome,” added Koutrakis.
Help from Ottawa
For her part, Minister Ng highlighted the government’s commitment to helping women grow their businesses and access new markets through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, a nearly $5-billion initiative that provides women with access to financing, expertise and networks.
“I often like to say that, you know, my job is to help companies start up, scale up and to enter the market,” she said, while adding that her department offers businesses operated by women tools, such as the services of trade commissioners, in 160 locations around the world.
Pandemic relief
“Everything we committed to doing was to make sure that Canadians ultimately are supported through this pandemic, making sure that Canadians didn’t have to worry about a roof over their head or food on the table, and making sure that our smallest of businesses had their voices heard through me and my department and our government,” Minister Ng said.
She cited some disquieting statistics. While only 16 per cent of Canada’s businesses are owned or led by women, and only 11 per cent of these are exporting into the international market, she maintained that $150 billion could be added to the country’s economy just by including more women.
Up against web giants
One of the women entrepreneurs who took part in the web gathering asked Minister Ng what the government can do to help her web retail business compete with online behemoths like Amazon. “What support is available to companies transitioning to online business models for the first time?” she asked.
‘This pandemic has exposed the systemic obstacles with which women who are business owners are confronted daily,’ said Vimy MP Annie Koutrakis
Ng suggested that a big part of the solution will involve improving the prospects for consumers to shop locally. “I think in the short term, as businesses get digitized and develop more of the digital presence, one of the things that we are doing right now is to be sure that we are promoting a strong local initiative,” she said.
Up with local, said Ng
“I think that we all need to ensure that we are promoting that. I think that we all need to ensure that our chambers and the business improvement associations are promoting shopping local.” In addition, Ng said the federal government has been actively working with the Ottawa-based multinational e-commerce company Shopify to create a central resource hub as an incentive for Canadian entrepreneurs to get online. However, she continued, “there is more work to be done” to ensure women-led businesses have the necessary tools to succeed.
