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Filmmakers score more awards with their latest – Night Shift

Martin C. Barry
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Filmmakers score more awards with their latest – Night Shift

Ten-minute short stars Laval comedian/actor Massimo Cannistraro

The filmmaking duo of David Magini and Joe Rossi, with support from Laval-raised comedian/actor Massimo Cannistraro and up-and-coming screenwriter Anthony Calabrese, have managed to produce another award-winning feature film short, adding to their growing list of accomplishments on the Canadian film scene.

The team’s latest effort, Night Shift, a nearly 10-minute dramatic film shot in Montreal and Laval, was recently nominated for a few awards at two Toronto movie fests – the Couch Film Festival and the Alternative Film Festival (ALTFF).

Things go wrong

A still from Lonely Path Films’ latest effort, Night Shift, which was filmed in Laval and Montreal.

Night Shift is a gritty little movie about a mafia “clean up” specialist, who is also an ex-Canadian Forces soldier. His life is turned upside down when an impersonal contract killing he agrees to undertake inadvertently overlaps with personal circumstances.

In the lead role is Cannistraro. Rossi and Magini are both originally from Laval, and Calabrese works here. Others who made significant contributrions to the film were Julie Barbeau, Dale Hayes, Tony Calabretta, Anita Maiezza and Guido Grasso. Calabrese wrote the script with Joe Rossi, and making the film was an overall collaborative effort involving everyone.

Packs a lot of punch

Despite Night Shift’s abbreviated length, the film manages to pack enough energy to make quite an emotional statement. If the level of violence might seem to some viewers somewhat extreme, that could be attributed, at least partly, to Calabrese’s stylistic fondness for 1970s-era “vengeance” films like Death Wish starring Charles Bronson.

In that line of films, the main character (usually Bronson) gets violent revenge on criminals and thugs who’ve seriously wronged him or his loved ones. “One of my favourite actors is Charles Bronson, and I’ve always liked revenge stories,” said Calabrese.

The path to success

Calabrese is the founder of Lonely Path Films, which produced Night Shift and several previous film projects. Released in 2018, The Engagement, a 15-minute dramatic short, won an audience appreciation award, as well as a best actress award, at the Let’s Make a Movie Film Festival at the Cinéma du Parc in Montreal.

Thespian, released last year, has been shown and promoted, as have the other films, on the Canadian short film festival circuit where it also has done well. “It’s really a team effort,” Calabrese added regarding the fundamental principles that continue to guide Lonely Path Films on its way to bigger successes.

Table régionale de concertation des aînés marked International Day of Older Persons

Martin C. Barry
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Table régionale de concertation des aînés marked International Day of Older Persons

Most events had to be held ‘virtually,’ because of resurgence of COVID-19

Despite certain limitations caused by mandatory safety measures against the spread of COVID-19, the Table régionale de concertation des aînés managed to observe International Day of Older Persons on Oct. 1 all the same.

TRCAL’s services continue

According to TRCAL executive-director Carole St-Denis, most of this year’s planned activities were done “virtually” through web conferences or presentations, while others had to be cancelled at the last minute. This happened on Oct. 1 after the Laval region was declared a “red” zone to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

“During this difficult period, it is important for our seniors to know that many services are available to them and they can have access to a great deal of information by telephone, e-mail or videoconferencing,” St-Denis said.

A useful website

“One needs only think of meals-on-wheels that serve the entire territory of Laval, or the friendship calls, or the free assistance service for filing complaints (CAAP),” she continued, noting that a list of member organizations with descriptions of their services and contact coordinates can be found on the TRCAL website.

According to St-Denis, the Table régionale de concertation des aînés’s Facebook page also provides regularly updated information on all the conferences, workshops and activities TRCAL offers.

No need to be alone

“Our hope is that our seniors don’t have to live in isolation as they did last spring,” she said, referring to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is necessary to stay active as much as possible, while people in general should be keeping in contact with our seniors.

“We need to take a second look at how we take care of our seniors while always being present for them,” she said. “This means making a few changes in what they do, but without stopping. It just means developing, based on interests, and new ways for keeping physically and intellectually active.”

ALPA launches book/kit to assist caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients

Martin C. Barry
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ALPA launches book/kit to assist caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients

‘A Helping Hand’ is the result of a collaborative effort by staff and volunteers

Friends and supporters of the Association Lavalloise des Personnes Aidantes (ALPA) got together “virtually” through a Zoom videoconference on Oct. 8 to launch an exciting new information guide and kit, offering an exhaustive range of useful knowledge to persons caring for those afflicted with Alzheimer’s and related diseases.

A group effort

Various friends and supporters of the Association Lavalloise des Personnes Aidantes (ALPA) are seen here in this screenshot from the Oct. 8 Zoom videoconference launch of “A Helping Hand,” which provides valuable help to caregivers of persons afflicted by Alzheimer’s and related diseases.

“A Helping Hand: A concise guide for caregivers and people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia” is the end result of a collaborative effort between the book’s author, Nancy Goulet, a social work intervention worker at ALPA who has experience with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, along with a team of four similarly-experienced ALPA volunteers.

Publication of the book was made possible through a grant made by the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP).

During the videoconference, Quebec Minister Responsible for Seniors Marguerite Blais delivered a pre-recorded speech in which she praised ALPA for its efforts to develop the book and kit. Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete and Vimy MP Annie Koutrakis took part live in the launch and also praised ALPA’s staff and volunteers for their resourcefulness.

Consisting of video capsules along with a book, the kit holds the potential to become a highly practical tool for anyone whose life is impacted by Alzheimer’s. It offers quick answers to everyday Alzheimer’s problems, including housing questions, personal finance dilemmas and hygiene issues.

A work of love

After an initial launch date set for last June had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 lockdown, the author, who is also the operations coordinator at ALPA, was more than pleased to finally be able to launch the kit, “which is a project very dear to my heart,” she said.

According to Goulet, the goal was to create a book and kit that would provide help to caregivers tending daily to the needs of loved ones with Alzheimer’s or related diseases. Related conditions can also include gradual and irreversible degeneration of the brain.

These conditions include Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, cerebrovascular diseases, frontal-temporal degenerations, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Huntington’s disease.

The impact on caregivers

Caregivers can see their lives seriously impacted when the capacities of loved ones are reduced to the point they need help on a regular basis. Things as simple as getting out of bed, washing up, choosing what to wear, dressing, eating properly and getting to appointments, become difficult or impossible for those in need of help.

The book makes a handy reference tool and can be used by simply referring to the table of contents to find a particular theme, leading to an appropriate chapter, where useful information can be found.

The book can be read a little at a time, or can even be leafed through depending on your interest in a particular topic. In this way, you can gradually build up knowledge on various aspects of caring, while learning about the tools and means available to meet loved ones’ needs.

Helpful ALPA volunteers

The ALPA volunteers who helped Nancy Goulet produce “A Helping Hand” were Louise Bastien, president of the ALPA board who is caregiver to a daughter who has Down syndrome, as well her mother in her 90s; Jean-Luc Gervais, a volunteer at the Centre d’écoute de Laval and a caregiver to several family members; Renée Legault, a caregiver to her mother and father; and Annick Livrozet, a CHSLD volunteer.

The volunteers who helped with the guide and book also served as narrators or actors in the video capsules that are part of the kit. “A Helping Hand” can be purchased for $15 from the Association Lavalloise des Personnes Aidantes (ALPA), 1850 le Corbusier Blvd., Suite 100, Laval, Quebec, H7S 2K1. Phone: 450-686-2572.

Despite mounting lawsuits, no immediate changes foreseen at UPAC

Martin C. Barry
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Despite mounting lawsuits, no immediate changes foreseen at UPAC

Ex-Premier Charest and Chomedey MNA are suing over corruption watchdog’s practices

Despite a lawsuit filed by former Quebec Premier Jean Charest against UPAC, as well as a recently-published book by Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette alleging abuse and incompetence at the investigative agency, a Quebec committee overseeing UPAC appears to be taking a business-as-usual approach to dealing with such allegations.

On Oct. 8, the Comité de surveillance des activités de l’Unité permanente anticorruption, a provincial committee responsible for the overall supervision of the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC), did due diligence by tabling an annual report in the National Assembly on UPAC, which is mandated to fight corruption and collusion in the awarding of government contracts.

Created by Liberals

Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette is seen here with his recently-published book in which he claims to shed light on Quebec’s controversial UPAC anti-corruption force.

UPAC, which reports to the Quebec Ministry of Public Security, was created in early 2011 by the then-Liberal government of Premier Jean Charest to respond primarily to rising public alarm over reports of widespread corruption in the awarding of municipal contracts.

The agency’s mandate also included the hiring of investigators and inspectors from Revenu Québec, Transport Québec, the Régie du Bâtiment and the Commission de la construction du Québec.

“In as much as we are a young organization, we must improve our way of doing things,” was almost all that Frédérick Gaudreau, the UPAC commissioner who oversees operations, had to say in a press release issued last week by UPAC.

UPAC’s new head

“The recommendations of the committee are always welcome to help us to fully develop UPAC as an organization,” added Gaudreau, who replaced Robert Lafrenière after the latter resigned two years ago amidst a growing list of complaints regarding UPAC’s methods of investigation.

Gaudreau says in the statement that he takes seriously “the importance of complete and full collaboration between the Commissioner and the Committee with a view to offering the most rigorous public accounting.” He says that he will “favourably welcome all measures that will allow the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) to improve its performance.”

No major changes at UPAC

Gaudreau notes that of 23 recommendations made by the committee in its first report last year, six were implemented, 14 are in the process of being implemented, and one is partly in place.

In its second annual report, the Comité de surveillance des activités de l’Unité permanente anticorruption (which is presided by Claude Corbo, a retired Quebec academic and university administrator who was appointed) made no major recommendations, except to say it is following up on an examination of how UPAC conducts its investigations.

“Examination of the management of the criminal investigations undertaken over the course of the 2019-2020 exercise comes nowhere near exhausting the subject,” the committee said in a statement issued last week. “The work on this theme will continue over the coming years. As the issue is particularly complex, the Committee judged it necessary to deal with it in several stages.”

Charest suing Quebec

The UPAC commissioner’s and the UPAC committee’s comments were made the day before former Quebec Premier Jean Charest served notice on Oct. 9 that he was suing the Government of Quebec for violation of his privacy through UPAC. The suit seeks $1 million in punitive damages, well as $50,000 more in moral damages. In a statement of claims, Charest alleges that in recent years, confidential information about him and his family was leaked to the media by UPAC.

Charest blamed the leaks on the anti-corruption investigation unit. UPAC has been conducting an investigation into provincial Liberal party financing during the period when Charest was the province’s Premier. He maintains the leaks were illegal and obstructed justice. Charest says he was prepared to avoid taking legal action in exchange for an apology from the current government, but his proposal was refused.

Ouellette suing over UPAC

Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette also has an axe to grind with UPAC. Ouellette was arrested by UPAC in October 2017 on suspicion he was involved in a leak of information at UPAC. Despite the arrest, he was never charged.

Currently sitting as an independent member of the National Assembly, Ouellette was expelled from the Quebec Liberal Party caucus shortly before the 2018 election, after news reports claimed he had leaked information about the Liberals to the Coalition Avenir Québec, who won the election.

Charges dropped

In addition to a book he recently released detailing numerous abuses allegedly committed by UPAC and its former head, Robert Lafrenière, Ouellette, like Charest, is also suing the Quebec government. In late September, former Quebec Liberal deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau, who was arrested by UPAC in 2016, was granted a stay of proceedings on corruption-related charges.

Normandeau had served prominently in the Charest cabinet. She was arrested after UPAC conducted an investigation into a contract awarded for a water treatment plant in Boisbriand, Quebec. Normandeau’s legal team argued that delays in proceeding with the charges against her were unreasonable and the judge presiding the case agreed.

Laval City-Watch

Martin C. Barry
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Laval City-Watch

Agreement between Laval and Hydro Quebec

The City of Laval has announced that it has reached a 20-year agreement with Hydro Quebec that will see the provincial electricity provider furnish recharging stations for electric vehicles across Laval’s territory.

According to a statement from the city, Hydro Quebec will be deploying rechargers at the rate of two sites per year in areas located near major roadways, autoroutes and highly-trafficked boulevards.

“I am especially pleased to see that electric vehicle drivers and more and mmore present on our roads,” said Councillor Virginie Dufour, who deals with environmental issues on the Laval executive-committee. “With the addition of these new charging units, Laval will become a place that is especially welcoming to new electric vehicles.”

Already, according to the city, Laval has 12 sites with recharging stations on its territory. Over the coming weeks, four new ones are scheduled to be installed at the Cosmodôme, raising the total number to 16.

Laval’s public library system to grow from 9 to 16 branches

According to a new plan the City of Laval has drawn up for its public library system, the number of branches will be growing from nine to 16  by 2036. The plan was tabled in Laval city council earlier this month.

The city plans to build new buildings to house the library branches. The plan was developed following extensive public consultations and in-depth analyses over a number of years, says the city.

“I am very proud to announce the addition of seven new libraries in Laval, including a central branch which will quickly become a leading venue for culture in Laval,” says Mayor Marc Demers. “This strategy will also allow us to offer decentralized service that is accessible to all communities.”

The city acknowledges that it had some catching up to do with public libraries, compared to other municipalities. The move comes as the population of Laval has been growing in leaps and bounds in recent years.

According to the city, Laval currently has only nine library branches, compared to an average 13 in cities of comparable size. However, the rate of library loaning has been above the provincial average. The city says it has been spending less per capita on acquiring materials compared to other cities. Extra physical space was needed to accommodate new materials, says the city.

“This decision takes into account an addition to the collections and a level of service of which all Laval residents will be able to be proud,” said Laval city councillor Aram Elagoz who is responsible for libraries. “All these new libraries will be subject to public consultation in order to make sure they accurately reflect their communities.”

Laval’s long-term library plan includes the following developments: four branch enlargements, including one now underway in Duvernay; two relocations into new buildings; eight new buildings, including the central library branch (completion in 2025), the Chomedey branch, a renovation in Chomedey and maintenance at the Émile-Nelligan library which was recently renovated. The city says the current Multicultural Library is going to be replaced by two points of service in order to provide better coverage.

City launches Accès logement Laval service

The City of Laval says a new service for those seeking a subsidized place to live became available lately. The Accès logement Laval platform is operated by the city’s Office for Municipal Housing (OMH), in conjunction with the Fédération des coopératives d’habitation intermunicipale du Montréal métropolitain (FECHIMM) and the Fédération des OSBL d’habitation des 3L (FOH3L).

The new system allows those seeking subsidized housing to conduct searches from a single starting point. As such, applicants won’t have to submit dozens of applications to the 50 or so scattered organizations that now handle the task separately.

“The search for a subsidized place to live can be a real puzzle,” says Laval city councillor Nicholas Borne, who is president of the OMH. “The vacancy rate in Laval being low, the cost of rents is going up, which translates into greater demand for subsidized housing.

“This service will allow for better management of the demand, in the context where the OMH’s waiting list is growing longer, while cooperatives and non-profit housing organizations are having difficulty meeting demand,” he adds. “I am proud of the work done cooperatively by OMH Laval, the FECHIMM and the FOH3L. It will facilitate the search for housing that is subsidize on Laval’s territory.”

‘Buy Local’ Laval campaign deemed a success by city

A campaign the city undertook from Sept. 1 – 30 to encourage residents to buy local products and services resulted in a record level of participation, according to the city. Nearly 620 Laval residents took part, for an increase of 411 per cent compared to last year, says the city.

“Considering we are in a pandemic situation, buying local has become even more important in the life of citizens,” said Councillor Ray Khalil, who is responsible for agriculture on city council. “People prefer shorter outings while at the same time encouraging the regional economy. In Laval, it is possible to eat only products that are local, as demonstrated by those who supported this campaign.” According to Gilles Lacroix, president of Union des producteurs agricoles Laval and owner of a local farm products kiosk, customers who came to his kiosk, including many new clients, responded to the call. He said all kiosk operators in Laval noticed an increase in business this year and saw their sales transactions rise.

City hall won’t deal with problems flagged by auditor, says Action Laval

Martin C. Barry
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City hall won’t deal with problems flagged by auditor, says Action Laval

Municipal party says official opposition is supporting administration

Action Laval, the number two opposition party at Laval city hall, says Mayor Marc Demers, together with the official opposition, are refusing to address shortcomings raised in the Laval auditor-general’s report tabled in June 2019.

Contracts dispute

In the June 2019 report, the auditor-general criticized the Demers administration for awarding six major contracts which weren’t properly accounted for in the city’s three-year capital works budget. Action Laval says it offered to assist the administration in establishing correct priorities, but was refused.

“Marc Demers is again avoiding his responsibilities,” says Action Laval councillor for Saint-Bruno David De Cotis. “A centralized management plan should logically be the first stage of an efficient strategy for following the recommendations and to support municipal services.”

Says help was refused

“The auditor-general is raising numerous problems with the management of the city,” added Action Laval councillor for St-Vincent-de-Paul Paolo Galati. “We extended a hand to the mayor by offering our support to solve problems and he categorically refused.”

‘The auditor-general is raising numerous problems with the management of the city,’ says St-Vincent-de-Paul councillor Paolo Galati

The party complains at the same time that the official opposition Parti Laval, led by Councillor Michel Trottier, supported the administration. “Michel Trottier, rather than support our efforts to protect the interests of Laval residents, prefers to make politics,” said Action Laval’s interim leader.

Mouhteros responds to tree planting for ex-SWLSB chairman Bletas

Laval News Contributor
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Mouhteros responds to tree planting for ex-SWLSB chairman Bletas

Mr. Galati, you’re entitled to your opinion but not to your own facts

I’m upset about statements made to The Laval News by Paolo Galati, Chairman, Council of Commissioners, Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (SWLSB).

Imagine if the elections were happening and this man who suffers from Mythomania exploited this opportunity to score points.  It annoys me that he posted the same article on LinkedIn. Here’s the other side of the story. Martin Barry was factual with what he was told, but if you read Steve Bletas’s profile in TLN’s Mature Life, he told it all as it was. two weeks before his death.  And that’s the truth. Galati contradicted truth, a lot of it including his relationship with Steve Bletas. 

Galati stated that Steve was part of QESBA. Steve left that lobby group because he realized it served no purpose for children and young people. It’s a lobby group for commissioners.  And he said quite the contrary to what Paolo Galati claimed, regarding his relationship with Steve Bletas. Here we’re confronted with profound distortion contributing to public misunderstanding, through deceit and lies with willfully inaccurate and misleading information. Whatever happened to integrity?  Trying to score points with the public for political reasons?

I can’t tolerate opportunists, especially on a dead person’s back.

Steve Bletas served as chairman of the SWLSB from 1998 to 2012.

Steve Bletas was my very close friend whom I often visited, shared meals, conversed about everything  including school board politics. He held children very close to his heart. I have his vault of secrets which will remain as such; however, I also knew his friends and Paolo Galati wasn’t one of them. Galati sought telephone counsel from him on occasion when he first became Chairperson. Steve confided to me that Galati didn’t heed his suggestions for the most part; sad but true. He hadn’t heard from him in a very long time and Galati did not visit him. Friend?  Really? Not! So, what’s up?

There have always been two notions of politics:  “politics of truth”  encouraging sincere discourse and respect for citizens, and “politics of lies” which regards politics as games of ruse and deceit and uses deception as a necessary prerequisite for winning and wielding political power.  Good job Mr. Galati.  I guess there’s nothing as outright as political lies.  How about distortion, exaggeration, misrepresentation, half-truth, and overstatement?  Let me set the record straight.  So, you both had the same dream and ambition?  Steve’s dream was for the children’s education.  And ambition? Steve did everything to ensure that schools were well-equipped and education was a priority.  What’s yours?  What are you headed for?

Let’s discuss the nature of the disgusting way Steve Bletas was treated after leaving SWLSB and the Foundation. There’s enough here to cast a net of ‘something is rotten in Laurier’ over the conduct of the two institutions and the handful of people directly or indirectly implicated in the 2012-2020 period.  In his 14 years of governance, he was instrumental in negotiations for land grants and other agreements with municipal and provincial officials. He was principal founding member of the SWLSB Foundation in 2003, a mega successful fundraiser bringing in over $100,000 annually, which dwindled dramatically after his departure.  NEVER was he contacted by the Board for his aid or counsel on how to continue the flourishing success of the Foundation which reigned during his Chairmanship.  NEVER an invitation to attend events in subsequent years. It was related to me that a commissioner and Foundation director stated that if Steve wanted to attend fund-raisers, he should buy tickets. Respect? Good manners? Protocol? Absolutely not!  In an educated arena, someone should have had the good sense of inviting the individual responsible for the conception of the Foundation, including Mr. Galati who calls himself his good friend. After all, he sat as commissioner for several years. And, there was no mention or credit given Steve for his inexhaustible efforts during his mandate as Chairperson for having appealed to successive governments to correct inequitable school taxes. This is not a new phenomenon.

Bravo Paolo Galati and SWLSB.  Steve Bletas is honoured with a tiny tree after 8 years of not hearing a word from you.  Others who were at the Board for minimal time, such as Jennifer Maccarone, were honoured immediately, with the same gesture of a little tree, I believe Steve has been insulted once again. The least the Board could have done was to rename a school in his honor, after all his accomplishments were superior to any others’. How about changing Twin Oaks Elementary or any other school to Steve Bletas Elementary, an honourable and just thing to do.  That tree is another slap in the face. Embarrassing.  Mr. Paolo Galati dug a hole for a tree, but the hole is deeper than he thinks. 

Tom Mouhteros

Former Commissioner

2007-2015

Columnist Robert Vairo’s ‘That’s What I’m Thinking’

Robert Vairo
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Columnist Robert Vairo’s ‘That’s What I’m Thinking’

Mr Trudeau, there is an alternative to more taxation!

Robert Vairo

I’m afraid the news is not good. It’s bad enough already that we are forced indoors with no social gatherings, police vans roaming the mountain with loudspeakers booming alert notices, and ‘tele-warrants’ allowing police forced home entry. Some seniors in their 80’s and 90’s ordered to move out of long term care homes because our fractured health system needs short term beds.(CTV) These are very scary times for any society. This is having a horrible impact on us socially and psychologically. And it’s about to have a huge impact on us financially. Having spent 350 billion dollars on various relief programs, somebody, some how, at some time, will have to start clearing up this disaster. Financial markets will not stand for Canada’s highest ever trillion dollar plus debt, (2 trillion, provinces included) and rising monthly deficit. And there’s more downside to deal with. The Trudeau liberals had already sent us into growing deficits during those ” sunny days”, and now during ‘stormy days’, not only did it spend a lot more, but Covid has crippled our economy. There is a projected “$71.1-billion decline in tax revenue, including a $40.8-billion loss in income taxes.”.  Working or retired, we will be paying for it. Heating our homes, gasing up, electrifying the new ride, buying eggs, lettuce or fish, new phone, clothes or toys. Dentists are already charging added fees to cover their PPE. Everything and anything will cost more, in some cases much, much more.The only way our left of center Liberal NDP partnership knows how to generate income is through unimaginative, unoriginal, uncreative new and increased taxes. Here’s what I think we can expect. A new home equity tax. That’s a tax when you sell your principle residence, so far tax free. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation rightly says this tax on home owners will take “big chunks of the proceeds of a home sale that will leave owners with less to buy a new home or provide for retirement”. A GST increase perhaps from 5% back to 7%. The carbon tax on our gas, heating oil, electricity to heat our homes and now power our EV’s, is on a continuous climb. We may also see an increase in the current capital gains tax from 50% of profits on stocks and revenue property to 100%, further discouraging investments. A cut in contributions to the TFSA and RRSP is being discussed. But, there are other ways of raising revenue without hurting us. Two senators want to fix a national embarrassment and simultaneously raise revenue. Inter provincial trade. We arguably have freer trade with Europe and the US than we do amongst our provinces. It’s preposterous. Quebec senator Diane Bellemare and Nova Scotia’s Jane Cordy conclude in their report “these inter provincial trade constraints cost the Canadian economy up to $130 billion every year”. For heaven’s sake it’s the reason Confederation was founded, to create a free trade area. Premiers need to stop this confusing concoction of protectionist measures separating us.

Here’s another way to raise revenue. A Canada Revenue Agency crackdown on Canadians who hide their billions off shore, tax free. 20 billion dollars worth, if CRA would start a serious eradication of this fraudulant practice.

Controverial as it may be, our natural resources, actually just gas and oil alone “provided $108 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product and supported almost 530,000 jobs “. It’s 20% of our economy! We have the highest standards on the environment, human rights, and indigenous participation in the world. Why are we allowing foreign pseudo enviro groups dictate our agenda! Yes oil and gas is a sunset industry but let’smilk it during this crisis.

I watched the new conservative leader Erin O’toole the other day say “we need a private sector boom”. He’s right because 2/3’s  of us work for small and medium size businesses. One business closure means dozens, hundreds of job losses. Let’s encourage and offer incentives to small business to create and maintain jobs.

You may have seen Michael Sabia head of Canada’s Infrastructure Bank with 35 B$ of public money to plow into “clean power, home retrofits, broadband, irrigation and zero-emissions bus systems, creating thousands of jobs.”  Stop the talk monsieur Sabia, and do the walk, now.

I am not an economist but how about a think tank of such people as well as every day 9 to 5 folks, small business owners, a cross section of professionals. Outside of government, we have brilliant minds in Canada that would get us out of this without punishing and painful taxation.

That’s What I’m Thinking.

Robert Vairo

De Cotis motion calls on Demers to reject $50 REM surtax

Martin C. Barry
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De Cotis motion calls on Demers to reject $50 REM surtax

Laval residents short-changed with new high-speed train, Saint-Bruno councillor claims

A motion by Saint-Bruno city councillor David De Cotis that will be debated at the November city council meeting calls upon Mayor Marc Demers to “defend the interests of the citizens of Laval” by opposing a proposed $50 provincial surtax for the REM rapid transit train system, because Laval will be getting almost no benefits, claims De Cotis.

Surtax in 450 area

According to opposition city councillor David De Cotis, Laval residents shouldn’t have to pay the REM surtax because the high-speed train system won’t be providing much service to Laval.

The tax is being proposed by the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), the agency that coordinates and regulates public transit – including bus, Metro and commuter rail services – throughout the greater Montreal region.

According to the proposal, every vehicle belonging to someone living in the 450 area code surrounding the island of Montreal would be subject to a $50 additional fee on vehicle registration costs. According to a report in the Montreal daily La Presse last August, the measure would be in effect from 2021 until at least 2025.

Should take a stand

De Cotis maintains that Laval’s mayor, who was vice-president of the Montreal Metropolitan Community last year and who currently sits on the CMM’s executive-committee which introduced a similar surtax in 2019, should be taking a stand to defend Laval’s interests in public transit more vigorously, especially since Laval won’t be receiving any particular benefits from the REM when the network is finally completed in 2024, says De Cotis.

An important part of the reason for the additional $50 fee, according to La Presse, is that the REM project has gone over budget and the ARTM is in need of up to $1 billion in new funding to keep its operations rolling, while ensuring the REM also has enough money to run after it is completed.

REM is over budget

“Our concern is that because the REM is heavily over budget, the ARTM will ask the provincial government to pass this surtax onto the citizens of Laval and make them pay so that the REM can get back into the black,” said De Cotis.

“Our fear is that this tax might easily jump to $100,” he added. “Our concern is that the mayor of Laval, who was the v.p. of the CMM last year, did not defend the citizens of Laval then. And now we’re saying to the mayor: enough is enough. That is not helping the citizens of Laval.”

Short-changed, says De Cotis

De Cotis maintains that the new REM train system will short change Laval residents. While Exo’s old commuter rail lines had stations in western and central Laval that connected directly to downtown Montreal, he says the new REM will have a limited number of stations in Laval and will connect only indirectly to downtown Montreal, leaving Laval residents with almost nothing to show for any REM tax they pay.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” he said, noting that Demers also sits on the board of the ARTM. “It’s the ARTM that’s going to ask the provincial government for a car tax, and he’s supposed to be our liaison and our defender. So, we’re asking him to show leadership on behalf of Laval and say not to the REM tax.”

Laval News Volume 28-20

Costa Hovris
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Laval News Volume 28-20

The current issue of the Laval News volume 28-20 published October 21st, 2020.
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, October 21st, 2020 issue.
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Weather

Laval
light rain
12.1 ° C
12.1 °
12.1 °
90 %
6.9kmh
100 %
Wed
11 °
Thu
10 °
Fri
16 °
Sat
20 °
Sun
15 °

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