The current issue of the Laval News volume 28-24 published December 16th, 2020.
Covering Laval local news, politics, sports and our new section Mature Life.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
Laval News Volume 28-24
Lawyer from Laval charged with child pornography offences
The Laval Police Department says that, following a five month investigation, they have arrested a 58-year-old lawyer from Laval and filed charges against him for alleged child pornography possession and distribution.
Jean Berthelot, according to media reports, is a practising labour lawyer. He was served with an arrest warrant on Dec. 15 at his home on Philippe-Dolbec St. in Laval’s Sainte-Rose sector.
According to an official post on the LPD’s web site, an investigation was started last July after administrators with Facebook reported incriminating information about the contents of Berthelot’s Facebook account to Canadian police authorities.
Berthelot was arraigned at the Laval courthouse on the same day as his arrest.
The arrest warrant also allowed the LPD to seize computers and cell phones belonging to Berthelot as part of their investigation.
Berthelot’s next scheduled court appearance will be on March 19.
Laval among cities where Rogers is deploying 5G in Quebec
Rogers Communications announced on Wednesday that it is expanding its 5G service to five more Quebec communities – including Laval.
In all, according to the communications service provider, Rogers 5G network now reaches these 11 communities across the province (the most recent are highlighted):
| Boisbriand Candiac Gatineau Joliette Laval Montréal | Québec City Saint-Eustache Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Sherbrooke Trois-Rivières |
According to the company, Rogers 5G network will reach a total of 160 cities and towns across Canada by the end of the week, offering 10x more coverage than any other carrier, they claim.
The company noted that the core technology for its 5G network is being provided exclusively by Ericsson.
“We are proud to bring 5G to five more cities and towns across Quebec,” said Edith Cloutier, President of Rogers Communications Quebec.
“This next generation technology is a vital investment that will connect our communities and drive productivity, innovation and our province’s economy forward. 5G will enable the digitalization of entire industries and will ensure the future prosperity of our province and country.”
STL’s 2021 budget is just 0.5 per cent higher than last year
The Société de transport de Laval (STL) will be operating on a $171.3-million budget in 2021, the City of Laval announced on Wednesday.
In a statement, the city said that, in light of the pandemic, the STL adhered to a rigorous budgetary process in compliance with the funding conditions decreed by the government of Quebec.
As a result, according to the city, the STL’s budget management efforts will make it possible to provide transit users with a level of service in 2021 comparable to 2019 during peak hours, plus improved service outside of those hours.
When costs of rolling out the REM work mitigation measures and expenditures attributable to Covid-19 are excluded, the 2021 STL budget has grown by just 0.5 per cent, the STL said.
Since March 13, ridership on STL buses dropped drastically compared to 2019, hitting its lowest point in April: 14 per cent for regular bus service, and 11 per cent for paratransit service.
However, to date STL ridership stands at around 42 per cent compared to last year.
In addition to causing revenues to drop, the pandemic also prompted a host of constraints and adjustments to vehicles, terminals and workplaces required to comply with the rules and directives issued by the province’s public health authority and the CNESST provincial board overseeing labour standards, pay equity, and workplace health and safety.
This resulted in the STL spending $3.2 million in 2020, $2.3 million of which were covered by funding programs, on various Covid-19-related measures. For 2021, the STL has earmarked $2.8 million for such measures, of which $2.5 million will be absorbed by aid programs.
Despite the difficulties encountered in 2020, the STL says public transit continues to play a central role in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while meeting the mobility needs of the region.
The transit agency says its 10-year capital plan, which focuses on development and innovation, is in line with the City of Laval’s vision for growing public transit in Laval.
The projected expansion and conversion of the STL’s operations centre is the focal point of the plan, whose budget is $812.6 million for the next 10 years.
“Our capital plan is a major component of our push to electrify our bus fleet, as it will equip the STL with a modern garage that will render operating an electric bus fleet possible,” said STL president Éric Morasse.
“And of course, part of this initiative will be the first 10 electric buses that we will be integrating into our service in the coming months.”
“Given the circumstances, I am convinced that our budget management efforts satisfy both the ability to offer commuters a level of service that meets their needs and the obligation to budget responsibly,” added STL general manager Guy Picard.
“It is imperative that we avoid falling into the trap of reducing service, if we want to provide users with a safe environment and restore ridership. Also, in response to commuter requests, the STL will be upping its frequency on certain routes during peak hours.”
Some 2021 STL Budget Highlights
- The STL is projecting an increase in regular bus trips in 2021, to roughly 80 per cent of 2019 ridership levels;
- By December 2021, STL paratransit trips are expected to reach 95 per cent of the volume anticipated in 2020, or 391,061 trips. That is a 29 per cent drop compared to the 2020 Budget;
- The STL is forecasting a 2.5 per cent increase in kilometres travelled for 2021 compared to 2019, for a total of 18.2 million kilometres;
- As per the public transit emergency aid program put in place by the government of Québec, the ARTM will be injecting over $2.5 million to offset additional expenses incurred for health and safety reasons;
- Nearly $2.8 million are being added to the 2021 budget for Covid-related costs: cleaning of rolling stock, housekeeping/maintenance, security, etc. These extra costs are directly attributable to the pandemic;
- $0.7 million are earmarked in the 2021 budget for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and by extension, contributing to improving quality of life for the population;
- Alongside the acquisition of the 10 electric buses to be delivered within the coming six months, the STL will also acquire the necessary charging infrastructure and stations. A total of $4.9 million has been budgeted, including $1.3 million for 2021-2022;
- Mitigation measures aimed at improving service during the REM construction work will cost $8.8 million in 2021, up $4.4 million compared to the 2020 budget;
- Preliminary work will continue on the garage expansion project, expected to be completed by 2024;
- The STL will be proceeding with its onboard credit card payment initiative. The rights of use having been finalized in 2020 for a contactless payment solution, all buses should be outfitted with the new system in 2021.
CRE apologizes for recent night flights over L-D-R
The Conseil régional de l’environnement de Laval (CRE) issued an apology on Tuesday for some helicopter night flights a team of researchers made over Laval-des-Rapides the week before without issuing much of a warning beforehand.
“The Conseil régional de l’environnement de Laval wishes sincerely to apologize to the overall population of Laval for the worries that were caused during these recent helicopter overflights above the south of the city last December 8 and 9,” the CRE said in a statement posted on their website.
As they explained, the purpose of the flights was to carry out a thermographic study of buildings beneath their flight path, in order to create a profile of their heat-emitting properties for research purposes.
“It is not part of the habits of the CRE de Laval to fail to inform the population of Laval of its projects,” they added. “This situation is pushing us to be more vigilant in the future, and our flight plans will from now on be sent to municipal officials.”
Laval Police Department innovates for the benefit of its citizens
The Laval Police Department (SPL) announces the deployment of its new public security service, which will be implemented by 2023. The redeployment of staff will make it possible to recover 20,000 hours to reinvest them in the field, in addition to 40,000 hours of proactive work to meet the needs of citizens. New squads will make it possible to be even closer to the people and provide additional capacity/resources to respond to the challenges faced in the territory. The distribution of facilities will also be adapted to better respond to the geographic reality of the City.
“The Laval Police Department will innovate to be more visible, more accessible and more present on the ground. Laval is a city in full growth, in full expansion, in full evolution. We will now have the agility to face the future and to go even further in carrying out our mission, that of ensuring the safety of Laval residents,” says Pierre Brochet, director of the SPL.
Prevention and proximity at the heart of the vision:
A new outreach approach will guide the prevention efforts of the Service and the 20 or so community intervention agents who will form the new Prevention squad. Community intervention agents from neighborhood stations and those from the Coordination, Prevention and Intelligence will be part of the security strategy.
In order to deal with a growing phenomenon, a Sexual Crimes squad will be set up to ensure better handling of complaints and support for victims. This squad will tackle issues such as pimping, sexual assault, human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors head-on. In addition, in order to support victims emotionally, the Service will welcome a support dog who will be paired with an investigator. The duo will work closely with the Sex Crimes Squad and on some sensitive police interventions.
Effective and adapted interventions:
Another novelty, the Azimut squad, will have the mandate to counter criminal phenomena, public disorder, incivility and issues in terms of road and traffic safety, while maintaining relationships of trust. The police officers of this squad will work on specific issues with concrete action plans for a proactive response to complaints from citizens.
The first Azimut team will be in service by March 2021 at the latest, and the second team will be created by September 2021. They will be installed in the premises of neighborhood stations 1 and 4, at the end of the city, but the police officers will be distributed throughout the territory.
Azimut will work closely with the Prevention Squad and the Social Emergency Division for concerted efforts. A more consistent distribution over the next three years, the Service will operate in two regions and grow from eight to five facilities, including a new gendarmerie post in the West. This new distribution will allow police work in an East-West axis and will improve the response time to emergency calls.
In 2023, the Service will, therefore, have five main facilities: a gendarmerie post in the West, a gendarmerie post in the East, two Azimut posts at the eastern and western ends of the city and an Investigation and Support Center.
The Headquarters will be located at the new Gendarmerie Ouest, which will be built on Curé-Labelle Boulevard and inaugurated in the fall of 2023.
This building will also house the Intelligent Security Management Center, a floor entirely dedicated to the protection of citizens in real time 24/7 on the territory, which will include the Emergency Measures Coordination Center, the Police Operations Center, and the Intelligent Operational Monitoring Center.
As for the redeployment of neighborhood stations, it will be done gradually in order to ensure the continuity of services during the transition. Neighborhood stations 1 and 4 will accommodate the two teams of the new Azimut squad. The closing of neighborhood stations 2, 3, 5 and 6 will take place no later than spring 2022.
Citizen service counters will remain available to the population in each of the five SPL facilities and all services will be maintained. People will also be able to use remote services. “Nowadays, proximity is no longer just physical and it is not qualified by the number of buildings. The new offer is the result of in-depth reflection. We are a local police force and thanks to the innovations that will be implemented, we will be even more so,” stated Director Brochet.
Other innovative projects in 2021:
A pilot project will be set in motion with Urgence Sociale, a team of social workers integrated into the structure of the Service. Social workers will be deployed on the road in patrol mode to intervene even more quickly in complex situations that affect psychosocial issues, including mental health, and that require adapted interventions.
Stakeholders will continue to work closely with police and partners:
The Laval Police Department (SPL) will also continue to develop the Intelligent Operational Vigilance Center (CIVO), whose main mission is to use all the information available in the field of public security and to transmit information to the police in the field, but also to other areas of the service.
The CIVO will be an added value to the new vision as it will contribute to the effectiveness of frontline interventions. The establishment of this new entity is a first in Quebec.
For more details on the new services offered, see the information page on the SPL website: https://www.laval.ca/Pages/Fr/Nouvelles/microsite-police/nouvelle_offre_de_service.aspx
Helicopter night flights over L-D-R draws complaints
Were you having trouble sleeping on the nights of Dec. 7 and 8?
If so, it might have had something to do with a helicopter overflight operation above Laval-des-Rapides, drawing complaints to 9-1-1 telephone operators.
According to news reports earlier this week, researchers from the Conseil régional de l’environnement (CRE) de Laval and the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) were behind the operation.
It seems the purpose of the overflight was to create an overall energy profile for buildings in that sector using thermal detection sensors.
A spokesperson for the CRE de Laval said the researchers had hoped to notify people living beneath the lingering air traffic of the operation before it got underway.
However, there was a communication breakdown between the CRE and the City of Laval, the spokesperson added.
Coroner’s inquest expected to open into COVID fatalities at CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée
An inquiry by the Quebec Coroner’s Office is expected to soon be underway into the circumstances that led to a seemingly uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 at CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée during the first wave last spring of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a recent media report, the CISSS de Laval sent a memo late last month to CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée employees, advising them that the inquiry was about to begin.
There were more than 100 fatalities from COVID-19 at the CHSLD during the pandemic’s first wave – well above the norm at most other similar facilities in the province.
In addition to the coroner’s investigation, a class-action lawsuit has been launched, blaming the deaths largely on mismanagement at the CHSLD.
In the memo to employees, the CISSS says they may soon be asked to sit and be interviewed by Sûreté du Québec investigators, and that they may wish to be accompanied by legal counsel when this takes place.
The CISSS points out to the employees that not all information can necessarily be shared with the SQ as it might be considered confidential and privileged under medical ethics rules.
The Quebec Coroner’s Office says a notice that a hearing will be taking place should be published in the coming weeks.
CISSS de Laval makes progress with COVID-19 saliva testing
A pilot project undertaken by the CISSS de Laval to introduce saliva testing for COVID-19 in schools or at home may soon become the standard across the region.
At this stage, the project is still in the developmental stage at only three learning institutions belonging to the Centre de services scolaire de Laval (CSSL).
Test kits, which have so far been distributed at a CSSL high-school and two elementary schools, are distributed to parents and teachers with an explanation on how to use them.
As the test is less intrusive than the nasal swab test, and can be administered by someone without special training, it’s considered to be a step toward more efficient testing for COVID-19.
The CISS de Laval may be extending access to the test to all schools in Laval in the coming weeks.
Canadian Competition Bureau fines Laval-based CIMA+ $3.2 million
Laval-based CIMA+ civil engineering announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with the Competition Bureau of Canada for the settlement of a dispute with CBC regarding anti-competitive activities carried out in the early 2000s involving several players in the engineering industry.
The agreement provides for the payment of a $3.2 million fine by CIMA+. Under the settlement, no charges are brought against the firm.
“Over the past few years, CIMA+ has made considerable efforts to regain the trust of markets and public organizations,” CIMA+ said in a statement without elaborating.
However, CIMA+ was one of several civil engineering firms in Quebec whose names came up during testimony given to the Charbonneau Commission regarding bid-rigging.
“Since the early signs of allegations, the firm’s new management team has taken the necessary steps to regularize the situation.”
The company, which is the anchor tenant at a high-rise office building across the street from Laval city hall, said that in addition to renewing its senior management team, it implemented a new governance, with a board of directors comprised of several independent members.
CIMA+ said it also enrolled in the Quebec government’s voluntary reimbursement program and that it has been continously collaborating with regulatory authorities.
“The signature of this agreement, combined with the fact that strict measures in terms of ethics and integrity have been implemented over the past few years, allows for turning the page and looking forward,” said the company.
In a statement issued by the CBC, the federal agency said the settlement ends the competition bureau’s investigation of CIMA+’s role in a bid-rigging scheme that targeted municipal contracts in Quebec City, Montreal, Laval, St-Eustache and Gatineau between 2003 and 2011.
“There is a price to be paid by those who defraud taxpayers by rigging bids on municipal contracts,” said Matthew Boswell, the bureau’s Commissioner of Competition.
“This latest settlement is a reminder that we will continue to pursue all those involved in such criminal schemes.”
The CBC said CIMA+’s payment was the sixth settlement resulting from the bureau’s ongoing investigation.
CIMA+ and five other engineering firms were ordered to pay a total of $12,050,000 for their respective roles in the bid-rigging scheme. The five other firms were:
