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Laval signed a non-disclosure agreement for Alto hi-speed train, Boyer acknowledges

Martin C. Barry
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Laval signed a non-disclosure agreement for Alto hi-speed train, Boyer acknowledges

City is saving $100,000 annually by using winter tires all year, mayor tells March council

Answering questions during the March city council about Alto’s high-speed train which could include a station in Laval, Mayor Stéphane Boyer defended the city’s decision to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the consortium leading the project, in order to prevent land speculation from driving up costs.

Alto, also known as the Toronto–Quebec City High-Speed Rail Network, was announced more than a year ago by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. While a design phase has been projected to last for up to five years, opening of the system is scheduled between 2035 and 2044.

Canada’s electrified high-speed train could look something like this when it finally comes into service starting after 2035. (Photo illustration: Courtesy of Alto)

Hi-speed train coming to Laval

Trains on the dedicated 1,000-kilometre rail route would reach top speeds of up to 300 km/h, which is nearly double what Via Rail can currently offer. Besides Toronto, Quebec City and Laval, there will also be stations in Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal and Trois-Rivières.

With a population that will soon be reaching 440,000 – 1.2 million when you include the North Shore – Laval is seen as the logical location for an Alto station because of its strategic proximity to the northern suburbs where the population also continues to expand.

Based on illustrations and maps of the Laval region that Alto displayed during a one-day public consultation on the project at the Sheraton Laval in January, the company is apparently leaning towards a location somewhere inside the multimode transit hub in Laval’s downtown core.

Most people don’t yet know

“In speaking with my fellow citizens, I realized that the majority of people from Laval were not aware that the high-speed train will be passing through Laval and there will be a station, which I found surprising,” Pascale Durocher told the mayor during the March 10 council meeting’s public question period.

Seen here during the March 10 Laval city council meeting, Mayor Stéphane Boyer said the city sometimes signs non-disclosure agreements for major projects like the Alto high-speed train and the REM. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

She maintained that in early February, Denis Fafard, director of the City of Laval’s mobility office, told her that the city was near the point of signing a confidentiality agreement with Alto. “He told me that the city will have access to information from Alto that it will not be able to share with the population,” she said.

She asked the mayor what type of information that might be, and whether the city will know before residents the possible locations of the station, as well as the possible Alto rail routes.

Responding, Mayor Boyer said that at this early stages of the project “there remain many question marks on many topics, but that will become clearer in time.” However, he confirmed that the City of Laval routinely signs confidentiality agreements with outside parties when deemed necessary and appropriate.

Non-disclosure agreements

(It may also be worth noting that several municipalities all over the Montreal region along the route of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) signed non-disclosure agreements with the project’s builder, CDPQ Infra, when it was launched about a decade ago.)

“This is normal – we did so, for example, with the REM,” said Mayor Boyer, “because we are sharing studies back and forth between us.

“So, obviously when important transit projects are being implemented in municipalities, it’s sometimes necessary to open up streets, redo intersections, [share] data from the city on traffic studies we may have done in the past. So, there is a multitude of topics or studies which technical teams from the city and Alto may have to exchange over time.

“There’s also an issue involving speculation,” he added. “Obviously we don’t know exactly where the project will be passing or where the station will be. But obviously Alto must follow certain measures in order to avoid, among other things, people speculating.

Minimizing expropriations

“Because from the moment, for example, when it’s known there’s going to be a train station, it can obviously be tempting for certain people to buy up properties to make money.”

In spite of this, Boyer said all the information about the project that the city has access to will eventually become public, although certain phases in the project will have to be completed before then.

He said he met for talks with the executive-director of Alto on two to three occasions. “Their wish is to minimize, to maximally reduce the number of expropriations. We don’t know for now whether there will be any, and if so, how many there could be. But definitely in the region of Laval, what I am told is that the hope is to pass as much a possible on autoroute rights-of-way.”

But if there were to be expropriations, Boyer noted, the legal procedure would see land owners compensated up to their property’s prevailing market value, although additional sums might also be possible in situations where owners feel they should receive more. But as the high-speed train is a federal government project, Mayor Boyer said the City of Laval has no involvement whatsoever in the expropriation process.

Mini-farm fate and cost-cutting

In a follow-up to the city’s recent cost-cutting decision to close the mini-farm at the Centre de la nature and replace it with a mobile children’s petting zoo, the mayor revealed at least two of the other measures the city is undertaking beginning this year to trim its expenses.

According to Boyer, the city managed to cut $100,000 from its nearly $1.3 billion 2026 budget by deciding not to store data from the video feeds of 600 surveillance cameras for months on end. Instead, it’s now kept for just 30 days, said the mayor.

As well, he revealed that the city has decided not to use summer tires on its vehicles anymore, keeping winter tires on year-around, for a savings of at least $100,000 in materials and labor costs.

In spite of Mayor Boyer’s cost-cutting announcements, the closing of the mini-farm didn’t sit well with the Action Laval opposition.

Action Laval city councillor for Saint-Bruno David De Cotis made a lengthy statement deriding the administration for ignoring a 20,000-signature petition signed by Laval residents demanding the city reverse the cost-cutting decision to close the mini-farm.

Laval News Volume 34-06

Laval News Staff
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Laval News Volume 34-06

The current issue of the Laval News, volume 34-06, published on March 18th, 2026.
Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)

Laval man among nine convicted for not paying $1.7 million in provincial tobacco tax

Martin C. Barry
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Laval man among nine convicted for not paying $1.7 million in provincial tobacco tax

A 47-year-old man from Laval is one of nine people from various areas of Quebec who were recently found guilty of tax evasion after they sold tobacco products clandestinely while failing to pay around $1.7 million in taxes owed to the provincial government.

(Image: Courtesy of Revenu Québec)

Ahamed Kamel Awada, 47, was sentenced to seven months in prison and fined a total of $521,525 for trafficking “significant quantities of unstamped tobacco” through his business, according to a statement issued by Revenu Québec.

In June 2022, an initial search jad resulted in the seizure of 90 kg of tobacco.

Two months later, 11 search warrants led to the seizure of an additional 1,500 kg of contraband tobacco.

Two co-defendants, Kamel Mahmoud Awada, 66, and Chawki El Chami, 61, were sentenced to 30 and 90 days in prison respectively, as well as fines of $40,585 and $89,870.

Laval’s Leclerc among six provincial prisons where $1 million in contraband seized

Martin C. Barry
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Laval’s Leclerc among six provincial prisons where $1 million in contraband seized

The Leclerc Detention Centre in east-end Laval is one of six provincial jails throughout Quebec where nearly $1 million in prohibited items – including tobacco, cell phones and drugs – were seized by guards over the past few months, according to the Quebec Public Security Ministry.

Members of the correctional services recovered tobacco products, narcotics and cell phones with an estimated institutional value of $991,750, as well as mobile phone tools and accessories, in 16 major seizures, the ministry said.

In addition to Leclerc, the other detention establishments were in Amos, Hull, Québec City, Rimouski and Rivière-des-Prairies in Montreal.

The ministry said it should also be noted that anti-drone police operations that took place near the Montreal Detention Centre in Rivière-des-Prairies in January 2026 led to the arrest of five suspects by the Montreal Police.

“The teamwork carried out daily, combined with the use of hardware and technology in facilities across Quebec, makes it possible to prevent the delivery of packages by drones, to secure points of entry and to detect contraband,” the Public Security Ministry said in its statement.

According to the ministry, the majority of major seizures at the province’s jails result from the rapid retrieval of packages transported by drones before they enter the prison walls.

Contraband items are also regularly seized by prison staff during patrols, yard inspections, admission searches of inmates and general searches.

The ministry says a range of technological measures are being implemented to combat the delivery of contraband by drones and facilitate searches by prison officers, including a new generation of more advanced drone detectors and cell phone detection devices.

Since announcing major investments in October 2023, the Ministry of Public Security says it has deployed secure windows, body scanners and search stations to combat contraband in correctional facilities.

A-15 tow truck driver stabbing:

Martin C. Barry
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A-15 tow truck driver stabbing:

Suspect was awaiting trial after door-crashing incident at Laval Police HQ

The suspect in a recent stabbing incident on Autoroute 15 in Laval is also currently facing charges related to an incident in April last year when the front entrance doors at Laval Police headquarters on Chomedey Blvd. were demolished when a driver deliberately crashed into them.

Zakaria Sadji, age 30, is suspected of having stabbed a 52-year-old tow truck driver following a minor dispute that began on the A-15 on the morning of February 26.

The 52-year-old tow truck driver, who sustained a minor arm injury, was taken to hospital for treatment, although his life was not considered to be in danger.

Charged with dangerous driving and mischief in the police HQ incident, Sadji pleaded not guilty and was released with conditions pending trial when the latest incident came up.

According to the TVA network, Sadji, who has a history of mental illness, was also facing charges in a separate occurrence involving threats and violent acts he is alleged to have made towards the janitor of an apartment building where he lived and owed rent.

Scammer from Laval who targeted Nova Scotia seniors sentenced to house arrest

Martin C. Barry
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Scammer from Laval who targeted Nova Scotia seniors sentenced to house arrest

A fraud artist living in Laval who was facing more than 30 charges in Atlantic Canada after taking part in a scheme to cheat senior citizens while posing as a policeman, a lawyer and a bail bondsman has been sentenced to 15 months of house arrest, while also being ordered to pay back $57,000 to victims.

This image of Omar Zanfi (left) and an accomplice, recorded by a home security video system, was released by the Halifax Police to the media.

Omar Zanfi, 28, was arrested in Moncton NB in December 2022 when it was alleged he defrauded 15 seniors in Nova Scotia using the “grandparent scam.”

According to the Halifax regional police, Zanfi contacted victims by phone while pretending to speak on behalf of a member of the victim’s family, saying he had been arrested and needed money to post bail.

While working with an accomplice, Zanfi went to victims’ homes to pick up large sums of money defrauded from them.

However, without his realizing it, images of Zanfi and of the vehicle he was driving were recorded by the home video security system.

Using the images, the police were able to track and locate Zanfi, leading to his arrest.

Based on the terms of a sentence imposed by a Nova Scotia Provincial Court judge last month, Zanfi will be subject to an overnight curfew for the first nine months of his 15-month sentence.

As well, he will only be allowed out of his home for scheduled work or to deal with a medical emergency.

In addition, the court gave Zanfi permission not to be obliged to remain in Nova Scotia during his sentence.

According to news reports in New Brunswick, Zanfi pleaded guilty to fraud charges in that province and is scheduled to be sentenced in April.

Quebec’s temporary foreign worker policy a blow to restauranteurs, says ARQ

Martin C. Barry
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0
Quebec’s temporary foreign worker policy a blow to restauranteurs, says ARQ

‘Industry cannot afford to lose its 16,365 temporary foreign workers,’ says Martin Vézina

“We are incredulous at this latest announcement,” said Martin Vézina, vice-president for public and government affairs at the ARQ.

While the Quebec Restaurant Association (ARQ), like the rest of the hospitality sector and many other businesses in Quebec, is advocating for more flexible rules surrounding temporary foreign workers, the ARQ says the Quebec government has just thrown another wrench into the works for restaurant, institutional and other key players in the food service industry.

According to the trade and lobby group, the position of cook has been removed from the provincial government’s list of jobs eligible for simplified processing by the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity.

In practical terms, this means that employers looking for cooks will have to post their job openings again for four weeks – often without receiving any resumes.

Inconsistent gov’t policy

“Four weeks added to an already lengthy, complex and costly process, demonstrates the government’s inconsistency,” the ARQ says in a statement. “While acknowledging a labor shortage in this position, the government is taking entirely contradictory actions,” they add.

The ARQ says restaurant owners are still struggling to recruit trained and experienced employees, especially full-time ones, and this is why owners have no choice but to look abroad to find these staff.

One long-standing observation the ARQ’s members have made is that even if the unemployment rate is higher in some regions – and one might think that workers are therefore available for given positions – many Quebecers are actually no longer as interested as before in jobs requiring that they work on weekends.

This is in spite of the fact that customers are known to frequent dining rooms primarily on Friday and Saturday evenings, according to the ARQ.

Service could suffer this summer

The organization says it is concerned about the quality of service for the upcoming tourist season, as many restaurants will be unable to offer the capacity and speed of service customers are accustomed to, particularly in regions with high tourism potential.

Without the staff needed to cover all opening hours, restaurant owners may have to reduce their hours to give their existing staff some respite, the ARQ maintains, adding that visitors may end up having to rely on supermarkets, where available, as well as convenience stores for groceries.

“We are incredulous at this latest announcement,” said Martin Vézina, vice-president for public and government affairs at the ARQ. “It demonstrates, once again, the lack of understanding at all levels of government regarding the issue of temporary foreign workers and their essential role in our industry.

Treated as a second-tier

“The restaurant industry, which was considered an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic, now seems to be treated as a second-tier industry in Quebec’s economy, which is unacceptable,” he added. “We are asking the Ministers of Employment and Social Solidarity, as well as Immigration, Francization and Integration, to reconsider their decision and reinstate our trades on the simplified processing list.”

Vézina said the ARQ is also urging the ministries to work with the association to secure a grandfather clause from the federal government for the renewal of temporary foreign workers. “The industry cannot afford to lose its 16,365 temporary foreign workers in the province without devastating consequences,” said Vézina.

Open letter calls for policy reversal

In an open letter from the ARQ as well as Tourisme Montréal and the Association hôtelière du Grand Montréal published in early February in Montreal’s La Presse, the three trade groups said they were “sounding the alarm” over the abandonment of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).

“We strongly support Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez-Ferrada’s request to implement a grandfather clause for international workers and students already in Quebec so they can apply to the PEQ,” they said. “Without this measure, the repercussions would be significant, not only for the tourism, hospitality, and restaurant sectors, but also for the entire Montreal and Quebec economies.”

PEQ became ‘an essential tool,’ says ARQ

“Since its inception, the PEQ has become an essential tool for attracting and retaining international talent, particularly in the tourism, hospitality, and food service sectors,” they continued. “It has enabled foreign graduates and temporary workers to settle in Quebec, directly helping to address the labor shortage and enrich the cultural fabric of our metropolis.

“In a context where a moratorium already prevents the renewal of work permits for many foreign workers, abandoning the PEQ would exacerbate a recruitment crisis that is already critical for our industry. We call on political decision-makers to reconsider abandoning the PEQ and to collaborate closely with our sector to preserve Montreal’s prosperity and attractiveness. The future of our industry and that of our metropolis depends on it.”

An election before year’s end ‘not what we want,’ says federal Liberal Carlos Leitão

Martin C. Barry
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0
An election before year’s end ‘not what we want,’ says federal Liberal Carlos Leitão

Marc-Aurèle-Fortin MP optimistic about minority Carney government surviving

Marc-Aurèle-Fortin Liberal MP Carlos Leitão, a former Quebec provincial finance minister and former Bank of Canada board director, doubts there will be a federal election in 2026, while acknowledging the current turbulence of the times which makes almost any scenario possible. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Despite the possibility of a federal election being triggered before the end of this year while the Carney Liberals hang on by a thread as a minority government, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin Liberal MP Carlos Leitão says he considers a federal election in 2026 to be unlikely.

‘Not what we want’

“It’s certainly not what we want,” the former Quebec Liberal finance minister and ex-Bank of Canada board member said in an interview with The Laval News.

“We were elected to govern and we are governing,” he said, while acknowledging at the same time that 2026 will also be the year of a Quebec provincial election.

“The times are complicated. It is time for us all to stick together. We finally voted a budget. We manage to get the consensus in the House of Commons and so the budget is going through and that’s good. So, we want to govern.”

A difficult election call

Still, Leitão conceded that given the current global instability and its impact within Canada, it would be difficult for him to say whether the minority Liberals would be able to hold on to the end of 2026 without having to call an election.

Despite this, he was optimistic about the Carney government surviving. “We never know,” Leitão said. “Being in a minority, we are always susceptible to a motion of non-confidence. But honestly, I don’t see it [an election] in 2026.”

By next April 28, it will have been exactly a year since the last federal election when the Liberals won a fourth term under its new leader, Mark Carney, while again falling short of a majority by a few House of Commons seats. And while some opposition MPs have crossed the floor to the Liberals, the government’s position remains precarious.

Liberals favored in poll results

According to the results of an Angus Reid Institute poll released late last month, two-thirds (64 per cent) overall of those surveyed across Canada said Mark Carney had done a good or great job handling the Canada–U.S. relationship so far – nearly identical to the proportion (63 per cent) who approved of his overall performance as prime minister.

“That approval appears to be translating into improved electoral prospects for the Liberals,” the non-profit public opinion research foundation said. Forty-five per cent of those polled said they would vote for the Liberals in a future federal election, compared to 32 per cent who preferred the Conservative Party. The resulting 13-point lead marked a 10-point increase in the Liberals’ advantage compared to the previous month’s tracking.

According to Angus Reid, Canadians’ assessments of their prime minister continue to trend in a positive direction as Carney nears the one-year anniversary of his takeover of the office from predecessor Justin Trudeau.

Riding’s social housing needs

Of all the issues currently affecting constituents in Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, Leitão said the most pressing is affordable and social housing. “There have been a few projects that are now on the way to getting started – especially in social housing,” he said.

As for privately-developed, for-profit housing projects, he said “that’s fine – there’s a lot of investment there” in that particular sector of the local economy, but the federal government “is also getting involved directly in the construction of social housing,” Leitão added.

Regarding the issue of homelessness, he noted that Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, as a middle-class and mostly residential riding, has so far shown relatively few signs of homelessness, although that could change as conditions evolve.

No signs of homelessness ‘yet’

“I would say not yet,” is how he put it. “But it’s something that we are keeping an eye on, because we see it everywhere in the region of Montreal. And it’s a complex issue. There are many aspects to it. But in the end, it all comes down to housing.

“People have to have access to affordable or subsidized housing,” he continued. “And at the intersection of housing and mental health, people also need assistance like social workers. They need the tools so they can stay. Because it’s not just the question of finding an apartment, but to also create the environment that allows them to remain in those apartments.”

Leitão pitches Canada’s economic sovereignty at Laval Innov’s 2026 IN Forum

Martin C. Barry
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0
Leitão pitches Canada’s economic sovereignty at Laval Innov’s 2026 IN Forum

‘We are carrying out strategic investments,’ says local MP, promoting Defense Industrial Strategy

“The world is evolving rapidly, global commerce is disrupted, and supply chains are being subjected to enormous pressures.”

It was with those opening words that Marc-Aurèle-Fortin Liberal MP Carlos Leitão addressed entrepreneurs and business people attending Laval Innov’s IN Forum 2026. It focused this year on the themes of Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and digital transformation.

Leitão, who is parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, is also a former Quebec Liberal finance minister, as well as the former chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities.

“There is a lot of uncertainty,” Marc-Aurèle-Fortin Liberal MP Carlos Leitão told Laval’s business community last week at Laval Innov’s2026 IN Forum. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Opportunity despite uncertainty

“There is a lot of uncertainty,” Leitão continued, saying one thing is certain: Canadians are not only reacting to change, but are benefiting from it.

Canadian businesses – and especially in Quebec – have always succeeded by innovating, Leitão insisted, while noting the assistance provided in the form of strategic investments by the current Liberal government.

In a moment of candour, Leitão admitted that he’d found himself lately having to defend the enormous deficits run up by the current and previous Liberal governments.

“We are carrying out strategic investments to reinforce the economic sovereignty of Canada,” he said, while adding that one of the government’s current goals is to focus on the potential advancements that stand to be gained through investments in AI technology developed in Canada.

Productivity and employment

“Of course, positivity is the key to success and innovation is the key for productivity,” he continued. According to Leitão, the federal government hopes its strategy will help create 125,000 jobs over the next decade. Currently, he said, there are 80,000 people employed in sectors of the Canadian economy supplying goods and services for defense purposes.

Leitão pitched the Carney government’s latest economy-building endeavour – the new Defense Industrial Strategy. Through this program, federal officials are inviting the country’s small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to consider bidding for the half-a-trillion dollars in investment Ottawa plans to make in the next ten years to build up the country’s self-defense abilities, while relying less on outside manufacturing sources and providers.

Rapidly changing situation

“The world is changing rapidly,” the federal government said in a statement issued last month when the initiative to boost the country’s security while building the economy was announced in Montreal by Prime Minister Carney.

TheDefense Industrial Strategy is expected toposition Canadian industry to take advantage of $180 billion in defense procurement opportunities and $290 billion in defense-related capital investment opportunities in Canada, with an anticipated $125 billion downstream economic benefit by 2035.

Canada’s defense sector is considered an important contributor to the economy with close to 600 firms directly accounting for 36,000 jobs in 2022, supporting a total of 61,200 jobs across the defense chain. The Defense Industrial Strategy is expected to increase defense exports by 50 per cent, raise the share of defense acquisitions awarded to Canadian firms to 70 per cent, and grow Canadian defense industry revenues by 240 per cent.

A noon-hour dinner-conference featured a panel on the “Challenges of the Manufacturing Sector.” (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Acceleration and transformation

Billed as an innovation and technology event for Laval’s small and medium-size businesses, the annual IN Forum is considered the leading event in Laval for organizations looking to accelerate their digital transformation and discover concrete solutions for innovation.

This year’s forum highlighted key themes for businesses of all sizes, including: Digital transformation: from idea to action plan; Artificial intelligence: concrete use cases for SMEs; Automation and robotics; Customer and employee experience; Data analytics: making faster and better decisions; Culture of innovation and change management; and collaborations and innovation ecosystems.

Aerospace engineer’s perspective

The opening conference at the 2026 forum, by aerospace engineer Farah Alibay, was “An Explorer’s Perseverance: Innovating to Push the Boundaries.” In it, she reflected on her career and the innovations that have made some of the greatest space exploration missions possible.

She shared the challenges, lessons learned and the importance of perseverance and teamwork for innovating in complex environments. A Q&A session with the audience concluded her presentation. A noon-hour dinner-conference featured a panel on the “Challenges of the Manufacturing Sector.”

An expert business panel

The panel speakers were Julie White, CEO of Quebec Manufacturers and Exporters; Maud Cohen, the first woman to lead Polytechnique Montréal; Ludovic Soucisse, CEO of the CCTT Network; and Rose-Marie DiRosa, Manufacturing entrepreneur and CEO of Prox Industriel.

The panel brought together experts from the manufacturing and innovation sectors to discuss the current challenges and opportunities for businesses in Quebec. Participants shared their experiences and advice on stimulating growth, technological adaptation and strategic development.

Shield of Athena opens a transitional home in Laval for vulnerable women and children

Martin C. Barry
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0
Shield of Athena opens a transitional home in Laval for vulnerable women and children

MH2 L’Odyssée is expected to meet the need for safe and accessible housing

Officials from the governments of Quebec and Canada, the City of Laval and Shield of Athena gathered last Monday to officially open ‘Shield of Athena Family Services: MH2 L’Odyssée,’ a $6.9 million 17-unit second-stage transitional home with community support for highly vulnerable women and their children in Laval.

“In 2010, after our caseworkers told us about the difficulties women face when they leave our shelter, the board of directors decided to provide longer-term support to meet the need for safe and accessible housing,” said Chrysanthe Sclavounakis-Nakis, president of Shield of Athena.

Seen here with a certification plaque from Canada and Quebec to be installed at MH2 L’Odyssée are Laval-des-Rapides CAQ MNA Céline Haytayan, Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis, Vimont CAQ MNA Valérie Schmaltz, Saint-Laurent Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos, and Laval city councillor for Souvenir-Labelle Sandra El-Helou and other officials. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Protecting women and children

“Fifteen years in the making, this project is now a resource that helps and protects women and children fleeing violence. We sincerely thank everyone involved,” she added.

Shield of Athena is a non-profit, non-denominational community organization whose purpose is to provide professional support, prevention and intervention services that are culturally and linguistically tailored to the needs of women and their children from diverse ethno-cultural communities.

The launch at The Palace on Le Corbusier Blvd. was attended by Laval-des-Rapides CAQ MNA Céline Haytayan, Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis, Vimont CAQ MNA Valérie Schmaltz, Saint-Laurent Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos, and Laval city councillor for Souvenir-Labelle Sandra El-Helou.

“In Laval, we’re moving quickly and getting things done,” Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer said in a statement. (He was represented at the launch by El-Helou, who is responsible for family and social services dossiers on city council.)

Living in safety and dignity

“Since 2020, the city has supported 1,078 social and affordable housing units – including 49 specifically for women and families fleeing violence – through three significant projects,” said Boyer. “These are concrete actions toward building a city where everyone can live in safety and dignity.”

From the left, Shield of Athena executive-director Melpa Kamateros and Chrysanthe Sclavounakis-Nakis, Shield of Athena’s president. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

The government of Quebec contributed over $1.9 million to the project through the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ), which is also securing Shield of Athena’s mortgage loan. The government of Canada contributed more than $995,000 to the project through the Canada-Quebec Rapid Housing Initiative Agreement. The City of Laval contributed more than $900,000.

Shield of Athena also received over $307,000 in additional financial assistance through the Société d’Habitation du Québec’s Rénovation Québec program. Assistance under this program is funded equally by the SHQ and the City of Laval. The location of MH2 L’Odyssée is not being disclosed in order to ensure the privacy and safety of women and children who will be relying on its services.

Making a positive impact

Some of the accommodation at MH2 L’Odyssée. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

“Our government is proud to support this Shield of Athena project, which is part of our ongoing efforts to build strong and affordable communities across the country, even for the most vulnerable populations,” said Vimy MP Koutrakis, who isParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Jobs and Families.

“This second-stage home will have a big impact on the lives of women and their children in Laval and is another important step in building a more equitable Canada for everyone,” added Koutrakis.

“Our government is determined to provide housing solutions for vulnerable women throughout Quebec,” said Lambropoulos. “Supporting this Shield of Athena project is a concrete example of our commitment. I’m proud of our participation in this important project which will make a real difference in the lives of women and their children living in extreme vulnerability.”

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