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Action Laval loses two more city councillors

Martin C. Barry
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Action Laval loses two more city councillors

Action Laval, the second-place opposition party at Laval city hall, lost two more sitting members on Wednesday this week with the announced resignations of Vimont city councillor Michel Poissant and Marigot city councillor Daniel Hébert from the party caucus.

In a statement the two issued, they said they were leaving Action Laval to pursue their mandates as independents. First elected with Mayor Marc Demers’ Mouvement lavallois in 2013 when Demers’ party first swept into office, Poissant and Hébert were part of a group of dissidents who broke away, citing a lack of transparency in the administration, then later decided to join Action Laval.

Vimont city councillor Michel Poissant has decided to leave Action Laval.
Marigot city councillor Daniel Hébert is abandoning Action Laval.

Despite the fact the Action Laval caucus had grown to six city councillors by March 2019, the departure of Poissant and Hébert leaves Action Laval more weakened than ever.

This past February, Action Laval councillors David De Cotis, Isabella Tassoni and Paolo Galati also resigned from the Action Laval caucus following leaked information suggesting they were in a potential conflict of interest involving real-estate transactions.

The sole remaining member of Action Laval on Laval city council now is Chomedey city councillor Aglaia Revelakis. The Official Opposition at Laval city hall is the Parti Laval, led by Marc-Aurèle-Fortin councillor Michel Trottier, with Fabreville councillor Claude Larochelle being the party’s second member sitting on council.

Laval, Quebec officials discuss re-launching city’s economy during conference call

Martin C. Barry
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Laval, Quebec officials discuss re-launching city’s economy during conference call

Laval mayor Marc Demers says a teleconference meeting on Tuesday, during which he and other city officials discussed re-starting Laval’s post-COVID-19 economy with Quebec Finance Finister Eric Girard and Economy and Innovation Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, was a success and a sign the provincial government is taking the issue seriously.

Laval mayor Marc Demers is seen here on Tuesday May 19 in his office at city hall during a teleconference call with Quebec cabinet ministers to discuss re-launching the Laval economy.

“This virtual meeting allowed everyone to talk about the many challenges that await us following the pandemic,” the mayor said in a statement. “Our business people were badly impacted by this crisis and we see it as our duty to implement measures that will be adopted to meet the reality.

“We are pleased to see that the government of Quebec has serious intentions about re-starting the economy and is listening to the concerns of our business community,” added Demers. “I thank ministers Fitzgibbon and Girard for their valuable cooperation.”

Laval city councillor Stéphane Boyer, vice-president of the executive-committee and responsible for economic development dossiers, said the city has already begun the arduous task of rebuilding Laval’s post-COVID-19 economy.

“Our teams at the city, including the economic development service, is already on the job to work out, in conjunction with the business community, a plan to re-launch our economy,” said Boyer. “The meeting allowed everybody to express their preoccupations, while also suggesting opportunities, as well as paths towards solutions to be explored.”

Place Bell still not ready to take in COVID-19 patients

Martin C. Barry
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Place Bell still not ready to take in COVID-19 patients

After formally announcing last Friday that everything was in place to begin taking in the first of an eventual 50 recovering COVID-19 patients at Place Bell, the CISSS de Laval still hasn’t opened the site because of a lack employees to staff the temporary facility, CBC Montreal is reporting.

The CISSS de Laval still hasn’t opened a temporary ward for COVID-19 patients at Place Bell, after announcing that it had.

“We expect to be able to open very soon,” Judith Goudreau, a CISSS de Laval spokesperson, told the broadcaster on Friday. According to the CBC, a new date has been set for Place Bell to start receiving patients.

The regional health authority announced in a press release that May 15 would be the first day that patients recovering from COVID-19 would start to be taken into the temporary hospital ward set up on one of the ice rinks at Place Bell.

The patients are from Cité de la Santé, where there is an overflow, as well as from retirement residences in Laval that are currently besieged by COVID-19.

Laval COVID-19 fatalities now at 448

Martin C. Barry
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Laval COVID-19 fatalities now at 448

The CISSS de Laval reports that as of mid-day on Saturday May 16, 448 persons in Laval had died of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, while there were 4,596 confirmed cases of infection, 130 persons in hospital, 27 people in intensive care, and 2,160 persons who recovered.

The CISSS also updated a sectorial map, showing that Sector 1 (Saint-François/Duvernay/Saint-Vincent-de-Paul) continues to have the highest number of infections (1,085 persons) per 100,000 inhabitants. Sector 3 (Chomedey) now has the lowest infection count (544 per 100,000 inhabitants).

Free tax clinics going ‘virtual’ because of COVID-19

Martin C. Barry
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0
Free tax clinics going ‘virtual’ because of COVID-19

The Canada Revenue Agency has announced that free tax clinics, which in past years have allowed a growing number of eligible Canadians to file their annual income tax return at no charge, will continue despite the covid-19 pandemic – but with special protective safeguards in place this year.

Due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, many community organizations had to close, postpone, or scale back on the free tax clinics they normally offer, the federal tax collection agency noted in a press release issued on May 12.

The CRA says penalties and interest will not be charged if tax payments are made by this year’s extended deadline of Sept. 1.

However, the CRA says the free tax clinics will continue to be offered by local organizations, in partnership with its Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) and the joint CRA and Revenu Québec Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program.

It is the CRA’s hope that by going virtual, community organizations will have the opportunity to host clinics before the June 1, 2020 filing deadline and beyond.

“By filing a tax return, Canadians can get benefits and credits that can significantly improve their quality of life,” said Diane Lebouthillier, federal Minister of National Revenue. “I am reassured to see that tax clinics will now be able to provide virtual services to continue supporting vulnerable Canadians.”

“The Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program has a major impact on the lives of thousands of low-income individuals in Quebec,” added Quebec Minister of Finance Eric Girard. “The measures announced today will make it possible to help taxpayers through online and telephone tax clinics.”

The tax filing season has been extended from April 30 to June 1, 2020 as part of the measures introduced to deal with the various hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CRA says that penalties and interest will not be charged if tax payments are made by the extended deadline of September 1, 2020.

Event bookings down a third, Tourisme Laval survey says

Martin C. Barry
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Event bookings down a third, Tourisme Laval survey says

According to a poll conducted by the agency responsible for promoting tourism in the Laval region, there has been a 33 per cent rate of cancellation for events scheduled in Laval since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 40 per cent have been postponed until next year, and 27 per cent will be taking place online to minimize risks of COVID-19 infection.

“For several weeks now, COVID-19 has been transforming our reality,” says Tourisme Laval president and general director Geneviève Roy. “Our partners and our clients are facing incredible challenges. Despite the uncertainty, sharing the findings of this survey is encouraging reflection towards a gradual return to normal. I am confident that our industry will be able to meet the challenges and will turn a new page. Creativity is our strength.”

The survey was conducted last week among more than 100 event organizers in Laval on the challenges they felt lay ahead. Other findings in the survey found that 91 per cent of organizers have been considering alternate ways for holding events, including videoconferencing (45 per cent), and smaller scale events (18 per cent).

Up to 50 per cent of survey participants said they were anticipating losing half their budget for holding events, while 13 per cent thought they could lose up to 75 per cent of budget for events. Twenty-six per cent did not anticipate any drop in their budget.

City donates $40,304 to St-Vincent de Paul Society from Place du Souvenir Fund

Martin C. Barry
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0
City donates $40,304 to St-Vincent de Paul Society from Place du Souvenir Fund

The City of Laval’s executive-committee says it is donating $40,304 to the Société Saint-Vincent de Paul for a project the non-profit charity is undertaking to help families that have children up to 17 years old and who are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a statement issued on May 15 by the executive-committee, the subsidy will help to boost a food program run by the society at a time that is proving to be very challenging for many families.

The Fonds Place du Souvenir is named after the outdoor gathering place in front of Laval City Hall on Souvenir Rd.

“Thanks to this subsidy, the Société de Saint-Vincent de Paul will be able to distribute food vouchers to families in Laval that need them,” said Mayor Marc Demers. “In the current context, where a vulnerable clientele is more vulnerable than ever, it is important that we stick together.”

The subsidy is being drawn from the Fonds Place-du-Souvenir, a special fund created by the Demers administration in 2017 specifically to assist children and youths in Laval up to age 17. The fund was created from sums successfully reclaimed by the city from former municipal contractors who were found to have benefited from collusion and corruption over the many years the previous administration was in power.

Place Bell takes in its first recovering COVID-19 patients

Martin C. Barry
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0
Place Bell takes in its first recovering COVID-19 patients

Friday May 15 marked the first day that patients recovering from COVID-19 have started to be taken into a temporary hospital ward set up on one of the ice rinks at Place Bell, the CISSS de Laval announced in a statement.

According to the regional health authority, 15 patients are initially being accommodated and more may be accepted as soon as next week. The hospital beds and other equipment were set up on the rink surface at Place Bell in order to free up space to take in recovering COVID-19 patients from Cité de la Santé Hospital, as well as from retirement residences throughout the Laval region.

Part of Laval’s Place Bell will be taken over to accommodate COVID-19 patients from Cité de la Santé and retirement homes.

Officials with CISSS de Laval pointed out that the operation wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of Cité de la culture et du sport de Laval, which manages Place Bell, and the City of Laval, which owns the facility, as well as from labour unions.

The temporary medical unit is equipped to take in up to 50 patients, all of whom are accommodated in private cubicles equipped with a bed, an easy chair, a table and a bedside lamp. Between 75 and 100 CISSS de Laval employees are being assigned to work at the Place Bell unit.

“This non-conventional site is meant to be a convalescence centre where it is possible to offer quality care to users, while freeing up acute care beds at Cité de la Santé Hospital,” said CISSS de Laval president and CEO Christian Gagné.

City deems spring flood threat to be over

Martin C. Barry
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0
City deems spring flood threat to be over

The City of Laval has announced that with water levels along the Rivière des Prairies and the Rivière des Mille Îles back to normal, the annual flood-risk season appears to be finished and temporary anti-flood barriers that were intalled several weeks ago in several riverfront locations can now be taken down.

According to a statement issued by the city on May 14, the dismantling of the barriers will be taking place in stages. The first of these will be the removal of a pedestrian overpass that was installed between Île Verte and Île Bigras in the south-east of the Laval-Les Îles sector.

Flood barriers installed a few weeks ago by the City of Laval along Riviera St. in Laval-Ouest will soon be removed with the spring flood-threat now over, the city says.

Following this, during the week of May 18 other temporary measures that were implemented in Laval-Ouest and other areas will be removed, the city says. The removal operation will be taking place over a period of several weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city says that sand bags which were distributed over the past few weeks in these areas will be picked up by public works crews beginning on May 25. Regarding the steps to follow for sand bag removal, residents will be informed by telephone.

CISSS de Laval opens COVID-19 screening clinic in Chomedey

Martin C. Barry
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0
CISSS de Laval opens COVID-19 screening clinic in Chomedey

After announcing the opening of a COVID-19 screening clinic at the Cartier Arena in Pont-Viau/Laval-des-Rapides, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval says another clinic has now opened – this time at the Pierre Creamer Arena in Chomedey.

With that, there are now two screening clinics available for screening COVID-19 in Laval. They are open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Appointments can be made by calling 450 644-4545 or 1 877 644-4545.

According to the CISSS, groups prioritized for testing are

• People with flu-like or COVID-19 symptoms (fever, onset or recent worsening of a cough, breathing difficulties, sudden loss of smell without nasal congestion with or without loss of taste).

• People who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

• Other groups listed in the screening strategy of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS): (in French only) https://www.msss.gouv.qc.ca/professionnels/covid-19/directives-cliniques-aux-professionnels-etau-reseau/depistage.

Public health officials say they are stepping up their efforts to track the evolution of COVID-19 by increasing the number of tests done every day. “Screening tests are our best bet to slow and contain the spread of the virus in our area and to identify new outbreaks,” said Dr. Jean-Pierre Trépanier, Director of Public Health at the CISSS de Laval.

By appointment or walk-in clinic: Pierre-Creamer Arena, 1160 Pie-X Boulevard, Laval (Chomedey sector). The clinic offers drive-thru or walk-thru testing.

Walk-in clinic: Cartier Arena, 100 Montée Major, Laval (Pont-Viau-Laval-des-Rapides sector).

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