Martin C. Barry

The Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation’s 2019 Lobster Gala, which took place at the Château Royal in Laval on June 13, raised $25,125 to pay for educational projects and resources at Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board learning centres and schools over the coming year.

Taking place each year at the height of the lobster season, the Lobster Gala provides supporters with a rare opportunity to feast on a maritime delicacy while supporting the cause of public education.

An annual tradition

For some, the $175-dollar-a-ticket Lobster Gala also brings the school year to a festive close before summer vacation.

Created in 2004, the SWLF raises money to purchase educational equipment such as Smart Boards and overhead projectors, while funding recreational, cultural, artistic and athletic programs at SWLSB schools.

In an address, SWLF chairman Christian Fréchette said that over the past 15 years, the foundation has contributed to an extensive number of projects that benefit students directly.

Near the $1 million mark

“Since its creation, close to $900,000 has been given to the schools and centres of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. We are getting very, very close to our goal of $1 million.We have precisely given $855,000 to the schools and centres.”

In real terms, according to Fréchette, that adds up to $115,000 towards multi-sensory equipment, $176,000 towards technological projects, $60,000 towards sports initiatives, $62,000 for leadership and arts, $100,000 for pedagogical and academic initiatives, $75,000 for health and wellness and $275,000 in bursaries to graduating students.

All for the students

As well, over the past eight years the foundation has sponsored the Laurier Gala, an evening when 250 SWLSB students are honoured along with their families. “The success of our youth is at the heart of the foundation’s actions and decisions,” said Fréchette. “It’s all about kids. Plain and simple. Students are our raison d’être.”

Paolo Galati, the SWLSB’s chairman, said it was a busy year at the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board and he was proud of all the board accomplished.

“Our graduation continues to be amongst the best in the province at 84.5 per cent,” Galati said. “Year one of our commitment-to-success plan is coming to an end and looking very positive. And we are growing in numbers, and will be welcoming close to 200 pre-kindergarten four-year-old students in the fall.

Praise for SWLSB staff

“It certainly is a busy time, but also a very rewarding one as well,” he continued. “We are blessed at Sir Wilfrid Laurier to have the best staff ever. Day in day out, they always give their best to ensure our students succeed and reach their full potential.”

Galati said the African proverb, It takes a village to raise a child, has never been truer. “When communities, business partners, educators, parents and political leaders work hand in hand, they are paving the road to success for our students and making sure that they have a bright future ahead with unlimited possibilities,” he said. “Your presence here tonight means a lot as it shows your support to our school board.”

(TLN) On June 14, Sean Johnson, general manager at F/LIST, welcomed Laval mayor Marc Demers, several municipal councillors and members of the city’s economic team for a guided tour of the aircraft interior design company’s facilities on des Rossignols Blvd.

F/LIST first set up operations in Laval in 2017. The facility serves the Canadian and North American markets for high-end private jet interiors. Currently employing 39 persons, management at the Laval operation foresee hiring up to 60 more workers.

The data breach at Desjardins Group is thought to be one of the largest ever among Canadian financial institutions, affecting roughly 2.7 million people and 173,000 businesses.

Now, in its aftermath, there’s a warning about fraudulent emails, and a class-action lawsuit is in the works. 

Here’s a breakdown of what went wrong and what’s happening now.

What happened

Officials at Desjardins revealed Thursday an employee improperly collected information about customers and shared it with a third party outside the financial institution, which is the largest federation of credit unions in North America, with outlets across Quebec and Ontario.

The leaked information includes names, addresses, birth dates, social insurance numbers, email addresses and information about transaction habits. Passwords, security questions and personal identification numbers weren’t compromised, according to Desjardins.

The employee, a man who has not been publicly identified, was fired. He was arrested by Laval police but has not been charged.

What are the risks?

Desjardins said it has not seen a spike in fraud cases since the breach.

But important questions remain, says one Montreal-based security expert.

“The first thing we need to find out is where is the information — that wasn’t answered yesterday,” said Claude Sarrazin, who has been watching the case closely. “Who has control over that information?”

Desjardins flagged a suspicious transaction to Laval police last December, and it took several months for the institution to learn the scope of the scheme.

François Dumais, left, an inspector with Laval police, took part in Thursday’s news conference. The police service assisted with an investigation at Desjardins. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio Canada)

In May, police told Desjardins that the personal information of some of its members had been leaked. An internal investigation was then conducted with the help of Laval police.

What Desjardins is doing

Desjardins said extra security measures have been put in place to protect data, such as requiring additional steps to confirm a member’s identity. It is also contacting every member affected by the leak.

“We’re communicating directly with every member who’s been affected to explain what happened and what they can do,” Desjardins said on its website.

On Friday, Desjardins extended its offer to pay for a credit monitoring plan and identity theft insurance for affected members for five years, up from the 12 months announced a day earlier.

A detailed list of what Desjardins is doing about the breach can be found here.

Class action in the works

A proposed class action filed in Quebec Superior Court on Friday alleges the co-operative financial group was negligent in safeguarding its members’ personal and financial information.

The lawsuit argues Desjardins failed to live up to its obligations and owes affected members $300 each, plus punitive damages.

The suit has not yet been certified by a judge — a requirement before it can proceed.

Julie Courchesne, a Desjardins client for more than 35 years, said she’s “very frustrated” by the situation. She said the breach will lead to a feeling of uncertainty about her private information “for the rest of our lives.”

Warnings of fraud

In the aftermath of the data breach, Quebec’s regulator of financial institutions warned that Desjardins members may be the target of fraudulent emails, text messages and telephone calls.

“Fraudsters may be tempted to contact you to extract personal information under the pretext that they are doing so in connection with security measures or updates stemming from the incident,” the Autorités des marchés financiers (AMF) said Friday.

Desjardins is the largest federation of credit unions in North America, with outlets across Quebec and Ontario. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

The AMF said you should “never reply” to such requests.

“Contrary to what the fraudsters may try to make you believe, such emails and text messages do not come from your financial institution, even if they bear the institution’s logo,” the statement said.

(TLN) In an annual report tabled on June 17, Tourisme Laval, which promotes tourism in the Laval region, said tourist traffic and spending in Laval last year beat expectations in several key sectors of activity.

Hotel rentals up

Among other things, according to the agency, hotels in Laval saw an 82.2 per cent occupancy rate in the past year, which was 1.6 per cent higher than the previous year and the best performance in Quebec for the same period.

According to the report, 1,739,926 tourists visited Laval, which was slight drop from figures in 2017. Laval hosted 206 conventions and trade shows, generating $8.3 million in business for suppliers of services. Tourisme Laval also estimates that 156 million people were reached by the agency through various media.

Local tourism growing

“The tourist landscape in Laval has greatly changed over the course of the last five years and the future looks just as promising,” said outgoing Tourisme Laval president Yves Legault, who presided the agency for the past five years. Yannick Pazzi of Sheraton Laval is taking over Legault’s role on Tourisme Laval’s board of directors.

“The challenges are many, our ambitions are large and our willingness remains unshakable,” said Pazzi. “I am impatient to get started working with all the players in the industry to get Tourisme Laval headed in the direction of fulfilling its mission and its objectives.”