The current issue of the Laval News volume 28-11 published May 27th, 2020,
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
Laval News Volume 28-11
Laval distributing 250,000 face masks, while reopening municipal installations
Beginning this week, the City of Laval is handing out 250,000 protective face masks to some of its most vulnerable residents in an ongoing campaign to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
According to the city, the distribution is being done primarily through community organizations, including food banks and mental health supporters, as well as organizations that assist victims of conjugal violence, the homeless and families living in low rental housing buildings.
The city says special attention is being paid to COVID-19 “hot zones” on Laval’s territory. Earlier this week, the city was coordinating the delivery of 5,000 boxes with 50 masks each to the non-profit organizations. The masks were donated by the provincial government.
At the same time, the City of Laval is announcing the re-opening of select municipal facilities following the two-month COVID-19 lockdown. As of May 26, dog parks and skateboard parks are once again open, although provincial distancing rules still apply while using these facilities.
Additional information (in French) on the COVID-19 pandemic can be obtained at this web site: pandemie.laval.ca. And a video on the subject by Mayor Marc Demers can be viewed at this web address: https://youtu.be/3AkJqArJRwI
Asphalting work begins June 1 on Autoroute 15 service roads
The Quebec Ministry of Transport is advising motorists that, beginning on June 1, asphalting work will be carried out on the service roads of Autoroute 15 between Cartier Blvd. and Autoroute 440 in Laval.
Taking place during the night in order to minimize the impact on traffic, the work will necessitate the complete closure of entrance and exit ramps on the A-15 along this stretch and the service roads. In addition, the service road of Autoroute 440 headed east will be closed, as well as some nearby streets in the City of Laval.
According to Transports Québec, the work will be taking place from June 1 to mid-July. During those times when the service roads and ramps are closed completely, detours will be set up, the ministry said. Unfavorable weather conditions or other operational constraints could postpone the work or cancel it altogether, added the ministry.
Unidentified corpse retrieved from Mille Îles River
Renata Isopo
As reported by the Laval Police Department, the body of a person whose identity has yet to be confirmed was recovered from the Mille Îles River, in the St-Francois sector, at the end of the day on Saturday, May 23rd. The police were contacted at 18:45.
Two fishermen discovered the floating body in the water and contacted the competent authorities. The Laval police intervened to recover the unrecognizable body. However, the Fire Department was summoned to fish out the body. Circumstances of the death are questionable.
Despite unsubstantiated information/rumors circulating about the possible identity of the victim, the corpse cannot be confirmed at this time, said Laval police. “The body was too badly damaged. The Coroner’s office will have to carry out the formal identification, “said Lt. Frédéric Jean, of the Ville de Laval Police Service.
Police in Laval and neighboring cities will also be thoroughly investigating, in the coming days, for a link between the discovery and the still-active missing persons files.
STL to begin handing out COVID-19 face masks starting Monday
Effective Monday May 25, the Société de Transport de Laval will start distributing anti-COVID-19 face coverings to users, as part of a concerted operation involving all four Montréal metropolitan area public transit authorities.
Distribution points for the operation, made possible with support from the government of Quebec, will be the Montmorency and Cartier terminals, during peak hours, the STL said in a statement Friday.
Distribution will be by hand, a method approved by public health authorities. Squads of STL employees will be onsite handling the distribution. They will be equipped with visors, masks and gloves. The STL says there will be limited quantities on each distribution day, and the distribution will continue while supplies last.
In total, 15,000 reusable face coverings will be distributed in Laval during this first round, which will span several days. From those quantities, 1,000 face coverings will be sent by mail to paratransit users. The STL says more rounds will be forthcoming in the coming months, depending on how the COVID-19 situation evolves and on supply volumes.
“With this round of distribution and those that will follow, the aim is to foster the use of face coverings by the bus riding community,” said STL president Éric Morasse. “As we’ve seen these past weeks, and will see increasingly as lockdown restrictions ease as of today, social distancing will no longer be possible when using public transit. We must all adapt to this new reality, which we will have to contend with for many months to come.”
CISSS de Laval opens a third COVID-19 test site
The Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval has announced the opening of a third COVID-19 testing facility. This one is at the Saint-François Arena in the district of Saint-François in Laval’s east end. The CISSS had previously announced the opening of testing centres at the Pierre Creamer Arena in Chomedey, and at the Cartier Arena in Pont-Viau.
According to the CISSS, persons with these characteristics are prioritized to be tested at these sites: those with symptoms of flu or COVID-19 (fever, worsening cough, difficulty breathing, loss of sense of smell); persons who have been in close contact with someone recently diagnosed positively with COVID-19; medical professionals whose work brings them into contact with COVID-19 patients.
The Saint-François Arena is located at 9449 De Tilly St. in Saint-François. Testing is available with or without an appointment from 8 am to 4 pm, seven days out of seven.
City of Laval estimates COVID-19 $60.4 million deficit
The City of Laval is forecasting a $60.4 million deficit at the end of the current year, after studying various financial scenarios arising from spending and expenses incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement issued by the city on May 21, the estimate takes into account operating expenses, loss of revenues because of fewer real-estate sales (hence a reduced number of “welcome tax” transfer fees to year’s end), and a $22.4 million deficit being forecast by the Société de transport de Laval (STL).
“The present situation is filled with uncertainty and is constantly evolving,” Mayor Marc Demers said.
“In as much as we could not commit right now to a tax freeze, that is our intention. We have shown that we could manage prudently and responsibly these last few years, which allows us to plan for a tax freeze to give relief to Laval residents who have been badly impacted during this very difficult time.”
Laval wins ‘LEED’ certification for Saint-François firehall
While the Laval Fire Department’s No. 5 Saint-François district firehall has been open since November 2018, the City of Laval only recently learned that the building’s modernistic and environmentally-conscious design won a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the Canada Green Building Council.
According to a press release issued by the city, the certification recognizes that the City of Laval made great efforts to erect a building to the highest environmental standards.
Firehall No. 5 is Laval’s fourth municipal building to win the distinction. The others are Firehall No. 2 on Souvenir Blvd. in Chomedey (October 2018), the Lausanne Park community centre (January 2020), and the theme pavilion building at Rivière des Mille Îles Park (March 2020).
Among other things, Firehall No. 5 is equipped with a geothermal heating and cooling system which draws energy from underground, a solar panel array to help preheat cool air during the winter before it enters through the frequently-opened garage doors, and low-water consumption plumbing.
Demers contemplates making COVID-19 face masks mandatory
The City of Laval, the municipality in Quebec that is the second-hardest hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, expects to receive up to 250,000 face masks from the provincial government for public distribution next Monday, municipal officials have announced.
According to some of the latest COVID-19 statistics, there are currently at least 4,894 cases of COVID-19 infection in Laval, and there have been 472 fatalities.
The 250,000 masks will be in addition to 60,000 which have been set aside for distribution throughout Laval’s public transit system.
On Wednesday this week, Mayor Marc Demers said he was not ruling out the possibility that wearing a face mask in public would be mandatory on Laval’s territory.
“We are evaluating it,” he said in a statement. “We are looking at the behavior of people and we are looking at where we will be going.”
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.
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.
