The current issue of the Laval News volume 27-19 published October 9th, 2019, (Laval’s English Newspaper) covers local events such as politics, sports and human-interest stories. It features editorials and other columns. Click on the image to read the paper.
(TLN) Four Laval attractions that draw tourists and visitors consistently year after year were recently accorded nearly $1 million in subsidies by the Quebec government to continue pursuing their activities.
Laval’s Centre d’interprétation de l’eau received $100,000, the Cosmodôme received $200,000, the Armand Frappier Museum was accorded $250,000 and the Parc de la Rivière‑des‑Milles‑Îles was granted $400,000.
Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete, who is responsible for relations with Quebec’s Anglophones, and Finance Minister Eric Girard made the announcement on behalf of Minister for the Economy and Innovation Pierre Fitzgibbon.
“By attracting many visitors every year, these four museum institutions are participating in the cultural, touristic and economic growth of the Laval region,” said Skeete. “It is thus with enthusiasm that we support their activities.”
“Museum institutions with scientific and technological vocations are essential to the promotion of scientific culture,” said Girard. “Their mission goes along with our government’s goal which is to encourage scientific museums everywhere in Quebec, most notably in Laval.”
The Chomedey Soccer Club is wrapping up a very successful summer season. The most noteworthy success comes from their under-16 girls AAA team. On September 7th, they won the Coupe du Québec, defeating CELTIX HAUT-RICHELIEU 3-1 during the final match at complex Bois de Boulogne.
The team also clinched the league championship and finished first in the Ligue élite soccer du Québec (LESQ). The girls’ team suffered only one defeat the entire season. Billy Zagakos who took over the team in February explained that the transition wasn’t easy.
With the assistance of George Strantzalis, the club’s new technical director, they adopted a new philosophy, game model and tactics. However, as change is never easy, making the girls believe and buy into the plan required them to change their whole mindset – they way they approached things, the intensity they wanted, the type of practices, said Zagakos.
In the end, he continued, they did a very good job and it showed right from the beginning of the summer. Rolling off 11 straight wins, the girls established themselves as the team to beat and the favourites moving forward. Although they had a lot of injuries, they persevered through the dog days of summer and everyone stepped it up during the games.
The icing on the cake was the Quebec Cup, said Coach Zagakos, who went on to thank coach Jad Hamadeh, goalie coach Thanasi Manolopoulos, manager John Theodossiades, and especially technical director George Strantzalis. Next year, they agreed, things will be tougher as opponents will be hunting for them. That’s why, they insisted, the focus on commitment, a strong work ethic and professionalism has to be twice as good.
The president of the club, Stephane Alex Bisbikos, said everyone in the club is extremely happy and proud of their girls’ team and what they accomplished. He also maintained they was not surprised with their success. He said the team was a force to reckon with and will likely continue to do so.
Bisbikos said the club has a proven track record for developing and fielding elite teams. In addition to the girls’ team, the Chomedey club has two other AAA boys’ teams which are also preforming extremely well.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the club and winning the cup was a very fitting moment. In August, the club successfully submitted its application for a Youth National license, which is the highest level an amateur club can hold.
Bisbikos said he is confident that Chomedey will succeed in its application, given the quality on and off the field. He said the club is very fortunate to have highly qualified coaches and volunteers and is currently preparing to meet new national club level requirements. This will ensure that the club continues for the next 30 years.
The Chomedey Soccer Club leadership said the U16FAAA team had a difficult winter preparation. They changed coach and with Billy Zagakos in the position of head coach he changed the style and the way the team played.
At first it was not easy to apply the tactic, they continued: applying the style of play of a “possession game” and pressing high! Of course, the team has quality players and the spirit of the whole team quickly led to the championship. The team suffered their only defeat throughout the championship, which was definitely a good lesson for all, he maintained.
The follow-up was amazing, so the club won the championship (with a big margin of points from the second place team) and the cup at the same time. Once again, congratulations to coaches Billy Zagakos, Jad, Thanasi Manolopoulos, team manager John Theodossiadis, as well as all the parents and the CA of CSC for the effort and support in the U16FAAA division.
Thank you,
George Strantzalis
Technical Director
Chomedey Soccer Club
The winter season wasn’t easy trying to install the new philosophy, game model and tactics. Making the girls believe and buying into our plan wasn’t easy. The whole mindset had to change. The way we approached things, the intensity we want, and the type of practices.
They did very good and it showed right from the get go of the summer season, rolling off 11 straight wins and establishing ourselves as the team to beat and the favourite going forward.
The teams will and perseverance through the dog days of summer when we had a lot of injuries, all the girls stepped up their game. The icing on the cake was the Quebec cup win, without team unity and everyone pulling together this amazing season wouldn’t have happened.
I thank all the coaches assistant Jad Hamadeh, goalie coach Thanasi Manolopoulos, the manager John Theodossiades and especially the TD George Strantzalis who was hands on with the team. Next year will be tougher, all the opponents will be hunting for us. That’s why our focus, commitment, work ethic and professionalism has to be twice as good.
Thank you,
Billy Zagakos
Head Coach
Laval police arrested Huard Sept. 4 for online luring, making sexually explicit materials available online and breaking conditions.
According to an SPL news release, Huard contacted an 11-year-old girl on Messenger last fall and corresponded with her for several days allegedly sending sexually explicit images and videos to the victim.
Huard used the Facebook profile Sakapfet Rose claiming to be 22 years old, and police say he carried on the exchange with his victim in full knowledge of her being a minor.
Investigators in the Major Crimes Division have reason to believe that Huard contacted or tried to contact other victims through social media.
Huard is being detained and will return to court Oct. 9.
Those with information are asked to contact the SPL confidentially at 450-662-INFO or by calling 911 and mentioning the file LVL 181212065.
Renata Isopo
On September 17, l’ Association Restauration Québec (ARQ) held a media conference at the Palace Convention Center. Founded in 1938, consisting of 5,600 members throughout Quebec, the organization extends its services to government representatives, provides valuable information, and informs on ways to obtain discounts to restauranteurs.
From local farms to the consumers’ table, Laval produce isn’t just a journey through a farm; it’s a journey through flavor, where chefs provide a modern interpretation of local food production. Restaurants are considered the heart of Laval agriculture because bakeries, pastry kitchens, dairy products, and vegetables dishes rely on local producers for ingredients of the highest quality. These are the sentiments expressed to TLN by Stephane Lalande, Laval Agropole Commissioner, and the restaurant owners who were mingling and discovering new products for their next gourmet menu aimed to please.
Laval restaurateurs are now seducing clients by integrating flavors, aromas, and traditions of families into their menus by using produce from Laval farms and farmhouses, in generous quantities. Managers and chefs stated that certain actions of local food producers stand out as reasons why they continue to buy local foods; for example, response time to process an order is quick, thorough, and reliable. Food purchasers also indicated that local foods must have unique selling points and variety, besides cost, a trait enjoyed by many, if not all, local Laval producers.
Over 60 display booths exhibited a multitude of tantalizing eye-catching products from a variety of food and beverage industries intended for distribution to restaurants, schools, grocery stores, and other institutions.
Stephane Lalande, who was born into a family of agricultural entrepreneurs and has extensive experience in economic development, cited processors, distributors, retailers, and particularly farmers as major players in the food system.
“What we want is the ‘taste’ of Laval—gourmet meals exclusively made from Laval products,” he stated. And, “our objective is to attract businesses to Laval which will contribute to our city’s economic development. I am very proud of this extensive Laval network,” he told TLN, pointing to 85 food transport businesses, 16,000 employees in the food processing industry including restaurants, and 2,200 employees in the food industry. There are 125 farmers that cover 30 per cent of the government- protected agricultural land. “We’d like Laval produce to be destined for gourmet meals in all of our city’s restaurants,” he summed up.
Daniel Tanguay, business consultant recognized for his dynamic animation, offered ways for managers, restauranteurs, and employees to reflect on their practices in human resources, marketing, and customer service. His focus was on the mission of promoting the Quebec/Laval agricultural products’ distribution in all of Laval eateries, while maintaining great service, quality food, and regular updating of menus. The importance of customer service was prioritized, thus the magical success rate of restaurants in Laval.
Master of Ceremony, Francois Meunier, vice president for government and business public affairs, addressed restaurateurs, informing that Laval boasts 819 eateries in 2019 such as restaurants, bistros, cafés, schools, and more, which produce 11,300 jobs (bars and taverns excluded) and brought in an estimated $536 million in 2018.
A highlight of the conference was the announcement of the recipient of the ARQ Foundation award, Chapeau Restaurateurs, Maryse Gosselin, native of Laval, owner of the Bistro Bar Rossignol for her contribution to the community, and the sustainability of her establishment. Her business is also recognized as a place of cultural diffusion, while several artists appear there in musical performances. Gosselin helps with benefit evenings including Cystic Fibrosis Canada, Montreal Chapter, The Wind Rose (cancer), The Lanaudiẻre Association of People with Visual Disabilities, and the Montreal Heart Institute.
The award was presented by Claude Menard, President of the ARQ Foundation. No doubt, Laval has great taste!
Martin C. Barry
Laval-Les Îles Conservative candidate Tom Pentefountas unleashed a blistering attack on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the incumbent Liberals during a campaign launch in Chomedey last Wednesday night.
This is Pentefountas’ first foray into federal politics. He previously made two attempts to win a seat in the Quebec National Assembly, running for the defunct Action démocratique du Québec.
From 2011 to 2015, he was vice-chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, having been appointed by former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Addressing the guests in fluent English and French, Pentefountas said that while campaigning door-to-door, an issue that kept being raised by those he met was immigration.
“Somebody who’s been here for many years was telling me their father worked for 50 years, he is retired, but there are people arriving by taxi with suitcases at Roxham who make more money than their father and their mother,” he said, referring to the Canada/U.S. border crossing where refugees have been streaming into Quebec.
Explaining his party’s views on the current refugee system, Pentefountas said a Conservative government would place more emphasis on regular immigration applicants, such as families seeking reunification, who’ve followed the rules. At the same time, he took a jab at the current leader of the Liberal government.
“True asylum seekers that are leaving areas of war and destruction and bloodshed that truly need our help are being delayed because of Justin Trudeau sending out a tweet to maintain his status as an international rock star,” he said. “Well, we’re paying for that rock star image he wants to protect. And we’re tired of doing that.”
Pentefountas said the second issue he’s hearing most often about is the Trudeau government’s decriminalization of marijuana.
“It’s unbelievable – the only institution that can lose money selling drugs is the Canadian government,” he said, referring to the Liberal government’s efforts in the last four years to decriminalize and regularize the sale of pot.
“People can’t get over the fact that consuming of marijuana is being encouraged,” he said. “A psychotropic substance. This is not alcohol. This is serious business that will have unbelievable damaging effects on young people. The science is clear: in developing minds, those who are under 25 or 30, the damage caused long-term short and medium is overwhelming. We have no idea what the medical bills will be for our young people going forward.”
Pentefountas suggested the Liberal government’s marijuana decriminalization efforts have been a failure since the non-regulated marijuana sector is flourishing. “There isn’t one pusher that’s out of business,” he said.
“You want to know why? His product is exceptional, his prices are better than the government’s because they’re not unionized workers, and his service is overwhelming. He’ll bring it to your house if you want. So no one is leaving their pusher to start buying pot from the government. The only people buying pot from the government are people who didn’t try it, didn’t want to try it or were worried about going to the local pusher to buy it. Ergo we have an increase in the consumption of pot in this country.”
Pentefountas said one of several reasons Justin Trudeau decided to decriminalize marijuana “was to get the youth vote. And he was successful. He got the youth vote. More young people voted in the last election than at any other time in the history of Canada.”
Referring to Justin Trudeau as “the apologizer in chief,” Pentefountas said, “This guy will cry and apologize for everything and anything except things of his doing. It’s time that we had honesty and integrity in government.”
Pentefountas predicted that if re-elected, the Trudeau Liberal government will end up making drastic budget cuts to compensate for the spending spree it went on since 2015. “When you create these massive debts for no reason, two things have to happen thereafter,” he said.
“One, we increase taxes. Or two, we decrease services, Or even worse, both: decrease services and increase taxes. And that’s what’s coming under Justin Trudeau in a second mandate.”
For his part, Vince Guzzo waded into the fray, criticizing the Liberal Prime Minister for his stance on Quebec’s legislation that imposed a partial ban on religious symbols – Bill 21.
“Let’s be honest: Bill 21 is a provincial jurisdiction,” he said. “All of a sudden we have a Prime Minister who’s telling us ‘I don’t want to get too many Quebecers against me, so I’m not really going to tell you that I’m going to contest it.’
“But while contesting that law would be an attack to Quebec’s sovereignty over dictating its own law, you know what it really is? It is what he’s done for the last four years: it is wasting our tax dollars.”
Senator Housakos called Justin Trudeau “the master of the photo-op” while adding that “it’s time to get to work and that’s the bottom line. It’s time to stop with the selfies, the handshakes and the parades. Unfortunately for Justin Trudeau he’s running out of time on October 21.”
CBC- A new book arriving on the eve of the federal election campaign is offering policy geeks a comprehensive take on whether Justin Trudeau lived up to his 2015 vows.
At the heart of the 237-page publication — the product of work from two dozen Canadian academics — is an analysis of 353 Liberal pre-election promises and an evaluation of how many have actually been fulfilled since Trudeau’s team took office.
In short, the experts found that by March of this year Trudeau’s government had entirely followed through on about 50 per cent of its pledges, partially delivered on about 40 per cent and had broken roughly 10 per cent.
The authors say the book — which also features a deep plunge into the weeds of about a dozen key policy areas — will not only interest wonks, like scholars and journalists, but can serve as a primer for all voters ahead of October’s election.
“In an era of ‘fake news,’ negative advertising campaigns and conventional and social media overload, voters face a daunting challenge in providing a neutral and objective assessment of the past four years under the Liberal government,” they write in the book, published by les Presses de l’Universite Laval.
“This book provides them with tools based on real facts to enlighten their evaluation of Justin Trudeau’s government’s record.”
The English edition, titled “Assessing Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Government,” is scheduled for release Monday. The authors say their mission was to create a non-partisan, transparent source of information about pledge fulfilment.
For those looking to keep score, the book also provides a historical dimension. Researchers have retroactively examined pledge fulfilment by federal governments dating back to Brian Mulroney’s first majority mandate in 1984.
The Trudeau government’s result is based on a platform-monitoring tool called the “Polimetre,” which is managed by Universite Laval’s Centre for Public Policy Analysis.
The gauge’s latest reading — updated since March — shows the Liberals have entirely fulfilled 53.5 per cent of their 2015 vows, partially lived up to 38.5 per cent and broken eight per cent.
The researchers also created a Polimetre for Stephen Harper’s last majority government that stretched from 2011 to 2015. The Harper government, they found, completely met 77 per cent of its election pledges, delivered in part on seven per cent and broke 16 per cent of their promises.
The Harper Polimetre was the group’s first at the federal level — and the Trudeau version was the first to be made into a book.
There are two ways to draw a conclusion on Trudeau and Harper’s promise-keeping records, said book co-editor Francois Petry, a political science professor from Universite Laval.
One is to combine pledges fully met with those partially kept — which gives Trudeau a score of 92 per cent and 85 per cent for the final four years of Harper’s run. Or, Petry said, one can simply compare vows fully realized — Trudeau gets 53.5 per cent and Harper 77 per cent.
However, not all pledges are created equally, he noted.
Trudeau entered the 2015 campaign having made a lot of “transformative” promises, he said, in part because the Liberals wrote their more ambitious pledges while they were a third-place party.
In contrast, Harper made a lot of “transactional” promises, which Petry described as those targeted at sub-populations like parents, for instance.
The writers also stress that efforts by all governments to deliver on promises often converge with conditions outside their control. Circumstances could include the fulfilment-hampering effects of an economic downturn or a boost from strong growth, which the Liberals have seen in recent years.
In the end, however, the researchers found the Trudeau and the last Harper government had the highest rates of follow-through on their campaign promises of any Canadian government over the last 35 years.
Overall, governments in Canada have good records when it comes to keeping promises, Petry said. Polls, on the other hand, have long shown that most Canadians think politicians are liars, even though voters have generally done a poor job keeping tabs on party pledges.
“There is a sort of negative bias in the Canadian population,” said Petry, who co-edited the book with Centre for Public Policy Analysis executive director Lisa Birch.
“We are trying, therefore, to sort of change the view of the public on this particular topic.”
The book also explores the effectiveness of Liberal policies and decisions over the last four years in a range of areas — from the party’s vows to support the middle class, address climate change and deliver on electoral reform.
For example, the research notes how the Trudeau government abandoned its 2015 campaign vow to run annual deficits of no more than $10 billion and to balance the books by 2019.
It also noted how the Liberals broke their promises to introduce legislation on electoral reform within 18 months of forming government and to end the first-past-the-post voting system.
Asked about potential criticism of the research, Petry said the authors make no claims their method is foolproof, nor do they argue the results are as airtight as a controlled lab experiment.
He said the Polimetre has been applied to recent provincial governments in Quebec. The group, Petry added, is considering a project that will scrutinize the pledges of Ontario’s Doug Ford government.
(TLN) Around 100 people had the privilege of being present for an historic moment at Collège Montmorency on Sept. 23 when a new pavilion dedicated to the study and learning of human sciences was inaugurated.
The new building has been named the Guy-Rocher Pavilion in honour of a man who is credited with having helped launch Quebec’s vast community college network. Rocher was on hand, as were Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard, UQAM rector Magda Fusaro, Laval mayor Marc Demers and Collège Montmorency executive-director Olivier Simard.
“Just like Guy Rocher, Collège Montmorency is also very audicious and has innovative spirit,” said Simard, noting that the building was being inaugurated during festivities marking the college’s 50th anniversary.
The new building was under construction for two years. It was paid for with subsidies from the provincial and federal governments. The building contains interdiscipliniary study clinics, research laboratories for microbiology, entomology and chemistry researchers, neurofeed back research projects, the human sciences department, and offices used by Université du Québec à Montréal offices to facilitate exchanges between the college and the university.
Guy Rocher played a key role in the development of Quebec’s CEGEP system. During the early 1960s he was a member of the Parent Commission on education in Quebec, whose findings recommended the creation of a provincial Ministry of Education as well as the creation of community colleges (CEGEPs). The Parent Commission laid the groundwork for Quebec’s modern education system.
Laval police are asking the public for help to identify three trucks they believe were used to unload illegal waste between June and August 2019.
Officers say the incidents happened on Gaumont Street, in the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul area of Laval, on Montreal’s north shore.
Several red and white trucks reportedly went to the site to unload garbage on vacant land and public roads.
“Protecting the environment is important for Laval residents,” police stated.
“Laval police wishes to remind everyone that it is strictly forbidden to deposit or dispose of any waste along the public road, according to article L 12084 of municipal bylaw 2.12.”
The illegally disposed waste has been cleaned up and no longer causes any threat to the environment.
Anyone with information can call the Info-Line at 450-662-INFO (4636) or 911 by mentioning the file LVL 190826-009.
A 24 year-old man was shot near Begin St. and Parc Ave. in a residential area in Laval and is in hospital.
Shots rang out around 7:15 p.m. Sunday, September 15th and Laval Police responded. Police found bullet casings on the ground and later received word that a man was in hospital being treated for gunshot wounds.
He is not cooperating with authorities and expected to recover.
Laval police are seeking information concerning an arson at a restaurant in Chomedey last month.
On the night of Aug. 2, police say someone used an object to smash the windows of Mirch Masala at 4225 Samson Blvd.
He then allegedly launched a Molotov cocktail inside the restaurant.
Images from a surveillance camera show the man fleeing the premises, heading south on 92nd Avenue.
Anyone with information is asked to reach out to police at 450-662-INFO (4636) or 911 by mentioning the file LVL 190802 006.
Quebec Provincial Police have questioned 17 people of interest and conducted property searches relating to the breach of personal information of 2.9 million Desjardins Group members.
The QPP said it met 91 witnesses in Quebec City, Montreal and Laval earlier this week in the Portier investigation, which concerns the data leak of 2.7 million individuals and 173,000 businesses that were Desjardins customers.
These meetings led the police force to question Thursday the 17 people of interest in addition to conducting six searches — four residences and two businesses — and seizing computer equipment.
More than 200 police and a dozen civilian members took part in this vast operation, according to the statement.
After the data leaked was revealed in June, the provincial police announced the creation of an integrated investigation team including police in the Quebec cities of Laval, Montreal, Quebec City and Levis.
Desjardins, a Quebec-based co-operative, said a single employee was responsible for the breach that was detected in December 2018, and has since been fired.
Martin C. Barry
Can caregivers and professionals be partners in care?
That was the question members of the Agape Senior Wellness Centre came to hear about when retired UQAM professor of social work Nancy Guberman was the Notre Dame Blvd. centre’s guest speaker on Sept. 13.
Guberman has conducted extensive research on care giving, including several studies on the relationships between caregivers and health care professionals. She has also been active in caregiver rights groups.
Caregivers often say that they feel ignored, misunderstood or pressured by the various professionals they interact with on a daily basis. But at the same time, these same health professionals are expected to reach unrealistic quotas by the health system they work for and represent.
Given the polarized expectations of these two groups, where the stage is set for conflict and unmet expectations, how can cooperative relations be developed for the benefit of all?
As Guberman suggested in her interesting and highly informative talk, the provincial health ministry’s current policy emphasizing at-home care places more pressure than ever on home caregivers, without necessarily taking into account their limited knowledge of medicine and nursing.
“A home is not a hospital, but they’re transferring all these things, and then the caregivers are stuck with all these questions and very little support, so that really they’re being used as resources by the system so that it costs less for the system,” she said.
Guberman said this was one of the first things she learned from caregivers about their relationships with professionals in the course of her research. However, she noted that not everyone had negative relationships. “Sometimes there was a positive and significant relationship between the caregiver and some of the professionals.”
However, what the caregivers also said was that meeting professionals like this is largely luck. “Is that the way the system works?” she asked. “That if you’re lucky you get a decent worker? And they used the word luck – I’m not inventing it. So if you’re lucky maybe you’ll get this really good situation where somebody understands and works well and is efficient.”
Guberman said her research team also asked caregivers what they expected or would like from professionals. “And what they told us was more listening – they should listen to us – more empathy – they should understand what caregivers go through, what their life is like,” she said.
As well, according to Guberman, the caregivers said they wanted professionals to be able to provide better communications, more support and followup. “So they really want better relations and that the caregivers be involved and listened to and involved in all the decisions,” she said.
In addition to consulting caregivers, Guberman and her team also met with the professionals who had complaints of their own regarding the caregivers. “They said those caregivers, they don’t have much time do they? They’re stuck between their jobs and their kids or their grandkids and they’re sort of a sandwich generation.
“So this lack of time is from their point of view a problem,” she continued. “They also find that caregivers are very demanding. They ask so many questions and they know so many things now and they don’t trust us.
“Before people trusted professionals. Professionals told you to do something, your doctor said something, we generally would go yeah okay. But now we want a second opinion, I read on the Internet this, my friend told me that. We are a lot more demanding.”
As well, according to Guberman, the current generation of caregivers is perceived by the professionals as people highly aware of their rights “and how to claim these rights,” she said. “Well I think we are into a generation of rights: everybody has rights. So want it or not they claim their rights.”
Located on the third floor at 3950 Notre Dame Blvd. just east of Curé Labelle Blvd. in Chomedey, the Senior Wellness Centre offers health conferences, cognitive activities (board and card games), organized bus trips, computer or tablet courses and meetings with other members of Laval’s English-speaking community. The Senior Wellness Centre can be reached by phone at (450) 934-1122.
