City follows recommendations made by provincial and federal governments
(TLN) Following the example of the federal and provincial governments, the City of Laval has announced that it is putting into place new measures to prevent further spread of the coronavirus which causes COVID-19. In a statement, the city says it has established three priorities: protecting the health and well-being of its employees; maintaining services for residents; and respecting measures that may be implemented by the Public Health Directorate at the Ministry of Health and Social Services. “The health and security of our citizens and our employees are fundamental,” said Mayor Marc Demers. “The city will be making all the necessary efforts at its various facilities. The goal is to limit as best possible the spread of the virus. For that, the city will be cooperating narrowly with the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval. Be assured that that we are following the situation from very close.”
City’s special measures
The city is taking the following measures at municipal buildings and installations: cleaning and maintenance has been stepped up (especially on surfaces vulnerable to contamination); alcohol-based disinfectant foam and gel is being made available at building entrances; disposable disinfectant towelettes are also being made available for cleaning surfaces and desktops in work places; posters are being put up to raise awareness of the COVID-19 emergency. In addition, according to the city, a special team has been created to answer questions from municipal employees on the impact of coronavirus on their work. The city’s human resources department has also put into place measures to provide support to workers should they catch the virus or have to take care of a loved one who falls ill. The city is also strongly recommending to all its employees that they postpone planned travel to foreign countries.
No large gatherings
Finally, in line with a recommendation made by the Government of Quebec, all activities bringing together more than 250 persons are cancelled until further notice. For non-essential activities bringing together fewer than 250 people, the City of Laval is recommending that they be postponed. In case they do proceed, the city is recommending that special measures be taken to minimize virus transmission risks. The mayor is inviting Laval residents to carefully keep track of the situation and to be aware of the recommendations made by the provincial and federal governments. The City of Laval has set up a new web page dedicated just to COVID-19.
A link can be found on the city’s web site, or at this web address: https://www.laval.ca/Pages/Fr/Citoyens/pandemie-et-epidemie.aspx.
Personal hygiene measures
The following measures are also recommended to help prevent the spread of the virus: wash hands in lukewarm water with soap for at least 20 seconds; use an alcohol-based disinfectant if no water is available; cough or sneeze into a shirt of sweater sleeve. When paper tissues are used, they must be disposed of as soon as possible and hands must be washed immediately. If you are concerned about the state of your health or someone else’s, call the regional health department’s 8-1-1 medical information line.
Government to fund public transit and climate change measures
(TLN) Laval mayor Marc Demers is reacting enthusiastically to the Quebec government’s latest annual budget, saying that various investments planned by Quebec will greatly benefit Laval which is the province’s third most important municipality. Demers said he was especially pleased with the CAQ government’s strategy to invest $15.8 billion in the 2020-2030 Quebec Infrastructure Plan in order to increase its stake in mass transit.
Rapid transit funding
The mayor noted that part of this will include a major transit project for Laval involving rapid transit buses along Notre Dame and de la Concorde boulevards. Demers said he was also pleased with the government’s announcement that it is currently studying two scenarios for extending the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) towards the centre of Laval, and to link up western and eastern Laval. The mayor noted that these measures were among recommendations that came out of a public transit forum held by Laval and North Shore/Lower Laurentians communities.
Climate change measures
Mayor Demers also acknowledged various measures in the new budget to deal with the impact of climate change and the development of new expertise for this purpose. As such, Laval will be among the municipalities across Quebec sharing $504 million in additional funding to deal with the fallout of future natural disasters. As well, there will be $100 million from Quebec for a new program to help deal proactively with flooding. “Laval is one of the cities in Quebec that were badly hit by spring flooding over the past few years,” said Demers. “The financial assistance announced by Quebec will allow us to put into place the necessary measures in order to better prevent the impacts of climate change while reacting with appropriate measures.
Electrification programs
The mayor said he and other officials from the city were also very happy with financial support from the province for programs to encourage consumers to buy electric vehicles, as well as subsidies from Quebec encouraging homeowners to convert oil-fired heating systems to electricity. The mayor was also pleased with Quebec’s announcement of a 12.6 per cent increase of funding in culture. As Laval has the highest number of scientific museums in Quebec, Demers said the funding would be especially meaningful here.
Funding for museums
According to the mayor, virtually all the science-based museums in Laval will be eligible to receive from the new fund. They include the Cosmodôme, the Armand Frappier Museum, the Centre d’interprétation de l’eau and Parc de la Rivière-des-Mlle-Iles. As well, he noted that the government plans to provide funding in the new budget that will help promote and preserve historic buildings in the Laval region. Finally, Mayor Demers praised the government for its decision to allot $556 million over five years to encourage productivity, innovation and overall growth in business through the creation of two new income tax credits, the first being for investment in innovations, the second for capital investments.
(From the left, lower), Laval director-general Jacques A. Ulysse, Mayor Marc Demers, Laval Police Brotherhood president André Potvin, Laval Police Chief Pierre Brochet. (Upper, from the left), assistant police chief Michel Guillemette, Police Brotherhood vice-president Sylvain Tardif, assistant-director of investigations Manon Ouellet, Me Richard Gaudreault, Laval city councillor Sandra Desmeules, Geneviève Magner with City of Laval, Marc-André Vigeant City of Laval, Laval executive-committee vice-president Stéphane Boyer, Lionel Dematos, Pascale Lessard, Pierre-Michel Desjardins, Sylvain Chevalier, Serge Gaignard and Jean-François Rousselle.
(TLN) Officials with the City of Laval have confirmed they have ratified a new collective agreement with the police force, which they say will lead to the improvement of services for citizens by allowing for better public security. A restructuring of staff, creation of new policing units, construction of a new station in western Laval and a major increase in the number of patrol hours are just a few examples of new measures to be implemented following completion of the agreement.
A key agreement
The agreement was signed at city hall during gathering attended by the city’s director-general Jacques A. Ulysse, police chief Pierre Brochet, Police Brotherhood president André Potvin and Mayor Marc Demers. “Signing the 2019-2023 collective agreement was part of an ongoing improvement process for services to citizens and goes together with work accomplished in efficient, transparent and responsive management,” said Mayor Demers.
Revised police plan
The city’s plans for police and public security calls for Laval to be divided into two areas (east and west), in order to improve response times for emergency calls. The city hopes to save up to 20,000 hours of work time, which in turn are to be rescheduled for police patrols. The new police station is on schedule for completion in three years. Following the redeployment of police staff, new dedicated policing units will be created to address specific needs. Azimut, a new proactive squadron dedicated to combating criminality and incivility while improving road security in neighborhoods, will use up to 40,000 hours of manpower for patrols.
Innovative approach
Also, a new Prevention squad (to deal with fraud, thefts, violent acts, road safety, etc.) will use an innovative new approach in neighborhoods by working more closely and in conjunction with local communities. As well, the Laval Police Department’s sexual assault squadron will investigate sexually-oriented incidents (assaults, sexual exploitation, child pornography). Other significant measures that will be included in the revision include improvements in investigating morality/drug and gang-related incidents (which often involve organized crime), deployment of the force’s new 24-hour CIVO operational surveillance centre, and new round-the-clock patrol units for quick response to emergencies.
For a fifth year in a row, the 440 Lincoln Laval dealership has taken first place in sales volume for 2019 for the luxury Lincoln brand in Québec. The prestigious award was presented by Ford Canada during the Montréal International Auto Show in January and accepted by 440 Lincoln Laval sales representative Stéphane Breton. (photo above)
“Thanks to our team of professionals and our customers, 440 Lincoln Laval is holding on to its title of Lincoln brand leader in Québec,” said Sylvain Hogue, President of 440 Lincoln Laval. He continued: “We are very proud of this distinction and will be making every effort to maintain our place at the sales summit. To succeed, we will continue to rely on our reputation for a friendly, personalized and relaxed customer experience. Congratulations to our entire team!”
Reaping the benefits of an exceptional 2019 that marked a defining moment for Lincoln with its totally renewed, luxury product line, the Laval dealership was helped in its efforts to maintain its leadership position by the remarkable popularity of the Aviator Grand Touring, Lincoln’s first plug-in hybrid SUV.
Management of 440 Lincoln Laval also takes this opportunity to highlight the new agreement with Carrefour Laval, during which the centre will display Lincoln vehicles inside the mall for four weeks a year, with sales representatives on site. This showcase complements 440 Lincoln Laval’s Chomedey Boulevard facilities and strengthens the dealership’s presence in the Laval market.
Domenic Di Rosa, portraying Toto “The Butcher” in one of the scenes of the latest movie Mafia Inc.
An offer you can’t refuse, a Sicilian/Calabrian message, cement shoes, or minced meat in the butcher’s shop. One of Laval’s finest actors on big and small screens is an integral part of the latest crime saga that has scored big with movie fans of all ages. Gritty or romantic, disturbingly silent or loaded with tough talk, the movie, Mafia Inc. is heavy on red sauce and makes plenty of room for Montreal’s most notorious mobsters
Actor Domenic Di Rosa, strikingly embodies the rotten force of a fresh-faced gangster butcher. That’s probably why what should be a simple act of murder ends up spiraling out of control.
The 41- year-old, born and raised in east end Montreal, from an Italian mother and French-Canadian father, came into the world with acting already in his blood. That’s all he ever wanted to do since Hudson High School. In a candid interview, Domenic told TLN that Drama teacher Kevin Woodhouse was his inspiration and mentor. Woodhouse told him, “You got it in you,” so “I pursued it,” he stated. “I didn’t go to acting school – just Drama from high school did it for me.”
Domenic launched his career at an on-the-spot audition for the Model and Talent Bureau of Ontario. “Chosen out of 12,000 people, I’ve been very active in the industry since then, 1998 to be exact,” he said with very warm smiles through beaming blue eyes. His resume boasts 24 films and TV series.
“I’ve done odd jobs in between, married with four children, live in Chomedey, Laval, and love everything I do.” Oldest daughter Samantha, who accompanied Domenic at the interview, attends Laval Junior Academy and, as his greatest fan, expresses great admiration for him.
Asked what she thought about her dad being an actor, Samantha easily answered, unable to camouflage her immense pride, that “If he wants to follow his dream, he should. He’s really good at it.” But as for her, she has no interest in following in her father’s footsteps for the moment, since she appears to be very shy.
Domenic’s biggest break was the TV series Letterkenny, produced by Mark Montefiore, based on a Canadian story, filmed in Sudbury. “This was the first role I landed, a homegrown sleeper, it’s become huge,” he stated.
Mafia Inc., inspired by reporters Andre Cedilot and Andre Noelle of Montreal’s La Presse newspaper, gives the script the delivery it deserves. “I play the Butcher. Basically, I’m one of the soldiers who disposes of people in the slaughterhouse, turning them into minced meat!” Let’s say, I’m the right-hand man,” he chuckled.
Notorious Montreal crime lords, the rise to prominence of widely-feared gangsters, the Mafia’s fall from grace after settling of accounts. It’s all part of a genre we’re eternally fascinated with, whether truth or fiction, reality or fantasy. The Sicilian Mafia, originating from the city of Cattolica Eraclea, exudes love, loyalty, hate, and division, fiction laced with truth.
Domenic attributes the movie’s success to spells mob movies exert as powerful influences over cinematic imaginations, showing dark sides, the underbelly of polite society, and codes practiced and broken. Some “mobs” are just glorified street gangs, while others have wormed their way into the very fabric of societies they prey on, but they’re all characterized by tribalism and archaic ethical rules, orbiting around magnetic pulls of the boss.
Domenic’s interpretation of Toto Russo, the butcher is the perfect fit for the role – sweet-looking with an overpowering hulking body. Hitting screens on February 14th, Mafia Inc. has earned $700,000 across Quebec on 86 screens. La Presse has given the movie a four-star rating.
Agape’s Ian Williams (far left) and Kevin McLeod (centre) led the Feb. 25 meeting of the NPI Partners Committee.
On Feb. 25 during a meeting of the Laval NPI Partners Committee at Laval Senior Academy, the partners and members heard presentations from several local organizations mandated to provide social assistance and services in the Laval region. The Bright Beginnings project was explained by Agape Youth & Parents Family Association executive-director Kevin McLeod, who also welcomed Varun Thurairatnam as Agape’s recently hired coordinator for Youth outreach and for the Enhancing Regional Community Capacity initiative.
Bright Beginnings
The Bright Beginnings program is designed to mobilize partners and enhance the well-being and educational success of English-speaking children and youth in Quebec. Funding for this program is provided by the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation and the project is managed by the CHSSN. The Regroupement Lavallois pour la réussite scolaire/Wurd Up series was presented by Katrina Diver (Community Learning Centre). A special mention of Katrina’s good work at Laval Senior Academy and on this project was noted by members present.
Literacy through learning
Over the past three years LSA’s Community Learning Centre in partnership with Agape has received funding from The Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur (MEES) to develop a project promoting literacy through learning activities. This project targets youth 12-17 years of age from both Laval Junior and Senior Academy schools, their families as well as members of the greater Laval community. Boys to Men/Girls to Women (Mentoring Circles) was presented by David Cordes, executive- director of Boys to Men Canada. Testimonials as to the effectiveness of the programs were provided by students (Fad and Destiny) from Laval Senior Academy who attend the boy’s and girl’s mentor circles.
Boys and girls mentoring
Boys to Men and Girls to Women Canada are intergenerational mentoring programs Laval Senior Academy has begun to offer its students. Supporters say the mentor circles provide a safe, non-judgmental and supportive environment for students to share their stories, recognize their authentic voice and limitless potential and help develop essential and valuable life skills. Circle sessions work like this: each circle is composed of an intergenerational team of mentors (seniors, young adults, alumni, teachers, support staff) and is led by a group facilitator. Mentors commit to weekly sessions and hold space and provide support for participating students. Sessions combine learning, fun, leadership opportunities, peer mentoring and self-esteem building exercises. Every session begins with a check-in for each member and is followed by a discussion/activity led by the group facilitator.
Embracing diversity
The Healthy Early Years Program was introduced by Kevin McLeod and presented by new project coordinators Natalina Pace and Danielle Boisvert. Helen Morrison from the CISSS Laval invited the coordinators to attend the “Embracing Diversity” event in order to help promote this new project. The Got my info youth web resource was presented by Kevin McLeod. The website (https://gotmyinfo.com) was presented to the partners. (A mobile app is available for Android users, but some difficulties are being worked out with Apple for the ios version.) Agape is asking that this resource be shared to better allow it to be known to youth, parents and those who work with youth.
Conversation Club
The McGill Retention of bilingual health professionals and Bursary program was presented by Agape’s social worker and coordinator Ian Williams. A new addition was introduced with the Conversation Club which started in the fall of 2019 to help health professionals who have taken English courses to maintain their skills (a project from Montérégie-est NPI). Representing the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, Michael Quinn said the SWLSB is interested in the Special Targeted Bursary program, where students who are granted a bursary and promise to return to work in Laval or other identified regions can also fulfill their commitment by working as health professionals at the SWLSB. Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists are heavily lacking both at the SWLSB and at the CISSS Laval.
Gardening project
The Intergenerational Gardening Project was presented by Kevin McLeod. This project between Agape Senior Wellness Centre seniors and grade two children at Twin Oaks Elementary was initially funded by the City of Laval and then by the Desjardins Foundation. Funding is no longer available and new partners are being sought. A special announcement was made by Darlene Brown of The Learning Exchange. TLE is once again running a reading and storytelling project called A 1000 books before Kindergarten. Representatives of the TLE can go to your school or daycare to read and provide free books. Those interested can go to https://tleliteracy.com/1000-books-before-kindergarten on the web. The Laval NPI Partners Committee is a “network partnership initiative” created in conjunction with the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN). Agape, which provides charitable services from its storefront and offices on Notre Dame Blvd., is the sponsoring organization for the Laval network.
When you consider that Quebec Liberal Party leadership aspirant Alexandre Cusson devoted himself mostly until now to municipal politics and only recently decided to jump to the provincial level, it might be easy to dismiss him as an interloper seizing on an opportunity.
Us and them
However, there are a few things that need to be known and understood about Cusson before passing judgment. Perhaps one of the first is his disdain for some of the policies of the current CAQ government. “We have to put an end to the us and them outlook that is currently the practice of the Legault government,” Cusson said in an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia, alluding to the CAQ’s overall outlook as expressed in legislation such as Bill 21 banning religious symbols.
Drummondville mayor
Prior to the announcement of his interest in seeking the PLQ leadership last November, Alexandre Cusson was probably best known as the mayor Drummondville, the 15th largest municipality in Quebec. After spending the first 25 years of his working life as a teacher and senior administrator at a private school and junior college in Drummondville, Cusson was elected mayor of Drummondville in 2013 with 70 per cent support from voters. After winning a second term in 2017, he became the head of the Quebec Union of Municipalities. In that capacity, he signed an important new fiscal pact between the provinces and Quebec with the Legault government.
Memories of Bourassa
What is perhaps not as well known about Alexandre Cusson is that his involvement with the Quebec Liberal Party actually goes way back. Cusson first signed on as a card-carrying PLQ member in the early 1980s. The 51-year-old recalled a meeting of PLQ youth wing members who gathered at the Paul Sauvé Arena in Montreal in 1985 to welcome Robert Bourassa back following the former premier’s decade-long absence from Quebec politics. This was a few weeks before the 1985 election that saw Bourassa come back into office. Alexandre Cusson is not the first and probably not the last politician who starts out defining himself politically through early adhesion to a political party, then spending years (and sometimes decades) pursuing other goals, only to return to the original fold in the end.
Return to the Liberals
Perhaps the most noteworthy alternate example of this phenomenon is former NDP leader Tom Mulcair. After first joining the NDP in 1974, Mulcair got into provincial politics, representing Chomedey for the PLQ from 1994 to 2007 and serving in the cabinet. After suddenly leaving the Jean Charest government, he became active again with the NDP, becoming the party’s leader in 2012. “Obviously when I became mayor, I was fully involved with that and I was no longer involved with the Liberals,” said Cusson, noting that he renewed his PLQ membership only recently. “But I have always been Liberal,” he added.
Two-way leadership race
Whether it’s a new face or simply one that hasn’t been seen in a long time, Cusson’s decision to toss his hat in for the Liberal leadership assures the party will indeed have a race, rather than a coronation, which would have been the case with the only other candidate, Saint-Henri/Sainte-Anne Liberal MNA Dominique Anglade, in the running. Still, as someone renewing himself with the Liberals, the prospect of Cusson winning raises the possibility he might see his next task as a reform of the PLQ following decades during which the party has been dominated by insiders.
Does PLQ need reforming
“As I am always repeating, we must give our party back to its activists,” Cusson replied when the reform issue was put to him. “What we notice is that over the last few years we haven’t been communication as much with our activists. We haven’t been listening to them as much. And so we have to enhance our chances. “The Liberal Party is one which has an interesting structure,” he continued, referring to several of the party’s committees that were set up to take a constant reading of the pulse of the membership. “We have to listen to them. We have to take the time to meet them. And I have made the commitment not only to listen to our province-wide committees, but also to listen extremely carefully to the local riding committees. It’s the best way to reconnect with Quebec as a whole.”
Seeking the rural vote
As things now stand in the seat layout at the Quebec National Assembly, two out of the four parties have a base of seats that is predominantly rural. For the Parti Québécois that has almost always been the case, while the current CAQ government also has virtually all its seats in rural areas. Conversely, the PLQ’s voter base is now almost entirely in the metropolitan Montreal region, following the party’s disastrous results in the last election. With his distinctly rural roots, the prospect of Alexandre Cusson winning the PLQ leadership could provide the Liberals with a new lease on life by allowing the party to tap into this vast reservoir of rural votes – albeit possibly while further polarizing the provincial political spectrum and alienating the Montreal region even more. And yet, Cusson seemed to suggest, it might be the best route to bring back voters. “If we want to see the Liberal Party of Quebec become the party that governs Quebec, it’s impossible to think that it’s only with Montreal and the region that it’s going to happen,” he said.
Sees Quebec ‘as a whole’
“When the Quebec Liberal Party was in power, it’s because it had people from all over Quebec. For me it’s not a question of whether we are party that takes care of the regions or one that pays more attention to the metropolitan region. Quebec has to be taken into account as a whole.” If there remain valuable votes to be won in rural Quebec, it might also be remembered that the CAQ won their landslide in late 2018 after promising and then passing Bill 21, which appealed mostly to French-speaking Québécois rural voters who felt their values were threatened by the rising presence of immigrants.
Would re-write Bill 21
Still, Cusson insisted, Bill 21 runs counter to fundamental Quebec Liberal Party principles. He said the PLQ, under his leadership, would replace the legislation with something that doesn’t undermine individual freedoms. On the question of PLQ reform, Cusson said he’s not sure the word reform is appropriate to describe what he has in mind. “But at least it would be to have our party function as it is supposed to,” he said. “The National Policy Committee, which is the soul of our party and which sets our vision for Quebec, works very hard. But over the past few years, it hasn’t been listening very carefully.
Touching base with activists
“So it’s not a reform of the party’s structure, so much as the attitude, presence on the field, being near the activists and hearing them, showing that we’re interested in what they have to say. To me that’s what’s important.” Despite repeated accusations and tentative police investigations of alleged corruption within the Quebec Liberal Party, Cusson said he is confident the party has been operating honestly and on the level. “I am convinced that at the Liberal Party of Quebec ethical behaviour is there and is exemplary,” he said, although he acknowledged that a perception of corruption within the PLQ and other parties remains in the minds of many Quebecers.
(TLN) The Quebec government will be carrying out more than $121 million in road maintenance and repair work in the Laval region over the next two years, CAQ Transport Minister François Bonnardel announced in conjunction with Finance Minister Eric Girard and Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete earlier this week.
Skeete pleased
The work is expected to generate significant economic spinoffs, according to the government. “I am extremely pleased with the announced investments for the Laval region,” said Skeete. “This shows the importance that our government accords to the maintenance and improvement of our roads network.” “Investing hugely in our infrastructures is our way of assuring traffic gets around more securely, more efficiently and more fluidly for all Quebecers,” said the Transport Minister.
A priority, says Minister
“That’s why our government is devoting significant sums in each region of Quebec in order to realize many projects. Maintaining and improving our infrastructures is a priority for our government.” “The Laval region has a vast network of roads that is essential to our economic and social development,” said Eric Girard. “These investments allow us to improve road trips, while also contributing to the creation and maintenance of jobs.”
How it will be spent
The money will be spent this way: $24.7 million to maintain pavement; $51.6 million for maintaining structures; $45.3 million for efficiency and security; 44.8 million coming from partners. Among the announced projects, autoroutes 25 and 440 north and south, between Mille-Îles Blvd. and Montée Saint-François, will be asphalted. As well, preferential measures for buses will be established on Avenue des Bois between A-440 and Arthur-Sauvé Blvd., as well as on autoroutes 13 and 15 southbound.
William Johnson, right, is seen in this photo, taken in the mid-2000s, at a family gathering in Ottawa
William Johnson, the often fiery political columnist, whose uncompromising stance on Canadian unity made him a reviled figure among Quebec separatists – but also a hero to many Quebec Anglo-rights activists – passed away in his home community of Gatineau near Ottawa last Sunday, his family confirmed to The Laval News. Johnson, 88, was a long-time political columnist for The Globe and Mail and The Montreal Gazette, as well as the author of several books – some of which attacked Quebec nationalism with great gusto.
Proud of his roots
While Johnson’s mother was a Francophone and his father an Anglophone, he always claimed to be proud of his French-Canadian roots. Paradoxically, he accused many French Quebecers of suffering from a crippling narrow-mindedness that affected their political judgment. Following studies at Montreal’s Collège-Jean-de-Brébeuf, and after graduating with a B.A. from Montreal’s Loyola College in 1949, Johnson, as he would later admit in a published interview, submitted to pressure from his fervently religious mother and joined the Jesuit priesthood, where he ended up spending 10 years.
Abandoned the Jesuits
It was something he would end up regretting and turning against. Before completing his religious training, he left the Jesuits. He then embarked on a relatively short stint as an academic, teaching sociology at the University of Toronto, before beginning his long journalistic career. His initial professional experiences in journalism during the early 1960s saw him freelancing feature articles for Weekend Magazine, a Saturday magazine supplement distributed as an insert in newspapers across Canada from the 1950s to the late 1970s. In one of his most memorable pieces from that early time, Johnson wrote about taking part, along with members of his young family, in one of American black rights activist Martin Luther King’s “freedom marches” through the south of the U.S.
Worked at the Globe
His first full-time job as a journalist was in 1967 at the Toronto Globe and Mail, where he was taken on as a city reporter. By the early 1970s, he had become the Globe and Mail’s political correspondent in Ottawa. He later also worked as a correspondent in Quebec City and Washington D.C. In the latter part of his career, Johnson became a political columnist for the Montreal Gazette, although (according to a biography posted on his web site) his position as national affairs columnist was “terminated” by Gazette editor Joan Fraser. This came, as Johnson would sometimes recount to those who knew him, following a dispute over what he deemed to be The Gazette’s weak response to the Quebec sovereignty movement under Fraser, who would go on to be appointed to the Canadian Senate.
Alliance Quebec period
In what was perhaps William Johnson’s most high-profile undertaking, in 1998 (when he was still disturbed by the close results of Quebec’s 1995 referendum) he ran for and won the presidency of the English-language lobby group Alliance Quebec, serving a controversial and turbulent term until the year 2000. According to an online encyclopaedia’s description of the events back then, he refused to meet with government officials, held two demonstrations against the Charter of the French Language, added clauses to the group’s constitution denouncing hypothetical declarations of independence by the Quebec government, and supported the election of members of the Equality Party to Alliance Quebec’s board of directors. In protest, 20 members of the Alliance Quebec board and most staff members resigned, while six affiliated groups severed their ties, calling his leadership style overly confrontational.
Reaction in Laval
Martin Berman, a Chomedey resident who was on the board of Alliance Quebec while Johnson was president, credits Johnson with having greatly influenced his views on Anglophone rights in Quebec. “I don’t like to admit it, but he actually converted me,” Berman said. “I became very, very vocal because of him. I sort of knew what was going on in Quebec. But after hearing him speak, I sort of thought to myself it’s about time somebody was doing something about this. “He woke us up to what was happening,” Berman added. “The rights of English-speaking people in the province of Quebec were being eroded so quickly and we were just sitting around like a bunch of dummies. All of a sudden he was saying wake up.” Another Chomedey resident, Gail Campbell, who was also active with Alliance Quebec during that period, saw things from a somewhat different perspective. “I felt that Alliance Quebec was succeeding with a diplomatic approach,” she said. “There was a difference in styles in his approach. And did we gain from it, or did we lose from it? I think we’ll leave that to the ages to be decided.”
Published works
Among William Johnson’s published books were The Informer: Confessions of an Ex-Terrorist, which Johnson co-wrote with Carole de Vault, a police mole who infiltrated the FLQ; Anglophobie: Made in Québec (1991); A Canadian Myth, Quebec, between Canada and the Illusion of Utopia (1994); and Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada (2005). William Johnson had also been working on a new book, in which he hoped to take aim at the credibility of wartime claims made by René Lévesque – the Quebec sovereignty movement’s most sacred idol – regarding Lévesque’s experiences at the end of World War II when he was a U.S. Army correspondent in Europe.
The current issue of the Laval News volume 28-05 published March 4th, 2020, (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.
The current issue of the Laval News volume 28-06 published March 18th, 2020, (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.
