Martin C. Barry

Chomedey independent MNA Guy Ouellette says he is waiting for the outcome of a police investigation before deciding this year whether to proceed with a lawsuit against Quebec for allowing him to be arrested by UPAC as a suspect allegedly involved in an information leak at the investigative agency.

‘A trap,’ said Ouellette

In a controversial manoeuvre three years ago to find the source of a suspected information leak, investigators with Quebec’s Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) used a cell phone text message to draw Ouellette to the residence of a leak suspect, where Ouellette ended up being arrested.

Ouellette called it a “trap,” while the police maintained it was a justifiable investigative technique that was approved by a crown prosecutor and legally authorized by a judge. At the time, Ouellette received solid support from National Assembly members from all parties.

However, Ouellette, who used to represent Chomedey as an elected member of the Quebec Liberal Party, also ended up being expelled from the Liberal caucus by interim-leader Pierre Arcand.

Waiting for the BEI

This happened after Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault claimed during the 2018 election campaign that Ouellette shared confidential information about the Liberals with the CAQ.

“We are waiting for the investigation by the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes,” Ouellette said in an interview last week with the Laval News, referring to the independent provincial agency that conducts investigations into wrongdoing allegations involving the police.

The BEI investigators are specifically examining the role of former UPAC director Robert Lafrenière, who resigned in late 2018. Depending on the conclusions of the BEI, Ouellette said, “We would have to go to court and launch a file against the government for civil damages.”

Suit to proceed in 2020

In the meantime, he said, “there are so many things which have to be set up before taking any decision. But for now the most important thing is the citizens of Chomedey, my riding, and doing what I have to do for the people of Chomedey.”

Ouellette seemed certain about at least one thing: the suit will proceed before this year is over. “It’s going to be in 2020,” he said, noting that the BEI investigation was launched in October 2018 around the same time Lafrenière quit. “I think this is going to be an interesting year for sure,” said Ouellette.

Future with PLQ

As for his future and relationship with the Quebec Liberal Party, Ouellette said he remains a card-carrying member of the PLQ (although not yet re-admitted to the party’s National Assembly caucus).

In an interview with the Laval News last year, Ouellette suggested that he and Pierre Arcand had settled their differences and that all that stood in the way of getting back completely with the Liberals was to clear the air with regards to the UPAC issue.

Martin C. Barry

The presence of two senior provincial government ministers for an announcement that the City of Laval is pushing forward to develop a large but underused tract of land near the downtown core was a good sign Quebec is on board to see the project through, according to Mayor Marc Demers.

Carré Laval, as the area is called by Laval urban planners, is an almost perfectly square territory measuring approximately 4 million square feet – equal to 68 football fields. It is bounded in the east by the Laurentian autoroute, Daniel Johnson Blvd. to the west, Saint Martin Blvd. to the north and Souvenir Blvd. on the south side.

Mostly owned by city

While most of the 32 lots in the Carré Laval are already owned by the city, the provincial courthouse is located along the Saint Martin Blvd. side. As well, there is a shopping mall occupying the corner lot at Saint Martin and Daniel Johnson. There has also been some residential and commercial development nearby on the site.

An abandoned and fairly deep quarry filled with water sits behind the courthouse building. For years, the city has used a large amount of Carré Laval’s space as a snow dump, with long lines of dump trucks making their way on and off the site during the winter.

To develop over 20 years

The city plans to develop the site for mixed use (residential, commercial, institutional) over the next 20 years, with an emphasis on environmental friendliness. For example, the Carré Laval would be an area where automobiles would have no access, or it would be extremely limited, although there would be lots of public transportation.

The transportation strategy calls for maximizing the availability of public transit. As such, the plan would include the creation of a new Metro stop in Carré Laval, which would bring to four the number of subway stations on the City of Laval’s territory.

Among other things, Laval wants to put the flooded quarry to good use by developing it into a lake in the middle of the city, which would be the centrepiece of a park with a sandy beach.

Interest rising, says city

The city claims to have lined up as many as 20 partners interested in developing projects on the site. They include teaching institutions and organizations with an interest in promoting environmentally-sustainable ideas by putting them into practice in an urbanized parkland such as the Carré Laval.

It’s perhaps also worth noting that Carré Laval is located immediately next door to Laval’s successful Cité de la Biotech for science-based businesses, opening the door to potential synergies. And Carré Laval currently has a significant amount of forest land on it that is ideal for park development.

$10 million from Quebec

At this early stage, Quebec is agreeing to provide the City of Laval with a $10 million subsidy to decontaminate the land, which is bound to be heavily soiled from years of snow dump use. However, there is likely also to be a fair amount of additional preparation work, as the mayor himself acknowledged that Carré Laval was used for years to dump landfill and the ground needs to be stabilized.

Carré Laval appears to be one of the largest steps taken by the administration of Mayor Marc Demers until now to make good on the slogan, ‘Urbaine de nature,’ which expresses the city’s long-term strategic vision of Laval as a municipality where nature is woven closely into the urban fabric.

Martin C. Barry

The Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation’s 202 Gala fundraiser raised $26,270 for educational equipment, programs and resources at schools and training centres across the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board’s territory in the Laval, Laurentian and Lanaudière regions in the coming year.

An evening of winners

Held at the Embassy Plaza in Laval on Jan. 23, the popular event featured a silent auction segment showcasing, among other things, a Montreal Canadiens jersey signed by Habs great Guy Lafleur, sports and rock and roll memorabilia, and many other items of art and jewelry.

The evening’s Grand Prize (awarded to the winning “balloon” holder) was a $1,500 gift certificate for an all-inclusive trip, cruise or guided tour of the winner’s choice. The top raffle prizes included a $300 Apple Watch Series 3 and a Fitbit Versa worth $200. The evening’s musical entertainment was provided by the Boogie Wonder Band.

Laval’s mayor attended

There was a good turnout by elected officials from all over Laval and the North Shore areas. Among them were Laval mayor Marc Demers. The mayor was accompanied by city councillors Virginie Dufour, Éric Morasse, Sandra El-Hélou, Aline Dib, Jocelyne–Frédérique Gauthier, Vasilios Karidogiannis and Sandra Desmeules.

Laval city councillors Michel Trottier and Claude Larochelle of the Parti Laval were also guests, as were Action Laval city councillors David De Cotis, Michel Poissant, Aglaia Revelakis, Isabella Tassoni and Daniel Hébert. From the North Shore, Rosemère mayor Eric Westram and Rosemère town councillor Philip Panet-Raymond were also present.

High graduation rate

According to SWLSB chairman Paolo Galati who delivered one of the evening’s addresses, the board’s schools are maintaining an 84.5 per cent graduation rate, which is among the 10 highest scores for school commissions across Quebec.

“We have achieved this success thanks to our 2,000 outstanding employees who ensure all our students have all they need to reach their full potential,” said Galati, thanking the board’s teachers, staff and administrators, many of whom attended the gala as a gesture of additional support.

Remarkable achievement

Christian Fréchette, chairman of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation, noted that the foundation has raised $900,000 since it was founded. “All this would not have been possible without you,” he said, adding that $900,000 is a remarkable sum to be raised by a small foundation.

“I’ve said it before, but today’s students are tomorrow’s future,” Fréchette added. “The better education they receive, the better equipped they will be in life.”

Current situation

On December 31, 2019, a cluster of cases of pneumonia was reported in Wuhan, China, and the cause has been confirmed as a new coronavirus that has not previously been identified in humans. This virus is now known as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.

On January 25, 2020, the Government of Ontario reported the first case of 2019 nCoV in Canada. The case occurred in a person who had been in the city of Wuhan in the 14 days prior to becoming ill. Appropriate infection prevention and control measures were followed. On January 27, the Government of Ontario reported that the individual’s wife tested positive for the 2019-nCoV. She has been in self-isolation at home since her husband was identified as a case. Close contacts of these cases will be notified, monitored for signs of illness, and given instructions for what to do if they become ill by local public health authorities.

On January 28, 2020, the Government of British Columbia reported the third case of 2019 nCoV in Canada. The case occurred in a person who had been in the city of Wuhan in the 14 days prior to becoming ill. Appropriate infection prevention and control measures were followed.

Q&A with Health Minister Minister Hajdu:

Q: Is Canada ready to handle the spread of this novel coronavirus?

A: Our healthcare system is well prepared to handle cases of the virus in Canada, and we are taking all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infection. There are best practices in place across all Canadian hospitals to isolate patients who are experiencing symptoms. The risk for Canadians remains low, and our healthcare system is prepared to prevent further spread.

Q: What is the status of the Canadian patients with the novel coronavirus?

A: The cases in Canada are all isolated and are receiving care. The risk for Canadians remains low. We are well prepared to deal with this virus in Canada. Hospitals have strong infection control systems and procedures in place to limit the spread of infection and protect health care workers.

Q: How long does it take to confirm a presumptive case?

A: A case remains presumptive until it can be confirmed by the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg. That process is typically completed within 24 hours.

Q: What happens if the World Health Organization (WHO) declares coronavirus a public health emergency?

A: Canada’s response efforts are in line with international partners. If coronavirus declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the WHO will make recommendations to prevent or reduce the international spread of disease.  Canada is fully aligned with the WHO recommendations to date.   

Q: Is there a vaccine for coronavirus?

A: Most people with common coronavirus illness will recover on their own. Your health care provider may recommend steps you can take to relieve symptoms. Consult your health care provider as soon as possible if you are concerned about your symptoms or have a travel history to a region where severe coronaviruses are known to occur. The sooner you get treatment, the better your chances are for recovery.

Q: What are you doing at the borders?

A: Various measures are in place in the three major Canadian airports: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Travellers going through these airports will see additional signage in French, English, and Chinese asking them to alert a border servicesofficer should they have any flu-like symptoms. There will also be a health question at the kiosk for travellers coming into Canada, and border officers are able to identify travelers that have come to Canada from Wuhan through connecting flights.

Q: What can Canadians do to reduce the risk of spreading this novel coronavirus?

A: The overall risk to Canadians remains low. If you have traveled to Hubei province in China and develop symptoms of 2019 Novel Coronavirus infection, avoid contact with others and follow-up with your health care professional.  Tell your health care professional if you develop symptoms, if you have had direct contact with animals (for example: visited a live animal market) or if you have had close contact with a sick person, especially if they have had fever, cough or difficulty breathing.

(TLN) A fundraiser held for the benefit of the Jeux du Québec Games Finals being held in Laval this summer raised $141,900, according to the city. The amount was beyond expectations.

The event was sponsored by Desjardins Entreprises and was attended by 600 supporters. The initial had been $100,000. It took place at the Salle André-Mathieu at Montmorency College.

Everyone helping

Former Olympic diver Roseline Filion, who is official spokesperson for the Finals, was thrilled with the positive response. Mayor Marc Demers underscored the importance of all players in the community becoming involved with their support, including businesses.

“To host the Finals of the Games is an honor and I am extremely proud of it,” he said. “I am also proud to see that all the efforts made by the organizing committee and its partners to make our region known. Proud also of all our citizens who are preparing to warmly welcome people coming from all over Quebec.”

Martin C. Barry

With the effective elimination of any reference to taxis in the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s Bill 17 which came into effect late last year, a prediction Champlain Taxi president George Boussios made less than a year ago has come true.

An accurate prediction

In an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia in April 2019, the head of Montreal’s largest taxi service maintained that the region’s traditional taxi industry would cease to exist within three years after the CAQ government passed its bill to overhaul the taxi industry.

“In the law which came into effect a couple of months ago, there’s not one mention of the word taxi,” he said last week, noting that the overhaul now refers to “transport rémunéré” (remunerated transportation).

As he pointed out, the province’s new approach basically opens up the sector to anyone willing to provide consumers with transportation services, the most notable examples being drivers for Uber and Lyft.

No more taxi permits

Perhaps the biggest consequence of this is the elimination of the taxi permit system. Although the remaining taxi drivers will continue to have to pay a relatively small sum for annual certification, drivers for car sharing services like Uber and Lyft won’t be subject to this requirement.

More importantly, the old taxi permits, which at one time were valued in six-figure sums per car and driver, have been eliminated. The drastic depreciation of their value, in conjunction with the government’s reluctance to issue decent compensation, has left many remaining permit holders in hopeless circumstances.

Expropriated at unfair value

Taxi industry representatives had asked the government for a total of $1.3 billion in  compensation across the province. Instead, according to Boussios, “they are expropriating our business at the price of what we paid 30-40 years ago.”

He uses this analogy: “Imagine that the government was coming to your home because they want to build a highway, and your house is worth $500,000, but you bought at $100,000, and they’re telling you they’re going to give you $100,000. That’s what’s happening right now. There’s complete chaos.”

According to Boussios, some taxi drivers who are now in their mid-80s and who originally bought their permits 50 years ago, had been counting on being able to re-sell their permits at full value in order to pay for their retirement.

Has to keep driving at 85

“I have a driver who’s 85 years old who can’t afford to stop driving,” Boussios said. “He’s working because he thought he would be retired and re-sell it and live on that. But now he is worth zero.”

As for the future of the traditional taxi industry, Boussios continued, “Taxi companies may be able to survive if they just change the way they’ve been working over the last 40 years. Because now the market is open to anybody who has a car and just a regular license.”

According to Boussios, there is an established clientele for regular taxi service, although it is an older demographic who like using the telephone to call for a taxi instead of an app. “That clientele is slowly getting older,” he said.

Uber draws younger crowd

“Every year it’s slowly going down. The younger age group is used to the Ubers of the world, so obviously they’re going to go up while we go down.” Still, despite the provincial government’s act of faith in car sharing, Boussios doesn’t see much of a future for Uber and the others.

“There are just too many of drivers and not enough work to go around,” he said, referring to the number of people who are now driving for car share services in cities all over the globe.

As to what Uber drivers in Montreal are earning at this point, Boussios suggested most Uber drivers are taking home around $8 an hour after their expenses. “I personally think they’re not making any real money,” he said.

Big turnover at Uber

“And the actual statistics show that an Uber driver realizes after about four months that it’s a big scam and they quit. But there are so many new people coming in that there’s always a turnover.

“It’s manipulation in its highest form with Uber and Lyft,” he added. “They make it sound like their drivers are partners. You’re not a partner – you’re paying 25 per cent on every ride.”

Still, George Boussios and Peter Hatzis, one of several hundred Champlain Taxi drivers, say they’re in it for the long-haul and have no immediate plans to give up what they love best – providing the highest quality taxi service to Montreal residents.

Martin C. Barry

The Sarker Family Hope Foundation, whose primary goal is to create a positive living environment for children who are orphans, abused or underprivileged in developing countries, raised thousands of dollars on Jan. 26 during the organization’s first fundraising event at the Palace congress centre in Laval.

Children in need

The Montreal-based group, founded by Park Extension accounting services executive Mustaque Sarker, exists to provide shelter, food and education to abandoned and orphaned children in several countries where there are serious challenges.

One of the foundation’s first projects aims to build new orphanages in identified areas of Ghana and Cambodia.

According to information provided during a PowerPoint presentation at the Jan. 26 event, each of the planned orphanages would shelter 200 children from six to 18 years of age. The foundation hopes to raise up to $2.2 million to establish and operate the orphanages.

Orphaned by war

As the event’s MC, George Guzmas of Newsfirst Multimedia, pointed out while introducing Sarker, warfare is the main reason there are so many needy orphans in so many areas of the world.

“War is made with weapons,” he said, while noting that in the space of just one minute, $1 million dollars worth of weapons are sold.

“And, of course, those weapons need wars, they create wars, and wars create more orphans. The objective of the Sarker Family Hope Foundation is to be able at least to try to save 400 children from this.”

From humble beginnings

For his part, Sarker recounted that during his travels to various parts of the globe, he would see children begging for money and food. He said this marked the beginning of his efforts to create the Sarker Family Hope Foundation.

“As a mother who has raised two sons who are 33 and 30 today, I cannot imagine the struggle and adversity that these children face everyday,” said Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis, who was one of several Montreal area elected officials who attended the fundraiser.

MP Koutrakis impressed

“That is why the Sarker Family Hope Foundation is so essential,” continued Koutrakis. “They will help to provide housing, educational opportunities and vocational training. This is life changing for these kids. By learning useful skills, these children will be able to emerge from poverty and violence to contribute great things to their countries and to the world.”

Also among the guests, Saint-Laurent Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos, said Sarker and the foundation were to be commended for giving children in Third World countries a second chance.

MP Lambroupoulos touched

“Children who have lost their parents – who are the number one thing that every child needs in life – they’re giving them a second chance by allowing them to have an education, by allowing them to have some of the basic necessities of life,” said Lambropoulos.

The Sarker Family Hope Foundation is located at 524 Jean Talon St. West, Suite 3, Montreal, Quebec, H3N 1R5. They can be reached toll-free at (438)795-9691, or by e-mail at sarkerhopefoundation@gmail.com

Martin C. Barry

Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete announced at Laval city hall last week that the provincial government is awarding more than $2 million in provincial subsidies to nine community development projects to take place on Laval’s territory over the next two years.

Speaking on behalf of Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest, as well as Finance Minister and Minister Responsible for Laval Éric Girard, Skeete said a total of $2,026,074 is being allotted by Quebec for the Laval projects.

Program’s second year

This was the second year the CAQ government allotted the annual subsidies under its ‘Fonds d’appui au rayonnement des régions’ (FARR) program, providing development funding in Quebec’s various regions.

Several Laval city councillors sat on a committee that ultimately decided which projects and organizations should receive the subsidies. By far the largest sum, $1.4 million, is going to the City of Laval for the development of various local cultural projects as well as the development of related infrastructure for cultural purposes.

Subsidy recipients

The City of Laval is also receiving the second largest sum, $162,000, to carry out Phase 2 of a community program to develop entrepreneurialism in the Laval region. The Cosmodôme is receiving $150,000 to refurbish its “space mission” simulator for children and parents, which is a popular attraction during space camps held at the Cosmodôme.

Other recipients of subsidies are: the Centrale des artistes ($70,422) for a market study to develop ethnocultural annual events to be held in various Laval neighbourhoods; Rencontre Théâtre Ados ($45,000) to help develop new theatrical productions for teens and children; the Office municipal d’habitation de Laval ($15,000), to develop a new service and tools to help guide people searching for rental housing;

Local decision-making

As well, Laval en transition is receiving $65,702 to organize a forum bringing together various groups with ecological interests in order to raise awareness of environmental issues; and the Réseau des bois de Laval is getting $45,000 to build a theme pavilion for this group which promotes the protection and interests of the various forested park lands in Laval.

“Our government is giving to the elected officials of Laval the means to develop and sustain promising projects for the region,” said Skeete. “The projects which were announced today show us the vitality that exists in Laval today in several areas: community, social, cultural, tourism and environmental. They will without any doubt raise awareness of our region.”

“The FARR is an important instrument that allows us to support initiatives which show possibilities for positive results for the whole community,” said Mayor Marc Demers.

‘A major investment’

“Thanks to the money that’s been accorded, the organizations and partners will have the means to take positive measures through projects that answer to the needs of the population. These projects bear witness to the energy and creativity that thrive on our territory.

“What’s more, thanks to the agreement reached with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Habitation, a total of $2.8 million will be invested over the course of the next three years as part of the implementation of the Plan for Cultural Development in the Laval Region. This represents a major investment that is exactly in keeping with the cultural vision Laval has taken.”