(Left to Right): Head of School, Shawn O’Donnell; Trustee of the St. Patrick’s Foundation Mary McGovern; Sister Maureen Glavin, RSCJ; and Chair of the Board and Chair of the Capital Campaign, Roberto Di Giorgio breaking ground on construction of a new auditorium for The Sacred Heart School of Montreal.
On Friday, September 27, The Sacred Heart School of
Montreal held a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of its new auditorium. The
event was attended by dignitaries, major donors, alumnae, students, parents and
school representatives. The 300-seat state-of-the-art performance space was
designed by Architecture49 and is being constructed by JCB General Contractors.
It is expected to be ready in the spring of 2020. It will host the all girls
English Catholic high school’s drama and music programs, as well as school-wide
functions and community events. The Sacred Heart School of Montreal was founded
in Montreal in 1861 and has occupied its current location on Atwater Avenue since
1928.
The auditorium is part of Sacred Heart’s $5 million
capital campaign entitled The future at
heart, which also includes a wellness centre and other major renovations to
the students’ learning environment. “We are fortunate to have the support of current
and past families, alumnae, students, faculty and staff, and private
corporations and foundations, including the St. Patrick’s Foundation, the DGDM
Family Foundation and the Cianci Family, among others,” said Shawn O’Donnell,
Head of School.
Construction began on the site of The Sacred Heart School of Montreal’s new auditorium. The groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday, September 27, 2019.
The Sacred Heart School
of Montreal
Since 1861, The Sacred Heart School of Montreal, the
city’s only all girls English Catholic high school, has been graduating
exceptional leaders. The school is committed to developing young women of
intellect, wisdom, compassion and with a sense of justice. The Sacred Heart School of Montreal is part
of a worldwide network of schools that share common goals, mission and values.
La Vape Shop chain co-owner Daniel Marien, right, says more information needs to be made available to the public to counter negative perceptions of vaping generated by recent news reports. Photo: Martin C. Barry
The head of Canada’s largest chain of vaping supply
shops says he isn’t concerned about a wave of negative publicity that has impacted
the vaping industry. All the same, he and other vaping shop owners have
launched a trade association to counter what they regard as misinformation.
With
headquarters on Dagenais Blvd. in Laval, Daniel Marien’s La Vape Shop chain will
soon have 40 outlets, making it the nation’s largest company of its kind,
Marien maintains. La Vape Shop was founded by Marien seven years ago along with
two partners.
New trade association
The
Vaping Industry Trade Association (VITA), which was launched in September,
claims to be Canada’s largest such grouping for the industry’s manufacturers,
importers, distributors and retailers. Marien sits on the VITA board and is the
organization’s spokesperson for Quebec.
If
some of the media coverage vaping has received lately is an indicator, VITA has
a considerable amount of work ahead. Both Time magazine in the U.S. as well as
Maclean’s magazine in Canada recently had major coverage of vaping – in Time’s
case a feature that described it on the magazine’s cover as The New American Addiction.
“What’s
needed at this time is for the electronic cigarette business to work with the
government and to have the proper information, reports and studies delivered
the proper way,” Marien said in an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia.
Pros and cons of vaping
Although
there has been support for as well as criticism of vaping by public health
officials and parents of teens who have become regular users of electronic
cigarettes, there is general agreement that there are positive and negative
aspects to vaping. However, while vaping is now accepted as a far safer
alternative to tobacco smoking, it is nonetheless addictive.
And
then of course there are the cases over the past few months of respiratory
illness associated with vaping. Initially reported in the U.S., a first case surfaced
in Canada this past September.
One
of the largest stakeholders, the U.S.-based e-cigarette maker Juul with an
estimated market value of $38 billion and a more than 50 per cent share of the Canada
and U.S. vaping market, is facing devastating publicity as well as calls for
much stricter government oversight of the e-cigarette industry.
‘Big tobacco’ on VITA
board
While
Marien said La Vape Shop hasn’t been significantly affected by the news, he
added that VITA has nonetheless seen the necessity to step up its public
relations efforts. Just as Juul is now 35 per cent owned by the multinational
Altria tobacco corporation, VITA’s board has three “big tobacco”
representatives, three major players from the vaping sector, as well as other
members with smaller interests, according to Marien.
On
Sept. 27, VITA issued a statement saying it is “closely following
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
investigation into cases of respiratory illnesses in the United States.”
The association noted that initial findings pointed to most cases of
respiratory illness being linked to the use of illicit vaping liquids containing
unregulated cannabis oil (THC) as well as vitamin E acetate solvent.
Says incidents
THC-related
Marien
said he personally agreed with the findings. He pointed out that the THC cartridges in question are currently illegal
and available only through the black market.
“Eighty-five
per cent have been proven without a doubt that they are related to illegal THC
cartridges,” he said. “The product inside these has oil-based product that
can’t be vaporized. When you are inhaling some kind of oil like this, that oil
can sit on your lungs. It’s not the same product as an electronic cigarette
product. It’s totally two different things.”
He also noted that over the past decade when vaping
grew so much in popularity, there hadn’t been any reports like the ones that
came up recently, which only seemed to occur with the clandestine introduction
of the THC cartridges.
‘Black market’
distribution
Although officials in the U.S. have since shut down
the producer of the cartridges, Marien pointed out that the illicit product
(‘Dank’) was “branded” and the company had a large black market distribution network
in place which was growing quickly.
According to Marien, current Canadian law allows e-cigarette
manufacturers to use only propylene glycol, glycerine, flavouring and nicotine.
The law does not allow them to add ingredients containing psychoactives,
energetics or vitamins.
Marien maintains that vaping is scientifically proven
to be safer than smoking because it doesn’t involve combustion – which is the
main culprit when tobacco is consumed through cigarettes.
“The problem is that when you’re burning anything,
whether it’s tobacco, leaves or wood, the combustion creates thousands of
chemicals,” he said. “That’s the difference between combustion and
vaporization.”
(TLN) During the most recent public meeting of Laval
city council, Mayor Marc Demers announced the winner of a multidisciplinary
contest to create a new plan for the design of Laval’s downtown core.
The winning architectural team is a consortium made up
of the firms Conscience urbaine, Collectif Escargo and Petrone Architecture.
Laval’s
future downtown
“Laval is affirming itself where cultural development
is concerned,” Mayor Marc Demers said in a statement. “Thanks to this competition,
we can finally see the outline of a future and important quadrant for the city
centre. The Montmorency sector will from now on by associated with creativity,
innovation and the culture of knowledge.”
The president of the jury, Ayana O’Shun said the jury
was impressed by the narrative theme presented by the architects, bringing
together citizens around an art and design project with the power to ignite the
imagination.
The jury
was impressed
“As a Laval resident living in the downtown, I can’t
wait to see my city become transformed under the influence of this vision,” she
said. At the same time, the jury gave honourable mentions to architectural
teams from Sans façon and Architecturama and their
partners, Balistique, Amery Calvelli and Claude Gosselin.
In order to allow the public to get to see elements of
the winning concept as well the design competition finalists, an outside
exhibition is being presented in the Claude-Léveillée
outdoor gathering space from Oct. 3 to Nov. 11.
In
all, twelve candidacies were judged admissible to the competition, including
four finalists. The City of Laval is awarding a $130,000 contract for the
work of rendering the architectural design into plans.
(From the left) Laval’s mayor tables a document containing the city’s seven requests to the leaders of the federal political parties, one of which will form the next government in Ottawa.
(TLN) With a federal election set to take place on
Oct. 21, the City of Laval has tabled a list of seven requests it would like
the next government to fulfill for the municipality.
To transform the
‘Old Pen’
The city wants the next federal government to
transform the old St. Vincent de Paul penitentiary in Laval’s eastern end into
an educational, cultural and tourist destination. Laval wants the future
government to pay for such a project.
“We firmly believe that we could in conjunction with a
partnership with the federal level completely revitalize the Old Pen site to
fully bring out the value of this heritage site while enhancing the core of the
Saint-Vincent-de-Paul village,” said Mayor Marc Demers.
Support of heritage group
Longtime
Montreal area heritage advocate Dinu Bumbaru, who leads Heritage Montreal and
joined the mayor for the announcement during a recent press conference, agreed.
“Heritage Montreal is happy to associate itself to the City of Laval to invite
the future federal government to diligently commit itself to a concerted effort
to bring life back to the important heritage site that is the Old Pen,” he
said.
Collège
Laval, which is located next to the vacant penitentiary, also expressed support
for the project. “Collège
Laval wishes to actively participate in the rehabilitation
of the old Saint-Vincent-de-Paul penitentiary,” said
Michel Baillargeon, the school’s executive-director. Other requests the City of
Laval is making to the future federal government:
Funding for aquatic
complex
1. Laval wants the future government to put as much as $20 million to help pay for a future aquatic complex the city has been planning for years now. 2. The city wants Ottawa to double the amount of funding transferred to Laval through the federal gasoline tax refund program. 3. Laval wants the next government to maintain the amounts currently being paid to the city to subsidize new social and affordable housing. 4. The city also wants the party in power after Oct. 21 to provide the necessary funding to buy three large islands in the waters off Laval: Île aux Vaches, Île Saint-Pierre and Île Saint-Joseph. 5. Laval wants the next government to upgrade program funding for flood protection in vulnerable areas near the waterfronts in the Laval area. 6. The city also wants Ottawa to provide funding to help develop an integrated public transit system serving Laval and the Lower Laurentian regions.
(TLN) Beginning on Friday Oct. 4, BIXI’s well-known
rental bikes have been available in Laval. The availability comes as a result
of an agreement struck between the Montreal-based BIXI organization and the
City of Laval.
A fleet of the electric bikes has been acquired by the
Société de transport de Laval with financial assistance provided by the federal and
provincial governments. The bikes can be borrowed and returned to four stations
in Laval: City Hall, Montmorency Terminus, Cartier Terminus and Sainte-Claude
Park. All the stations are powered by solar energy.
BIXI welcome
in Laval
“The City of Laval is proud to join the BIXI network
and to add bike sharing to the cocktail of transportation means put at the
disposal of Laval residents in order to improve mobility on its territory,”
said Laval city councillor for L’Abord-à-Plouffe Vasilios Karidogiannis, who is responsible for the
dossier.
The
arrival of BIXI in Laval was a direct result of cooperation by the STL. “The
arrival of BIXI in Laval aligns perfectly with the STL’s intention to encourage
active mobility by Laval residents, while keeping in harmony with urban
development,” said city councillor Eric Morasse, the STL’s board president.
The
City of Laval says it will add 20 BIXI bikes next year and two additional
stations. Following this, the system’s growth in Laval over the next 10 years
will see the number of bikes available grow to 350.
How BIXI works
Rental
can be made through the BIXI app, which also allows geo-locating the bikes,
while determining their availability, or directly at the bike station. Wearing
of a helmet is mandatory on electrically-assisted BIXI bikes. For short-term
access, a security deposit of $100 on a credit card is required. The bikes can be
returned to any BIXI station in Laval, Montreal or in Longueuil. BIXI bikes are
available between April 15 and November 15.
(TLN)
Elected officials from the City of Laval turned on an electric switch last week
to illuminate city hall with pink light as a reminder that October is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month. At the same time, they raised the Cancer Awareness
Month flag on a flagpole outside city hall. Céline St-Denis, a breast cancer survivor from Laval, shared her story
with the guests. Seen in the photo (from the left) are
Céline St-Denis, Councillor Sandra El-Helou and Nathalie Tremblay of the
Fondation du cancer du sein du Québec.
Breast cancer statistics
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women
(excluding non-melanoma skin cancers). It is the second leading cause of death
from cancer in Canadian women. Breast cancer can also occur in men, but it is
not common.
Incidence and mortality
Incidence is the number of new cases of cancer. Mortality is the
number of deaths due to cancer. The following incidence and mortality
statistics are estimated using the most up-to-date data available at the time
of the analyses.
It is estimated that in 2019:
26,900 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. This represents 25% of all new cancer cases in women in 2019.
5,000 women will die from breast cancer. This represents 13% of all cancer deaths in women in 2019.
On average, 74 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every day.
On average, 14 Canadian women will die from breast cancer every day.
230 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 55 will die from breast cancer.
Vimy Liberal candidate Annie Koutrakis launched her campaign on Oct. 1.
Martin C. Barry
In a riding like Vimy, which is home to a great many cultures
and ethnicities that make up the Canadian mosaic, getting the support of each
is always crucial to winning any election.
Getting out
the vote
So if for a while last week during Vimy Liberal candidate
Annie Koutrakis’ campaign launch members of the Armenian and Lebanese
communities seemed well represented, supporters from the Greek community arrived
a little late, but made up for it with their warmth and enthusiasm.
“I truly believe that the people who are going to vote
for me are going to go out and all the communities will be there for me
equally,” Koutrakis said in an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia.
“It’s nice to see such a good turnout by the Armenians
and the Lebanese. And the Greek community was also here. I thank them all for
coming out to support me and my team and my campaign.”
Off to a
bumpy start
Koutrakis’ recent induction to federal politics was
not without turbulence. Among other things, there was controversy over the
Liberal Party’s decision not to renew former Vimy MP Eva Nassif’s nomination. Then
the riding association distanced itself from Koutrakis along with campaign
funds.
There were also rumblings in Montreal’s Greek
community, with insinuations that Koutrakis, who won the presidency of the
Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal (HCGM) over the summer, used the
position to perform a leap-frog manoeuvre and secure the Liberal nomination in
Vimy.
However, all that seemed very distant during her
campaign launch as supporters, family members (including her mother and father)
and longtime friends gathered. Koutrakis draws inspiration from Barack Obama.
Among the supporters who attended the campaign launch for Vimy Liberal Annie Koutrakis (centre) were her parents (far left), Saint-Laurent Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos, former Ahuntsic Liberal MP Eleni Bakopanos as well as members of the Armenian, Lebanese and Greek communities.
Likes to
quote Obama
“It’s easier to be cynical, to accept that change
isn’t possible, and politics is hopeless, and to believe that our voices and
actions don’t matter,” she said in a speech, quoting the former U.S. president.
“But if we give up now, then we forsake a better future.”
Why did she decide to run
for the Liberals? “Because as far
back as I can remember, I have always been a Liberal,” she continued. “I have
always been in favour of political ideas that help the middle class and above
all, families.
“You know, I am a woman who values family very much, I
am a mother of two children who have gone to school here in Laval and I believe
we must invest in our children. We must respond to the challenges they will
face tomorrow.”
More
funding for Laval
Koutrakis said that in addition to current transfers
from the federal gasoline tax fund, the City of Laval stands to benefit directly
from a portion of stable annual funding of $3 billion from Ottawa to support
public transit initiatives.
“Our communities need this, Laval needs this,” she
said. “Traffic costs us more than $15 billion in lost productivity per year. We
have a duty to do something. It makes economic sense.”
Koutrakis said the difficulties families have in
making ends meet are among her biggest concerns. “Actions speak louder than words,” she said, maintaining that the
incumbent government’s tax-free Canada Child Benefit has helped more than
20,400 children in Vimy alone.
“This measure is working so
well that we have decided to improve it by up to $360 a year,” she added. “Bringing
it to a total maximum of $6,639 for children under six years old. The Liberal
Party chose to lift nearly 300,000 children out of poverty in Canada.”
Koutrakis’ campaign launch drew a large crowd to her Notre Dame Blvd. election headquarters in Chomedey.
Criticizes
former PM Harper
As well, she claimed that the Liberal Party’s first time home buyer incentive will help more than 100,000
first time home buyers by lowering their mortgage payment by up to $286 a
month.
“For those who know me, you know that I am optimistic
and that I rarely attack, because I try to act rather than criticize,”
continued Koutrakis. “But there is something I cannot ignore.
“I want to talk to you about Stephen Harper’s move to
raise the retirement age to 67. That is
such an irresponsible and
financially unnecessary decision. A great disrespect for our seniors.
The Liberal Party did the right thing and brought the retirement age back to
65.”
Carbon
emissions policy
Regarding the incumbent Liberal government’s policy on
carbon emissions, Koutrakis said, “We have to put a price on carbon that makes
polluters responsible for reimbursing the cost of their pollution.” She said
this would be accomplished through reimbursements to Canadian taxpayers through
tax rebates across Canada.
Referring to the Montreal Climate March, which took
place a week earlier and in which Koutrakis said she participated, she stated,
“We must do more, especially for our children. We [the Liberals] have already
committed to planting two billion trees in ten years, a great commitment for
the future. We have a duty to meet the challenges that future generations will
face. And we are the only ones who can act on this matter as government.”
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.
Front page of Laval News, Vol. 27-19
October 9, 2019.
Laval museums and attractions get $950,000 in subsidies
(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.”
Top row :Fifi, Perle, Fany, Emilie, Alma, Romy, Hiba, Sophia, Mantha, Alexi, Head coach Billy Zagakos, Assistant Coach Jad Hamadeh, CSC Technical Director George Strantzalis , President of Soccer Quebec Pierre Marchand Bottom row: Angelina, Katerina, Nina, Chloe, Ann-Sophie, Tea, Emma, Sarah, Victoria
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.
President of Soccer Quebec Pierre Marchand CSC U16 Captain Chloe
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.
George Strantzalis, Technical Director
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
Billy Zagakos, Head Coach
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.
