(TLN)
A major undertaking in active mobility was completed recently when the City of
Laval finished implementation of the 100th kilometre of cycling
paths created since 2014.
The
city has set itself an objective of creating 450 kilometres of bike paths
between now and 2031.
Benefits
from cycling
“The
issues of mobility, the environment and public health are enough to convince us
of the collective benefits of a permanent cycling network,” said Vasilios
Karidogiannis, councillor for L’Abord-à-Plouffe and responsible for the active
mobility dossier.
Of
the 100 kilometres of bike path work done since 2014, there are some important
ones that allow cyclists to reach downtown Laval securely, as well as Transit
Oriented Development (TOD) neighbourhoods and areas where there are
concentrations of employers.
A selection of bike
paths
The
bike paths include: The Oka-Mont Saint Hilaire path (143 kilometres long and
crossing 17 municipalities); the Saint-Martin Boulevard path, from 100th
Ave. in Chomedey to Pie-IX Boulevard in Laval’s east end; the Dagenais
Boulevard path, from Autoroute 13 to René-Laennec Blvd.; the Le Corbusier Boulevard path; and the Daniel
Johnson Boulevard path.
Some facts about Laval and cycling: There are more
than 230,000 cyclists in Laval and nearly 260 kilometres of bicycling paths;
and 37 kilometres of the paths are part of the provincial Route verte bike path
system.
Pictured here with this year’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 251 donation cheque are Eric Larsen, Ana Falco, Patricia Piche and Roger Nowlan.
Martin C. Barry
On Sept. 15, members of the Royal Canadian Legion’s
Branch 251 in Chomedey announced the donation of a cheque in the amount of
$3,000, collected by the branch during last year’s RCL poppy campaign, to the
Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital.
“Every year we donate to a different cause,” said Shannon
Westlake, second vice- president/membership/poppy chairperson at RCL Branch
251. “This time around it happened to be the Jewish Rehab.”
Donation for aquabike
According
to Westlake, the JRH will be using the money to purchase an aquabike, which is
an exercise device that will allow JRH patients to enjoy the benefits of a
cardiovascular workout from pedaling on a bicycle while also drawing low-impact
benefits from being in the water.
Westlake
said the donation to the JRH seemed particularly appropriate this year as
several members of the legion branch found themselves in need and requiring the
JRH’s services.
“We
had some members who had strokes this year and they passed through the
hospital,” she said. “They realized that the hospital was in need of one of
these aquabikes for rehabilitation.”
Stroke rehab work
She
said JRH patients who use the aquabike will be able to strengthen their legs
while recovering from disabling strokes.
Every
year, from the end of October to Nov. 10 (the day before Remembrance Day), RCL Branch
251 members conduct their poppy campaign. According to Westlake, this year’s
poppy campaign will be starting on Oct. 25.
Poppy campaign coming
“We’ll
be going out and asking for donations for the little red poppies that we offer,”
she said. “And then whatever is donated we use to give back to the community.
Sometimes we have given money to Cadets from the area. Other times we have
given money to a hospital.
“We
do whatever we can with whatever money we raise,” she continued. “The people
who are offering the poppies and those donating money for them every year
deserve to know that their money is going to a good cause.”
Recent published revelations, by journalist Bernard Drainville, of leaks from anonymous government sources pointing to the retention of English school boards by the Legault administration, even if it’s just the preservation of the elected dimension of these boards, have done little to dispel people’s concerns over the nagging problem of dysfunctional school boards, such as English Montreal (EMSB). Public debate, in recent months, has been dominated by a widely held and articulately expressed view that if the English school boards are indeed to be retained, they will require major internal reforms and modifications of practices, specified in law, as to how they will function.
In a telephone interview with The Laval News (TLN), Christopher Skeete – Sainte-Rose (Laval) MNA and Parliamentary Assistant to Premier Legault for Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers, expressed alarm and disappointment over the unsubstantiated leaks from the anonymous sources revealing that the government intends to retain the elected dimension of Quebec’s nine English school boards. Mr. Skeete reaffirmed that the Projet de loi, which is soon to be deposited in the National Assembly, will have provisions for general internal reforms for all of Quebec’s 72 school boards, implying that the plan is to abolish elections for the 60 French boards, and three multi-language boards. He said he could not specify what the internal reforms would entail, but he did confirm that some form of the Service Center model would definitely come into play for all school boards, French, English or other.
“The Council of Ministers is being duly consulted. We have a pretty good idea of where we’re going,” said Mr. Skeete, adding that the Bill is presently being tabled, and thus he could not comment on what it will eventually look like in its final form, although he did say that no (official) definitive public statement has been made as to where the government is going with its intention to enact school board reform.
Affirmation
of the rights of the English community
Mr. Skeete spoke optimistically about the work-in-progress for school board reforms currently being conducted by Education Minister Jean-François Roberge, but expressed serious concerns over the negative fall-out from the recent anonymous revelations.
“The conclusions drawn are very distressing and there’s lots of speculation. People think they’re getting shafted. Our intention is to respect the English community. There’s discussion with various English community groups concerning the make-up of the (proposed) service centers and their operation,” Mr. Skeete specified, summing up, in a nutshell, that “universal suffrage (elections) is of great importance to the community, we’ll guarantee the best results for our kids.”
Asked about the current crisis at the English Montreal School Board (EMSB), Mr. Skeete pointed out that Education Minister Roberge’s investigation was a long time coming, but is totally unrelated to the Projet de loi aimed at school board reform in general.
School Board reform, whatever form it takes, is essential to the proper governance of 2,670 public schools – 1,895 primary, 576 general or professional secondary, 199 combined primary/secondary. Billions of dollars are pumped into these schools, not to mention the sizable number of semi-private schools also generously funded, in part, by the public purse.
Seen in the photo (from bottom to top, left to right) are Pierre Bouthillier, architect, Bergeron Bouthillier Architectes; Mélanie Tremblay, general manager Loisirs Ste-Dorothée & Espace Famille Ste-Dorothée; Mayor Marc Demers; Samuel Bélanger, representing Espace famille Sainte-Dorothée; Sainte-Dorothée city councillor Ray Khalil; Mélissa Giroux, general manager Maison des jeunes de Sainte-Dorothée; Sylvie Pilon, president Maison des jeunes Ste-Dorothée; Suzanne Lepage, president Club de l’âge d’or Ste-Dorothée; Lyne Labrecque, president Chœur Ste-Dorothée; Natalie Lamarche, president Loisirs Ste-Dorothée & Espace Famille Ste-Dorothée; and Claire Proulx, president Cercle des Fermières Ste-Dorothée.
(TLN)
There’s a new community centre now to serve residents of Laval’s Sainte-Dorothée
area. Located at 996 Montée Gravel, Mayor Marc Demers was there with members of
council last week to officially open it.
The building cost the City of Laval nearly $7 million.
It was built in response to a growing demand for community services for the
expanding population of Sainte-Dorothée.
Space for
everyone
The new centre has a dance hall, a multipurpose room
and a community kitchen. Spaces have also been set up to accommodate the Maison
des Jeunes de Sainte-Dorothée as well as activities for early childhood.
In
addition, the building is wheelchair accessible. The city is currently waiting
for an expected LEED Gold certification for the building’s environmental
integrity.
(TLN)
Several elected officials and police officers from the Laval Police Department
met on Sept. 6 at the Eureka School in Laval to draw attention to the safety of
students during the back-to-school period.
A
campaign supported by the city and the police is called “Débarque-moi au bon
endroit” (Let Me Off in the Right Spot). The police were on hand to hand out
courtesy “good driving” tickets to motorists passing through the area while
following all the rules of the road properly.
Mayor
Marc Demers was accompanied by Laval Police chief Pierre Brochet, Commission
scolaire de Laval president Louise Lortie, Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board
president Paolo Galati, Eureka School principal Amélie Fortin, Laval city councillor responsible for youth issues
Aline Dib, Auteuil city councillor Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier, Laval Police officer Lyne Chartier and Eureka School
students Philémon Henry-Fortin and Samar Ethéart,
élèves.
The festive and free gathering featured shows, activities, a teen zone, inflatable structures and colourful characters.
Martin C. Barry
Thousands of moms, dads and children from all over
Laval observed an annual ritual that has become associated with the end of summer
when they went to the city’s Centre de la Nature on Sunday during Labour Day
weekend to have fun at the Fête de la Famille.
Family
took front stage – even if there was no mistaking for even a moment that the
day belonged to the kids – at the festive and free gathering that featured
shows, activities, a teen zone, inflatable structures and colourful
characters.
During the all-day event, the
Centre de la nature was transformed into a vast amusement park that also
featured interactive shows and workshops, makeup artists, clowns magicians and
much more.
Canadian track and field gold medalist Bruny Surin (second from left) is seen here with promoters of the City of Laval’s Laval à Vélo biking event during the Fête de la Famille on Labour Day weekend.
Olympic
great Bruny Surin
For some, one of the highlights early on in the day
was a chance to meet Canadian Olympic track and field gold medalist Bruny
Surin. While greeting parents and children, the 100-metre dash record holder
(who is a Chomedey resident) was also promoting the fifth annual Laval à
Vélo bike rally taking place on Sunday Sept. 15.
“I am so pleasantly surprised to see so many people
here today,” Surin said in an interview with The Laval News. “We are very lucky
to have such nice weather today. Nice to see so many families have come out
today for this event.”
Surin won a gold medal in the 4×100
metres relay at the 1996 Atlanta U.S.A. Summer Olympics. He is also
one of the select few track and field athletes to have broken the 10-second
barrier many times.
With two Quebec cabinet ministers and three
generations of the Nadon family on hand to mark the Riviera Residence’s sixty
years of dedication to golden agers, guests at an anniversary celebration
optimistically inaugurated the seventh decade by releasing monarch butterflies.
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard, Senior Citizens
Minister Marguerite Blais, Laval mayor Marc Demers, Souvenir-Labelle city
councillor Sandra El-Helou, Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette and former
Laval-des-Rapides MNA Serge Ménard were among the 60 guests who attended the joyful
event on Aug. 30.
A year of
events
The gathering was the first of four events the
Riviera’s administration will be holding with employees, residents and families
over the next year to commemorate the important milestone.
The Riviera Residence on Notre Dame Blvd. in Chomedey
is one of a five seniors’ residences that have been opened beginning in 1959 by
the Nadon family.
André and Marilyn Nadon, who are today the
oldest members of the clan, were followed by their children who now constitute
a third generation of the Nadon family to be involved.
Quebec Senior Citizens Minister Marguerite Blais (left) is seen here with three generations of the Nadon family, who own and operate the Riviera Residence.
In the
founders’ footsteps
Finance Minister Girard, who is also Minister
Responsible for the Laval Region, said the Riviera Residence’s owners, Perry
and Jean Nadon, were following in the footsteps of the founders, while
promoting constant and respectful communications between residents, their
families, employees and managers, in order to create a warm and loving
atmosphere.
“It is truly a gift for the people of Laval to have
you with us,” Mayor Marc Demers said of the Riviera Residence’s longtime
presence in Laval. “It is a source of pride for a community to have
organizations like yours that care for people. As I have often said, the
quality of a community can be recognized by the way it takes care of its most
vulnerable people. And in that sense you are the example to follow.”
Premier
sends a letter
Premier François Legault sent
a letter which was read out, in which he pointed out that in 2003 when he was
Minister of Health and Social Services with the Parti Québécois government, he
had issued the necessary authorizations for an expansion at the Riviera
Residence.
Among
other things, the Riviera Residence was the first long-term health care
facility (CHSLD) in Canada to become accredited in 2009 in accordance with the
BOMA BEST standard for environmental sustainability.
(TLN)
A police chase involving six police cars ended last week in a multi-car pileup
in Laval’s Vimont district.
In
addition to the vehicular carnage, four policemen had to be transported to
hospital afterwards as a result of minor injuries they sustained.
No driver’s license
The
incident started when Laval Police officers spotted a Jeep Liberty travelling
at very low speed, although erratically. After running a license plate check, the
officers found the owner of the vehicle hadn’t renewed his driver’s license and
tried to intercept him.
The
Jeep Liberty increased its speed and took dangerous shortcuts across several
centre medians before heading out onto Autoroute 19 while driving against the
traffic. The police were determined the keep up the chase as they realized the
driver could easily cause a head-on collision.
Rammed police cars
According
to witness accounts, the police had a very hard time getting the driver to come
out of the car and surrender. They say that in trying to flee, the driver
repeatedly rammed several police vehicles before finally being cornered.
The
suspect, who was described as being a male around 25 years of age, was finally
arrested on Dagenais Blvd. near the A-19.
One
of the things that brought him to a halt in the end was the fact his Jeep had a
flat tire. He was charged with driving while under the influence of intoxicants
and with causing the police to chase him down.
During her stop at the Riviera Residence for its 60th anniversary, Quebec Senior Citizens’ Minister Marguerite Blais made a pledge that could see her losing her head – symbolically that is – if she is unable to make good on a promise before the next provincial election.
Referring to the fact the provincial government
emphasizes home care for seniors, although a small percentage of seniors are
living in residences or long-term care facilities, Blais said, “We want to
change the model.
“But believe me,” she added. “If I don’t succeed in
doing such that in the next three years there are 2,600 new places in 30 senior
citizens’ residences, my first name will be Marie-Antoinette.”
Blais served as Minister for Seniors in the Couillard
Liberal government, before leaving the PLQ and winning the National Assembly
seat for Prévost
while running in the 2018 election for the CAQ.
She said the very reason she got into politics in the
first place was “to take care of caregivers and seniors.”
(TLN) On Sept. 5, nearly 700 blood donors took part in
the Laval Blood Donors Clinic, proving once again that the Laval community is
deeply committed to the cause.
Among the participants, 17.3 per cent of the donors
(109 people) made a donation for the first time, compared to 100 new donors in
2018. According to the organizers, this was largely because of efforts that
were made to get the donors to the clinic.
Volunteers thanked
The
success of the event was also seen as a result of the involvement of some 62
volunteers who came out this year and who have also helped in years past.
Among
the partners who provided assistance to the City of Laval and Héma Québec at
this year’s blood clinic were Sanofi, Rhythme FM, Metro Plus Dépatie,
McDonald’s and the centre sportif
Bois-de-Boulogne.
