The current issue of the Laval News volume 27-15 published August 14th, 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.
Martin C. Barry
With some of the richest agricultural soil in Quebec located on a large swath of its territory, the City of Laval plans to expand a marketing program for locally-grown produce to large grocery stores, according to a member of the executive-committee at city hall.
While many Laval residents were on vacation in mid-July, officials from the city as well as from grassroots community groups gathered in a green space near the Cartier Metro station to mark the opening of a small open-air market that will be selling locally-grown fruits and vegetables there for the rest of the summer.
This is the second year for the Halte du marché, although the first time that it’s located near the Cartier Metro stop. In its first year, it was set up temporarily in a spot along des Prairies Blvd. near des Laurentides Blvd.
The concept was developed with financial assistance from Saveurs de Laval and additional support from several community groups including the Association des popotes roulantes de Laval, Enfant d’Abord and Au panier.
The outdoor space was set up by the city in conjunction with La Pépinière Espaces collectifs and will be open until Oct. 18 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:30 pm to 7 pm.
Operated by Écomarché Cartier, the outdoor market will be selling fresh fruits and vegetables as well as artisanal baked goods, organic honey and other products. Small shows and events are also scheduled to take place there at various times over the remainder of the summer.
“We want to try to enlarge this project so as to take it to other areas of Laval also near Metro stations and transit hubs,” said Alexandre Sicard-Roche, a community organizer who has been overseeing the progress of the project. He said that in the coming years they hope to expand with additional outlets.
“One of the big advantages we have in Laval is that we have some of the most fertile land in Quebec,” said Sainte-Dorothée city councillor Ray Khalil, who sits on the executive-committee, while also chairing the city’s Agricultural Consultative Committee (CCA).
“There are different factors to our initiatives, and one of them is bringing agriculture closer to the people,” he added. “At the same time we have very strong economic and urban development in Laval, we have the advantage of being able to combine both.
“The farmers of Laval have the advantage of being so close to the people who live here,” said Khalil. “A lot of them have kiosks right in front of their farms where you can go and buy fresh strawberries and raspberries. People love it. It’s one of the beautiful things about living in Laval and we have to maximize this advantage.”
Although produce grown in Laval has always been available from roadside kiosks, Khalil said the city is working on a strategy to see local fruits and vegetables distributed and sold in the region’s grocery stores as well. “It’s something we’ve been working on for a couple of years and we hope to make an announcement in due time,” he said.
Laval city councillor for Duvernay/Pont-Viau Stéphane Boyer, who also sits on the executive-committee, said he is pleased with the way the Halte du marché project has been developing.
“This project is in response to a need that was expressed by citizens of the sector,” he said. “The Halte du marché, in addition to offering fresh foods, will also encourage gatherings, discussions and sharing, all of which are good for the revitalization of the neighbourhood.”
(TLN) Mayor Marc Demers, accompanied by several members of city council and staffers from Laval’s economic development team, spent some time last week at Dynacare, a diagnostic and medical tracking company that has branches all over Canada.
Dynacare Laval general manager Yvan Côté and Scott Hickey from Headquarters in Brampton, ON gave the mayor and his entourage a tour of Dynacare’s facilities, including the laboratories and the client service centre.
Discussions were also held on issues concerning the business and innovation in the field of sciences in Laval. Dynacare employs more than 60 people in its Laval lab, as well as at its three testing facilities.
The company evolved into its current incorporation partly as a result of its acquisition of Warnex, another company that started in Laval thanks to the support of the centre québécois d’innovation en biotechnologie (CQIB), located at the Cité de la Biotech.
(TLN) The organizing committee for the Fête de quartier de Chomedey is inviting people of all ages to come out and take part in the 11th annual gathering which will be taking place on Saturday Aug. 24 at Labelle Park, 799 Loranger St. in Chomedey beginning at 1 pm.
In keeping with longstanding tradition, the overall themes at this year’s event will be accessibility, eco-responsibility and citizen participation. Various forms of entertainment will be presented during the day, including shows, children’s activities and workshops.
Many community groups from Chomedey are currently putting together a schedule of entertaining activities. A stage will be available on which registered performers will be able to make presentations. As well, a health booth will make available free information on health issues, as well as healthy snacks.
The day will come to an end with a big prize draw, a circus presentation and a friendly soccer match. Everything will be free. This year, around 1,000 people are expected.
The Fête de Quartier de Chomedey is a citizen initiative that emerged from the Chomedey social forum held in 2008. It is led by citizens as well as partner members of the Comité de Développement Local de Chomedey (CDLC). The committee is always looking for new members.
The Fête de Quartier de Chomedey is made possible with support from several key sponsors, including the Centre Intégré de Santé et Services Sociaux de Laval, the City of Laval, IGA Extra Gagnon et filles, the Caisse populaire Desjardins de Chomedey, and Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette.
On June 20th 2019, Agape Executive Director Kevin McLeod was happy to receive a cheque from Chomedey MNA Guy Oullette in the amount of $10,000.
This money goes towards Agape’s 2019-2020 efforts in offering various services to vulnerable families including Quebec newcomers.
Among it’s many mandates, projects and services, the non-profit organization offers over 1,500 food baskets to Laval residents each year along with much furniture, toy and clothing distribution.
“Thanks to the ongoing support of people like Mr. Ouellette, Agape can continue to offer it’s services across Laval.” McLeod said.
Martin C. Barry
The Laval Police Department is extending an open invitation to all to come on out and cheer for the participants who will be taking part in the Parcours des Héros foot race on Saturday Sept. 7 at the Centre de la Nature for the benefit of the Special Olympics Quebec.
Families, friends and supporters will be gathering from 8:30 am to 3 pm that day for the 4th edition of the event. It’ll be a day of fun, games and activities, all free of charge. In addition to encouraging the athletes during the race, the day is also being held for families with activities for children and other supporters.
“This is a cause that is close to my heart because it is a cause that encourages social inclusion,” said Laval Police Chief Pierre Brochet, announcing the event during a recent press event at Laval Police headquarters.
“These are people whose lives are enriched by sport, and this is really something that can be done for these special athletes who are filled with love.”
Besides the family and children’s activities, it will also be possible during event to sit behind the wheel of a police car, while also learning about the Laval Police Department’s canine squad. As well, there will be cheerleading shows, including one by an intellectually-challenged cheerleader. The Laval Rocket is also sending along members of their crew to provide assistance.
Organized by the Laval Police, the Parcours des Héros is a five-kilometre walking and running event that is also an opportunity for people who like to do something athletic to mingle with persons with intellectual disabilities. Teams made up of four persons are matched with a Special Olympics athlete. The goal isn’t to arrive first at the finish line, but rather to help one another to surmount the various challenges encountered along the way.
“The Laval Police Department is proud to support the Special Olympics movement,” added police chief Brochet. “This race organized by our officers is held in keeping with our values of respect, team spirit, integrity and diversity.
“For three years now, this event has resulted in more than $100,000 in funds gathered for the Special Olympics Quebec,” said Brochet. “This is money that is not only important for these youths, but also raises awareness by the public of the cause of intellectual disabilities.”
Laval Police Lieutenant Jean-François Girard, who is coordinating the Parcours des Héros, said, “As police officers, we have the responsibility to build inclusive communities. It is very touching to see these youths grown and be on their own during this activity. The encouragement of citizens who take part in the race adds to their great sense of pride.”
(TLN) Sonia Baudelot, who is running in Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for the Conservative Party of Canada in the October federal election, received the support of several influential people during a fundraiser she held at the Château Royal on July 4.
Among those at the event who endorsed Baudelot’s candidacy were Senator Pierre-Hughes Boisvenu, Conservative lieutenant for Quebec Alain Rayes, and movie theatre entrepreneur Vincent Guzzo of Cinémas Guzzo.
Addressing several hundred Conservatives who turned up, Baudelot reminded them that the election battle was just getting underway.
Known for her involvement in the community and thorough knowledge of the riding in which she is running, she expressed her support for those who are in need.
“We must get rid of the government of Mr. Trudeau in the next election next Oct. 21, in order not to leave behind an astronomical debt to the next generation,” said Baudelot.
Martin C. Barry
Was it déjà vu? Or, perhaps more ominously, a foreshadowing of something that stands to become a lot more common in Laval in this era of global warming?
Whatever, there was an eerie sense of having seen it all before last week when officials from the Quebec government were in Laval for a public information meeting with property owners who were seriously impacted by the flooding in April.
After all, the last time this happened was in 2017 and the drill then was pretty much the same: a panel of bureaucrats facing hundreds of sometimes irate Laval residents (albeit fewer than last time) at the Château Royal.
The residents were addressed in a way they had more or less come to expect of governmental consultants and employees: responses couched in departmental codes, ciphers and technospeak, with bureaucrats replying as best they could to traumatized people who probably would have much preferred hearing plain language.
According to a summary of the government’s post-flood plans for establishing new flood zones, 813 of the province’s municipalities are affected as new zones are set up for zero to 20-year risks as well as all sectors which suffered flooding this past year and two years ago.
For properties within these zones, there will be no possibility of constructing or reconstructing a building that has lost more than half its value, and there will be no expansion of buildings or outbuildings in such zones. Getting permission to rebuild flood-damaged properties will depend on whether the cost of reconstruction amounts to 50 per cent or more of the value of the house.
Municipalities, including the City of Laval, will be issuing renovation and construction permits within these zones based on criteria set down in new provincial legislation that was drafted taking into account the impact of past and potential future flooding.
During a question period, several Laval residents from areas seriously affected by flooding this spring (including Laval-sur-le-Lac, Île Verte, Laval-Ouest, Fabreville and Sainte-Rose) expressed their disillusionment – or in some cases outrage – over the way municipal and provincial authorities have dealt with the aftermath.
Unhappy with a proposed new flood zone map the provincial government has developed, Eli Chakieh of Laval-sur-le-Lac said the chart is designed to cover the entire area. “This is inaccurate,” he said. “None of the houses in Laval-sur-le-Lac were flooded. I’ve been there for forty years and I lived through two floods before.
“You are mixing up houses with land,” he continued. “The land had flooded on the riverside. The houses never flooded. And you’re amalgamating all the problems for the houses and the land and you’re preventing the citizens of Laval-sur-le-Lac from doing improvements.”
Chakieh said that according to the new flood-zone law, he’s being prevented from installing a new pool in his back yard because it falls under a definition of prohibited construction. Marc Mongeon, a spokesman for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Habitation who answered most questions during the meeting, told him that the government hasn’t finished the final draft of the legislation and that there will still be time to iron out details involving those sorts of situations.
Another resident, Rose-Lise Arrelle of Chomedey, complained that the government’s proposed new flood-zone map includes her property, even though her street has never been flooded. “We deplore the fact that someone – we don’t know who – coloured the map red in such a way as to cause a lot of people concern,” she said. “This is needless anxiety that you are encouraging. The map does not correspond to our reality.”
At the same time, Arrelle noted the absence of virtually all provincially-elected representatives at the meeting. (A few members of Laval city council, including Laval-Les Îles councillor Nicholas Borne, Sainte-Rose councillor Virginie Dufour and Auteuil councillor Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier, did attend the meeting as observers and interveners.)
Guylaine Riendeau of Fabreville complained about a shortage of information and a lack of transparency regarding the official response to the floods. Like many of the other residents, she complained of being subjected to severe flood-zone restrictions in the new chart, even though her property had never suffered flooding.
Cynthia Abraham
July 7 – A four-year-old boy died after being pulled out of a back yard swimming pool in Ste-Dorothée on Sunday afternoon.
Residents of the house on Des Capucines St. called 911 just before 3 p.m. when they pulled the unconscious boy out of the water.
Police arrived first on the scene and administered CPR until paramedics arrived and took over.
The boy was rushed to hospital where his death was confirmed.
According to police, adults were present in the yard at the time of the drowning although it’s not clear if anyone else was in the pool. The incident appears to have occurred during a family gathering when people were both outside and in the home.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the drowning.
* There have been 28 drowning deaths in the province so far this year.
* In 2018, the lives of 56 individuals in Quebec were claimed by drowning.
July 5 – Firefighters received a call at 7:18 p.m. about a fire burning at the breakfast restaurant, Allô! Mon Coco located on Boul. Samson in Ste-Dorothée.
The first of 6 responding units arrived at the scene 4 minutes later.
Looking through the front glass windows, flames were observed at the rear of the restaurant, coming from the kitchen area.
Firefighters had the blaze under control by 7:48 p.m.
Early indications suggest that one of the burners on the stove had inadvertently been left on and caused the fire.
Damages were limited to the restaurant. Neighbouring locales were not affected.
The breakfast eatery suffered an estimated $15,000 in damages to the building, and another $15,000 in damages to the contents.
June 28 – The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) — an independent investigative unit — is looking into the death of a Laval man following a police intervention that occurred shortly after midnight Thursday night.
According to the BEI’s statement, Laval police received a call regarding a violent family dispute at 12:40 a.m.
The two responding officers arrived at the residence on 35th Avenue and attempted to arrest a 50-year-old man involved in the dispute, but he refused to cooperate.
They said the man stopped breathing as police tried to handcuff him.
Officers used a defibrillator but were unsuccessful in reviving the man. He died at the scene.
The BEI was called in and took over the investigation. Eight BEI investigators arrived early Friday morning and two forensics identification experts from the Sûreté du Québec were also called in to join the investigation.
The BEI’s mandate is to investigate when a civilian death or injury occurs during a police intervention or while in police custody.
June 25 – Quebec provincial police identified the victim of a crash at the Tadoussac ferry crossing last Monday as Laval resident, Éric Belec.
According to eyewitnesses, the outcome would likely have been much worse, if not for Belec’s heroic actions in the seconds preceding the spectacular collision which claimed his life.
The 40-year-old was at the wheel of an RV when it sped down a steep hill on Highway 138, just east of the ferry terminal.
The motor home ended up going over the raised loading ramp, crashing into the back of the ferry that had just begun its 10-minute journey toward Baie-Sainte-Catherine.
Local residents have long questioned the safety of the pier, which sits at the bottom of a steep incline.
Belec and his passenger were taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A 40-year-old woman from Lévis remains in critical condition.
The Sûreté du Québec said it appears that a mechanical problem with the RV may be to blame.
Eyewitnesses reported that Belec did everything he could to avoid hitting numerous pedestrians and other nearby cars as the RV careened toward the pier and loaded ferry.
June 21 – Laval police opened an investigation after hate messages were discovered on signs along Highway 15 near Boul. Dagenais.
Two messages were scrawled across signs. The first read: “Trudeau treason” and the second stated: “Abolish Islam – threatens our country and our security”
The hate messages were brought to the attention of the Laval police and were removed the same day.
Forensic identification experts were sent to the site to collect evidence.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to call the police info-line and speak confidentially with an officer : 450-662-INFO (4636).
Martin C. Barry
Thousands of people with Hellenic roots from all over Quebec had the opportunity to return to their cultural origins on Canada Day weekend when the Laval Greek Orthodox Community held its annual Hellenic Summer Festival at Holy Cross Church in Chomedey.
The Laval Hellenic Summer Festival is one of the biggest Greek cultural events that takes place in Quebec each year. People arrive from many areas of eastern Canada, eager to meet and greet old friends and members of their extended families. In Laval there are an estimated 40,000 Greek residents.
Among the dignitaries who turned up were Laval city councillor for Chomedey Aglaia Revelakis, Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury, Quebec Liberal MNA for Chomedey Guy Ouellette, Fabre Liberal MNA Monique Sauvé, Action Laval interim-leader Archie Cifelli, Consul General for Greece in Montreal Michalis Gavriilidis, Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal president Annie Koutrakis and Former Laval city councillor Jocelyne Guertin.
“The Greeks are the largest cultural community in the province and they deserve to be,” Ouellette said in an interview with the Laval News. “This is always such a special day – an event not to be missed,” said Sauvé. “I am here every year and it is always a pleasure to be here.”
El-Khoury was very upbeat about the importance of recognizing Greek heritage on the same day as Canada celebrates its birthday. “I always advise all my Greek friends to continue remembering their roots, but also to remember that they are also Canadians and should contribute to Canada in all its aspects,” he said.
Revelakis recalled that her parents arrived in Canada in the early 1960s, following which “they worked to develop and establish themselves in Canada. And this is what Canada is about: Canada is the land of opportunity and it opens doors for many people including youths. Canada is our home and we are proud to be Canadians.”
Consul General Gavriilidis said, “What a wonder day this is, and what a wonderful way this is to celebrate Canada’s birthday at a festival with Greek flavours, colours and taste. I am very happy for this community and congratulate them for getting this together and wish them many more such occasions in the future.”
