The current issue of the Laval News volume 27-10 published May 15th, 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
More than 100 people from Laval’s Vimont district as well as from other areas of the city took part in a demonstration march along parts of Saint-Elzéar and des Laurentides boulevards early last Saturday afternoon to protest alleged negligence by the City of Laval when it set up a network of bicycle paths without taking into account local safety issues.
Although Vimont city councillor Michel Poissant organized the demo to draw attention to the problem in parts of his district, he received support from other elected members of the Action Laval party, including Saint-Bruno city councillor David De Cotis and Chomedey city councillor Aglaia Revelakis.
Just as the city’s decision to paint blue and white safety markings on sidewalks near schools was widely criticized and eventually had to be withdrawn, Laval’s implementation of a large network of bike paths has also come under fire in some areas.
Both measures are part of a wide-ranging transportation plan implemented by Mayor Marc Demers and the Mouvement Lavallois which holds the majority of seats on Laval city council.
In an interview with the Laval News, Poissant said residents of his sector have been complaining, to the media as well as during Laval city council meetings, since the bike path was installed along Saint-Elzéar Blvd. in Vimont last August.
Critics of the bike path along Saint-Elzéar maintain that it’s too narrow, and that it was laid down without taking into consideration the presence of senior citizens living in the area as well as people attending a community centre and Saint-Elzéar church.
According to Poissant, there is a consensus among local residents – including organizations such as the Société Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, the Chevaliers de Colomb, golden agers and others – that they never wanted the bike path and they don’t understand the city’s determination to keep it in place.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Poissant. “We are living in a democracy. But the point we are trying to make is that the city should reconsider its strategy for the deployment of bicycle paths. That’s our message.” He pointed out that Saint-Elzéar Blvd. in Vimont was formerly a narrow country road that doesn’t adapt well to the implementation of bicycle paths.
“We’re not against bike paths,” said De Cotis. “We think it’s important to get people to be out there with their bikes having physical activity. But it’s got to be done in a very responsible way to make sure that the cyclists are secure, the pedestrians are secure, the motorists are secure. And we feel that the city really didn’t take the time to make certain bike paths secure.”
Revelakis said that in her district, the safety of bike paths along Saint-Martin Blvd. remains an unresolved issue as far as Action Laval is concerned. “We’re putting lives at risk,” she said, noting that in some areas where the bike paths pass, many drivers are uncertain how they should proceed when there are bike paths.
On May 3, L’Abord-à-Plouffe city councillor Vasilios Karidogiannis (Mouvement Lavallois) issued a Facebook post in which he solicited bicycling activists to help organize a counter-protest event in response to the demo organized by Councillor Poissant and Action Laval.
While there were no signs of counter-protesters in Vimont last Saturday, Action Laval reacted to Karidogiannis’s request a few days after he made it. “For Michel Poissant, Councillor for Vimont, in addition to being in ‘extremely poor judgement,’ this call for a counter-demonstration by an elected official is an affront to the democratic right to demonstrate peacefully,” said Action Laval.
Action Laval Public Safety Critic and Councillor for Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Paolo Galati called Karidogiannis’s post “irresponsible and dangerous. Mr. Karidogiannis calls on the population to block a peaceful demonstration and to ‘put Mr. Poissant in his place,’ which is intimidation.”
Martin C. Barry
L’Appui pour les proches aidants d’aînés, an umbrella group for organizations providing services to caregivers of older adults across Quebec, has announced record investments of $50 million over the next three years for caregiver support.
The sums, the largest in the history of the organization, will allow for direct services to caregivers of older adults according to their needs and depending on the different regional realities.
According to L’Appui officials, who made the announcement during a press conference on May 7 at their downtown Montreal offices, the amounts will be invested throughout Quebec, to organizations offering services to caregivers of older adults in their communities.
For example, this year and next year $3,871,413 will be used to fund organizations in the Montreal region (including Laval) and $1,329,879 will go to organizations of the region of the National Capital. The investments also include sums allotted to groups providing support to English-speaking caregivers, according to L’Appui.
The less populated regions of Quebec will also see services expand, such as in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine where $558,477 will be used for projects sponsored by community organizations. In Montérégie, the organizations there will receive $2,300,000 to ensure the development of their offer while preserving their service quality.
The national executive-director of L’Appui, Guillaume Joseph, emphasized the relevance of all the projects. “We are very proud of these investments,” he told journalists. “First, of course, because the needs are there, but also because we have developed real expertise over the years. Thanks to our regional Appui offices, we are familiar with the needs and realities of the field.
“These are investments that will end up being converted into services directly to caregivers of seniors,” continued Joseph. “In other words, respite services, psychosocial support services and information services, as well as training.
“We are particularly proud to announce these investments because the needs are great. Caregivers are more and more numerous and will continue to be so in the coming years. Therefore it is important that there are services in place in order to answer to these needs, which can be quite different from one caregiver to another.”
In Quebec, according to L’Appui, 65 per cent of caregivers of older adults say they don’t have access to services because they don’t know them or don’t know where to find them. This is why, in addition to funding, L’Appui says it has set up two resources to assist caregivers in their research and to support them throughout their journey.
L’Appui’s Caregiver Support Service offers personalized, free and confidential support to caregivers of older adults. The professional advisors offer support, information and references. They can be reached on weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm at 1 855 857-7784, or by e-mail at info-aidant@lappui.org. A resource directory of the organizations and their services is also available at lappui.org. It allows anyone to search by region and type of service, according to the needs of each.
Founded in 2009, L’Appui pour les proches aidants d’aînés is a non-profit organization funded by the government of Quebec and the family of Lucie and André Chagnon. The main mandate of L’Appui pour les proches aidants d’aînés is to help implement and fund information, training, psychosocial support and respite services that are offered by community organizations.
L’Appui also holds a role of mobilization and concertation for the various players who are dedicated to supporting caregivers of older adults and who participate in improving their quality of life. This mission is carried out across Quebec with the help of 17 regional Appui offices as well as a specific agreement for the Cree Territory of James Bay.
(TLN) On May 8, a motion tabled in the National Assembly by the Liberal MNA for Bourassa-Sauvé, requesting the Committee on Citizen Relations acknowledge the petition concerning the fight against planned obsolescence and the right to repair, was unanimously rejected by members of the CAQ government.
The adoption of the motion, supported by all the opposition parties, would have allowed four experts to be heard on the subject.
As proposed by the PQ MNA for Jonquière, they were Jonathan Mayer, lecturer at Sherbrooke University and the instigator of Bill 197 in connection with the petition, Martin Masse, founder of Zone Accro, Insertec Angus, and the Institute of the Environment, Sustainable Development and Circular Economy.
It might be recalled that a significant number of people from across the province supported the initiative by 51 law students from Sherbrooke University. In Fact, 45,028 citizens signed a petition tabled on April 2 by Guy Ouellette, the National Assembly Member for Chomedey.
Mr. Ouellette said he was deeply disappointed with the decision made by the government members of the Commission. The MNA for Chomedey added that “the adoption of this motion would have allowed Bill 197 to go a long way, which aims, among other things, to combat planned obsolescence and promote the right to repair.”
Bill 197 against planned obsolescence and the right to repair, which was tabled on April 9, aims to amend the Consumer Protection Act to ensure greater sustainability of consumer products. This Bill was completed by law students at Sherbrooke University with the help of their teacher, Jonathan Mayer, as part of a judicial interpretation course.
Planned obsolescence is a business tactic whereby manufacturers reduce the life of their products in order to speed up the replacement cycle. These practices force over-consumption and have significant and direct impact on the environment as well as the budget of Quebec consumers.
(TLN) During their last meeting, the members of Laval city council unanimously approved a motion to rename Parc des Prairies Bernard-Landry Park in honour of the former Quebec Premier.
“Bernard Landry was the only Quebec Premier to have also been an MNA from Laval,” Mayor Marc Demers pointed out.
“We felt it was important to honour his memory. He was a man with heart and with convictions, a major politician and an excellent teacher. He mastered the art of teaching, of persuasion and of encouraging growth.”
Landry, who died last year, was the Parti Québécois MNA for Fabre from 1976 to 1981, and then for Laval-des-Rapides from 1981-1985. He was a key member of several governments. He served as Premier of Quebec from 2001-2003.
The decision to rename the park was following a recommendation made by the City of Laval’s toponomy commission, which is composed of residents and one city councillor.
“The toponomy commission studied the request for Bernard Landry Park and made a favourable recommendation since the new name pays homage to someone who made a significant contribution to the development, dynamism and well-being of the community,” said Councillor Yannick Langlois (district of L’Orée-des-Bois) who presides the commission.
(TLN) The Laval Police Department says it is working in close conjunction with the Sûreté du Québec and the RCMP following the gunning down recently of an individual suspected to be involved in organized crime at the Sheraton Laval.
During the incident in which the front door of the Sheraton was shattered by gunfire, hundreds of people, including children and seniors, witnessed as several gunshots were fired.
“We will not hesitate to double up our efforts to maintain at all cost the security of our citizens,” said Laval Police chief Pierre Brochet, noting that the gunman fired with impunity and with seemingly complete disregard for the consequences of his actions.
In response, the Laval Police, the SQ and the RCMP have launched Project Repercussion. One goal of the trilateral force will be to monitor more closely establishments in Laval known to be hangouts for organized criminals, such as bars, restaurants and other licensed establishments.
(TLN) Since 2017, no less than 400 citizens, partners from the municipal, community and health sectors, as well as elected officials, have been walking annually in order to underscore the importance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Laval.
On June 14, participants from Laval will be gathering at Parc des Prairies for the two or four kilometre walks. Participating organizations will include the Table régionale de concertation des aînés de Laval, FADOQ – Laval Region, DIRA-Laval, AQDR Laval-Laurentides and CISSS de Laval.
“To be able to provide active and quality aging to our seniors is at the heart of our priorities,” says FADOQ – Laval Region executive-director Andrée Vallée. “We thus judge it important to be a major partner on this walk which is organized with the goal of raising awareness while encouraging the proper treatment of elderly persons from the region.”
This will be the third year for the walk, which is taking place June 14 from 8:30 am to 1 pm. The walk will be followed by a talk given by Denis Fortier, physiotherapist and author, on the importance of remaining active with aging. The walk will start from the main chalet in Parc des Prairies (5 du Crochet Ave.) beginning at 9:30 am.
To register, visit the Facebook page Laval en marche pour la bientraitance des personnes aînées, or the Web site, lavalensante.com, or phone 450 686-2339. A help line for senior abuse can be contacted at 1 888 489-2287 for additional information and support.
(TLN) The Laval Police Department will be holding their first annual Fraud Prevention Day event on May 18 in conjunction with the force’s observance of Police Week.
The event will be taking place in the parking lot of Laval Police headquarters at 2911 Chomedey Blvd. from 9 am to 3 pm.
Police officers will be on hand to provide information on various types of fraud that have become common, such as online phishing, fraudulent e-mails, identify theft, Web fraud and phone fraud schemes.
At the same time, staff from police headquarters will have equipment available for those who wish to shred confidential documents in large batches free of charge.
These types of documents can include insurance forms, personal cheques, declarations of revenue for income tax, receipts, bills, bank statements, as well as papers on which personal information like date of birth or social insurance numbers might appear.
According to the Laval Police, nearly 17,000 incidents of fraud were reported by victims last year.
Cynthia Abraham
May 7 – Laval police are searching for potential underage victims of sexual exploitation following the arrest of convicted pedophile, Michel Fradette.
Police allege 39-year-old Fradette tried to solicit sexual favours from a 12-year-old girl. His cellphone allegedly contained thousands of photos and videos of child pornography.
At the time of his arrest, Fradette was on parole after being sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl.
Investigators say they believe Fradette may have other victims who have yet to come forward.
May 4 – Laval police were called to the scene of a fatal shooting at the Laval Sheraton last Saturday. The incident took place at around 10 p.m. in front of hundreds of witnesses, including children.
The victim was identified as 49-year-old Salvatore Scoppa, whose criminal record includes guilty pleas for assault causing bodily harm and breaking and entering. He was the brother of Andrew Scoppa, alleged to be an influential figure in the Montreal Mafia.
The shooting in Laval was the first of three fatal shootings in the Montreal area in the span of eight days.
A 25-year-old man was fatally gunned down in a Brossard restaurant on Friday night. Two days later, another man was killed outside a residence in Terrebonne.
May 1 – Laval police are seeking witnesses to the homicide that took place during the evening of Thursday, April 25, in Ste-Rose at the corner of Boul. Marc-Aurèle-Fortin and François-Baillargé St.
Police want to hear from anyone who was in that area between 7:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Anyone with information can speak confidentially with an officer by calling the info-line at 450-662-INFO (4636).
(TLN) As areas of the City of Laval alongside riverfronts continue to recover following the devastating spring flooding several weeks ago, city officials say they are continuing to provide assistance to residents impacted by the floods.
In a statement issued by the city last week, officials said recovery operations are getting underway as the waters recede, and that inspection tours are being undertaken by teams composed of personnel from the fire department and CISSS de Laval.
In all, the city expects that more than 1,600 residences affected by flooding will be visited. Last Monday evening, the City of Laval held an information meeting at the Château Royal in Chomedey for all residents impacted by flooding who wish to apply for compensation from the Quebec Ministry of Public Security.
As well, the city announced that as of May 14 a centre for the support of those affected by flooding would be opening to offer information and answer questions of all types. Located at 2785 Francis-Hughes Ave., the centre will also house a temporary office for help to flood victims operated by the Public Security Ministry.
In addition, the city is organizing a major cleanup operation taking place on May 25-26 for the collection of used sand bags and other debris left over from the flood. Volunteers are currently being sought for this operation. Visit inondations.laval.ca if you are interested.
In the affected areas, business is starting to get back to normal, with garbage, recycling and kitchen waste pickups gradually back to normal schedules. Special collections are also being organized for the pickup and disposal of demolition debris from damaged houses. According to the city, property owners will be expected to separate the debris from their properties into categories before it can be picked up.
Here are some instructions to follow: – Sand bags should be left on the edge of the property or next to the street, with wooden pallets with bags to be thrown out. For sanitary reasons, sand bags contaminated by flood water must be disposed of carefully.
– Debris from the river and from demolition should be deposited around the same spot as old sand bags. Other items to be disposed of, such as old tires, paints or electronics, will be collected by the city on May 25. They should be left for pickup in the same place as the previously mentioned items.
In all, according to the City of Laval, 85 streets in Laval suffered flooding, while 355 buildings were flooded. As well, 117 families needed to be evacuated. Of these, 17 families were sheltered by the Red Cross. Around 1,000 civic address in Laval found themselves cut off by water or were impacted by the floods.
