Seen here on Oct. 24 during the launch of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 251’s annual poppy campaign are branch members, supporters, local elected officials and cadet corps leaders and members.
Martin C. Barry
Royal Canadian Legion members from Branch 251 are out
selling Remembrance Day poppies in preparation for the annual Remembrance Day
commemorations taking place in Laval as well as across Canada on Nov. 11.
Legion members along with supporters, including Air
Cadet program participants from Laval, held an official launch for the campaign
at Branch 251 headquarters on Curé Labelle Blvd. on Oct.
24.
An annual
tradition
“We hold this event every year for the kickoff of the
poppy campaign which runs this year from Oct. 25 to the 10th of
November,” said Eric Larsen, Branch 251’s president.
According to Shannon Westlake, 2nd
Vice President for branch membership and the poppy campaign chairperson,
Remembrance Day poppies are available at the branch or from branch members who
will be stationed outside major retailers in western Laval including Maxi,
Costco and Wal-Mart.
Representing Mayor Marc Demers, Laval city councillor Yannick Langlois received the campaign’s first Remembrance Day poppy from Branch 251 2nd vice-president Shannon Westlake who is responsible for the annual poppy campaign.
First poppy pinned
Among
the guests at the campaign launch was Laval city councillor for L’Orée-des-Bois Yannick
Langlois who was representing Mayor Marc Demers. “It’s a pleasure for me to be
here to have the first poppy pinned on me,” he told the Laval News.
“This
is something that is very meaningful. We all have a duty to remember our
veterans and all those who fought in wars. It is something that we regard as
very important for the city and that all Laval residents also consider
important.”
Students taking part
Helen
Kalipolidis, principal of Souvenir Elementary School, was on hand to represent
the school’s young students at the campaign launch. “The opening of the annual
poppy campaign is always a big occasion for us,” she said.
According
to Kalipolidis, Souvenir Elementary will be holding several events on
Remembrance Day. “We have assemblies planned for 3K all the way up to grade
six,” said Kalipolidis.
Incumbent Laval-Les Îles MP Fayçal El-Khoury was jubilant while surrounded by supporters on election night Oct. 21 upon learning he’d been re-elected with a major lead over his nearest rival in the riding, the Parti Québécois.
Martin C. Barry
Champagne corks popped and there was jubilation all
around at Laval-Les Îles Liberal candidate Fayçal
El-Khoury’s campaign headquarters in
Chomedey on the evening of Oct. 21 as the voting returns indicated beyond a
doubt the riding’s incumbent hopeful was re-elected and would serve a second
term.
Needed more
time
While acknowledging during an election night interview
with the Laval News that the Liberals’ overall fortunes were probably bolstered
by support from voters who made up their minds in the days leading up to the
vote, El-Khoury suggested he and the Liberals would have done better with just
a little more time to campaign.
“I believe if we still had one or two more weeks we
would have had a very good majority,” he said. “I felt from talking to people
and knocking door-to-door that the people were starting to understand our
message. But we were not able to knock on enough doors. One or two more weeks
would have made the difference.”
Optimism
despite minority
While the Liberals lost their House of Commons majority,
falling short by 13 seats, El-Khoury remained hopeful the party will somehow
still be able to make up for it and form an effective government.
“Even if it doesn’t happen, we will continue to serve
Canadians the way our Prime Minister taught us to do,” he said. “We did a lot
for Canadians. But there is still also a lot to do and we will do it.”
While the NDP won Laval-Les Îles
in the 2011 election with an overwhelming 47.2 per cent voter support, the
party finished this time with only a 9 per cent vote share and in third from
last place in a field of six candidates. The NDP managed to finish second in
2015.
Newly re-elected Laval-Les Îles MP Fayçal El-Khoury is congratulated by his wife moments after learning he’d won a second term.
The return of the Bloc
The
Bloc Québécois, which had been a consistent second-place finisher in Laval-Les Îles
in consecutive elections up to 2008, didn’t finish better than fourth place in
the 2011 and 2015 elections.
However,
with the NDP no longer considered a serious threat in Quebec, the Bloc regained
its second-place status this time, although finishing far behind El-Khoury, but with nearly 21 per cent voter support.
The Conservatives, represented by Tom Pentefountas, finished third with 16.5
per cent of the votes.
Although the Liberals are now in a minority situation
in the House of Commons and the Bloc Québécois
hold 32 of Quebec’s 78 riding seats, El-Khoury said
the Liberals will continue serving as they did before.
Believes in
the Liberals
“I believe we have to show the Canadians what kind of
job we did for them,” he said. “And we have to continue to serve them the way
they are expecting us to do. I believe we need to prove to them – especially
for Quebecers – that the Liberal Party was taking care of their interests.”
He pointed out that in the last Parliament, the
governing Liberal caucus’s membership from Quebec included six cabinet
ministers, as well as most of Quebec’s MPs, making for a formidable Liberal
presence on Quebec’s behalf.
Asked whether he is concerned about the influence of
the Bloc Québécois given their greater numbers now in the House of Commons, El-Khoury
maintained their impact will be minimal because of their almost certain
exclusion from decisions made by the government.
Dismisses
Bloc Québécois
“Their voice will be almost nothing,” he said. “They
could speak, but they will never have an influence in any legislation the government
is going to do. So I am appealing to all Quebecers here to look for the
interests of Quebec.
“I am a proud Canadian and a proud Quebecer,” added
El-Khoury. “When we have member like me within the Liberal Party and a
government that is governing this country, we can help to serve Quebec.
“But the Bloc will be always on the opposition side
and they will never be able to do anything from there. They could shout. But
they will never be able to influence decisions.”
Quebec Storm: Two people from Laval died in a car crash due to weather – SQ says
Two Laval residents lost their lives Friday night in Senneterre, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, in a collision that the SQ attributed especially to the tempestuous weather.
Sergeant Louis-Philippe Bibeau of the Sureté du Québec said that Kiriakos Thomopoulos, 70, and Lucie Corriveau-Thomopoulos, 67, were driving north on Highway 113 when their vehicle veered off course and hit a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction, shortly before 7 p.m., in Senneterre. They were transported to the hospital, and pronounced dead later in the evening.
The occupants of the second vehicle, both in their 60s, sustained life-threatening injuries, said Sergeant Bibeau.
“The weather could have contributed to this collision,” he explained.
School evacuated after carbon monoxide leak
At around 2 PM last Saturday November 2nd, Laval firefighters were called at the Aquarelle school in Sainte-Rose, to test for carbon monoxide leak, after an adult began feeling symptoms such as sudden nausea, dizziness and a headache.
According to Urgences Santé, that dispatched six ambulances at the scene, none of the 13 children experienced any symptoms but all 14 people inside the school were sent to hospital for precaution.
Restaurant owner arrested for sexually assaulting two minors who worked for him
Police are asking for the public’s help in finding other possible victims of the 47-year-old man.
The owner of a La Belle Province in the Saint-Francois district of Laval has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting two minors who worked at the restaurant.
And Laval police are asking for the public’s help in finding other possible victims of the 47-year-old man.
Fredi Gonzalez Rodriguez, who was arrested Sept. 29, is alleged to have sexually assaulted two former employees in recent months.
Evelyne Boudreau, spokesperson for the Service de police de Laval (SPL), said investigators suspect Rodriguez, who has owned the restaurant for 20 years, may have other victims.
Rodriguez is facing four charges: two of sexual assault and two of sexual touching of minors.
He has been released on bail and ordered not to contact his alleged victims.
The Laval Police Service arrested 36-year-old Ami Joseph Matthew Reiss for sexual assaults between 2017 and 2019.
Stockholder in several rental properties in the Chomedey area, Ami Joseph Matthew Reiss, was also responsible for the checks, repairs and visits to the apartments. In some audits, the accused would have taken the opportunity to sexually touch tenants. Investigators in the Major Crimes Division have reason to believe that there may be other victims.
The man appeared at the Laval courthouse on charges of forcible confinement, harassment and sexual assault. He was released with several conditions to respect, including not being in contact with the tenants of the buildings concerned. He will be back in court on December 11th.
Anyone who has been the victim of Ami Joseph Matthew Reiss or who wishes to send us information, is invited to contact us, confidentially, on our Ligne-Info at 450 662-INFO (4636) or by calling 911 mentioning the LVL file 190726 052.
Last Wednesday, October 16, police arrested four people in connection with four killings allegedly linked to Italian organized crime.
Police say three men and a woman face charges in the 2016 slayings of brothers Vincenzo Falduto and Giuseppe Falduto, as well as the deaths of Rocco Sollecito and Lorenzo Giordano. The four arrested are Jonathan Massari, Dominico Scarfo, Guy Dion and Marie-Josee Viau.
Provincial police say the man at the head of the alleged criminal cell — Salvatore Scoppa — was killed in a brazen attack inside a Sheraton Laval last May. His brother Andrew was shot dead Mοnday morning October 21st.
Andrew Scoppa was arrested in connection to a cocaine smuggling investigation that targetted members of the Mafia. It was alleged he was distributing cocaine to dealers out of the Tour des Canadiens condos. Proceedings were halted in 2017, which led to his release.
The slaying of Andrew Scoppa is the second killing of a key figure in Quebec organized crime in just the past few days. On Thursday, Oct. 17, Gatean Sevigny, an associate of the Hells Angels in Quebec, was gunned down in front of his home in Terrebonne.
Police believe Scoppa’s killing was in response to the four 2016 slayings.
The probe into those deaths, dubbed “Premediter” (premeditated), began in January and culminated with last Wednesday’s arrests.
Authorities also seized 19 long guns, six handguns and three automatic weapons, as well as silencers, munitions and detonators.
They also seized a motorcycle allegedly used in the killing of Sollecito
No charges against Laval police following man’s fatal fall
The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) announced on Tuesday October 8th, that no criminal charges will be laid against Laval police after a man fell six storeys to his death in 2018.
Jeff Duhamel-Nissage died on March 29, 2018, after police raided his apartment in Laval, executing a search warrant. Officers rapidly stormed the building, according to a spokesperson for the DPCP. They cornered Duhamel-Nissage on his balcony, where he was tossing items downwards. He escaped to his neighbour’s apartment and tried to climb down to a sixth-floor apartment but slipped and was declared dead on the scene. He was 36 years old.
Officers were nearby in his apartment, but none were on the balcony with him when he fell, the spokesperson wrote in a statement. Numerous people witnessed Duhamel-Nissage’s fall, he added.
The decision not to pursue criminal charges was made following an investigation by Quebec’s independent bureau of investigation (BEI), the entity that investigates injuries and deaths that occur during police operations.
The DPCP declared there was no evidence police committed a crime.
“911; where do I vote?”
People where calling 911 to get information about where to vote.
Voting in the Canadian election is, to many, a democratic duty. But for some people, it is an emergency. Laval Police said Monday they have received a few calls to 911 from people trying to get information about where and when to vote.
The force urged people to visit Elections Canada’s website instead.
Laval police spokesperson Evelyn Boudreau said that the tweet overstated the information. According to Boudreau, the emergency service number has received two to three calls.
A panel of experts who discussed some of the immigration report’s findings included moderator Marie Côté, Frantz Voltaire of the Centre international de Documentation et d’Information Haïtienne, Caribéenne et Afro-canadienne (CIDIHCA), Kamel Béji of the social sciences faculty at University of Laval and Annick Germain, a sociology professor and researcher.
Martin C. Barry
With
the release last week of a new statistical report on Laval’s ever-growing
immigrant population, the city is setting higher standards for itself and hopes
to be more welcoming, while being more inclusive and integrating newly arrived
immigrants.
According
to the report which was unveiled during a gathering of Laval-area immigration
issue stakeholders at Collège Montmorency’s
André Mathieu auditorium, 28.5 per cent of the City of Laval’s population
consists of people who immigrated to Canada and Quebec from other countries.
Some
startling stats
Perhaps more startlingly, from 2001 to 2016 the
immigrant population of Laval increased by an astonishing 122.8 per cent. With
a 13. 5 per cent share each of the city’s population, Syria and Haiti rank
highest as the countries of birth for immigrants to Laval.
In
all, 44 per cent of families in Laval are regarded as having immigrant origins.
The report, based on statistics from the last national census, also reveals
that more than 60 per cent of immigrants are employed, although the rate varies
from 54.7 per cent for women to 66.1 per cent for males.
Immigrant employment
In
addition to these facts, the report also states that 15.1 per cent of
immigrants living in Laval are self-employed, compared to a 10 per cent rate
for non-immigrants. As well, 74.3 per cent of immigrants are homeowners,
compared to 66.8 per cent of non-immigrants.
Laval
city councillor Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier, who is responsible for immigration
and multicultural issues, said the report comes following a pledge made by the
city to improve its methods for overseeing the integration of the immigrant
population.
Group leaders and stakeholders in issues involving immigration in Laval raise points and asked questions about the new immigration report following its release last week at the André Mathieu auditorium at Collège Montmorency.
Window on
immigration
“The statistical portrait of the immigrant population
of Laval allows us to see the specific realities lived by people who are
immigrants,” she said. “It will also allow the city, as well as institutions
and local as well as regional organizations working with the immigration
population to have a better knowledge of the sociological, linguistic and
economic characteristics of the different groups arriving to live in Laval.”
The rate of growth for the immigrant population in
Laval is four times that on the Island of Montreal, where it was only 31 per
cent during the same period. Creation and finalization of the report was
overseen by a team of officials from the Carrefour d’Intercultures de Laval,
the CISSS de Laval, Services Québec Laval, the Table de concertation de Laval en condition féminine
and the City of Laval.
Every three
out of 10
The report estimates that three Laval residents out of
10 have immigrant roots. Between 2001 and 2016, the number of people in Laval
who are immigrants or whose roots stem from recent immigration rose from 52,495
to 116,935.
And perhaps not surprisingly, the researchers found
that Chomedey, the Laval district most often associated with high levels of
immigrant population, actually has Laval’s highest percentage of immigrants,
with 42.8 per cent of its population – or four out of 10 people – being able to
trace their direct roots to immigration.
(TLN) Groupe Sélection and Tornatech were two Laval-based businesses which were awarded prizes during the 2019 Prix Créateurs d’emplois du Québec awards ceremony held in Quebec City recently.
Two awards for firms
The two companies won the “Champion” and “People’s Choice” awards respectively for the Laval region after taking part in this competition sponsored by Fondaction, the Conseil de patronat du Québec and the Corporation des parcs industriels du Québec. Groupe Sélection is a well-known developer of real-estate projects, most notably of retirement residences for senior citizens. Established 30 years ago, the company now has 50 retirement residences that are operational or under development and employ a staff of more than 5,000 people across Quebec.
Job creation honoured
Groupe Sélection was recognized in particular for the fact it created 351 new jobs in the Laval region in 2018. The company currently employs 2,356 workers in Laval. The year 2018 was a big one for Tornatech, which specializes in the design and manufacture of controls for firefighting pumps. To support its growth, the company adopted special measures last year.
Innovative measures
After moving into a new factory containing ultramodern equipment with LEED certification to meet the company’s ecological values, Tornatech created 43 new positions last year, raising its number of employees to 171. Faced with a lack of public transit service access to its factory, the company created a shuttle bus route for its employees, while also paying some of the cost of their workers’ Opus public transit payment cards.
Anglo group leaders from the Laval, Laurentian and Lanaudière regions are seen here with Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete (centre), during last week’s consultation meeting held at the Embassy Plaza in Laval.
Martin C. Barry
Anglo
group leaders from the Laval, Laurentian and Lanaudière regions who took part
last week in a consultation in Laval
by the CAQ government’s secretariat for English-speaking Quebecers say they
were pleased overall by the experience, although some remained uncertain where
the process is leading.
Anglo relations
secretariat
Led
by Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete, who is the only Anglophone MNA in
the CAQ government, the Secretariat aux relations avec les Québécois
d’expression anglaise was set up in 2017 by the previous Liberal government.
The
Secretariat was established to ensure “that the concerns of English-Speaking
Quebecers are taken into account in government orientations and decisions,” the
SRQEAC said in a statement following its creation.
At the conclusion of last week’s Laval consultation,
Skeete was asked by the Laval News whether he was hearing anything from the Anglo
group leaders here that was different from the other regions in Quebec he’s
visited.
Anglos’
overlapping realities
“You would think that there would be huge
differences,” he said. “But a lot of the realities of English-speaking
Quebecers tend to overlap. But here’s an instance of one thing that we keep
hearing over and over: the access or the ability to communicate in French.
“A lot of groups are telling us that when they want to
interact with the province, they’re not able to do that because their French
level is not high enough, so they can’t apply for grants. They can’t apply for
programs in a way that they would like to because they feel like their French
is not sufficient to get in the door.
Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete, responsible for Anglo community outreach in the CAQ government, address community leaders in Laval last week.
Ensuring
equality, says Skeete
“So that for me is a big deal, right?” added Skeete. “If
you can’t get access to government programs that you’re paying for with your
taxes then for me you’re not an equal citizen. For me it’s all about making
sure that English-speaking Quebecers are equal and full-fledged citizens.”
As
for what will eventually come following the eight consultation hearings, Skeete
said the data will be condensed into a report that will be presented to the
stakeholders for validation.
“And
from there we’re going to develop a strategy that’s going to bring us forward
in time,” said Skeete. “And I’m hoping that with that strategy we’ll be able to
better orient the help that we bring to the community and bridge some of the
gaps that exist in accessing government programs.”
Participants overall
pleased
The
Laval News approached some of the community leaders who took part in last
week’s consultation for their reactions. “I think it’s great that these
consultations are happening,” said Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board chairman
Paolo Galati who was accompanied by SWLSB director-general Gaëlle Absolonne.
“I
think the dialogue needs to be a little more fluid between the Anglophones and the
Quebec government, so this is a great initiative. We’ll see what it brings
forward – what happens from what was said today.”
Impact on student
enrollment
Galati
said that one of the issues raised by the school board was the impact of Bill
101 on the SLWSB’s student enrollment.
“Every
year we lose about 40 students based on their eligibility criteria,” he said,
referring to conditions established by the province’s language legislation
which restrict who gets to attend English schools.
While
acknowledging that the SWLSB has actually been gaining in student enrollment in
recent years, he added, “If we would be able to open up discussions regarding
Bill 101 we would have an opportunity to grow even more.”
Ian Williams and Kevin McLeod of the Chomedey-based Agape social services association, were among those to address the Secretariat aux relations avec les Québécois d’expression anglaise in Laval last week.
But will it continue?
Michael
Canuel, executive-director of the Laval-based Leading English Education and
Resource Network (LEARN), said it wasn’t the first time they had met with
Skeete, but were generally happy with the results. “We’re fairly pleased with his participation, interest
and involvement in what we do,” he said.
All the same, Canuel expressed some concern as to
whether the Secretariat’s efforts on behalf of the English-speaking community will
continue. “Our primary concern is that there’s some continuity to all of this –
that it’s not just a one-off,” he said. “We do hope that there is follow-up.”
Kevin
McLeod, executive-director of the Chomedey-based Agape social services
association, also was pleased that the provincial government was showing enough
interest to inquire about the needs of Laval’s English-speaking community.
Bill 101 and health-care
“The
fact they are doing a consultation does show their interest in how they can
improve services for English-speakers,” said McLeod, who also raised issues
during the meeting.
Among
these, he said, are constraints being enforced under Bill 101 which prevent
some English-language health-related information from being posted in public
areas at hospitals and other health-care establishments.
“How
are we supposed to inform people?” said McLeod, suggesting the new CAQ
government is cracking down with clauses of Bill 101 that were ignored for
years. “My fear is that they’re going to stop printing and translating
documentation since we’re not allowed to have it available on the walls,” he
said.
The team from Chomedey won a people’s choice award. Seen here are Ellie Hoff, Marie, Émylie Pouliot, Isabelle Lepore and Lise Robichaud.
(TLN) On Oct. 8, the City of Laval announced the
winners of its “Mon quartier fleuri” beautiful gardens contest, which is now in
its third year.
According to the city, around 2,600 Laval residents
voted for their favourite garden through a Facebook page between Aug. 12 to 31.
The team from Sainte-Rose chosen by the jury: Myriam Breton, Jérémy Bordage and François Breton.
The winners
are…
In the end, a garden located on Chomedey Blvd. between
city hall and the 1333 building, won. In fact, the team from Chomedey garnered
the most votes – 647.
In the meantime, a jury chose a garden overseen by a team in Sainte-Rose, which received a 90 per cent grading. It is located on Curé Labelle Blvd. near the exit ramp for the Marius Dufresne bridge.
Seen from the far right, Jean-Marc Chouinard from the Fondation Lucie et André Gagnon, Laval mayor Marc Demers and CISSS de Laval CEO Christian Gagné were joined on stage at the Maison des Arts by some of the more than 170 community organization leaders from Laval who helped create the city’s new regional policy for social development (PRDS).
Martin C. Barry
While
announcing the completion of a five-year action strategy to improve social
development in Laval, city officials also revealed that Laval will be receiving
almost $9 million in subsidies from at least one private source to help
implement the wide-ranging plan.
Mayor
Marc Demers and CISSS de Laval CEO Christian Gagné and were on hand at the
Maison des Arts de Laval to hear the announcement of the subsidies made by
Jean-Marc Chouinard, president of the Lucie and André Gagnon Foundation.
A five-year
plan
The city’s new regional policy for social development
(PRDS) covers the years 2019 – 2024. A steering committee including members
chosen from social service organizations from all over Laval was on hand to
take part in the launch.
While
the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation is donating $7.5 million to help with
implementation of the plan, additional sums are expected to be announced before
long, according to the City of Laval.
A planning tool, says
mayor
Following
workshops in which more than 170 community group leaders from Laval participated,
nearly a dozen out of 31 goals from the PRDS were made priorities, while 51
courses of action were identified, the city says.
“This action plan is the end result of our willingness
to equip the region with a planning tool that will allow it to act in a
coordinated way with regards to the development of neighbourhoods on a human
scale and where life will be good,” said Mayor Demers.
From the left, CISSS de Laval CEO Christian Gagné, Laval mayor Marc Demers and Jean-Marc Chouinard from the Fondation Lucie et André Gagnon are seen here during the launch last week of the City of Laval’s new regional policy for social development (PRDS).
Reducing social
inequality
“With
most of this project leading to the adoption of this action plan allowing us to
consolidate the commitment of partners while encouraging interest in a common
purpose, we are very proud of this accomplishment,” he added.
The
head of the CISSS de Laval was just as enthusiastic while describing the impact
the plan should have on future social development in Laval. “This action plan
is shaping up to be an indispensable tool for us and our partners so that we
can act on multidimensional problems such as the creation of favourable
environments and the reduction of social inequalities in matters of health,”
Christian Gagné said.
Quality of
life issues
“The actions that are collectively retained will ensure
the deployment of new projects which will have a direct or indirect impact on
the quality of life of the population of Laval. We are proud to have taken part
in this movement favouring social development.”
Jean-Marc Chouinard emphasized the importance of
implementing the plan.
“It would be important that all Laval residents
involved with the implementation of the action plan have the tools necessary to
fulfill it and that they are thus able to put into place sustainable conditions
which will reduce the causes of inequality and the barriers to educational
success,” he said.
Plan okay, says SWLSB
chair
Sir
Wilfrid Laurier School Board chairman Paolo Galati who attended the strategy
launch believes it is a good idea for the city to enact a plan for social
development that draws all the stakeholders into the process.
“In
a city and region such as ours, having the means to build social development is
so important,” he said. “And so bringing all these organizations together,
including the two school boards, is also important and also good overall for a
city like ours.”
