443.1. Every driver of a road vehicle
and every cyclist are prohibited from using a cellular telephone or any other
portable device designed to transmit or receive information or to be used for entertainment
purposes, or from using a display screen, except in the following cases:
(1) the
driver of the road vehicle uses a hands-free device; or
(2) the
driver of the road vehicle or the cyclist consults the information displayed on
a display screen, including that of a portable device, or uses a screen command
if the screen
(a) displays only such
information as is relevant to driving or riding the vehicle or related to the
operation of its usual equipment;
(b) is integrated into the
vehicle or mounted on a bracket, whether detachable or not, attached to the
vehicle;
(c) is placed so as not to
obstruct the driver’s or cyclist’s view, interfere with driving or riding
manoeuvres, or prevent the operation of equipment or reduce its efficiency and
in a manner that does not present a risk of injury in case of an accident; and
(d) is positioned and designed
in such a way that the driver of the road vehicle or cyclist can operate and
consult it easily.
For the
purposes of the first paragraph, the driver of a road vehicle or cyclist who is
holding a portable device in hand or in any other manner is presumed to be
using the device.
The
Government may, by regulation, determine the manner in which this section is to
be applied, in particular by defining the meaning of certain expressions. It
may also prescribe other exceptions to the prohibitions under this section and
other standards applicable to display screens.
Officials from the City of Laval, including Mayor Marc Demers, and from the provincial government, including Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete, gathered at the Axion 50 Plus seniors centre in Chomedey last Monday to announce an almost $1.5 million subsidy given to L’Appui Laval to improve support for Laval’s home caregivers.
Elected officials from Laval, including Mayor Marc
Demers and Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete, gathered at the Axion 50 Plus
seniors centre in Chomedey last Monday for an
announcement that L’Appui Laval will be receiving $1,476,000 over the next two
years to help provide support to persons in Laval who are caregivers to senior
citizens.
The
amount is being provided from a fund established by the Lucie and André Chagnon
Family in conjunction with the provincial government.
In an address, Skeete said he understood the need to provide better support to
caregivers as he was in that position at one time.
Skeete was a
caregiver
“When I was younger I was a caregiver,” Skeete said,
noting that he provided home care to his late mother when he was still in his
teens. He said he could have used some caregiver support back then, although it
wasn’t available at the time.
“I’m particularly happy that we’re going to be
announcing $61,000 over two years for SCAMA, which will help the English
community and the Allophone community do a little bit more and provide and
provide a little bit more assistance to its people,” added Skeete who is
Premier François Legault’s principal liaison to Quebec’s English-speaking community.
Services Provided
to Caregivers
In a statement issued to the media, L’Appui Laval said
it is committed to funding 13 projects presented by eight Laval organizations.
The group said the subsidy will serve to increase and consolidate different
types of services to improve the quality of life of caregivers.
According to L’Appui Laval, 66 per cent of the amount
will be dedicated to respite services, for a total of $978,384 over two years.
Twenty-one per cent will be allocated to psychosocial support services,
totalling $305,208 over the same period.
Thirteen per cent of the amount will go to information
services, including training and support, for a total of $192,523 for this
purpose over two years. L’Appui Laval said the investment prioritizes respite
services to prevent the exhaustion of caregivers. Services will be available
during the day, evening or at night.
Group
Respite
Three community centres will offer day group respite
for a total of five days: The Centre Communautaire le Rendez-Vous des Aînés,
the Centre de services communautaires et d’aide au maintien de l’autonomie
(SCAMA), and the Comité d’Animation du Troisième Âge de Laval (CATAL).
L’Appui Laval said the Société
Alzheimer Laval is also proposing two group respite projects. A first atypical
(occasional) respite, available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and a
respite project for caregivers of people less than 65 years of age.
Home Respite
Regular
or atypical (occasional) individual respite services in the comfort of the home
are also offered by three organizations: The Association Lavalloise des
Personnes Aidantes (ALPA), the Coopérative de soutien à domicile, and the Société
Alzheimer Laval.
Psychosocial
Support Services
L’Appui Laval said the
role of the caregiver sometimes reveals concealed strengths, but sometimes the
caregiver needs support at different times in his or her experience. The Société
Alzheimer Laval offers home-based consultations and follow-up services, with a
focus on families.
Beginning
in the month of May, Parkinson Montreal-Laval will prioritize offering group
meetings once a week as well as a few individual follow-ups. And the
Association Lavalloise des Personnes Aidantes (ALPA) offers support groups and
individual support to caregivers who feel the need.
Information
Services – Training
L’Appui
Laval said the caregiver needs to be informed about his or her role and to
understand their loved one’s illness. As such, the Association Lavalloise des
Personnes Aidantes (ALPA) offers information sessions and conferences in French
and English. An assessment of caregivers is possible, with referrals and
support as needed.
As
well, the Hellenic Social Services of Quebec (SSHQ) offers a variety of
information-training activities and mainly targets Laval’s Anglophone and
Allophone clienteles.
A Priority at L’Appui
Laval
L’Appui
Laval said that a major challenge for all organizations providing services in
Laval is to reach out to the Anglophone populations, including ethno cultural
minorities. In addition to services already funded, L’Appui Laval said it is
investing in a new project at a community centre in Chomedey. The Centre SCAMA
will offer new respite activities aimed at reaching mainly Anglophone and
Allophone clients.
L’Appui
Laval has also published a handy folder in English for persons caring for a
spouse, a friend, a neighbour or a friend. For more information on the services
available in Laval for caregivers, L’Appui Laval invites you to contact the
INFO-AIDANT phone line at 1-855-852-7784, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm.
With a federal election due to take place on Oct. 21,
the incumbent Liberal government’s Minister for Families, Children and Social
Development says he’s concerned that a Conservative government, if elected,
would make drastic cuts to a vast array of family-oriented and social welfare
programs implemented since 2015 by the Liberals.
Jean-Yves Duclos made the comments during an interview
with Newsfirst Multimedia on the same day the conservative provincial
government of Ontario led by Premier Doug Ford released its first budget
containing widespread austerity measures designed to eliminate the province’s
debt by 2024.
Wary of
Conservatives
“Conservatives are known for two things,” said Duclos.
“First they cut the benefits and services to middle-class Canadians. And second
they give tax advantages to the wealthiest Canadians. That’s what they
typically do and that’s unfortunately what they will probably also want to do
in their election platform.
“We have a very different agenda,” added Duclos. “Our
agenda is around supporting middle-class Canadians, and this agenda is working.
Because since 2016 we have seen one of the highest growth rates of among the G7
countries.
“Canadians have created 900,000 new jobs. We have the
lowest unemployment rate in four decades. We have lifted 825,000 Canadians out
of poverty. This is working – strong economic growth – and growth that benefits
everyone.
‘A different
agenda,’ says Duclos
“The Conservatives have a totally different agenda,”
said Duclos, a professional economist. “They are in 19th century
economics where they believe that the only way to grow the economy is to help
the wealthiest Canadians. But that’s not how it works in the 21st
century.”
Duclos is a member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s
original cabinet which was sworn in on Nov. 4, 2015 following the Oct. 19
general election. Despite a number of cabinet shuffles that have moved some
cabinet members to new portfolios while sidelining others, Duclos has
consistently retained his responsibilities for a ministry with a fair amount of
oversight, despite its sometimes low profile.
A Quebec City
native
Duclos hails from the Quebec City area, where he was
one of only two Liberals to win seats in the 2015 general election. In that election,
Duclos found himself in a tight race against second-place incumbent Annick
Papillon of the NDP who’d been elected four years before in the NDP ‘Orange
Crush’. She finished exactly 1,000 votes behind him.
The 53-year-old Duclos is a highly-respected academic.
He was Director of the Department of Economics and a
tenured professor at Université Laval. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in
Economics (First-Class Honours) from the University of Alberta, and his
master’s and doctoral degrees in Economics from the London School of Economics
and Political Science. In 2014, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of
Canada, the highest accolade bestowed on Canadian researchers.
Federal Liberal Minister for Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos says Ottawa needs to prevent as well as reduce homelessness.
Federal
homelessness program
Among the major programs Duclos’ ministry is currently
promoting is Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, which was
officially launched this past April 1. First
announced in June last year, Reaching Home replaces the existing Homelessness
Partnering Strategy, with a goal of reducing chronic homelessness by 50 per
cent nationally by 2027-28.
“The most important thing is to recognize that to be
homeless in 2019 is unacceptable,” Duclos told Newsfirst Multimedia. “We have a
developed country, yet we have not the ability to look after each other. What
should be is that no one should be left alone on the streets.
“But the second thing is that homelessness comes both
from lack of affordable housing – and we know that housing is not affordable
for many people – but also sometimes because of challenges: it could be health
challenges, mental health, addictions.
The roots of
homelessness
“It could be because of handicaps, youths coming out
of institutions or people with disabilities who find it difficult to access
proper housing. So homelessness doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It appears
because there are unfortunately barriers for people to have an affordable and
safe place to live.”
Ottawa has committed a total of
$2.2 billion over 10 years to the Reaching Home program. By 2021–22, the amount
allotted in 2015–16 would double, depending on who is in power in Ottawa by
then.
Duclos acknowledges that homelessness has been on the
increase everywhere in Canada for the past 20 years. While saying that funding
from Ottawa to deal with the problem was consistent from 1998 to 2015, he
suggested it could perhaps be used in a more targeted fashion. “It’s an issue
of reducing homelessness, but also preventing it,” said Duclos.
How to fight
homelessness
“That involves looking at the different challenges:
women in domestic violence, younger Canadians coming out of institutional care,
veterans, people with handicaps, with mental health issues. So having housing,
but also services, to protect these people and prevent them from being homeless
again.”
Asked whether he ever understood why the problem
continues growing, Duclos responded, “Because of economic and social changes.
Economic changes because work is more precarious and people lose their jobs
more easily now. Also because of family separation which is more prevalent. And
also an increase in mental health issues and addictions across the country. And
again because of the lack of housing affordability.”
Chronic illness can generate feelings of denial, anger, grief. But at some point emotions subside and the harsh reality strikes that you are no longer the person you once were. The illness robs you of your sense of identity and purpose. Can a meaningful life be rebuilt? Yes, if an incredibly strong, courageous fighter who never let go of her will to live, a survivor, one of life’s miracles is any example of how to celebrate life by lighting a candle instead of cursing the darkness. Here’s Alice’s heroic story, told in her own words of inspiration to all.
Uncharted
territory
“Rebuilding or redefining normal is a long process,” she says. After spending my teenage years at St. Justine’s Children’s Hospital as a permanent resident, and consequently at the Jewish General Hospital as soon as I turned 20, I felt that things couldn’t get worse. Rebuilding my life required that I explore uncharted territory.”
What did you miss most about high school?
“It was bleak. I missed my friends, going to class, the activities, and just being a regular teenager. I was home-schooled but too sick even for that. Most days were spent in the hospital. I wanted to graduate with my classmates. My home-school teachers did their best, but it was too hard, they stopped coming, except for one who never gave up and made sure I would graduate with everyone else.
I left the hospital to attend the Laurier
Senior High School Graduation Ceremony, an emotional day for me and family,
flooded with tears of joy although I was still in much pain. To go on stage for
my certificate was my greatest accomplishment, something I will never forget.”
Alice at Laurier Senior graduation ceremony
Did you
ever lose hope?
“No. I never said, ‘Why me?’ – no matter what debilitating state I was in. On tons of medication, I underwent chemo, cortisone, and radiation therapy although I didn’t have cancer. Often delirious, I developed allergies, and lost my hair several times. I was unrecognizably bloated, weighing 200 pounds from medication and treatments, one experiment after another, hoping the next one would be it.
My doctor travelled overseas to learn about my
illness (Purpura Trombose Trombocitopenique) and how to treat it since very few
people are known to suffer the condition. She wasn’t very successful, just more
experiments which I willingly took. There was nothing else. Only 14 when struck
with the disease, I didn’t understand it, but I learned a lot about it through
my medical team. Explanations and research
from across the world helped me face what I was up against. I never lost hope, knowing God was with me.”
How did
the illness affect your family?
“Everyone was affected. It changed their responsibilities and boundaries. For my mom, it was emotionally and physically devastating, pulled in all directions, back and forth to doctors, hospitals, and home. She gave up her job since she slept at the hospital. She became a permanent fixture in my hospital room, was always there, a tower of strength never giving up hope even when there seemed to be no hope in sight. My dad suffered financial strains since he spent days at my bedside also. It was emasculating and frustrating for him to watch his child deteriorating, in pain, hooked to life-support machines.”
After
seven years, what is your message to others who are chronically ill?
“Well, my family and I had to create a ‘new normal’ to better understand and find meaning in everyday challenges. To survive, you take it a day at a time, it’s all you can do. Take nothing for granted and realize you’re stronger and more capable than you ever thought you could be.
Never lose hope, stay faithful and true to yourself. Be thankful and positive, things can and often do change for the better. I lost over 100 pounds, still more to go, living at home now. I go for weekly for treatments, but I’m really much better, thank God. I’m planning my future although there are always crisis-mode moments. I’ve been through a lot, but in my heart I believe the best is still yet to come.”
The centre communautaire Accès in Laval-Ouest was one of two emergency shelters designated by the City of Laval to accommodate residents impacted by last week’s freezing rain and ice storm.
(TLN) Last week as Ice Storm 2019 faded into memory,
the City of Laval reported that during the last 72 hours of the crisis, up to
half Laval’s residents were affected by major electric power blackouts caused
by accumulated ice and trees which had fallen.
Winding down
As of last Thursday, 1,179 Hydro Quebec clients were
still waiting to be reconnected. In the district of Vimont, the Lausanne
community centre remained open up to last Thursday night at 11 pm taking in
residents whose homes were dark and cold because they didn’t have electric power.
At the height of the crisis, when 200 calls per hour
were being received at Laval’s 9-1-1 centre, Laval’s firemen, police, forestry
experts, road repair crews and health personnel were all working together.
In all, the Laval Fire
Department completed 796 emergency interventions for outdoor fires, security
concerns, alarms and reports of flooding. The Laval Police Department made
regular patrols with roof flashers switched on in sectors of Laval that were
without electricity in order to reassure residents and assist those in need.
Special safety checks
In
addition, staff from the Laval Fire Department also made 1,277 visits to
residences occupied by retired and elderly people to check they were safe and
their fire alarm systems were working. The Laval Police for their part watched
key intersections carefully during rush hours for accidents, especially at
intersections where traffic lights were out of order.
Employees
of the City of Laval’s 3-1-1 public works line answered nearly 5,300 calls.
Those calling to report lengthy power outages were told they could seek shelter
from the cold at two Laval community centres where nearly 300 people took up
the offer. Showers were available and meals were served. More than 100
residents spent the night on cots that were set up. Laval’s public libraries
also saw an increase in use during the period of the ice storm.
This was the scene in the lobby of the Accès community centre in Laval-Ouest as public safety volunteers helped accommodate hundreds of Laval residents displaced by the ice storm.
A job well done
“Over
the last few days we were able to see for ourselves the incredible efficiency
of our employees,” said Mayor Marc Demers. “From the beginning of the
blackouts, our teams were deployed quickly to take care of residents who had
problems. They showed themselves to be very professional and devoted without
ever stopping. I would thus like to thank them warmly for their efforts up to
now and for those remaining to be done. We can all be proud of the work accomplished.”
According
to the city, the Accès community centre in Laval-Ouest and the Lausanne
community centre in Vimont are returning to their regular schedules of
activities after serving last week as emergency shelters.
In
the meantime, a big cleanup is underway and the city is offering to cart away
branches gathered from private properties free of charge. The city also says
that the usual cost for a permit authorizing the cutting of a tree is waived.
However, requests for both these services must be made by April 19 by calling
3-1-1.
Among the first to use the Carrousel were Collège Montmorency director-general Olivier Simard and Laval executive-committee vice-president Stéphane Boyer during a recent unveiling ceremony.
(TLN) From April 2 – 4, a notable work of contemporary art was on display in the parking lot at Collège Montmorency (in front of the Metro station on de l’Avenir Blvd.) The Carousel BGL was created by a collective of Quebec artists.
The artists behind the work are: Sébastien Bilodeau,
Jasmin Giguère and Nicolas Laverdière. The work, which has already travelled
around parts of Canada, was in Laval as part of the third Semaine des arts du
cégep lavallois.
The interactive work of art was created in such a way
as to invite onlookers to get aboard and actually become involved in its
operation. Around 75 people, including officials from Collège Montmorency, Laval
Mayor Marc Demers and Laval executive-committee vice-president Stéphane Boyer, were on hand for the unveiling of the work.
Laval Police director Pierre Brochet, left, is seen here with Service de Police de Terrebonne director Marc Brisson at Laval Police headquarters on April 4 when the Laval Ethics and Integrity Office’s 2018 report was released.
Martin C. Barry
For
the fifth year since the Laval Ethics and Integrity Bureau (BIEL) first started,
Laval Police chief Pierre Brochet has tabled his latest report on continuing
efforts to track and prevent acts of
corruption within the City of Laval’s administration.
The
BIEL was created shortly after Brochet was hired, in the aftermath of the
highly-publicized corruption and municipal contracts kickback scandal involving
disgraced former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt.
Arm’s length from city
The
office, which operates at arm’s length from the city administration, was given
a mandate to oversee internal
investigations, while working in conjunction with the Laval Police Department.
“I am truly proud of the results and accomplishments
of the BIEL, and all the more so when we know that several municipalities are
expressing a wish to create their own integrity bureaus,” Brochet said during a
press conference held at Laval Police headquarters on Chomedey Blvd. on April 4
to release the results.
Leading the
way
“It is an honour for us to have developed the
expertise for a team responsible for investigations of this type,” he added. “Mostly
a team that has had to be ahead of things by developing responses, as well as
codes of conduct adapted to the reality of the employees and elected officials
of Laval.”
According to a summary of the report, just three cases
out of a total of 86 potential administrative wrongdoings ended up being
reported for in-depth investigation to the Unité
permanente anticorruption (UPAC), the Quebec government’s
specialized agency that fights corruption, collusion and
other economic crimes involving provincial government
procurement.
Laval Police director Pierre Brochet says he is pleased with the progress the BIEL has made tracking and controlling potential corruption in the city administration.
Fewer cases went to UPAC
In
comparison, four cases went to UPAC in 2017, eight in 2016, 10 in 2015 and 11
in 2014. Out of the 86 potential administrative wrongdoing cases in 2018, 10
cases were deemed serious enough to merit being investigated by the local
police, while 73 others were judged to be administrative problems that could be
resolved internally.
The
statistics from last year for the 73 administrative cases show that conflict of
interest ranked high among commonly reported problems, while breaching
confidentiality was also on the radar. The most serious cases in 2018 involved
allegations of fraud and theft. However, only one case led to criminal charges.
According to last year’s BIEL report, a supervisor was arrested after being
seen while in the act of stealing equipment that was the property of the city.
He was subsequently fired.
Drivers ‘under the
influence’
The
report says the BIEL also became involved last year when it was discovered that
drivers for some sub-contractors working for the city were operating while
under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Measures were taken by the BIEL as
well as by the Laval Police to warn the sub-contractors about their
responsibilities.
The
BIEL oversaw workshops where up to 2,000 employees received instruction in the
ethical standards they are expected to live up to. As well, the BIEL received
requests from employees seeking orientation for specific situations involving
ethical decision-making.
Six years since crackdown
This
most recent report contrasts sharply with the situation in May six years ago,
when 37 people – including engineers, contractors and managers – were arrested
in the massive police sweep that preceded the City of Laval’s being placed in
trusteeship after the departure of ex-mayor Vaillancourt.
Among
the compromising situations faced by city employees every year are conflicts of
interest. The City of Laval’s code of ethics now clearly spells out the
potential for ethical conflicts when employees are holding down a second job
somewhere else, or are related to individuals with vested interests.
Service de Police de Terrebonne director Marc Brisson, right, is pleased with his city’s decision to emulate Laval and set up a BIEL office of its own
BIEL seems to be paying
off
Some
cases can also involve unauthorized use of municipal resources or access to
confidential or privileged information. BIEL statistics compiled over the past
five years show the City of Laval’s employees have been increasingly consulting
the BIEL for guidance when they face uncertain situations ethically.
After
releasing the report, Brochet announced that the Laval Police will continue an
agreement with the City of Terrebonne on the North Shore which will see them
working cooperatively to counter corruption and collusion on their respective
territories. Terrebonne is basing an investigative unit of its own on Laval’s
BIEL.
Partnership
with Terrebonne
“The implementation of this partnership sends a
message to all those involved working in the municipal domain in our region,”
Brochet said. “Collusion and corruption are not acceptable or tolerated and we
are making all the efforts necessary to prevent and control together this sort
of crime.”
Service
de Police de Terrebonne Marc Brisson said: “The decision to enter into a
partnership with the BIEL through the opening of an integrity office by the
City of Terrebonne makes sense economically and strategically at the same time.
Economically, since it allows for the sharing of a large number of resources,
such as offices and personnel. Strategically, since it allows us to share
expertise, exchange contractual information and coordinate investigation files
more efficiently.”
Seen in the photo are Philippe Dutin, assistant director general of the Laval 2020 organizing committee, Raphaël Bélanger of École L’Envol, Dynamik, Flavie Pauzé of École Hébert, and Roseline Filion, Olympic diving champ and official spokesperson for the committee.
(TLN) On March 26, the
organizing committee for the 55th finals for the 2020 Jeux du Québec
taking place in Laval next
year announced the winners of a contest to name the mascot.
A ‘Dynamik’ mascot
Dynamik is the name that was
chosen. Children from grade schools all over Laval had been invited to help choose
the name. The winning name was submitted by two students: Flavie Pauzé of École
Hébert in Saint-François and Raphaël Bélanger of École l’Envol in
Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.
Last October, Fabiana Marin,
a visual arts student from Collège
Montmorency, won a competition to draw
the mascot. “The mascot is an important member of the Jeux du Québec’s big family,” said Olympic medalist in diving Roseline Filion who
hosted the ceremony to announce the mascot name winners.
Like a big family
“It is a great honour to be
part of this family,” she continued. “I myself participated in the Jeux du Québec for Chaudière-Appalaches in 1997 and I remember very well
that the mascot was considered very important.”
As winners, Flavie and Raphaël will each receive the following gifts: 1
stay at Space Camp for parents and children at the Cosmodôme; 1 family pass to
Immersia “escape room” games (a $117 value); 1 family pass to the Maison des
arts de Laval (a $64 value); and a visit by the mascot to their schools.
School kids took part
More than 225 youths from
the Commission scolaire de Laval (CSDL) and the Sir Wilfrid-Laurier School
Board (SWLSB) took part in the naming contest. All name suggestions were
submitted to a jury made up of five members from the committee organizing the
2020 Jeux du Québec finals in Laval.
Dynamik will be making the
rounds of schools and community events in Laval, while also attending important
events leading towards the opening of the Jeux du Québec finals in Laval next
year. The mascot will also be featured in ads and other promotions for the
games.
Laval Action Table for Entrepreneurialism’s four bursary winners are seen here with organizers, supporters and sponsors during a presentation ceremony held on March 21.
Martin C. Barry
The Laval Action Table for Entrepreneurialism
announced the four winners of its honorary bursaries on March 21, awarded by
the Government of Quebec.
In addition to the recognition, the winners also were
awarded strategic support and mentoring from Réseau M, with additional assistance provided the Fondation de
l’entrepreneurship, as well as automatic participation in StartupFest sponsored
by Laval innov.
Honorary
bursaries
In order to complement a traditional offer of
financing and to stimulate entrepreneurship in Quebec, the Quebec Ministry of
the Economy and Innovation offered the honorary bursaries, worth $25,000 each,
to entrepreneurs 18 to 35 years old who are working on projects involving the
creation of a new business, or the development of a business that has been
active for less than five years.
In addition to being a motivator for entrepreneurs to
solidify their ideas for businesses or help with their development, the
bursaries aim to acknowledge the entrepreneurial spirit and the qualities that
go with it, including boldness, determination and innovative spirit.
Four
Laval finalists
From this year’s contestants in Laval, four finalists
were selected by a jury composed of members of the Laval Action Table for
Entrepreneurialism. Each finalist will be receiving a $25,000 bursary, one year
of personalized accompaniment by Réseau M and a ticket to
participate in Startupfest 2019.
The four finalists are: Myriam Tellier of Planette
produits écologiques inc.; Mathieu Benoit of Mathben
informatique; Patrick Vigeant of Boursify; and Vyckie Vaillancourt of O’Citrus.
About the finalists
Planette
produits écologiques inc.
specializes in the manufacture and distribution of natural and ecologically-responsible
household cleaning products. Mathben informatique offers expert services in software
development as well as support for the development of virtual reality games.
Boursify has developed a software program that
simulates stock and investment market strategies, while also offering software
support to high-schools, CEGEPs and universities. O’Citrus is specialized in
the greenhouse production of fine citrus, including yuzu, Buddha’s hand, caviar
lime, kaffir lime, sudachi, finger lime, calamondin, kumquat and pomelo.
In a
nutshell, the March 27th Council of Commissioners meeting was
an elaborate presentation of all the events, activities, planning, and
successes executed in the month of March. The Laurier Board also came out
swinging in condemnation of Bill 21 (religious symbols).
The long list
of activities included breakfast with Argenteuil mayor Christian St. Pierre, a
tour of Crestview Elementary, Vocational Training, Leadership Summit at Laval
Junior Academy, partnership with Le Centre de Formation Construct-Plus, a visit
to La Chambre Commerce St. Eustache, and a student leadership event “Food for
All” at Laval Senior Academy.
Director
General, Gaelle Absolonne announced preliminary enrolment of 12,715 students
for 2019-20; six more students than the MEQ’s 12,709 projection – “an
encouraging and positive upswing” says Absolonne.
Feasibility
Ecosystem Study
Material
Resources reported on the financial implications of the Ecosystem feasibility
study, which leaves SWLSB with two options: award the contract in September
2019 to move forward with the project or, stop altogether. $350,358 will be
allocated for Ecosystem’s detailed feasibility study if savings are confirmed.
In its submission, Ecosystem scored 90.5%, also meeting minimum requirements for two mandatory criteria. Subsequently the “8 envelopes” containing financial figures were opened. According to documentation presented, Ecosystem submitted the best weighted assessment at $1,970 520 for 20 buildings, reducing energy costs 23%, savings of $281,112.
Of trees and seat belts
Commissioner Peter MacLaurin announced that a commemorative tree and plaque have been donated by the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) to former Chairperson Jennifer Maccarone in recognition of her diligent work with SWLSB. Thrilled, Maccarone requested that the tree be planted at board headquarters.
Commissioner Emilio Migliozzi proposed mandatory seat belts on school buses. The next bus contract renewal is in 2022, thus the seat belt implementation must be part of the contract negotiation. “It’s a safety issue and can’t be ignored,” he stated. “This must also be communicated to the Minister of Transport of the Government of Quebec and to the MEQ.” The potential economic impact of seat belt requirement is unclear until discussions with the bus company take place.
Commissioner Peter MacLaurin made a plea
to the Council that each member contact his MNA, communicate to them that the
commissioners are doing their jobs. “They are doing what they should be doing,”
he stated. This is part of the QESBA, Quebec English School Boards Association,
success plan in their fight for retention of school boards.
Public
funds disclosure put on hold
Commissioner Guy Gagnon struck a sour
note with Council when he moved to publish expense reports on the Board’s
website, proposing that the data be published proactively. “It’s about time the
expenses are made public. The last time it was put on the table was in 2015.”
Commissioner Melissa Wall was not
convinced of the need, and did not wish to vote on it, stating that this
information can be obtained through Access to Information. Commissioners Bob Pellerin and James Di Sano
did not support Gagnon’s motion and moved to postpone it.
A war of
words
Discussion bounced around the definition/difference between the words postpone and table. Secretary General Stephane Krenn, stated that to table means to “postpone” and was based on the precision and clarity of the words. Commissioner Gagnon objected to move to “Table”. Gagnon also stated that the Lester B. Pearson School Board, publishes reports on line and there’s no reason why SWLSB does not do the same. “It should have been done a long time ago,” he stated. There seemed to be an apparent aversion to being open with the public. TLN’s efforts to obtain comment from commissioner Gagnon were fruitless as he stated that he did not wish to answer any questions from the media. However, TLN requested one response to the question, ”Does the Council prepare and submit monthly expense reports?” He responded, “Not necessarily.” Chairperson Paolo Galati stated that Council should discuss the matter further in order to clarify the process and implications. “I am in favour transparency,” he told TLN. It was decided to resume the discussion at the April 24th meeting.
Bill 21
As stated at Council and officially
delivered by Communications Coordinator Maxeen Jolin, “The Council of
Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution against Bill 21 prohibiting
anyone in a position of authority, including school principals and teachers
from wearing religious symbols in the performance of their functions and
duties. Council believes that Bill 21
will alter the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, and for this reason
owes it to its communities to take a stance against this legislation. SWLSB is
proud to be part of a diverse community and has long embraced values of inclusion
and respect.”
