(TLN) A Quebec Superior Court judge last week refused
to grant an injunction that would have forced the women-only Leclerc
Institution provincial jail to improve conditions for two inmates.
After detainees complained for years about conditions
at the centre, a lawyer recently filed an injunction request on behalf of two
inmates to force improvements. Although a temporary injunction was refused,
Quebec’s correctional services department has pledged to provide better heating
in the building.
Mounting
problems
Among the problems reported by the inmates in whose
name the injunction was sought were poor water quality, limited access to
showers, inadequate heating and overall uncleanliness. There have also been
complaints about frequent and arbitrary strip searches.
At one time a high-security federal penitentiary,
Leclerc is now rented by the provincial government. Critics have pointed out
the facility’s inappropriateness as a detention centre for women, saying among
other things that the cells are small, while also noting it offers little in
terms of rehabilitation programs or health care services.
On January
9, Laval police arrested 77 years old Roland Leroux for producing juvenile
pornography. The alleged “producer” met at a public place a 16 year old
pretending he was an agent for an international model agency. The young victim
developed a confidence relationship with him that lead to inappropriate video
tapings.
Police believe that many other young girls were victims of Roland Leroux known also to them as Ronnie and Samuel.
77 years old Roland Leroux arrested for producing juvenile pornography.
Anyone
having information on this or was a victim of this man should contact police
authorities 450-662-INFO (4636) or by dialing 911, mentioning the file LVL
180928 049.
(TLN) Laval residents will once again be able to
benefit from a financial assistance program offered by their city for the
purchase of an all-electric car or an electric bicycle.
“The fight against climate change is a real
preoccupation for our administration which remains concerned that good programs
for the reduction of greenhouse gas are in place on our territory,” says Mayor
Marc Demers. “The keen interest by Laval residents in our subsidy programs is
undeniable.”
Electric
cars and bikes
In 2018, 300 citizens benefited from the financial
push offered for the purchase of a 100 per cent electric vehicle, while 260
Laval residents took advantage of the financial aid for the purchase of an
electric bike. “It should be noted that our initial goals have been met,” added
Demers, “since we needed to grant a budget extension to favourably answer the
demands from everyone.”
According
to the mayor, the amount of the subsidy will remain at $2,000. The program will
be ending on March 31 this year. For electric bicycles, the subsidy will be
$400 and the program for this will be ending on Dec. 31 this year.
In the squeeze to meet spiraling demands by disgruntled
parents and stakeholders who want freedom of choice in what schools their
children attend, and to provide financed transportation to under-utilized
Rosemere High, Council turned to outsourcing for support services, INM, for the
January 21st Town Hall meeting at Laval Senior Academy.
According to critics, converting to an outside contractor is questionable at best since it hasn’t been a standard operating procedure at Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, and the Council of Commissioners turning to support services clearly sheds negative perception from the community. The concept, whether called outsourcing or insourcing sparks doubt from parents, employees, stakeholders on the function of the Council of Commissioners. Board members and school boards may be subject to political pressures, especially during these difficult times in education, as reported by another local newspaper.
Chairperson Paolo Galati explains
In a telephone conversation, TLN spoke with Chairperson Paolo Galati who stated, “that the goal of the outsourcing is to be open and objective, and, to have full transparency.” He also stated, “ I believe that it’s important for the parents and stakeholders that the Town Hall meeting is a place to understand and know what to expect , and to hear diverse perspectives on the issue.” Galati continued, “It’s important to note constructively coming into contact with opposing views, and not to be in a position of conflict of interest, therefore, an outside company has been hired to record the meeting.” Upon further questioning, Galati stated, “It’s important to establish neutral zones, but also critical to provide outlets for the interested parties to vent their concerns.” The whole idea is to encourage communication between the administrative team and the stakeholders. “From the perspective of Chairperson, dialogue is really important to the extent the stakeholders to let the Board know what their opinions are, and, mainly to get to the bottom of it. This is absolutely key to proactive planning when controversial incidents are stirring,” Galati stated firmly. “The final consensus among Council and the Town Hall meeting was to plan ahead. Council will adhere to the provisions of our zoning policies. Parents are free to go to whichever school they wish, if there’s room, and they must provide their own transportation,” concluded Galati.
Who is INM?
TLN also contacted Sophie Seguin, Director of Communications
of Institut du Nouveau Monde. She
informed TLN that this is an independent company called to represent
citizens. It is the first time that they work with
SWLSB. Their presence at the Town Hall meeting is to collect, record and report
the group discussions. In fact, the model is to inform, debate, and propose
(urgent). Two to three professionals are
assigned to attend in public participation.
Sophie Seguin stated, “The objective is to collect an inventory of information
from the participants, analyze their needs, and find the best solution.” The format is “Word Coffee”—something in the
tune of brain-storming in groups. Seguin
refused to divulge the cost of the event. She referred TLN to the Board.
What are the questioned school numbers?
Following Sophie Seguin of INM, TLN contacted Maxeen Jolin of SWLSB who graciously confirmed that “transparency” was the motivation for hiring outsourcing. TLN requested the cost for the outsourcing which, of course, was negated. TLN was referred to the Secretary General, Stephanie Krenn. Maxeen Jolin also stated that zoning and bussing procedures will be followed for school choices. When discussing school numbers and dwindling registrations at the SWLSB, Jolin confirmed that Rosemere High presently houses 1205 students and it has a capacity for 1450; Laval Senior Academy currently has 1550 students; and, Laval Junior Academy 924 students.
TLN will follow up in the next issue with the upcoming school board events.
(TLN) K-eCommerce, a company that develops innovative
management solutions in the rapidly growing e-commerce sector for Canadian and
international businesses, will receive a $250,000 repayable contribution from
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) to enhance its
competitiveness and support its growth.
With the help of the funding, announced last week by
Eva Nassif, MP for Vimy, k-eCommerce will be able to acquire state-of-the-art
computer equipment, including high-performance servers. The objective of
this project is to increase the capacity of k-eCommerce’s cloud infrastructure
and support the strong growth of the business. k-eCommerce plans to create
30 new jobs over the next two years.
Company
is expanding
“CED’s support is vital, as it allows us to add
high-performance equipment to our world-class cloud infrastructure,” said Laurent Allardin, CEO and founder of
k-eCommerce. “K-ecommerce is expanding rapidly in both the
business-to-business (B2B) and retail sales (B2C) models. More and more
businesses are turning to the web to boost their sales, improve the quality of
their services and reduce their operating costs.
“Whether accessed from a mobile device, tablet or
computer, our clients’ transactional websites must be available at all times
and have the capacity to respond instantly,” he continued. “This new
equipment will help us not only improve the quality of our services for our
existing clients, but also support the growth of our company while serving more
clients.”
Having
rapid growth
K-eCommerce has grown rapidly and has become one of
the leaders in the development of customized eCommerce management
solutions. The company constantly invests in research and development in
order to offer products that are higher performing and more
competitive. Its solutions have already won over more than 600 business
clients in North America and Europe.
During an announcement, Nassif said the Government of
Canada is committed to supporting innovative Canadian businesses. According to
Nassif, innovation, a driving force of the economy, is the key to success
because it generates growth that benefits both businesses and communities. “This
is why we are committed to ensuring that businesses are able to rely on
adequate resources to create and market innovative products.”
Helping
businesses
“By helping businesses such as k-eCommerce grow and
invest in order to enhance their performance and be able to hold their own in a
highly competitive global market, the Government of Canada is standing by its
commitment to foster expansion and innovation and help grow exports,” added
Nassif. “Furthermore, by creating quality jobs, this project will generate real
benefits for Laval.”
“I am pleased with CED’s support for k-eCommerce, a
Canadian business that has come up with innovative solutions to improve the
efficiency of eCommerce operations, and has also found ways of ensuring its
growth for almost 20 years now,” said the
Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister responsible for CED, who issued a statement.
Jan 20 – Two Laval residents have been arrested and charged in connection with a black money fraud case. Police are still searching for a third suspect.
The trio of suspects are accused of
defrauding two individuals of tens of thousands of dollars.
Police are asking for the public’s help
in locating the third suspect, 31-year-old Alpha Bah, of Laval.
The suspect is 1.75 m (5’4”) tall and
weighs 75 kg (154 lbs). He has black hair and brown eyes.
Laval Woman Charged with Fraud
Jan 18 – A 23-year-old woman from Laval, Que., is facing four charges after a police investigation into how she obtained a credit card.
Police alleged the
woman used a false identity to obtain the credit card. She was arrested Thursday.
Anysha Pierre, 23,
was charged with uttering a forged document, personation, unlawful possession
of a credit card and fraud under $5,000.
She was held in
police custody pending a bail hearing in Cornwall court.
Distraction Causes Collision
Jan 16 – A moment of distraction at the wheel was the cause of a car crash at the intersection of Boul. Cartier and Boul. des Laurentides last Wednesday afternoon.
The incident
occurred at 1:20 p.m. when a driver heading south on Laurentides failed to
notice the traffic light turning red. The car plowed into the driver’s side of
another car turning left from Cartier. Both cars had airbags deployed but no
one suffered injuries in the collision.
Police and
ambulance were called to the scene. The busy intersection was reopened by 2
p.m.
Arson at Laval Garage
Jan 14 – Police are investigating a fire at a garage they suspect may have been arson.
Fire broke out at
Réparation Sept Étoiles on Station St. near Boul. des Laurentides at 1:30
a.m. Firefighters managed to extinguish
the blaze but damage was extensive. Several doors had to be cut through and at
least one car was engulfed in flames.
No one was in the
building at the time and no injuries were reported among firefighters.
Laval police’s
arson squad was called in after firefighters observed signs that the fire had
been deliberately started.
Fire Damages Store
Jan 13 – A store in Chomedey was damaged by a fire that broke out on Sunday evening. The fire started at Marché Toit Bleu on Boul. St-Martin near Pilon St. around 10 p.m.
Firefighters
arrived quickly and successfully put out the flames with little difficulty.
Police closed several blocks of St-Martin for about an hour while fire crews
worked at dousing the flames.
The cause of the
fire is not known.
Laval Police Retweet New Drone Regulations
Laval police, via Twitter, are helping to spread the word of Transport Canada’s new regulations concerning drones that come into effect on June 1, 2019.
Starting on that
date, all drones will require registration. Drone operators will be required to
pass an online exam and obtain a pilot’s certificate for basic maneuvers and
advanced flying maneuvers.
These new laws
affect all drones weighing between 250 grams and 25 kilograms, regardless of
whether they are used for pleasure, work, or research.
Failure to comply
with the new laws may result in a $25,000 fine or jail time, or both.
Among those present were : Anamela Monteiro political attaché of Vimont MNA Jean Roussel, Vimont city councilor Michel Poissant, Loisirs St-Bruno president, Danielle Mercure, St-Bruno city councillor , Monsieur David De Cotis and Gordon Berry from The Soccer club Monteuil.
(TLN)
The official opening of the new Lausanne Park community centre on Jan. 17 was
attended by Mayor Marc Demers, who toured the facility with representatives of
several community organizations, as well as Laval city councillor for the
district of Saint-Bruno David De Cotis.
Fruit of consultations
The
$5.5 million project was undertaken by the City of Laval after a need for the
centre was expressed by local community groups. In all, five community and
sports activities groups were consulted by the city before proceeding.
“The
City of Laval is happy to be able to offer to these groups community spaces of
high quality that will serve simultaneously as sports chalets as well as
locations for other types of gatherings,” said Mayor Marc Demers. “This mixed
use centre which has long been awaited by people from the area is the result of
a participatory consultation.”
From left to right : Michel Reeves of Bouge ton parc, Pierre Bouthillier, project architect, Carole Sabourin of Loisirs St-Bruno, Simon Reeves of Bouge ton parc, laval Mayor Marc Demers, Nicholas Borne, Laval-les-Îles city councillor and responsible for Sports and Leisure, Lise Pomerleau and Ramiro Benavides-Alvestegui of Loisirs St-Bruno and Marco Masucci of soccer club Monteuil.
LEED certification
The
new centre, measuring 1,393 square metres, contains multi-use rooms, locker
areas, sanitary services, a snack bar, a community kitchen and storage space.
The building has received a LEED Gold certification for
environmentally-responsible construction. It also includes three re-charging
stations for electric vehicles.
David
De Cotis was accompanied to the launch by fellow city councillor Michel
Poissant, Gordon Berry of the Club de soccer Monteuil, Danielle Mercure of
Loisirs St-Bruno and Anabela Monteiro of Vimont MNA Jean Rousselle’s office. In
a statement, De Cotis said the opening of the community centre was a sign that
the people of Saint-Bruno were no longer being ignored by the Demers
administration.
De Cotis pleased
“When
I decided to run in the municipal elections in 2009, I quickly understood that
the population of the sector wanted this space,” he said. “For me, promises are
meant to be kept. I had committed starting in 2009 to get this community centre
and I am very proud to deliver it to those supported me so strongly in 2013 and
2017.”
“This is a space that will become the heart of the
district of Saint-Bruno,” De Cotis added. “Already there is a lot of activity
in this park during the winter as well as during the summer, and now it will be
structured even better. While we now have here multiple sports facilities of
the highest level, there were none before for the organizations, the referees,
the players and the equipment. Loisirs Saint-Bruno were struggling to grow in
their facilities far from the population, although now they’re close to the
clients they serve.”
The current issue of the Laval News volume 27-02 published January 23, 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.
Front page of Laval News, Vol.27-02
January 23, 2019.
(TLN)
In a wide-ranging document explaining its snow removal operations, the City of
Laval says the goal of its efforts is to provide a snow removal service that is
even and equitable across Laval’s territory.
According
to the policy, norms are established to see that snow removal is conducted
within a certain time frame.
Thousands of kilometres
However,
in cases involving snow storms and other extraordinary weather, delays can be
longer and snow and ice removal operations can take more time on the City of
Laval’s more than 3,000 kms. of streets and 1,100 kms. of sidewalks.
The
city’s snow removal services has developed a classification of areas and
streets where snow removal takes place in accordance with their priority and
importance. At the top (P0) are reserved lanes on boulevards and streets, followed
by (P1) major arteries, bus routes and hospitals. The next category (P2)
includes collector streets, hills, curves and streets where there are schools.
Laval’s residential streets come last in snow removal priority.
Day and night operations
The
city notes that snow and ice removal operations conducted during the day or
night will differ in certain respects because of the varying conditions. As
they note, traffic conditions vary, the temperature is lower at night, and
street parking can affect the efficiency of the operations.
According
to the city, spreading salt and abrasives on Laval’s many roads and sidewalks
“is an art rather than a science.” Factors such as temperature, time of day,
weather conditions, cloud cover, sunlight and traffic density all can have an
impact on the effectiveness of salt or sand spread on sidewalks and roadways.
Again, the city’s public works department prioritizes salt and sand spreading
depending on the type of precipitation that has fallen and to what density it
has accumulated.
Prioritized service
For
snow removal on streets, the city has established three levels of priority.
They are based partly on the amount of snow precipitation, ranging from 1.5 to
5 cms., 5 to 10 cms., and 10 cms. or greater. The city notes that during
evenings and weekends, snow removal will be limited by the fact that most of
Laval’s residential streets are lined with parked cars during these periods.
Regarding
accumulated snow banks (a sore point for a good number of residents of Laval),
the city says in its explanatory document that the height of banks will be
proportional to the amount of precipitation received as well as the width of
the street.
Citizen responsibilities
“Responsibility
for clearing the snow bank in the vicinity of driveway entrances belongs to the
citizen, regardless of the height, width or weight,” they say. “When it is
possible, the bank is spread evenly on each
side of the street. In the case of a one-way street, the snow bank is
prioritarily placed to the right.”
Regarding
sidewalks, the city says the majority of them have snow removed based on two
priorities and various types of situation. The city’s public works department
takes into account the amount of snow accumulation as well as ice build-up when
deciding how to proceed. Again, according to Laval officials, snow removal and
de-icing of sidewalks won’t be as efficient during nights and on weekends since
parked cars make these operations more difficult.
When snow removal starts
Removal
by truck of snow starts when the ground accumulation reaches 15 cms., says the
city, although it can take place in some areas for as little as 10 cms. For
security reasons, it is mandatory to carry out snow removal by dump truck in
the following areas: bridges, overpasses, schools zones, major boulevards,
areas where there are large apartment and multi-unit residential complexes,
reserved street lanes and areas outside Metro stations.
The
city’s explanatory document singles out residential streets such as crescents,
islands or dead ends as being areas where the trucked removal of snow only
takes place under special circumstances (such as when accumulated snow has
become excessive) “or for security reasons,” states the city.
Some snow removal exceptions
The
city says snow accumulation outside bus shelters is dealt with within 24 hours
of a 10 cm. or greater snowfall. However, they point out that the following
areas are not cleared of snow by the city: staircases, bicycle paths,
pedestrian pathways and parking spaces for persons with reduced mobility. For
obvious safety reasons, fire hydrants must be cleared of snow so that their
upper portion is visible.With this last thought in mind, the city reminds
Laval residents of some of their responsibilities during the winter, which
include keeping fire hydrants free of snow. As well, it is forbidden to dump
snow from a private property onto the street or other public right-of-way. Regarding
wintertime car shelters, the city also points out that shelters must be
installed with at least two feet distance from the sidewalk, or four feet from
the road’s shoulder in rural locations.
Left, federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, seen here with Ahuntsic-Cartierville Liberal MP Mélanie Joly, shared some of the Liberal government’s views on the new Quebec government’s policies on immigration with community groups last week at the Ahuntsic YMCA.
Martin
C. Barry
The oft-told story of the engineer who immigrated to
Canada only to end up having to drive a cab for a living “is no longer as true
as it used to be,” federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen told a gathering
of community group leaders at the YMCA in Cartierville last week, as he
defended Ottawa’s position on the recognition of academic credentials from
foreign countries.
“Maybe it’s true for doctors, but I want to give
credit where credit is due,” Hussen said, acknowledging that the medical
profession in Canada still has a long way to go in recognizing foreign MD
degrees.
All the same, he continued, “Some of the professions
have moved – they’ve really moved to address that issue – to give a pathway for
people to become licensed. Other professions not so much. And I’m thinking medicine
a little bit here.
Obstacles
to overcome
“Having said that, we’ve noticed that even with the
professions where it’s become – I don’t want to say easier, but there’s a path
to licensing and everything is smoother – even in those professions we were seeing
that wasn’t the obstacle, but there were other obstacles.”
Hussen – who is himself a product of Canada’s immigration
system, having come to Canada from Somalia during the early 1990s – was one
member of a panel of elected officials from three government levels who took
part in a round-table discussion sponsored by Ahuntsic-Cartierville Liberal MP
Mélanie
Joly.
Ottawa
helping out
Also taking part were Acadie Liberal MNA Christine
St-Pierre, Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville mayor Émilie Thuillier and Montreal city councillor for
Bordeaux-Cartierville Effie Giannou.
While
noting that the federal government’s role in the recognition of foreign academic
credentials is limited (“The government of Canada doesn’t have jurisdiction
strictly on the licensing issue,” he said), Hussen pointed out that Ottawa has
been trying to do its part to improve the situation by providing subsidized
loans to immigrants who may need to write examinations given by professional
associations in Canada, but who may not be in a position to pay the cost.
On CAQ immigration policy
Regarding
the new CAQ provincial government’s stated commitment to reducing the number of
immigrants entering the province by up to 20 per cent, Hussen said, “They are
very adamant about keeping their campaign commitment to cut the numbers.
“But
they emphasize a number of things. Number one that it’s a temporary measure,
that in about two years they’ll bring the number back. And that they need this
pause, as they called it, to take some of the savings from the 20 per cent cut
to invest in the 40,000 immigrants that they’ll bring in to help them with
integration.
Federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen and Ahuntsic-Cartierville Liberal MP Mélanie Joly are seen here with Hussen’s press secretary Mathieu Genest, far left.
‘We don’t agree,’ said Hussen
“Of
course, we don’t agree with that approach. The Prime Minister has been saying
that this is not the time for Quebec to cut its immigration, especially when
there is such a need in the regions for labor. But having said that, under the
Canada/Quebec Accord, Quebec has the decision on economic integration.”
Regarding Quebec’s current view of immigration under the new CAQ government, Hussen said, “They have an idea that they are experimenting with it. They haven’t really flushed it out. They haven’t kind of produced the final document.”
“And
they’re thinking of a regionalization approach where they are seeking to use a
temporary foreign program to meet the labor demand in the regions and then
invest in those people for integration and language training by the Quebec
government and then eventually make them into permanent residents and then
citizens.”
No interest in temp measures
While
maintaining that Ottawa wants to keep the channels of communication open with
the CAQ government “to see how we can help them,” Hussen said “we’re not
interested in temporary foreign worker programs. We prefer permanent residency,
which is what we are having in Atlantic Canada. A program that has really
worked well to not only meet labor shortages, but also actually increase the
population in places like Nova Scotia.”Mélanie Joly, who is Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La
Francophonie in the Trudeau cabinet, agreed. “The Quebec government doesn’t want
to cut economic immigrants,” she said. “Because obviously these are the types
of immigrants that the Quebec government wants to actually support. And so the
fact that they have under the agreement the jurisdiction only on this particular
class is the core of the negotiation with the federal government.”
