(Newsfirst) An association of mayors from Laval and
the Lower Laurentians reacted positively last week to news the CAQ Transport
Minister Chantal Rouleau has decided to open a project office to oversee the
creation of measures to deal with growing traffic problems on highways and
autoroutes leading from Montreal to Laval and the North Shore.
A
strategic move
“This project office is of strategic importance for
more than a million citizens who must get around on the territory,” Laval mayor
Marc Demers said in response to the announcement. “It will allow us now to deal
in a very real way with problems of congestion.”
In their announcement, the mayors said the welcome
eagerly an investment by the government of Quebec and the Caisse de dépôt et
placement du Québec to finance other measures that will come into effect
beginning in 2020.
Gov’t
paying the costs
“We are pleased that the government has taken into its
charge the
costs related to the various mitigation measures,” said Terrebonne mayor
Marc-André Plante. “It was
important for us to spare our citizens additional expenses which would have
been added to inconveniences they already will be facing during the work on the
REM.”
All the same, a lot of work remains to be done, added
Deux-Montagnes mayor Denis Martin, who is also the prefect for the
Deux-Montagnes MRC. “The consequences of the work are already being felt,” he
said.
Impact
on travel times
“It thus remains all-important that the government
continues to work in narrow collaboration with the municipalities in order to
arrive at a strategy that is quick and efficient in its measures,” added Mayor
Martin. “These should not slow down in a significant way travel times for users
of public transit.”
Beginning in January 2020, commuter trains on the
Deux-Montagnes line will be going no further than the Bois-Franc station in
Montreal. Then in 2021, the entire length of the Deux-Montagnes line will be
out of service. As for the Mascouche line, trains will go no further than the
Ahuntsic station beginning in January next year.
(TLN) The Société de Transport de Laval
has announced that beginning on Sat. March 23, schedules for certain buses will
change to take into account new scheduling on the Deux-Montagnes commuter rail
line which comes into effect on March 25.
“This adjustment in the service will allow the STL to
ensure a greater fluidity, better transfers and fewer inconveniences for the
clientele,” says Laval city councillor for Saint-François Eric Morasse, who is president of the board of the
STL.
Bus
schedule changes
The following bus lines will see their schedules
modified during the week only: 26, 33, 55, 56, 65, 70, 76, 144, 151,
402, 404, 902, 903 and 942. The lines most affected by the changes will be the 26,
55, 76, 144, 151, 402, 404, 902 and 903.
Their
departure times will vary by a few minutes from the usual schedule. As well,
more trips have been added to lines 26, 33, 76, 144, 151, 902 and 942 to assure
better coordination with commuter trains and Metro stations in Laval.
Comprehensive
information on STL bus schedules can be obtained at www.stl.laval.qc.ca.
Information on the commuter train schedules is also available at https://exo.quebec/fr.
(TLN)
Through its Place-du-Souvenir special children’s fund, the City of Laval
recently awarded $172,900 in subsidies to the Centre de bénévolat et moisson
Laval, the Société de Saint-Vincent de Paul and the Centre communautaire Hochelaga.
As
well, the city continues to support projects for the well-being of children
already started by the Centre de bénévolat at moisson Laval to furnish food
basics to families with children up to four years of age. A total of $174,400
was given by the city to this and another organization for the years 2019-2020.
For
the children
“By putting this fund into place, it was our hope to
make an impact on the lives of children and families who are vulnerable in
order to fight against poverty and social exclusion,” said Mayor Marc Demers.
“We also wanted to encourage perseverance in school
and educational success while facilitating the social integration of young
immigrants. This agreement with three organizations active in Laval shows the
willingness of an entire community to work closely together to assure
back-to-schools are successful and stimulating.”
Gift
cards for supplies
The agreement between the city and the Centre de
bénévolat et moisson Laval, the Société de Saint-Vincent de Paul and the Centre
communautaire Hochelaga will be providing youngsters from Laval with gift cards
that will allow them to buy school supplies, a lunch box and a back pack in
order to get the school year off right.
To these will be added winter outerwear including
accessories, through schools located in Laval. It is estimated that nearly
6,800 children in Laval will benefit from these measures.
Following two successful pilot projects by the Centre
de bénévolat et moisson Laval which distributed kits for newborn babies and
snacks for two to four-year-olds, the Place du Souvenir Fund’s consultative
committee renewed its financial support as part of a partnership agreement.
Thousands
of kits
As a result, 2,600 kits will be distributed, with
1,300 of them containing specialized products for newborns (such as diapers,
diaper rash creams, shampoos and milk products), while two to four-year-olds
will receive 1,300 nutritious snacks consisting primarily of fruits, vegetables
and grain-based products.
The Place-du-Souvenir Fund was created in June 2018 by
the City of Laval’s executive-committee to oversee disbursement to selected
children’s charities and causes of sums of money which were claimed back by the
City of Laval following investigations of long-term public corruption. The fund
has agreements with partner organizations until the end of this year.
(TLN) As part of a major consultation undertaken by the
Quebec Tourism Ministry to determine a new economic development strategy for
tourism from 2020-2025, around 70 key people from the Laval region’s tourism
sector gathered at the Laval Sheraton on Feb. 25 to take part in presentations
and workshops.
Six
guiding themes
During the event, the participants shed light on some
of the issues, shared their concerns, suggested solutions and discussed matters
based on six guiding themes: human resources, entrepreneurship, innovation,
investments, access to tourism facilities (promotion, transportation, etc.) and
strategic knowledge.
Among the main issues raised: availability of
financing for the development of innovative projects; retention of workers and
valorization of career in tourism; optimization of transport in order to
encourage access to destinations and tourist attractions; accompaniment of
entrepreneurs in their efforts at development.
Minister
welcomed
“We are delighted to have welcomed the Minister of
Tourism during her tour of the regions,” said Tourisme Laval board president
Yves Legault. “We have shown the spirit of working together and mobilization
which motivates the players in the Laval tourism sector and which allows us to
bring together projects that contribute to Quebec’s tourism industry.”
The
minister finished her day with a visit to SkyVenture, a Laval landmark tourist
attraction that duplicates the sensation of free fall parachuting. This
family-owned business is considered to be a leading example of entrepreneurial
tourism in the Laval region. The province’s new tourism strategy is expected to
be presented next year.
The RCMP announced it has cracked down on an elaborate international money-laundering network operated by organized-crime cells in Montreal and Toronto.
Police arrested 17 people in early
morning raids in the two cities Monday, seizing more than $32.8 million in
assets.
“It is by depriving criminal groups of
their money-laundering networks that we will shake the very structure of
organized crime,” said RCMP Supt. Martine Fontaine Tuesday at a news
conference.
The network had the capacity to launder
millions of dollars, she said.
Dubbed Project Collecteur, the
bust involved multiple police forces and the Canada Revenue Agency
(CRA), the RCMP said in a statement Tuesday that offered some
details of their investigation.
Fontaine called the investigation
extremely complex and one of the most important of its kind in Canada — one of
the rare money-laundering probes that has led to gangsterism charges.
Investigators had to narrow their focus
to certain people and keep track of evidence, she said, in a bid to
facilitate the prosecution process and not cause delays.
“It’s thousands and thousands of
documents to disclose and to caveat and to be prepared for full
disclosure,” Fontaine said.
The arrests were the result of a two-year
investigation launched in the spring of 2016. Those
targeted were allegedly collecting money from criminal organizations in
Montreal and then moving that money through various individuals and
currency exchange offices in Toronto.
More than 300 officers
were involved in the raids Monday morning. The RCMP teamed up with Montreal,
Laval and Toronto police. (Radio-Canada)
International network
The group used an informal value transfer
system with connections in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, the United
States and China, the RCMP said. The funds were then returned to drug-exporting
countries, such as Colombia and Mexico.
“This procedure allowed for the
laundering of significant amounts of money originating from illegal activities,
including drug trafficking. The criminal organizations could thus import drugs
through this network,” the RCMP said.
The names of those arrested are:
Quebec Network
Mohamad Jaber, 51, Laval.
Kamel Ghaddar, 39, Laval.
Eric Bradette, 36, L’Assomption.
Sergio Violetta Galvez, 43, Laval.
Alexei Parasenco, 26, Montreal.
Mario Maratta, 64, Sainte-Sophie.
Sorin Ehrlich, 62, Montreal.
Gary Maybee, 57, Austin.
Ontario Network
Nader Gramian-Nik, 56, Vaughan.
Tania Geramian-Nik, 28, Vaughan.
Sahar Shojaei, 45, Thornhill.
Thomas Hsueh, 47, Thornhill.
Mohammadreza Sheikhhassani, 55, Richmond Hill.
Shabnam Mansouri, 38, Maple.
During the investigation and the searches,
police seized drugs including cannabis, cocaine, hashish and
methamphetamine, with a market value of close to $2.2 million,
the RCMP said.
The RCMP say officers
seized cannabis, cocaine, hashish and methamphetamine, for a market value of
close to $2.2 million in Monday’s raids. (RCMP)
Bank accounts and money in Canadian and
foreign currencies were also seized, for a value of $8.7 million.
The CRA seized six properties valued at
about $15 million, and the RCMP seized property estimated to be worth
$7 million.
Clandestine swaps in parking lots
RCMP Sgt. François-Olivier Myette said
there were two “major organizations” operating — one in Toronto
and the other in Montreal.
He said the cash was moved in suitcases,
duffel bags and car trunks.
The RCMP conducted surveillance operations,
monitoring secret transactions in parking lots and elsewhere, capturing
everything on video.
The RCMP says bank
accounts and money in Canadian and foreign currencies valued at $8.7 million
were seized. (RCMP)
The suspects sometimes didn’t know
each other, he said. They would identify each other during these
transactions by using a predetermined token number — often a serial
number on the cash.
The cash transactions involved
between $500,000 and $1 million at a time. The suspects would pick up bags
of cash in Toronto and then release an equivalent value, mainly in
Dubai, he said.
“It’s like if you take money from your
left pocket and you exit it from your right pocket,” Myette said.
“That’s the way it operates.”
Stéphane Bonin, director of criminal
investigations for the CRA, said 50 CRA investigators were involved in the
operation in both Montreal and Toronto.
“Tax evasion and the underground economy
both in Canada and abroad are priorities of the Canada Revenue Agency, as well
as other tax administrations around the world,” he said.
Seen in the photo during the Jeux du Québec launch in Laval are Vincent Brazeau, chief of the Laval delegation, Joseph Polossifakis, flag bearer Simone Huang, and Geneviève Cossette, president of Sports Laval.
(TLN)
On Feb. 17, Sports Laval held a large gathering of athletes, coaches and
supporters to mark the beginning of the process that will culminate next year
when the City of Laval sponsors an important part of the Jeux du Québec.
At the same time, the coaches, athletes and others had
the chance to take part in orientation sessions in preparation for their
participation in the Jeux du Québec beginning in March next year. While the City of Laval
is hosting the finals, Quebec City will be hosting many of the Jeux du Québec’s main events from March 1 – 9.
The
excitement builds
During last week’s warmup event in Laval, Mayor Marc
Demers emphasized the accomplishments of the athletes from Laval. “It is a
source of pride for the City of Laval to support the next generation in
sports,” he said. “It is with excitement that we will be following the
performances of our athletes in Quebec City next March. Our representatives
will be inspiring the athletes who will be coming to Laval in 2020 for the next
Jeux du Québec finals.”
Former Olympian Joseph Polossifakis, part of the
fencing delegation from Canada in 2016 and a special patron at the 2019 Jeux du
Québec,
was also on hand at this
week’s launch to express encouragement to all the athletes from Laval. Polossifakis
represented Laval at the 2005 Jeux du Québec which took place that year in St-Hyacinthe, and where
he won two Silver medallions.
(TLN) In conjunction with the launch of a regional
program to encourage perseverance in school, public health officials at CISSS
de Laval recently released an updated version of a province-wide survey on the
development of kindergarten-age children.
Among
other things, the study reveals that in Laval 31.3 per cent of children
starting grade school are vulnerable in at least one out of five developmental
areas: physical health and well-being, social skills, affective maturity,
cognitive and linguistic development, and communication stills and general
knowledge.
Most children OK
While
the percentage is high, the researchers noted that the majority of children in
Laval are not in these categories of vulnerability.
“Signs of vulnerability in kindergarten allow the
Laval community to take action and develop programs that respond to the needs
of children and their families,” says Jean-Pierre Trépanier,
director of public health at CISSS de Laval. “By investing in the development
of a child who is considered vulnerable today, we can offer professional
support, as well as a chance to succeed in school.”
Efforts being made
Since
the first report was released in 2012, efforts have been made in the Laval
region and several initiatives have been taken so that children can progress and
integrate fully in the school environment.
For
example, preparatory workshops for school were offered in all neighborhoods in
order to encourage harmonious transition towards school, especially for
children whose first language isn’t French or who didn’t regularly attend an
educational daycare for children.
(TLN) During a recent meeting with the president of
the Quebec Union of Municipalities, Laval mayor Marc Demers suggested the
province’s towns and cities should work to develop a common snow removal
strategy, taking into account new climate realities that snow removal crews are
dealing with.
Changing
climate
Demers noted that despite all the hard work by the
City of Laval’s public works crews for snow removal and de-icing, quickly
evolving climate changes are creating situations that are drastically
complicating the task for snow removal workers.
In the proposal made to UMQ president (and
Drummondville mayor) Alexandre Cusson, Demers said, “Since it would seem
obvious that all the efforts to combat climate change will not succeed in
reversing the trend in the short-term, should not the UMQ create a study table
which would concern itself with the strategies to be adopted in order to deal
with this new reality?”
An
evolving situation
According to Mayor Demers, the idea takes into account
weather conditions which would have been considered exceptional previously,
although they’ve now become more common, including quickly rising and dropping
temperatures and twice as much rain as usual for this time of year.
“In the space of a few days or sometimes even during
just a single day, we see periods of snow and rain fall that are often spaced
with periods of freezing rain,” Demers added in his message to the UMQ
president. He also suggested certain parameters within which discussions on
snow removal and climate change might be discussed.
Learning
to adapt
“The goal should be to see how we can better adapt to
the numerous challenges created by the new climate conditions our crews now
face on the terrain,” he said. “This includes challenges to come, as well as
our future needs in order to improve our operational strategies.
Demers suggested that Laval city councillor Ray
Khalil, who is responsible for public works on the City of Laval’s
executive-committee, should serve as a liaison with UMQ members sharing similar
concerns. For his part, Khalil said he was confident that Laval and other UMQ
cities could find a common ground in order to develop an improved approach to
snow and ice removal in the context of a changing climate.
(TLN) Given the increasingly evident effects of
climate warming on the environment, the Conseil régional de
l’environnement de Laval is asking the provincial government to adopt a policy
for regional wetland plans within the next five years.
Range of wetlands
According
to the council, wetlands include different ecosystems such as swamps, marshes,
bogs, fens and ponds. They have distinct fauna, flora as well as habitat and
ecological functions. What they do have in common is the permanent or intermittent
presence of surface or soil water.
Wetlands
therefore have a large buffering capacity for excess rain water and flooding
mitigation, which as well known, is expected to increase with climate change. Wetland
value is widely recognized scientifically but also legally in Quebec.
Regional plan needed
“Regional
county municipalities (RCM) or groupings of RCMs must adopt a regional wetland
plan (Plan régional des milieux humides et hydriques) within 5 years,” the
council says in a statement, while noting that Bill 132 concerning wetland
conservation requires authorization from the Quebec Environment Ministry if a
wetland is to be affected or destroyed.
Compensation
of the affected area is also mandatory in order to achieve no net loss of
wetlands. However, the council wonders whether wetlands in Quebec are well
protected. On the one hand, they say, obtaining a certificate of authorization
requires a request and a waiting period before it is successfully granted,
although this is usually in most cases. The council concludes that a generic
wetland is therefore not protected and could be potentially backfilled and
destroyed.
Replacing wetlands
On
the other hand, no net loss rule implies that any destroyed or altered area has
to be recreated elsewhere, but without considering the pristine state of the
wetland. A destroyed swamp could be compensated by a pond of equal area. Wetland
ecosystems support different ecological communities and have specific functions
such as controlling the water balance in a sector.
The
council compares this to compensating for a damaged house with a tent of the
same area without municipal infrastructures. The council notes that the City of
Laval initiated a regional wetland plan by inventorying the city, which
revealed 1,550 hectares of diverse and threatened wetlands. In 2018, the environment
ministry gave out 14 permits and 14 more are pending or in evaluation.
Political will needed
“It
takes decades to recreate the complexity and initial ecological functions of a
new wetland,” says the council. “However, to conserve an existing and thriving
one only takes a few minutes of political will. Wetland compensation should be
but a backup when no options are available but is in no way a shortcut for
sustainable development.”
The
council maintains that the current authorization certification process “fuels
irresponsible development by making ecological destruction socially acceptable.
Our lax system is allowing loss of our natural and common legacy. Our
resilience to climate change is provided by these urban ecosystems: the forest
cools us, ponds mitigate floods, swamps are outstanding habitats and marshes
retain heavy metals.
Fighting with sand bags
“We
are fighting global natural catastrophes with sand bags and air conditioning
while voluntarily heading towards a wall of failure,” they continue. “What we
need is a solid conservation plan to protect ecological services which we
depend on.”
The
council points out that New York City protected the state’s Catskills forests
to secure the water supply, instead of building an inefficient water plant. “We
know the risks related to climate change and have solutions to mitigate them,”
they say. “We have to stop this irrational and short-term profit-oriented
destruction of wetlands, or in five years, our regional wetland plan will be
very dry.”
For the 12th consecutive year, the Montreal Canadiens are
teaming up with the Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence (FAEQ) to reward the
next generation in women’s and men’s hockey. Tonight, prior to the NHL game
between the Montreal Canadiens and the Anaheim Ducks at the Bell Centre, 29 of
Quebec’s most promising hockey student-athletes each received a $1,500
scholarship from the team’s general manager, Marc Bergevin.
“As a sports organization, we are very proud to have been promoting
the sporting and academic success of young hockey players across the province
for 12 years, and to, once again tonight, highlight the outstanding performance
of our recipients both on the rink and on school benches,” said Geoff
Molson, president and CEO of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club.
Thanks to the bursary
program created in 2008, the Montreal Canadiens play an active role in the
development of homegrown talent. In 2015, the partnership with the Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence was
extended for another five years with an amount of $250,000 invested in the
program until 2020.
“What more could
a young hockey student hope for than to be supported by the Montreal Canadiens?
The Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence
is truly proud of this valuable collaboration from the Habs, which goes
well beyond financial support, reminded Claude
Chagnon, president of the FAEQ. Indeed, what a feeling to be encouraged by
the most famous hockey club in the world! The Montreal Canadiens are a
prestigious and key partner for the FAEQ, and together, we are dedicated to the
success of our province’s best hockey student-athletes.”This year, the
Montreal Canadiens Bursary Program, administered by the FAEQ in partnership
with Hockey Québec and the Midget AAA Hockey League, will benefit 29
student-athletes between the ages of 15 and 17, who were selected for their
on-ice achievements as well as their academic results. Eight were awarded to
laureate players from the women’s Quebec team looking for a selection with
Canada’s national team, while 21 bursaries were handed out to young hockey
players from the Midget AAA level. One of the eligibility criteria for the Fondation
de l’athlète d’excellence scholarships focuses in the scholastic perseverance
of young athletes in preparing for a career after sports.
Jérémie Bergeron recieves his $1500 scholarship from Marc Bergevin, General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens
Photo: CHC-Thierry du Bois-OSA Images
Jérémie Bergeron Born January 21, 2002 in Laval Academic Excellence of $1500
Goaltender with the Laval-Montréal Rousseau-Royal of the Midget AAA Hockey League.
Recorded 6 wins, 9 losses and 1 SOL with a .882 save percentage in 16 games in his rookie season with Rousseau-Royal
Playing with the Laval Patriotes midget team, he was selected 70th overall by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the 2018 QMJHL draft
Took part in the 2018 Gatorade Challenge with the Newfoundland entry
Currently completing his final high school year in the sports development program at École Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry. He posted an 88% academic average in the first term
Inspired by Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Jérémie plans on continuing his education towards a medical degree. While suiting up with the Saguenéens in 2019-20, he will also study Nature Science at the collegiate level. He hopes to work in the field of pediatric or sports medicine.
