The current issue of the Laval News, volume 33-08, published on April 16th, 2025.
Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
Laval News Volume 33-08
Kitchen fire in Duvernay leaves three temporarily homeless
A family of three in Laval’s Duvernay district was forced out of their house at least temporarily late last week after a fire in their kitchen led to substantial smoke and water damage to their home.
The Laval Fire Dept. received a call via 9-1-1 around 10:45 pm on Friday April 11 from a house on Leblanc Blvd. near Autoroute 19 and Saint-Martin Blvd.
On arrival, firefighters spotted light smoke coming from the house’s main entrance.
They found that a male adult member of the household had suffered some minor burns as well as smoke inhalation while trying to extinguish the flames.
Although Urgences-Santé was called in to provide first-aid to him and a second family member who also suffered some effects of smoke inhalation, they declined an offer to be taken to hospital.
An initial theory regarding the cause was an electrical malfunction in the wiring connected to the kitchen stove.
Damage overall was estimated at $50,000, including fire, smoke and water damage to the building, as well as to furnishings and other contents.
Carrefour Laval jewelry store site of alleged robbery
The Laval Police are investigating an alleged robbery that took place at a jewelry store in Carrefour Laval last week.
A spokesperson for the LPD said officers received a call reporting suspicious behavior by an individual.
According to preliminary reports, the male suspect entered the jewellery store and threatened the victim with a weapon before fleeing with stolen merchandise. The police say they still don’t know the value of the stolen items.
No injuries were reported, and no arrests were immediately made. A security perimeter was set up to protect the scene and an investigation is ongoing.
Anyone who believes they have information regarding this incident is invited to call the Laval Police Dept.’s Infor Line at 450 662-4636, or 9-1-1.
Fire ravages house on 18th Ave. in Fabreville
A house fire on 18th Ave. in Fabreville on March 23 caused an estimated $300,000 in damage, while leaving five people at least temporarily homeless.
Around 8:50 am, the Laval Fire Dept. received a call via 9-1-1 and were on the scene within four minutes. On arrival, they saw that the rear of the house was being consumed by flames.
The occupants had already evacuated. According to the LFD, that smoke detectors in the building were not functioning prior to their arrival. In addition to damage to the building, the LFD estimated interior damages at $50,000.
Fire damages house in Sainte-Rose
Another house fire the day before, on Mont-Royal St. in Laval’s Sainte-Rose sector, appears to have caused considerably less damage to property.
Upon arrival, Laval’s firefighters reported spotting smoke billowing from an outer wall, as well as from a tempo snow shelter. No injuries reported.
One dead, one injured after car wash accident in Pont-Viau
One man was declared dead and another injured after a collision around 3:15 pm on March 18 at a car wash on des Laurentides Blvd. in Laval’s Pont-Viau district.
The crash happened shortly before 11 a.m. at the Lave Auto Pont Viau near the intersection of des Laurentides and Concorde boulevards.
According to police, a 72-year-old man was in line at the hand car wash when, for a reason yet to be determined, he slammed into the vehicle in front of him.
A Laval police spokesperson told media that the car struck the building, causing part of the structure to collapse. During the collision, a 50-year-old employee was struck and killed.
Another emplyee, a 38-year-old man, was also hit and suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the car, who wasn’t injured, was interviewed by police afterwards, although no criminal charges had been made as of earlier this week.
Laval’s Quebec Liberal MNAs decry local negative impact of latest CAQ budget
It ‘confirms one more time the economic failure of the CAQ government,’ says Dufour
The Laval region’s two Quebec Liberal MNAs are lashing out at the Coalition Avenir Québec government after Premier François Legault’s team made major cuts to public services in Laval as part of the 2025-2026 budget that included a record $13.6 billion deficit.
“This budget, marked by an irresponsible management of public finances, confirms one more time the economic failure of the CAQ government,” the two said in a statement.
Metro extension forgotten
They pointed out that in spite of numerous requests by Laval residents for the extension of the Metro system’s orange line, financing for an already-established project bureau to explore the logistics for the task appears to have been forgotten.
Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour, who is the Quebec Liberals’ official spokesperson on issues affecting Laval, maintained this a “broken promise” which demonstrated that mobility and access to public transit by people in Laval “are clearly not a priority” for the CAQ government.
According to Dufour, the government failed to set aside any money from the Quebec Infrastructures Plan for renovation work at the Cartier youth centre, which has been the subject of news reports about the deterioration of its facilities, as well as the fact that the number of users is well beyond capacity.
Nothing for homelessness
As well, she maintained, a request by the City of Laval for recurring funding for the Laval emergency shelter, located in the Maison Saint-Joseph, was ignored for a second year by the CAQ government, even though homelessness increased in 2023 by 136 per cent among male residents of Laval and 103 per cent among females.
Dufour, who is also the PLQ’s official critic for housing, pointed out that the Legault government made no provision in the latest budget for new sums to create additional social and affordable housing in Laval. Last summer, Dufour tabled a comprehensive four-point plan for housing.
Action needed for housing
In spite of the perceived shortcomings, Dufour praised the CAQ government’s efforts in the planning of the Coalition de l’Est housing project in Saint-François, while suggesting it’s not enough.
“It would be about time that announcements of funding were translated into some shovels in the ground,” she said. “Until now, actually very few housing units which were announced with great fanfare by the CAQ have been built in Laval.”
Dufour said that with the latest budget, the CAQ government shows “it is desensitized to the reality of Quebecers. This record deficit of $13.6 billion is the result of bad decisions by this government in the management of public finances.
“Of what use is it to have in Laval four MNAs as part of the government, of which one is the minister responsible for the Laval region, if the crying needs in areas like housing, public transit, cost of living hikes, health and education are not answered,” she added.
Laval’s priorities not in budget
She said the CAQ’s four MNAs from Laval “have clearly not succeeded in inscribing the priorities of people from Laval into the budget of François Legault.” Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier weighed in with her own reaction to the CAQ government’s 2025-2026 budget.
“Once again, the citizens of Laval have good reason to feel they’ve been abandoned by the CAQ government,” she said.
“If the expenses of the state don’t stop rising and the CAQ continues backward with a sixth consecutive deficit, which is an historic high, the people of Laval are asking where their money is going. Where are the CAQ MNAs from the region who have the responsibility to raise their voices in the National Assembly?”
Incumbent Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis is seeking a third term
New Liberal leader Mark Carney ‘has changed our party overnight,’ she maintains
As far as longtime Laval-area political insider Frank Mansi is concerned, the Liberal Party of Canada was helped not just by the arrival of its new leader Mark Carney, but also (if perhaps unintentionally) by U. S. president Donald Trump.
“I think Trump has helped us because even the separatists are realizing that, hey, Canada’s here to protect us,” Mansi said in an interview during an event last Saturday to mark the opening of incumbent Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis’s campaign office.
He sees the April 28 election as being partly anti-Trump, although primarily a pending expression of pro-Canadian feeling that is bound to generate a higher-than-usual voter turnout.
All agree an important election
Mansi was one of more than 50 people – virtually all committed Liberals – who turned up for the gathering. Something that appears certain during what is bound to be one of the shortest federal election campaigns on record is general agreement it’s going to be an important vote.
In an address, Koutrakis gave three reasons for this, the first two being the Trump tariffs, which stand to have a huge impact on the Canadian economy, and the threat to Canada’s sovereignty posed by the Republican president’s claim to Canada as the 51st U.S. state. The third, she maintained, is Conservative leader Pierre Poilièvre.
Regarding the Liberals’ newly-elected leader Mark Carney, who stepped in and replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister, Koutrakis said, “He has changed our party overnight. We are now back to what we should always be and what Canadians are: in the centre economically and politically.”
The Carney election platform
Koutrakis, who is running for a third term, noted that the Liberals’ platform under Carney includes a proposed middle-class tax cut of up to $825 per family, rebuilding and re-arming the Canadian Armed Forces, a $2 billion strategic response fund to fight the tariffs and protect threatened auto workers’ jobs, and a $5 billion federal investment to diversify inter-provincial trade corridors.
“We believe in a strong economy to make our people better off,” she said. “And a strong economy to finance the social programs and defenses we need. That’s where elections are won. If you have to find anyone in the world to fit the moment, it would really be hard to do better than Mark Carney.”
Koutrakis said she remembered Carney’s monetary intervention in 2008 during the global financial crisis when he was governor of the Bank of Canada. She was working at that time in the investment field as a CIBC Wood Gundy assistant branch manager and she had to field questions daily from distressed clients worried about their retirement savings.
Was reassured by Carney
“Having someone at the time at the helm like governor Carney was very reassuring,” said Koutrakis. “And I think as a G7 country we came out of it pretty strong.” With that said about Carney, Koutrakis took a few swipes at Poilièvre, suggesting that the Conservative leader’s credentials are so relatively few compared to Carney’s, that Poilièvre “prints his CV on his business card.”
While noting that she doesn’t like to participate in partisan politics, she acknowledged the necessity of being able to work with an opponent “who is, you know, ah, mature, balanced.
“In fact, if you’re dealing with someone that’s always negative and toxic and not offering solutions but just offering slogans, it’s very hard to do non-partisan work with that person,” she continued. “So, I will continue to do my best, but in this speech, I added a little bit of partisanship.”
Conservatives pin their hopes on Laval-Les Îles candidate Konstantinos Merakos
Local Tories and Grits agree to disagree on Poilièvre’s and Carney’s merits
For sheer contrast, Laval’s Tories and Grits couldn’t be much further apart than in the way they see their respective leaders and prime ministerial candidates.
While a Laval Liberal candidate in a campaign speech last weekend alluded to Mark Carney as having “changed our party overnight,” the following day a prominent Conservative referred to the Liberal leader as somebody who just stepped in to replace Justin Trudeau, while retaining pretty much the same cabinet.
‘Same old Liberals,’ says senator
“They’re trying to convince people that Mr. Carney represents change – but it’s not at all the case – it’s the same Liberal party with the same ministers,” Conservative senator Leo Housakos said during a talk to Tory supporters at a campaign launch on Sunday for Konstantinos Merakos, the party’s Laval-Les Îles candidate.
Comparing the change in Liberal leadership to a maneuver replacing the driver in a rideshare taxi, he noted that former Trudeau ministers François-Philippe Champagne, Mélanie Joly and Steven Guilbeault found a new home in the Carney cabinet.
“They just changed the Uber’s driver and it’s the same government, the same people deciding the direction of the government, the same crowd who are going to keep Canada in the same place it’s been for the past 10 years,” said Housakos.
Housakos blames Liberal gov’t
“They’re trying to convince us that they’re not the government that gave us the soaring debt and deficits and capital gains and carbon tax and destroying the fiber of this country,” he continued. “And the reason Canada is vulnerable before Donald Trump is because of this government.”
While local Liberals are questioning whether Conservative leader Pierre Poilièvre has enough maturity to serve as Canada’s Prime Minister, Housakos maintained that the kind of tough talk Poilièvre has tended to engage in since becoming Tory leader is exactly what makes him fit to take on someone as mean-mouthed as Donald Trump.
“If we have a choice between two individuals to stand up against a bully like Donald Trump, you need somebody with political experience and somebody who has spent the last 20 years saying what he thinks and thinks what he says,” said Housakos.
Standing up to Trump
“You know, there’s a number of Canadians who say Pierre Poilièvre’s a little too aggressive, a little bit too tough, a little bit too rough around the edges. Does anybody see what we’re dealing with in Donald Trump? We need exactly a Canadian who can stand up against him. And that is Pierre Poilièvre.”
That said, Merakos insisted that the April 28 vote will not, in fact, be entirely about the belligerent U.S. president. “The next election is not about Trump,” he said, while noting that Trump went to the trouble several weeks ago of stating his preference for Carney as Prime Minister.
Merakos said the real issue in the coming weeks will be “are we better off today than we were 20 years ago? Is our political and economic situation worse than before? That’s the question. And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Because we cannot afford another four years of Liberal policies.”
Lawyer and legislative aid
Merakos is a lawyer and a graduate of McGill University and the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also obtained law degrees from the University of Montreal and the University of Ottawa.
As a lawyer and former legislative assistant to Canada’s Parliament, he has done work on issues involving human rights and freedoms, youth protection, veterans’ affairs and constitutional law.
In an interview with The Laval News, he said he feels certain the Conservatives can win Laval-Les Îles, which has long been a Liberal fortress, except for the 2011 election when it was won by the NDP during the short-lived “orange crush.”
Merakos said one of the reasons he’s running “is because we’ve lost a decade with the Liberal party.” He said a particular concern raised by many Laval residents he’s heard from is rising crime, including car thefts, household break-ins, extortions and fire bombings.
Officials share their views on democracy at Greek Independence Day gala
U.S. and world events put a new spin on MPs’, MNAs’ and councillors’ reactions
Every year around March 25 when Hellenics all over the globe gather to celebrate the anniversary of the independence of their country, it’s also an occasion to reflect on the state of democracy, a governance system gifted to the modern world by the ancient Athenians.
In spite of the turmoil since the inauguration in January of U.S. president Donald Trump and his policies judged by many observers as anti-democratic, most of the dignitaries approached by Newsfirst Multimedia during the HCGM’s Greek Independence Day dinner at the Château Royal in Chomedey last week were optimistic about the current state of democracy.
When domination was broken
“Once a year every year around this time, Greeks are reminded that for 400 years they did not have their freedom and they were not a democratic society,” said Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis, referring to the long historical period when Greeks were dominated by the Ottomans, ending in 1821 with the Greek War of Independence.
“They had to fight for it and they rose up against 400 years of oppression and here we are today,” she added. Still, her view was more the exception to the rule, in that she was not as optimistic as some of her colleagues.
“I’m very concerned about the state of democracy,” added Koutrakis, noting the Trump administration’s stated goal to annex Canada, as well as Trump’s stacking the U.S. judiciary with judges sympathetic to his right-wing views. “Oftentimes I’ve told young people I’ve met or even friends and colleagues that if we don’t take care and nurture democracy, it could easily slip through our fingers,” said Koutrakis.
Freedom and democracy
Philip Fortomas, president of the Greek Parliament’s Standing Committee on Diaspora who is also the MP for Cyclades for the ruling New Democracy party, was a special guest. He said in an interview that the annual commemoration sends a message to people everywhere about the value of freedom and democracy.
“They need to be reminded that democracy was born in Athens,” he said, referring to the most prominent of the 6th century Greek city-states where democracy was first nurtured. Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour was optimistic.
She suggested that the unsettling political climate in the U.S. is exerting a positive influence here by drawing Canadians together. “I feel actually that it’s helping us,” she said, while acknowledging however that “it’s not good for the economy – but democracy-wise we’re stronger now.”
A ‘wake-up,’ MP says
Saint-Laurent Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos agreed that the situation is galvanizing nationalistic sentiment in Canada. “In a way it’s kind of like a wake-up call – because we never would have expected the United States to take this turn,” she said. “We have to be careful, have to be aware, and use this to unite.”
Montreal city councillor for Parc Extension Mary Deros was pragmatic in her assessment. “Democracy is basically people who go out and vote for who they want as leaders – that’s what democracy is all about,” she said, suggesting that the current system is delivering what it should. “The important thing is to be able to live in security, to live as free people, to choose who they want to lead them as a government,” added Deros.
Laval city councillor for L’Abord-à-Plouffe Vasilios Karidogiannis suggested that much work lies ahead to ensure the preservation of democracy.
Optimistic but cautious
“It’s time to start paying more attention to make sure our democracy survives into the next decades and centuries because it’s hard work to maintain it,” he said, noting that many voters have grown disenchanted with the system because of wide disparities between working people and society’s most privileged classes.
“I personally don’t think that democracy is down,” said Chomedey city councillor Aglaia Revelakis. “I think democracy, which started in Greece, is very much still alive. I think the most important thing is that we have a choice when we vote.”
Another special guest at this year’s Greek Independence Day dinner, Archbishop Sotirios (who travelled in from Toronto), said simply that he was delighted to be among supporters of their country. “I’m very happy to be here to celebrate the National Day of Greece,” he said. “Long live Greece and long live Canada.”
Laval-Les Îles Hellenics awarded King Charles III Coronation Medals
‘They are an example to be followed,’ MP El-Khoury says on their outstanding merits
Four leading members of the Montreal region’s Greek community were presented with the King Charles III Coronation Medal on March 19 in recognition of their outstanding contributions to Canadian society, as well as to local charitable causes.
An inspiring moment
On the recommendation of Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury, the commemorative nickel and silver medallions, marking the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in early 2023, were presented by the Canadian Governor General’s office to Adamantia Priftakis, Christos Adamopoulos, Lemonia Strapatsas and Basile Zannis.
The medal’s attached ribbon has a red stripe in the centre, with white stripes on each side, followed by dark blue stripes, and then red edge stripes. According to a description on a Government of Canada website about the ribbon, it was inspired by one that was used for the 1902 King Edward VII Coronation Medal.
‘Unwavering commitment’
“A special moment at the King’s Coronation Medal ceremony, as we celebrate the outstanding contributions of incredible individuals in our community,” the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal noted on its Facebook page regarding the ceremony at the Château Royal in Chomedey.
“These individuals have shown unwavering commitment to service and excellence, and their efforts enrich our society in remarkable ways. We are proud to recognize their dedication, and we look forward to seeing the continued impact they will have on our communities.”
Difficult choice to make
In an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia, El-Khoury said he didn’t hesitate a moment to recommend the four nominees from his riding, as their dedication to the Greek community was already well-known over several decades.
“I know the contributions of the Greek community to Canada,” he said, noting that the choice wasn’t easy as many members of the community are renowned for their generosity. “But after some research, the four most outstanding were chosen and they are an example to be followed.”
Renowned for church work
People in the Greek community in Laval have long been familiar with Adamantia Priftakis’s volunteer work. As president of Timios Stavros Church Ladies Philoptochos, she has helped to raise many thousands of dollars for causes promoting positive values in keeping with the community’s beliefs and teachings.
She was commended during the presentation “for her selfless volunteer work and lifelong service” to the church and community. “I love my people, my church and all the ladies I work with,” she told Newsfirst Multimedia.
Everybody knows ‘Chris’
Known as “Chris” to thousands of Greek Montrealers, Christos Adamopoulos needs almost no introduction. Generations of Hellenic parents and children in Laval and Montreal have placed their trust in the longtime Greek Socrates-Demosthenes School administrator, who is currently interim executive-director of the HCGM.
He was commended “for his exceptional leadership and dedication” to the Hellenic community. On a personal note, he said he wanted to dedicate the award to his father who encouraged him in 1981 to work for the Hellenic community.
Familiar face at HCGM
As supervisor of administrative services and government affairs at HCGM for many years, Lemonia Strapatsas is also a familiar face to Greeks from Laval and Montreal. She was commended “for her tireless efforts in strengthening relationships” with local and government bodies.
“I am so grateful and touched by this award,” she said after being presented the medal. “I feel just really touched. This is a medal that is dedicated to my family, my community and all the hard work we do.”
A well-known local entrepreneur
A well-known restauranteur, businessman and owner of the Château Royal congress and special events centre, Basile Zannis was commended by the medal presenters “for his steadfast support of our community and commitment to charitable initiatives.” In an interview, he said he had a “big surprise” upon learning he’d be receiving the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Laval and Montreal officials commemorate Greek Independence Day
Dignitaries gather at Laval Cenotaph to celebrate Hellenic freedom and Greek war vets
Elected officials from three levels of government gathered at the Veterans’ Cenotaph near Laval city hall on the morning of Saturday March 22 to pay respects alongside residents of Hellenic origin to Greek veterans and soldiers on the occasion of the 203rd anniversary of Greece’s independence.
A three-day celebration
This year’s commemorations, including the Greek Independence Day parade in Parc Extension, were spread out as usual over three days in Laval and in Montreal.
On March 25 in the year 1821 in what was then Ottoman-dominated Greece, Bishop Germanos of the metropolis of Patras blessed a Greek flag and proclaimed an uprising by the Greeks against the occupying Ottomans. In the Montreal region, Laval currently has the highest concentration of residents of Greek heritage.
Prayer and contemplation
To honour those who gave their lives so that Greece would be free, Greeks from Laval and from all over the Montreal region go each year to the Cenotaph in Laval to deposit commemorative wreaths and to spend a few moments in prayer and silent contemplation. In the Montreal region, Laval has the highest concentration of residents of Greek heritage.
Among those depositing commemorative wreaths this year were a representative from the Consulate General for Greece in Montreal, local and Montreal-area Liberal MPs, Laval-area MNAs, and city councillors from Laval and the City of Montreal.
As well, wreaths were left by representatives from the Hellenic Community of Quebec, the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal and Greek Canadian armed forces veterans.
Laval’s ‘Petits bonheurs’ Festival marks 15th year of entertaining the young
The City of Laval is marking the 15th anniversary of the Festival Petits bonheurs with a schedule of events for kids and their parents on May 10-11 at the Maison des arts, as well as at other venues throughout Laval.
The two-day celebration focusing on kids and families will include a range of free shows and workshops staged in several of Laval’s districts, with some especially important events at the Maison des arts de Laval.
“I invite all families to come discover this one-of-a-kind festival especially for the very young by offering to them a privileged access to artistic experiences of high quality,” says Laval city councillor for Renaud Seta Topouzian, who is responsible for dossiers involving children.
From the beginning 15 years ago, the festival’s main activities have been staged at the Maison des arts de Laval. “The city plays an active role in the promotion and access to culture among young generations,” said Topouzian.
Among the events:
- 11 shows and a dozen workshops, ranging from plastic arts to dance, as well as theatre and music;
- Talented artists from Laval, showcasing their skills and creativity;
- Outdoor shows;
- An immersive installation created especially for this year’sanniversary celebration.
It’s worth noting that also this year, the city’s public library network, as well as the Cosmodôme and the Armand-Frappier health museum, will be offering events of their own in conjunction with the Petits bonheurs festival.
The festival is taking place as the City of Laval is also marking a special anniversary: the 60th anniversary of its coming into being as a unified municipality that brought together more than a dozen towns and villages on Île Jésus, the geographical name for the island of Laval.
The new laval.ca: better than ever for the needs of the population
The City of Laval recently launched a new and updated website, with the goal of making access to information easier for all Laval residents.
Considered to be more responsive, quicker and better adapted to mobile communications devices, the new laval.ca offers online information and municipal services 24 hours a day, seven days out of seven.
“Each year, more than 5 million visits are recorded on our site,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “Laval.ca is an indispensable tool to better inform the population.
“With this update, we are simplifying information research, while also giving ourselves the means to evolve with the needs of Laval’s residents,” he added. “This new website is modern, accessible and oriented towards the future.”
Among the improvements to the site:
- A more responsive search engine for faster information access;
- Optimized navigation, adapted to smartphones and tablets;
- A search tool based on addresses, for easier access to waste pickup schedules;
- Improved content referencing, for quicker information response;
- Improved interaction, allowing residents to leave comments more easily.
According to the city, laval.ca has been redesigned to allow better access to persons with physical or cognitive limitations. It is believed these improvements will make life easier for up to 60,000 Laval residents.
In keeping with an overall vision by the City of Laval, sustainable development was one of the factors taken into consideration when redesigning the new website. The city says the designers took measures that should result in a 50 per cent reduction in energy use.
The city believes that the new website will lead to significant savings because the old site required a considerable amount of maintenance. The new site has also achieved further savings by digitizing the process for filling out forms, while reducing the number of paper forms and postage costs. The city says the new website was tested out with users with disabilities before it was placed online.
