Martin C. Barry

Vimy Liberal MP Eva Nassif has announced the federal government’s support for the fight against homelessness in Laval through increased financial assistance to two local organizations: Maison Dominique and the Oasis Mobile Intervention Unit.

Fighting homelessness

“Funding initiatives like the HPS help communities develop and deliver important tools and services, a crucial part of the fight against homelessness and poverty,” Nassif said during a press conference held at Maison Dominique in Laval-des-Rapides last week. “I am proud that these two organizations continue their remarkable and essential work and that, one step at a time, they bring comfort and safety to those in need.”

Maison Dominique, whose mission is to provide stability, dignity and security to people at risk of homelessness, was awarded a subsidy of $36,993. Oasis Mobile Intervention Unit, providing on-the-ground intervention and services on the streets of Laval with a mobile unit since 1995, received a subsidy of $33,940.

According to Nassif, the two organizations will be able to continue their efforts to reduce homelessness in Laval and offer unequaled support to people in need. “Homeless is a serious problem and should be treated as such,” she said.

Support for the vulnerable

“Whenever someone is undergoing a crisis, it is always the devotion of those working for organizations like Oasis Mobile Intervention Unit and Maison Dominique who are there to support our most vulnerable people. This financial support will help them to deliver their services in Vimy and to make the area more inclusive and a better place to live.”

According to the Maison Dominique’s web site, they offer a home environment to homeless individuals afflicted with HIV on a short and long term basis. “Our approach takes into account the individual in his or her globality and places the emphasis on their potentiality and not their limitations,” they say. “We believe that each of us is entitled to respect, dignity and support without regard to social or serological status.”

Helping those in dire need

In a mission statement on the Oasis Mobile Intervention web site, Oasis says the group exists to offer “front line” intervention to persons in Laval 12 years of age and older who are in dire need by listening, referring and preventing.

“We meet people who are in need directly in their environment. Our organization sets out to meet people who are marginalized and who are often not served by other resources. Oasis seeks to establish decisive and significant relationships with its clients with the goal of providing them with concrete and immediate assistance.”

Resources lacking

Following Nassif’s announcement, representatives of the two groups took part in an exchange with her on various issues that affect them. “It’s very difficult to help someone out of homelessness when they can’t find a place to live,” said one, complaining that Laval has almost no available social housing where homeless persons might be placed.

“The biggest challenge we are facing now is finding housing to get people out of poverty and homelessness,” she said. While another complained that the federal government did little or nothing for decades to provide support for social housing, the current Liberal government has launched some new initiatives since 2015 when they came to power.

Federal aid available

Among other things, the government launched the Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative, which makes surplus federal real-estate available to communities for projects that help stabilize the living arrangements of homeless individuals and families and those at risk of becoming homeless.

The government claims that the initiative has proven to be an effective way of supporting communities in their efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness, while ensuring that surplus federal real-estate continues to fulfill the objectives of the government, even after they have outlived their original purpose.

Martin C. Barry

A man who operates a small limousine service out of a residential neighbourhood in Laval-des-Rapides says he wants to know why the City of Laval is singling him out for violating a zoning by-law, when he’s not doing anything differently from other Laval-based limousine operators.

Milad Abdul-Sater’s situation was one of the more than 500 cases dealt with last year by the Laval Ombudsman’s office. Abdul-Sater has also pleaded with Mayor Marc Demers to look into his situation during public question periods at recent city council meetings.

Neighbour’s complaint

As spelled out in the Laval Ombudsman’s annual report which was released recently, one of Abdul-Sater’s neighbours filed a complaint with the city. The neighbour maintained that the operation of a limousine business, even a small one, was incompatible with the neighbourhood’s “residential” zoning and character.

According to the Ombudsman’s report, the neighbour was also unhappy about the fact the city had refused to intervene. The Ombudsman concluded that “the usage being made by the owners of the property did not correspond to the domestic use of office type, as defined by article 16 of By-law L-2000.”

Ombudsman’s report

She recommended to the city’s urban planning service that they end the commercial usage in a fashion as to uphold the “strictly residential character of the sector,” the report stated. For his part, Abdul-Sater thinks By-law L-2000 is arbitrary in that it forbids parking of vehicles larger than a certain size, while overlooking others such as small school buses.

“The inspector came to my house, to the driveway, and said, ‘You’re not allowed to park in the driveway,’” Abdul-Sater said in an interview with the Laval News. “I said, ‘How come? It’s been ten years that I’m parking here. What’s the problem?’ He says there is a law, By-law L-2000: 16 feet and 6 inches you’re not allowed to park. And he says that’s a rule that goes back 50 years.”

More than meets the eye

However, Abdul-Sater maintains there’s much more to the situation than is spelled out in the municipal regulations and the Ombudsman’s report. He painted a picture involving neighbours, some of whom were operating businesses out of homes, but who evidently weren’t seeing eye to eye.

Among the businesses that have been operating from residences in the neighbourhood, Abdul-Sater maintained, was one a few houses away from his own, where the owner, he claimed, was running an automotive garage and detailing service. And Abdul-Sater was in a position to know: he did business himself with the neighbour, whom he hired at one point as a driver for one of his limousines.

‘Business within a business’

But then, according to Abdul-Sater, they had a falling out. The neighbour, it seems, started creating what Abdul-Sater calls a “business within a business,” in other words promoting a venture of his own while driving the boss’s limousine.

“During his work he started to give out his business card – body work, paint, interiors and car wash,” he said. “He used to do the maintenance of all my limos: changing oil, winter tires, summer tires, cleaning inside, outside, paint treatments, waxing, everything.” There was a falling-out between the two over ways of doing business and Abdul-Sater said he terminated his employment.

Home business operators

In the meantime, said Abdul-Sater, another neighbour, also operating a home business, although of a type considered acceptable by the city in a residential environment, had a dispute of his own over spacing between their properties. “The two merged together to give me a hard time,” he said, maintaining the complaint about his vehicles was their doing.

But in the end, the home garage operator himself ended up being given a warning by the city and the garage has been closed since then. Abdul-Sater has also been issued warnings about his limousines, but no fines up to this point. But in the meantime, he is left wondering about a system that allows some business owners to continue operating, while others are subject to municipal by-laws that only seem to kick in when there are complaints.

Martin C. Barry

Quebec Liberal Minister for Small and Medium Enterprise Stéphane Billette was at the offices of computer security systems developer Terranova WW Corp. on de l’Avenir Blvd. in Laval on May 7 to announce a $15 million subsidy by the provincial government to Inno-Centre, a business “accelerator” that has helped computer security systems developer Terranova improve its efficiency.

Supporting success

“We are proud to support business accelerators that perform like Inno-centre,” said Billette, who was accompanied by Laval-des-Rapides MNA Saul Polo and Fabre MNA Monique Sauvé.

“They are partners who are essential for the economic development of the regions of Quebec. The assistance they offer to our innovating small and medium enterprises facilitates the acceleration of their growth and expansion internationally.”

“Businesses in Laval, like those elsewhere in Quebec, have an exceptional capacity to innovate and everything that is necessary to expand in foreign markets,” said Polo. “We are therefore happy to offer them, through this important financial support accorded to Inno-centre, customized assistance in order to prepare them to face the various issues involved in export. We are proud at the same time to be able to make this announcement in Laval-des-Rapides and to see that a business here is flourishing.”

Facilitating expert advice

“Thanks to this major investment by the government of Quebec, Inno-centre will be able to offer the support of expert advisors of international calibre to hundreds of innovative SMEs in Quebec,” said Claude Martel, president of Inno-centre. “This support, which is being provided during a key moment of their growth, will significantly increase the probabilities that some of them will become future large businesses.”

“For more than 30 years, Inno-centre has been contributing to the growth and the success of businesses in the regional of Laval, such as Terranova WW Corp., and everywhere in Quebec,” Mille-Îles MNA Francine Charbonneau said in a statement.

Helping small business

“It is therefore with great enthusiasm that we help it today to improve its support to innovative SMEs, of which several are active in the innovative manufacturing sector, so that they can stand above their competitors internationally,” she continued.

“This kind of assistance program meets the goals of Investissement Québec’s Manufacturing Initiative, which aims to increasingly support the innovative manufacturing sector in all the regions, but notably here in Laval.”

Martin C. Barry

Laval’s blue collar workers had a special surprise in store for those attending the monthly city council meeting on May 1 – a noisy May Day demonstration that left Mayor Marc Demers perplexed as he tried to understand the union’s underlying motive.

A noisy evening

“I am somewhat surprised to hear this kind of noise this evening,” Demers said at the beginning of the meeting, while speaking above the din being generated outside by the workers. He noted that a collective agreement with the workers was signed recently after being accepted by a large percentage of the union membership.

According to the mayor, the terms of the collective agreement included a good number of concessions by the city, including more hirings and salary increases. He apologized for the noise, saying it made the proceedings more difficult, but that there was nothing that could be done.

City council passes Pontic Genocide resolution

During a portion of the meeting reserved for city councillors’ announcements, Chomedey councillor Aglaia Revelakis presented a resolution to have the Pontic Greek Genocide recognized by the City of Laval, just as many cities in Quebec, Canada and the world have already. The resolution was unanimously adopted following extensive efforts by Revelakis.

“Today, we officially recognize and commemorate the memory of those who were exterminated, massacred or deported from their native land and whose children and grandchildren now live in Laval,” she said to a group of representatives from the Hellenic community following the council meeting. “This is a solemn and historic moment for you, who now participate in our Canadian society,” she added.

EV subsidy criticized

During the public question period, Benoit Blanchard questioned city council’s recent decision to offer a $2,000 subsidy to buyers of electric vehicles. “I wonder if you understand who this subsidy will actually be benefiting,” he said, maintaining that those who currently buy electric vehicles are households which are economically well off and that already own two or more vehicles.

“That’s understandable, since with an electric vehicle you can’t plan a trip to the Saguenay or to Gaspésie. Going to Toronto, you might agree, it takes too much time to recharge when half-way there. And so that we might understand each other, I’m not against the environment. Hydrogen-driven cars are coming, and I intend to be among the first to buy one whether there’s a subsidy or not.

The cost per household

“But taking into account that this subsidy is being launched on the basis of municipal taxes,” he continued, “I would imagine that, if the provincial government reaches its sales goals which are unrealistic, we’re talking about $200 per household that it is going to cost to finance this subsidy. However, for a family that has difficulty having both ends meet, what does $200 represent? It’s $200 less for them to spend.” He asked Mayor Marc whether these aspects were taken into consideration when deciding to create the subsidy.

Mayor defends subsidy

Responding, Mayor Demers insisted that money for the subsidy is not coming from taxpayers. As he explained, a law governing a special tax imposed for the recovery of greenhouse gases makes it mandatory to re-use the money for the further reduction of greenhouse gases.

“Yes, the vehicles are more and more efficient in terms of their autonomy,” Demers said, noting the City of Laval’s support for the installation of new electric charging stations and that “the government of Quebec is coming along with a policy for rapid electric charging station a little bit everywhere in the province.

“So what’s happening goes beyond the City of Laval since it is something involving the province.” The mayor went on to say, “When I see the increase in the cost of gas over just the last two days, I am even more convinced that we made the right decision.”

Local farm producers pleased

Also during question period, Gilles Lacroix, an agricultural producer from Laval, noted that in 1988 local agricultural producers signed an agreement with the City of Laval decreeing that 28 per cent of the island’s territory would be dedicated to agricultural activities.

According to Lacroix, local agriculturalists are pleased with the current municipal administration. He also thanked the mayor and council for adopting a buy-local policy that encourages Laval residents to purchase agricultural products grown on Laval’s territory.

Martin C. Barry

The Chevaliers de Colomb’s five councils in Laval came together on Sunday May 6 from 11 am to 8 pm to hold their first annual Spaghetti Day at the Laval Sheraton. It was a great success, according to an organizer.

“Things went great,” said René Marchand, a Laval Chevaliers de Colomb member who coordinated the all-day event. It was the first time the five C de C councils in Laval united for a single fundraising event.

A great success

According to Marchand, 1,300 tickets had been sold by late afternoon when the evening crowd was just starting to come in. Since the goal was 1,500 tickets, it looked like the results would exceed the C de C’s best expectations.

Among the major sponsors supporting the event were Barbies restaurants (who furnished all the sauce and pasta), Aubut Distributaire Alimentaire (who supplied disposable dishware as well as other necessities), and Members of the National Assembly who furnished financial support.

For Cité de la Santé

All profits from this fundraising event are going to the Cité de la Santé Foundation. For part of the day, Laval’s city councillors provided service. Later, Laval’s six MNAs (Francine Charbonneau, Monique Sauvé, Jean Rousselle, Guy Ouellette, Jean Habel and Saul Polo) were on hand to do the same.

Marchand said the Chevaliers are already preparing for next year’s Spaghetti Day, which will be taking place on May 5, 2019. According to Marchand, the same sponsors, whose generosity he praised, have agreed to come back on board and take part once again next year.

Martin C. Barry

As part of a long-term effort to beautify Laval’s bridge entrances, the City of Laval is holding public consultations on proposed changes to the Lachapelle Bridge entrance in Chomedey, des Laurentides Blvd. in Pont-Viau and Curé-Labelle Blvd. in Sainte-Rose.

Public consultations

The city held one of the first of a planned series of consultations on May 9, when around 200 residents of Pont-Viau and Laval-des-Rapides came out to École Léon-Guilbault for a presentation on a proposed reconfiguration of the intersection of Cartier and des Laurentides boulevards, a short distance from the Pont Viau bridge.

While the city wants to undertake a similar reconfiguration in Chomedey where Curé Labelle widens and leads towards the Lachapelle Bridge, the des Laurentides reconfiguration is more complex due to a large number of old and narrow streets that feed into the Cartier/des Laurentides intersection.

Former city hall demolition

While major work for the Cartier/des Laurentides project won’t get underway until 2021, the city is planning expropriations and demolitions in the area. Among other things, for example, the days are numbered for the landmark former Laval-des-Rapides city hall building, which is now being used as a municipal courthouse.

The city plans to rebuild a new municipal court building a little further to the south on Quimper St. by 2022. All the same, the city plans to carry this all out over a period of up to 20 years. The city also wants developers to become involved with proposals of their own.

Other changes coming

The city’s urban planners are also keeping in mind the historic character along side streets like St-Hubert, where houses which were part of the original village of Laval-des-Rapides still stand. And they want to eliminate some of the more unsightly aspects at the Pont-Viau/des Laurentides entrance, such as the steel barrier that runs up the middle of the street, which was initially installed to prevent pedestrians from crossing into the dangerous flow of high-speed traffic.

In an interview with the Laval News, Mayor Marc Demers said the city also has plans for Laval’s Lachapelle Bridge entrance along Chomedey Blvd. “It’s another goal of ours,” he said.

Careful approach, says mayor

“But we have so many challenges that we have to proceed while being careful about what we can accomplish. We decided that Pont-Viau was one of the priorities, Chomedey and Curé-Labelle Blvd. is another, and we are also working on projects in Saint-Rose and Vieux St-Vincent-de-Paul.”

Demers confirmed that one of the challenges the city faces is the fact that a number of private properties lie within the path where Laval wants to renew and redevelop. He said that in Pont-Viau alone, the city has served expropriation notices to some owners and is negotiating with others.

Will take money

“Obviously, money is necessary for all this,” he noted, while adding that the City of Laval is currently in the midst of another major renewal undertaking: the Val-Martin social housing project, for which the city received millions of dollars from Quebec City and Ottawa.

According to the mayor, a public consultation like the one held in Laval-des-Rapides/Pont-Viau will also be held in Chomedey for Lachapelle Bridge/Chomedey Blvd. recnofiguration project.

Martin C. Barry

F/LIST, an Austrian high-end business jet interior manufacturer, became one of the latest aerospace industry suppliers to choose the City of Laval as the location for a Canadian subsidiary when it officially inaugurated a new 59,000-square-foot production facility last Monday on des Rossignols Blvd in Laval’s industrial park.

Investing in Canada

“Investing in Canada is very important to our company’s future growth and success in aerospace,” said Katharina List-Nagl, the Austria-based CEO of the privately-held company during a ceremony held at the new facility.

“F/LIST has a long and successful history in Canada, working very closely with Bombardier and other partners in the region,” she added. “It made great business sense to set up our centre of Canadian operations here in Laval where we are so close to so many great aerospace businesses and opportunities.”

Aerospace industry growth

F/LIST is one of the most recent European suppliers of aerospace industry components and materials to choose Laval for expansion, while doing so with Bombardier specifically in mind. Last October, Liebherr, a diversified Swiss-based heavy equipment and engineering conglomerate, opened a sprawling new facility along Autoroute 13 in Chomedey where pre-manufactured landing gear for the CSeries medium-range passenger is being put together for delivery to a Bombardier final assembly site in Mirabel.

Mayor Marc Demers was visibly very pleased that F/LIST chose Laval to be the base for its Canadian operations. “One of our main goals is to see that our business people succeed here,” he said, noting that Marc Tremblay, the city’s director of economic development, “will work with you to make sure that we all have success.”

Interiors for Challenger

While Liebherr is betting on the CSeries, a Bombardier aircraft that hasn’t yet achieved its highest anticipated level of success, F/List Canada, on the other hand, will be providing its services for one of Bombardier’s greatest successes – the already well-established Challenger business jet, as well as some of Bombardier’s other planes.

F/LIST’s Laval facility, which is the first manufacturing plant the company has opened outside of Austria, represents an investment of more than $20 million for F/LIST, including $10 million by the end of 2018. The company provides high-quality wood veneers for business and executive jet interiors, finishing and assembling of interior components, refurbishment of interiors, and product and customer support.

Service to North America

“We will be serving not only the thriving local market in Canada, but across North America with our quality workmanship and F/LIST spirit,” said Sean Johnson, CEO of F.LIST Canada Corp. “We are committed to building and growing our presence here, having already invested millions of dollars in specialized production equipment, and recruiting top local talent.”

F/LIST says it is currently hiring and the positions available include cabinetmakers and veneer specialists, production managers and quality assurance experts. The company received financial support of $1.2 million. from the government of Quebec and $1 million from Economic Development Canada for Quebec towards infrastructure and equipment for the project, totalling more than $8.5 million by the end of 2018.

‘Great news,’ said Robillard

“Today’s inauguration is great news for Canada,” Yves Robillard, Liberal MP for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, said on behalf of Navdeep Bains, federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. “F/LIST’s decision to set up in the Greater Montréal area reaffirms the strategic positioning of Québec’s aerospace industry.

“It also demonstrates that Quebec and Canada have strategic assets to attract international companies, including a highly-qualified workforce and solid, structured business networks. I am proud to see F/LIST’s first plant outside of Austria open here in Laval. Its arrival will generate significant economic spinoffs that will benefit the citizens of the region.”

Vote of confidence, says Habel

“By setting up here in Laval, the Austrian manufacturer F/LIST is clearly demonstrating that Quebec is a good place for private investment,” said Jean Habel, the Quebec Liberal MNA for Sainte-Rose and parliamentary assistant to Quebec Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation Dominique Anglade.

“The recognized expertise of our aerospace industry has also played a major role in attracting this company,” Habel continued. “This new plant will generate significant spin-offs for Québec. With such initiatives, Québec will undoubtedly strengthen its position as the world leader in the aerospace industry,”