Laval News Volume 25-23
This issue covers local events such us politics, sports and human interest stories. It features editorials and other columns. Click on the image to read the paper.
Laval News Volume 25-22
Laval News Volume 25-22
This issue covers local events such us politics, sports and human interest stories. It features editorials and other columns. Click on the image to read the paper.
Laval election night coverage.
A near-sweep for the Mouvement Lavallois
Incumbent municipal party wins 19 of city council’s 21 seats
Martin C. Barry
Incumbent Laval mayor Marc Demers easily won a second term in municipal elections last Sunday, while candidates for his Mouvement Lavallois succeeded in winning 19 of Laval city council’s 21 seats, which was an improvement over the 17 districts the ML took in the 2013 election.
According to a final tally posted on the City of Laval’s web site, Demers won with 46.24 per cent of the total number of votes. The second runner-up for the mayoralty was Parti Laval candidate Michel Trottier with 20.4 per cent.
Gobé finishes third
City council’s former official opposition leader Jean-Claude Gobé, who was making a second try for the mayoralty after first running in 2013, finished with just over 16 per cent support.
Avenir Laval mayoralty hopeful Sonia Baudelot was just behind him with 15.61 per cent. Former Laval city councillor Alain Lecompte, who was running for mayor with his Alliance des conseillers autonomes party, tallied less than 1 per cent.
In the district of Chomedey, Aglaia Revelakis easily succeeded in retaining the single seat Action Laval held consistently for the past four years, with 47 per cent support. Despite this, Action Laval has now lost its official opposition status. The Parti Laval also elected one candidate, but received a larger share of the popular vote, and so becomes the new official opposition on Laval city council.
Demers thanks the voters
“I would like to say thanks to you,” Demers told several hundred supporters who packed into the ML’s campaign headquarters in a mall at the corner of Saint-Martin and l’Avenir boulevards.
“We take great pride in the confidence that the voters have expressed in voting for us,” the newly re-elected mayor told journalists during a scrum that followed the results announcement. “I want to thank the citizens of Laval who took the time to vote. The outcome provides us with a clear mandate in keeping with the vision we set out to develop the City of Laval.”
While noting that the Mouvement Lavallois had found itself reduced during the last term to 15 seats following defections, Demers said the party “could be proud” it managed to make up for the loss and exceeded the seat count it achieved in the 2013 election.
Tax freeze not good – Demers
Commenting on the property tax freeze that the three other municipal parties pledged if they were elected, Demers said, “The citizens understood very well that to promise to freeze taxes over four years would have been catastrophic.
“We have the best credit rating in Quebec among all the municipalities according to S&P Global,” he continued. “If we were to change this balance, the interest rates on the city’s loans would rise. None of my rivals were able to state what is the city’s debt, what is the deficit of the employees’ pension fund. But they were all promising a tax freeze over four years – even eight years.”
For more than 20 years under the Vaillancourt administration, all the seats on Laval city council were won by the disgraced former mayor’s Parti PRO des Lavallois. The trend ended four years ago, with up to six opposition councillors sitting on city council during the last term – although the number is now reduced to two.
Honesty important, says Demers
Demers was asked by the Laval News whether he considers a solidified majority for the administration to always be a good thing, or whether there should be some opposition on city council.
“It’s for the population to decide,” he said. “When you say you need an opposition to avoid collusion or corruption, I think that the main factor for collusion or corruption is whether you are honest or not. If you’re honest you don’t need anybody to keep you in line – basically that’s it.”
Demers suggested that his team is open to working pro-actively with the opposition councillors over the coming four years. “If they want to work with us, we will work,” he said. “It’s just a matter of building confidence.”
Defeat for Action Laval
At Action Laval campaign headquarters, a short distance from the ML’s HQ, the mood was considerably more subdued. While the fate of the party’s mayoralty candidate, Jean-Claude Gobé, was decided fairly early in the evening, by 10:40 pm Gobé was still hopeful that some of his candidates would still prevail.
“We are still waiting for the final results,” he said, noting that support for Demers as mayor was split several ways. “We are looking towards the future now. It’s not over. This is only the beginning. We continue the struggle.”
Revelakis wins in Chomedey
The responsibility for carrying the Action Laval banner in Laval city council now rests again with Aglaia Revelakis. “I would like to thank first of all my team which was here with me from the beginning,” she said in an interview with the Laval News.
“Today we gave our hearts for Chomedey. I am here for the people of Chomedey and I will never let them down. While it’s an honor to be re-elected, I am sad at the same time because my party did not win. But I am here, I won and it was for the citizens of Chomedey.”
Another Action Laval candidate, Nicolas Macrozonaris who ran unsuccessfully in Sainte-Dorothée, said his first foray into politics won’t be his last. “I have no regrets,” he said. “Am I going to be back in four years? The answer is yes.”
2017 Laval Election Results
Votes % vote
Marc DEMERS 50,805 46.24%
Mouvement lavallois – Équipe Marc Demers
Michel TROTTIER 22,417 20.40%
Parti Laval – Équipe Michel Trottier
Jean Claude GOBÉ 17,624 16.04%
Action Laval – Équipe Jean Claude Gobé
Sonia BAUDELOT 17,155 15.61%
Avenir Laval – Équipe Sonia Baudelot
Alain LECOMPTE 763 0.69%
Alliance des conseillers autonomes – Équipe Alain Lecompte et Cynthia Leblanc
Hélène GOUPIL 733 0.67%
Nicolas LEMIRE 375 0.34%
Polls Reporting 752 / 752
Total Votes 109,872
Registered Voters 308,293
Laval Police Dog Calendar 2018
The Laval Police dog calendar is for sale again this year. You can get your calendar at our office: The Laval News 3860, Boul. Notre-Dame, suite 304.
As alway the cost is $5.00 and proceeds go to the Fondation Martin-Matte that helps victims of head trauma.
Laval City Watch November 8, 2017
Municipal Support for RECRUES Communauté Laval
The administration has agreed to work in partnership with the Laval School Board (Commission Scolaire de Laval (CSDL)) regarding a program to provide entrepreneurship training for young adults in the region. This agreement concerns the RECRUES Communauté Laval project which brings together regional leaders in socio-economic development and the business community who support and mentor a group of selected young entrepreneurs. Under this partnership, the CSDL will ensure the enlistment of partners, establish the guiding principles of this initiative and coordinate activities and training. For its part the municipality will promote networking among RECRUES entrepreneurs and offer them the following benefits: support services from an accredited advisor, training workshops free of charge, participation at two free networking luncheons, posting profiles at Carrefour des entrepreneurs as well as tickets to regional business activities depending on availability.
Laval’s School Boards’ Department of Adult Education, Vocational Training and Enterprise (SEAFPE) as promotor of the RECRUES Communauté Laval project wishes to facilitate the realization of students’ academic goals and enhance their ability to enter the job market. That is why the curriculum provides a diverse educational pathway in which students acquire not only academic knowledge but also basic life skills and business acumen and know-how.
RECRUES Laval Community is a project prioritized by the Entrepreneurship Action Table of Laval and received a grant from the Ministry of Economy, Science and Innovation (MESI) as part of the program to promote entrepreneurship in young adults.
Laval’s refrigeration recovery program on display
The City of Laval was invited to present its refrigeration recovery program at an upcoming event “Municipal Actions in the Fight Against Climate Change”, organized by the Environment Network and the Quebec Association for Energy Management (AQME). This half-day workshop exchange for participants in the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program will take place in Longueuil on November 14th. The City of Laval is the only municipality to offer a free refrigerating appliance door-to-door collection service which collect and properly disposes of chlorofluorocarbons, halocarbons (CFCs and Freon) contained in insulation foaming and cooling liquids while recycling and or repurposing the various components.
Three annual grants totaling $ 17,500
Annual grants totaling $ 17,500 were awarded to three cultural leisure organizations for the year 2017. The Atelier 213 receives $ 5,500, the Laval Association for the Visual Arts of Laval (ALPAP) receives $ 8,000 and Le Partage Watercolor Workshop receives $ 4,000.
2017 edition of Volunteer Training Day
As part of its support for volunteerism and nonprofit corporations the municipal administration organizes a training day for Laval volunteers and associations. This annual event first organized in 1977 is held in the month of November. Professionals and other associates from the city of Laval present workshops dealing with themes that include: communication; leadership; recruitment and supervision of volunteers; self-financing; financial management and other related topics of interest.
The workshops presented are intended for both volunteers and administrators of recognized Laval organizations. This year’s Volunteer Training Day will be held on Saturday November 25th at Montmorency College. A minimal cost of $10 is required and includes workshop registration, lunch, snack, dinner, cocktail, parking and participation at the closing conference.
Josee Boudreault will be the keynote speaker at the closing conference. After suffering a stroke in the summer of 2016, Josée is back on stage accompanied by Louis-Philippe, her spouse to shares their story of great and small trials of life which were overcome with tenacity, courage and resilience and most of all a positive hopeful attitude.
Grant for historic plaques in Old Sainte-Rose
A $ 5,000 grant was awarded to the Association of Citizens and Friends of Old Sainte-Rose for the production and placing of eleven plaques identifying historic buildings in this district which is one of the earliest settled areas in Laval. The organization wants to install a total of thirty building plaques in order to create a heritage circuit which will highlight the long history of Old Saint Rose.
Nature and urban park in Val-des-Arbres
The City of Laval will acquire a lot located north of Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, west of the Val-des-Brises residential neighborhood, at a cost of $ 28,625 (including net taxes). The 557.4 square meter lot includes a stream, wetlands and terrestrial environments adjacent to a marshland. This site has environmental characteristics which fit nicely with the proposed development of an Eco nature park in this area.
Future Park Cousteau
Following the transfer of the Orée-des-Bois Park to the Laval School Board (Commission Scolaire de Laval) to build an elementary school, the City of Laval will acquire various lots for a total of $ 283,467 (taxes included) to build a new municipal park, Cousteau Park. In May 2017, a public information evening was held by the City to present the project to citizens. The preliminary project included an eleven-a-side soccer field, a four-season ice rink, fitness training stations, several play modules, water games, a picnic area, a cottage and a discovery trail.
Development of the bois de la Source woodlands
The City will solicit public tenders for multidisciplinary professional services for the preparation of the master plan and services required for the construction and development of the de la source Woodlands in Fabreville. This municipally owned forest is a protected municipal timberland of approximately 40 hectares located in the heart of an urban area of the Fabreville district. The development project includes, among other things, the creation of multiple purpose nature trails and pathway, the restructuring of the network of hiking trails and the development of wetlands. Also foreseen is the development of a maple sugar production grove whose facilities could be exploited for educational purposes.
Construction of a shelter on a bocce field in Lausanne park
The City will tender by public bidding an offer for the construction of a shelter for a bocce playing surface located in Park Lausanne. This shelter will protect users from the weather and make it possible to use the playground during three seasons of the year.
Financial Statements of Laval’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Corporation
In accordance with the memorandum of accountability the organization overseeing the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the City of Laval has signed it has filed financial statements covering its activities for 2014, 2015 as well as the closing financial statements of its cessation of activity as of July 26, 2017. Documents can be viewed online at https://www.laval.ca/Pages/En/publications.aspx#corpo
Call for tenders for an athletics track
In the spring of 2017 the City of Laval applied to host the Quebec Games in the summer of 2020. As the municipality does not have adequate facilities to hold an athletic competition as prescribed by Les Jeux du Quebec (a prerequisite for hosting the games) administrators have issued a public call for tenders for integrated professional services for the preparation of plans and specifications and the supervision for the construction of an athletics track.
The objective is for all work to be completed by the end of the summer of 2019 allowing time to hold of a preparatory track and field competition which will test the preparedness of the facility. Also, it will provide Laval athletes a necessary training facility to be used in preparation for the summer 2020 games. Laval’s track and field facilities will be constructed on a portion of the Parc-école de l’Odyssée-des-Jeunes in the Vimont district.
Local Investment Fund
The Executive Committee approved the recommendations of the administrators of the Local Investment Fund (FLI) and authorized the issuance of a loan of $ 30,000 to the firm Horizonet which specializes in consulting services in cybersecurity. Through this fund the City of Laval helps stimulate the growth of local entrepreneurs while targeting promising economic sectors for development.
Laval holds pet adoption day
(TLN)
Laval residents who wished to adopt a dog or cat responsibly were able to do so from 11 am to 3 pm on Sunday Nov. 12 when the city sponsored an animal adoption day at the Bois-Papineau Pavilion at 3235 Saint-Martin Blvd. East in conjunction with several Laval-area animal shelters.
Adopt cats and dogs
During the day, all the animals available had already been vaccinated and sterilized. They were available at reasonable prices (from $80 to $400) depending on the pet, and only cash was accepted for payment.
Among the local animal shelters taking part were Mère Théréchat, Ronronne avec moi, Un toit pour chat and the Auberge Zen Refuge. Auberge Zen Refuge was offering dogs for adoption, as was the Refuge Magoo which took part for the first time.
Pet permits available
Those who already have pets had the opportunity during the day to obtain animal permits, which are mandatory under municipal regulations. Permits for cats are free in 2017, while the cost for dogs is $27. Animal owners were also be able to have their pets microchipped for $25.
The microchip, which is inserted under the pet’s hide, contains information to locate the owner if the pet becomes lost. Registration for this service must be done ahead of time online. Beginning in January 2019, all pets in Laval must be microchipped.
Laval News Volume 25-21
Laval News Volume 25-21
This issue covers local events such us politics, sports and human interest stories. It features editorials and other columns. Click on the image to read the paper.
Chomedey U-14FAA Girls go three-for-three in 2017
(TLN)
Congratulations go out to the Chomedey U-14FAA girls’ team, who not only won the LLL League Championship by finishing first, but also qualified for AAA for the 2018 season in the Ligue de Soccer Elite du Quebec, to become Provincial Champions by winning the Coupe Provinciaux AA in their category. It was a spectacular 2-1 overtime victory over Beauport in the final. It is the first time in Club de Soccer Chomedey’s history that a girls’ team has accomplished all three. After a bit of a rocky start to the 2017 summer season, the girls persevered and went on an eleven-game winning streak with a 14-0-2 record, with 44 goals scored, only 10 goals allowed and ten clean sheets (shut-outs) through 16 games.
Chomedey U-14FAA sends out a special thanks to the coaches, Costa Babalis and John Gutierrez, and to the parents for their continuous support and dedication.
Avenir Laval opts to bet heavy on its largely multicultural slate
Martin C. Barry
The outcome of the City of Laval’s upcoming municipal election could provide an interesting lesson in the power of demographics once the ballots are finally all tallied on the evening of Nov. 5.
The multicultural path
While the two leading contenders – the incumbent Mouvement Lavallois and the official opposition Action Laval – have struck a virtually even balance in each of their slates between Québécois and multicultural candidates, the Avenir Laval party has deliberately chosen to run twice as many ethnic and multicultural candidates.
In the meantime, the small but feisty Parti Laval is going in the other direction – presenting a roster made up of slightly more than twice as many Québécois candidates (15), compared to multicultural ones (7).
A standout from the pack
Although the Alliance des Conseillers Autonomes managed to strike an even balance in its presentation of candidates, with mayoralty hopeful Alain Lecompte and his co-candidate Cynthia Leblanc making up half the slate announced on their website, the ACA managed to release the names of just four candidates in all by the Oct. 6 candidacy registration deadline.
Standing clearly out from the pack, Avenir Laval appears to be following a strategy that emphasizes the increasingly diverse population in the City of Laval. Of the party’s 22 candidates, as many as 16 have multicultural roots. Only about a half-dozen of Avenir Laval’s runners appear to be longtime-rooted Québécois.
Liberals support AL
Since forming her party for the 2017 election, it’s been no secret that Avenir Laval mayoralty candidate Sonia Baudelot (who has volunteered and worked for years as a federal Liberal organizer) was able to draw important support from some prominent local members of the Liberals to her party.
In an interview with the Laval News on Oct. 19 during one of Avenir Laval’s last major gatherings of supporters before election day, Baudelot acknowledged that diversity is indeed part of her party’s strategy.
“We are the only party that has this much diversity, because we represent what Laval is,” she said. “We are going with what we are in Laval. In Laval, you have all kinds of communities. And if you look around at all the people who are here tonight, you can see what we are talking about because this is what Laval is.”
Taxes and security
In terms of election questions, Baudelot said two of the main issues the residents of Laval seem to be most preoccupied with going towards election day are property taxes and public security. “The taxes went sky-high and eventually this has to stop,” she maintained, while adding that Avenir Laval plans to put a tax freeze into place if elected. However, virtually every challenger running in the election is making the same promise.
“A tax freeze is important,” Baudelot continued. “That’s how you make people go back out and spend money in the economy. When you have to pay your property taxes, you have to pay the school tax, these things are all issues for us. We want to give back to the citizens. We want to renew Laval. We want to rebuild Laval and give back to the citizens of Laval. It’s time to think about the future and not the past. Time to move forward.”
