(TLN) The City of Laval in conjunction with the Caisses Desjardins de Laval is inviting non-profit groups recognized by the city to submit the names of worthy volunteers to be candidates for the 32^nd annual Hosia volunteer recognition awards evening taking place on May 3.

The deadline is March 4. The awards ceremony is taking place at the André-Mathieu concert and performance hall. The selection of winners is being made by a special jury. Caisse Desjardins de l’Ouest de Laval executive-director Jacinthe Godmer is this year’s jury chairwoman.

The judges will be evaluating candidates on the following criteria: diversity, impact, determination and innovation in volunteer efforts. Forms for submitting candidacies can be downloaded from this web site: www.evenements.laval.ca.

(TLN) In the name of citizens, municipal councillors and employees of the city, Laval Mayor Marc Demers offered his condolences earlier this week to the family of Claude Ulysse Lefebvre, Laval’s third mayor (1981 – 1989) who has died.

Consulted citizens

“Mr. Lefebvre passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones after a well-lived life during, a large part of which was dedicated to developing Laval,” Demers said in a statement after meeting with the former mayor’s family.

Claude Ulysse Lefebvre will be remembered for a number of advancements in Laval, including the creation of the Consultactions, which were forums during which Laval residents were invited to speak openly on the policies of the city and to express their wants and needs in the various districts.

Expanded libraries

Lefebvre also will be remembered for greatly expanding the Laval municipal library system following a public consultation, and for making the Maison des arts de Laval a reality. Known for his great love of culture and his ability to listen to people, Lefebvre’s record included the revitalization of several commercial arteries in the former towns and villages that make up Laval.

Martin C. Barry

Outrage. That’s the only word that comes close to describing one Laval business owner’s feelings of frustration after 17 years of fighting with the City of Laval over a chronic but as yet unresolved flooding and sewer backup problem on Notre Dame Boulevard in Chomedey.

Monster on the loose

“We’re fighting a monster called Ville de Laval,” Jane Moraitis, owner of the Oneiro II boutique, which specializes in formal attire and accessories for baptisms, first communions and confirmations, said in an interview with The Laval News.

“They deprived us of our dream being accomplished, our time with family and friends, suffering great losses, and suffering with health issues caused by immense fatigue and stress?” added Moraitis.

In Greek, the name of her boutique, Oneiro, translates literally as dream. But since buying their building in the late 1990s, the situation has been anything but. “We started out with big dreams of making something exclusive and big, which it is, but this is what we’ve ended up with,” she said.

A year after purchasing the building at 3812-18 Notre-Dame Blvd. in August 1998, they faced the first of a series of floods: it was a huge inundation that destroyed an estimated $27,000 worth of merchandise in the basement, not including lost patterns and plans or time spent cleaning up.

In Greek, Oneiro, means dream, but since buying her building in the late 1990s, Jane Moraitis’s situation has been anything but.

A nightmare grows worse

Her family’s dream of success came to a halt. While the insurance company paid the first $10,000, the city – citing a variety of reasons – refused to pay the balance of $17,000. She took precautions by closing the valves on the floor of the basement and by placing all the boxes of merchandise on bricks.

However, when the city decided to repair and enlarge the street in front of the business about eight years ago, the problem worsened and became a nightmare. Every time there was a heavy rainfall, the street became a river, since the sewers appeared inadequate to do their job properly.

On June 3, 2014, rainwater came in from the front doors of the business. That day, according to Moraitis, she and other members of her family removed 48 huge buckets of water from the basement floor and spent days afterwards cleaning and disinfecting. Then during another large downpour on June 14, water in the basement rose to about a foot, ruining everything that had been placed on the bricks.

The next day, they realized they had close to $14,000 in damages, and this time their insurance would not cover it. And since the problem was recurring, they were now at risk of not being covered anymore. Fed up and tired, they sought a solution by calling a building inspection company, which helped guide them to a foundation specialist.

Expert said sewers blocked

After being told it was not a foundation problem, they consulted a drain specialist. The report from the drain specialist shocked them. According to Moraitis, there was absolutely nothing wrong with their building, but the  specialist agreed with the insurance adjuster that since the building has a flat roof, the water from the roof had nowhere to go when the sewers were so badly blocked.

Moraitis maintains there’s pretty much nothing she and her family can do, as the only solution would be to force the city to fix inadequate sewers. She said that when the insurance adjuster visited the surrounding area, the other store owners told him that they also had sewer blockage problems and floods for years, which more recently had become a nightmare.

According to Moraitis, she was told by municipal officials in September 2014 that the city acknowledged the sewer problem and that it would be dealt with within a few years with the help of some government subsidies. But when nothing further was heard, she attended a city council meeting in December 2014 to bring up the issue again. Sparks flew in exchanges between Moraitis and the mayor and the council president.

Waiting for their day in court

Feeling they had no choice but to go to Small Claims Court, on Jan. 29 she and her family asked the court for a postponement of their case. In the meantime, she maintains, the city offered a settlement, $1,000, which she and her family declined.

Moraitis claims that she asked the city that if such huge problems with the sewers on Notre Dame Blvd. existed for so long, how come they gave permits in the area for businesses like a baby and children’s store, a restaurant, a depanneur and an old age home?

In a final ironic twist, Moraitis said that during the first week of June 2015, a sink hole appeared on the surface of Notre Dame Blvd. outside their business. They could see the asphalt rising into the air, under which was a black hole, meters wide and deep, as far as the eye could see. Although the city poured gravel in and patched it up, she wonders: if the street collapses one day, will the city be blamed if somebody gets hurt?

Martin C. Barry

President’s Choice Children’s Charity announced during an event on Jan. 22 at École primaire du Bois Joli in eastern Laval that it is making a donation of $1 million to the non-profit ‘Breakfast for Learning’ organization in order to support 29,371 children in Quebec.

According to President’s Choice, the money will be invested in developing, implementing and supporting healthy eating programs in schools by offering 4,956,263 breakfasts, lunches and snacks to kids across the province who are in need.

Hunger a problem

Despite greater awareness in recent years of the impact hunger makes on school children and their ability to learn, it remains a very real problem across Quebec and its regions. The most recent HungerCount, published by in Fall 2015 by Food Banks Canada, says that close to 400,000 people, including 150,000 children, go hungry every month in Quebec.

“The health and well-being of children is a priority for Loblaw,” said Johanne Héroux, director of the Quebec branch of President’s Choice Children’s Charity. “We are pleased to help children to maximize their academic potential and to promote awareness of the importance of healthy eating, thanks to our partnership with Breakfast for Learning.”

Helping future leaders

Laval mayor Marc Demers, who was one of several dignitaries on hand for the announcement, said he was particularly pleased to see such a large gift being made for the well-being of children who are the future. “This is the best thing that any community can do,” he said. “I am certain that there people here in this room who one day will become mayors or elected officials.

“Today it’s our turn to extend to you a hand and to help you,” Demers continued. “But later it will maybe be you who will make decisions to take care of the elderly which is important. This is an important gift for the whole community. It’s not everyday that a foundation or an enterprise offers $1 million in assistance for a cause as good as this.”

Encouraging school success

Quebec Family Minister and Liberal MNA for Mille-Îles Francine Charbonneau was equally pleased with the gift, as were Liberal MP for Alfred-Pellan Angelo Iacono and Commission scolaire de Laval president Louise Lortie.

Experts say that nutrition programs aren’t just beneficial to children’s nourishment, they also have a direct positive effect on their behaviour and success in school. Studies have shown that a nutritious and healthy diet helps children concentrate and solve problems in class while also stimulating creativity and performance in their studies.

Better eating habits

“Our programs’ success is very tangible,” said Marie-José Mastromonaco, Breakfast for Learning’s regional manager. “During the school year of 2014-2015, 90 per cent of participating schools in Quebec observed an improvement in class behaviour and 80 per cent said they witnessed an improvement in their students’ success. Moreover, 97 per cent reported that their nutrition programs contributed to instilling better healthy eating habits in their students.”

Charbonneau spoke to the guests about the fundamental importance to our society of initiating children to healthy eating habits. Johanne Héroux, Director of the President’s Choice Children’s Charity in Quebec and Guy St-Pierre, Vice-President, Maxi and Maxi & Cie, presented the donation to Marie-José Mastromonaco, Breakfast for Learning’s regional manager.

 (TLN) As a result of recent interest stirred up by media reports regarding the City of Laval’s plans to set up a centralized animal protection office, officials with the city have decided to set the record straight.

The city says its main goal is to equip itself with a comprehensive animal services centre by 2018. For that purpose $15.3 million has been set aside in the 2016-2018 triennial capital works budget. In the meantime, preparatory work is underway for the construction of the facility and a city-owned site has been reserved.

‘We hope to offer quality and ethical animal services which respond to the needs of Laval residents,’ says Mayor Marc Demers

Quality animal protection

“We hope to offer quality and ethical animal services which respond to the needs of Laval residents,” says Marc Demers. “To do this we need to be proactive while prioritizing practices and actions adapted to the well-being of animals on our territory. In this effort, the city will be accompanied by a consultative committee made up of experts from the sectors of animal health, management of large projects, community action and legal affairs.”

In the meantime before the opening of the new centre, the mayor said an animal control contract is being awarded to Berger Blanc. He said the city will also be relying on independent inspectors who will be making sure that good practices prevail in regards to animal welfare and health in Laval.

Berger Blanc contract

According to Laval executive-committee member Sandra Desmeules, the three-year contract to Berger Blanc costing $1,836,000 includes an option to renew for a year. “What is certain is that our new supplier will have to conform to all legal requirements and regulations,” she said. “In addition, Berger Blanc commits itself to working closely with organizations in the community.”

Berger Blanc’s contract, which begins on Feb. 27, stipulates that it is responsible for examining, vaccinating, deworming, sterilizing and placing microchips in animals before their adoption. The company will also be required to refuse to euthanize healthy animals simply because someone requests it.

Contractors’ obligations

Berger Blanc is also required to take part in two microchip days per year, with on-site adoption and sterilization information, in conjunction with community organizations. And the company must work proactively with animal shelters in order to facilitate interactions leading to adoptions.

“The city has the well-being of animals at heart and believes in the importance of a partnership with the various players involved,” added Demers. “We are committed to letting be known what our thinking is regarding the well-being of animals with the development of the animal services centre.”

(TLN) Laval city council’s monthly meeting on Feb. 2 became a “tennis match” between the mayor and members of the opposition.

The reason was persistent demands by opposition members that Sainte-Dorothée city councillor Ray Khalil resign after newspapers and television newscasts reported that back in June 2013 police found contraband tobacco and firearms at the residence of his father, George Khalil.

Opposition councillors Michel Trottier and Alain Lecompte demanded Khalil’s resignation since he is the manager of his father’s restaurant, Lordia.

The mayor repeatedly reassured them that Khalil, from the moment he was elected Saint-Dorothée’s city councillor, has had no relations or interests in the Lordia restaurant.

“I was for 30 years in the police force and I learned that before accusing anyone there should be an inquiry,” said Mayor Marc Demers. “If someone is going to enquire on the subject it will be the ethics officer of the City, but it is not ethical to accuse someone purely on allegations,” he added with an angry tone.

Ray Khalil: I have nothing to do with the restaurant any more

It was inevitable for Ray Khalil to address the council. In a short speech he explained that he has no shares in the Lordia restaurant and he withdrew from the restaurant long ago. Sometimes, though, he goes to give them a hand when it is really busy, he added.

“I am neither an administrator or a manager of the restaurant,” he emphasized.

Sablon in bad shape

Among the various questions coming from citizens, one had to do with the deterioration of the infrastructures of the Centre du Sablon community centre. The question came from Sainte-Dorothée citizen Josée Gauthier. Gauthier informed the council and the citizens present that since 2011 the Centre du Sablon has been waiting for funding to do major renovations.

“In September 2014 we were promised by the sitting mayor a renovation budget of one million dollars but nothing (has been seen) yet,” she said. According to Gauthier, the money is badly needed since the swimming pool facility is in a terrible state. She said the lockers are also broken, the showers don’t work, and with those that work the water temperature is not stable, but on the contrary is extremely hot. “Imagine little children using the showers what could happen to them,” she said. On top of that the dryers do not work plus there is a problem of insulation and heating in the rooms used by the Jardins des enfants, she continued.

“I understand your concerns,” responded the mayor. “There was a legal problem that delayed the transfer of funds. It had to do with the 100-year so-called lease of the centre. I assure you that very soon it will be resolved and the appropriate funds will be transferred for the renovations to take place in 2016.”

Laval to Dorval Airport

Chomedey councillor and official opposition leader Aglaia Revelakis presented a motion for the Laval transport authority to implement a direct transport service – shuttle – from the city to the Dorval airport. “This will help many citizens in their travel plans,” she said. Unfortunately since there was no one to second the motion – even among the independent opposition councillors – the motion was dropped.

Legislative hearings into a Quebec bill to end school board elections began Tuesday, with more than 50 groups and individuals signed up to present their positions.

If passed, Bill 86 would abolish school board elections and councils of commissioners. Elected councils of school commissioners would be replaced by new school councils with 16 representatives, which are either elected or appointed.

These councils would be composed of:

• six parents, one of whom is the parent of a child with a disability.
• two school principals.
• one teacher.
• one non-teaching staff member.
• six community members.

The bill has faced fierce opposition, especially from English school boards, which have said they would challenge the law in court.

One concern is that the new system would jeopardize the Anglophone community’s constitutional right as a language minority group to manage its own schools by electing representatives.

Opponents of the bill even found an unlikely ally in Parti Québécois leader Pierre Karl Péladeau.

“If they want to reform school board governance, they must respect the Anglophone community’s rights,” Péladeau said to the surprise of many.

The committee on culture and education will hear from the Commission scolaire de Montréal and that board’s parent association today. Another hearing is scheduled for Thursday this week.

Hearings were supposed to start last month but were postponed when Premier Philippe Couillard made a last-minute cabinet shuffle, replacing education minister François Blais with Pierre Moreau.

Another stir happened when the province’s two largest English and French-language school boards were at first refused slots on the agenda. The government eventually bowed to public pressure and added them to the list of presenters.

Bill 86: Quebec’s proposed school board reform could violate Anglo rights, expert says

Couillard government’s controversial bill to end school board elections could face constitutional challenge

The Couillard government’s controversial legislation to end school board elections, Bill 86, could face a legal challenge if it’s passed.

The proposed legislation may violate the constitutional rights of English-speaking Quebecers, says Michel Doucet – an expert on minority language rights.

“There might be some problems on the way the people will be appointed to this new governance structure,” said Doucet, a law professor and director of the International Observatory on Language Rights at the Université de Moncton.

If passed, Bill 86 would abolish school board elections and councils of commissioners.

Elected councils of school commissioners would be replaced by new school councils made up of parent representatives, staff members and community members.

Council members would be selected in a variety of ways:

• Parent representatives would be elected by groups of parents.
• Staff members would be appointed.
• Community members would be either elected or appointed, depending on the will of the parents’ committee on each school board.

Doucet says this selection process may violate the constitutional rights of those in Quebec’s English-speaking community who may not have children in the school system.

Anglo rights enshrined in Charter

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that English-speaking Quebecers have special rights to manage and control their schools under section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Doucet says those right-holders include not only parents, but also Anglophone Quebecers without children in the system.

“There is a little gap there between what is in (Bill 86) and what should be done to respect section 23 (of the Charter),” said Doucet.

In a nod to the Anglophone community and its voter participation rates, which are much higher than the provincial average, Bill 86 includes a provision for the election of the community members on the board – but only if the board’s parents committee agrees.

However, Doucet does not believe that provision goes far enough to satisfy the government’s constitutional obligations to English-speaking citizens.

“In this case, there still could be a challenge: the parents saying the minister has kept too much power on how this structure would be functioning and how the people would be elected,” Doucet said.

Unlikely ally in PKP

Doucet’s interpretation of Bill 86 echoes legal concerns raised by others when the bill was first introduced last year.

Some groups representing Anglophone Quebecers said it violates their constitutional rights as a minority language group and attacks Anglophone’s rights to manage and control their own schools.

Those groups have found an unlikely ally in the Parti Québécois.

In January, PQ Leader Pierre Karl Péladeau said he was “flabbergasted” by what he called a lack of consultation with English-speaking Quebecers.

“If they want to reform school board governance, they must respect the Anglophone community’s rights,” he said.

Hearings started Tuesday

Legislative hearings into the bill got underway Tuesday, with more than fifty groups and individuals presenting their position on the controversial bill.

There have been a few hiccups along the way in the organization of these hearings.

The province’s two largest English- and French-language school boards were at first refused slots on the agenda, although the government eventually bowed to public pressure and added them to the list of presenters.

Then, the hearings had to be postponed due to last month’s cabinet shuffle. A new education minister, Pierre Moreau, replaced the unpopular François Blais.

Moreau, however, was taken away by ambulance minutes before the cabinet swearing-in ceremony.

Premier Philippe Couillard said Moreau had contracted a virus.

Moreau will return to the National Assembly in time for the start of hearings, for the first time since his illness.

A spokesperson for the minister says it will be a “progressive” return to work.

All people who are already scheduled to present their response to Bill 86 have been confirmed, with more hearings to be scheduled at a later date, depending on the state of the minister’s health.

Martin C. Barry

One of the largest fire halls in Canada by number of emergency calls handled officially opened on Souvenir Blvd. in Chomedey last week with a ribbon-cutting attended by Quebec Public Security Minister Francine Charbonneau as well as Mayor Marc Demers and several senior members of Laval city council.

Replaces old station

Fire chief Robert Séguin referred to Laval’s new No. 2 fire hall as a “gift” filled with some of the latest firefighting technology. The $6 million building at the corner of Armand-Frappier Blvd. replaces the city’s crowded and long outmoded former fire hall which was located just a few blocks west on Souvenir Blvd. adjacent to city hall.

According to the city, new No. 2 fire hall is large enough that its services could be expanded as Laval’s “downtown” area develops and grows.

“The completion of this fire hall answers a real need,” the mayor said in an address to several dozen people, including current and retired members of the fire department. “The old fire hall, the most called upon of the nine fire halls on Laval’s territory, no longer had the space to assure operations could carry on optimally. This new building is notable for its technological modernism. It will allow the fire department to work in conditions that will be better to come to the rapid assistance of citizens.”

Expansion foreseen

Located in the centre of Laval, the new fire hall meets standards established by Quebec’s Public Security Ministry for fire risks and firefighter response times, including the number of firefighters required to be on the scene for incidents. According to Robert Séguin, director of the fire department, fire hall No. 2’s size and strategic location are such that it will be able to accommodate more trucks, equipment and personnel in the future if needed.
That could well come to pass, since the development of Laval’s “downtown” core is in full swing and will no doubt place increasing pressure on fire hall No. 2 as the area densifies. As it is, the new facility will be one of 10 of the most active fire halls in Canada, said Séguin, adding that it will be handling 7,000 calls annually. “I feel like a kid at Christmas who’s just received a nice gift,” he said.

Built to LEED code

Fire hall No. 2 is the second municipal building in the City of Laval to be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The first was the fire hall in Ste-Dorothée which was completed only a few years ago. LEED certification assures that a building has been designed and constructed with safe and sustainable materials as well as to maximize savings on energy consumption.