Martin C. Barry

In anticipation of the opening of Place Bell next year and a significant rise in activity that will probably be generated as a result in Laval’s central core, the city’s public transit authority has announced the launch of a new bus line connecting the Montmorency Metro station to the growing number of attractions and services to be found in downtown Laval.

Convenient without a car

The Société de Transport de Laval says its new No. 360 bus line was designed to meet the travel needs of the many visitors staying in hotels around downtown Laval who don’t have access to a car, as well as those who might prefer to park their car and use the bus to visit the many areas of interest around the Centropolis and the Carrefour Laval.

“Downtown Laval’s tourist attractions are increasingly popular destinations,” said De Cotis who joined officials from the STL, Tourisme Laval and the Cosmodôme for the launch of the 360 line at the Maeva Surf interior surfing boutique and bar at the Centropolis earlier this week.

Opening downtown Laval

“By offering access to these locations, we are facilitating travel and providing access to the people of Laval and Montreal who want to explore this area and delve into its offerings,” he added. In an interview with the Laval News, De Cotis acknowledged that part of the reason for creating the new line is to open Laval’s downtown area to an increasing number of people from Montreal so they can have easier access.

“As the bus will be running every 20 minutes, it will be very advantageous for people from Montreal to come to Laval for all the growing amount of tourist attractions we have in our downtown such as the hotels, the Centropolis, Centre Laval and Carrefour Laval,” said De Cotis. At the same time, he also acknowledged that the 360 shuttle takes into account the anticipated activity and growth that will probably be generated by Place Bell.

Fulfilling a demand

STL executive-director Guy Picard said that according to a survey of their ridership conducted last August, 51 per cent of those surveyed used the bus to travel to one or more of the destinations on the 360 line route. “The addition of the 360 line will certainly respond to this need as well as to the needs of the many thousands of visitors that come to Laval,” said Picard.

“The 360 bus line is a great example of Tourisme Laval’s role within our tourism industry, which is to support growth-market projects that allow increasing the number of visitors and contribute to structuring our offer,” said Geneviève Roy, president and CEO of the tourism development agency. “In our opinion, the 360 line is a tourist product by itself since it’s an asset that enhances the attractiveness of our tourist sites, making them more accessible to a greater number of visitors.”

Making travel to Laval easier

Marc De Blois, executive-director of one of Laval’s most popular and widely-known attractions, the Cosmodôme, was also very enthusiastic about the project. “This partnership with the STL positions Laval as a choice destination,” he said. “The 360 bus line will help us reach this goal by making it easier to travel around this part of the city.”

Although the line will initially be operating on weekends only from now to June 19, by this summer it will be going into operation seven days a week starting June 20 until Aug. 26. After that, it will be resuming a weekends-only schedule until next Dec. 31.

Major attractions on line

The 360 line will be making regular scheduled stops at many of central Laval’s most popular attractions, including the Centre Laval shopping mall, the St-Martin Hotel & Suites, the Palace congress centre, the Comfort Inn/Quality Suites, the Hilton and Holiday Inn Laval, the Cosmodôme, and of course the Carrefour Laval and the Centropolis. Standard STL fares will be charged. The STL says the schedule could vary in accordance with the seasons, as summer is generally a busier time of year.

(TLN) Laval Mayor Marc Demers has enthusiastically greeted news that hearings in the trial of former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt could begin as early as March next year.

“What we think now is that judge Marc David is making himself available so that the trial can begin as quickly as possible,” Demers said in a statement last week.

“We note also that the judge shares our preoccupation to see justice administered within a reasonable time frame,” he added. “The judge expressed this concern while referring to recent cases in the news.”

Proceedings in the prosecution of Vaillancourt have been notable so far for significant court date delays obtained by his defence team.

Additional information as to whether the case will indeed be proceeding in due course is expected to be released on March 18 when an announcement will be made about defence and prosecution being able to establish court dates.

(TLN) Laval citizen Natale Polito -well known for his comments against the opposition “show me the money”- is gearing up to ask the city administration about the non-removal of snow on streets like Guenette in Chomedey. “It is very dangerous for all what is happening in our streets” he commented. “Snow removal crews push the snow towards our lots trapping many elderly citizens.

Mr. Polito is also concerned that ambulances and fire trucks will not be able to pass through the streets because of bad snow removal. “We are tax paying citizens to have services from the city and snow removal is a priority”, he added.

40-year-old Laval woman is going to trial

(TLN) A 40-year-old Laval woman is going to trial in Montreal on charges of sexual assault on a child as well as distribution of child pornography based on evidence that she and a male companion enticed her three-year-old son to perform sexual acts which were recorded on video and uploaded on the Internet.

The woman, whose name is being withheld by the court to protect the identity of the child, was first reported in 2013 to police in the U.S. by a major online Internet service provider which said that the suspect had uploaded child pornography that featured children and adults engaged in sexual acts.

The Montreal Police Department, which took over the investigation, had nothing to go on at first except for the woman’s e-mail address. By the fall of 2014 they knew her name and were eventually able to retrieve digital photo files on her computer corresponding to those described by the ISP. As they were among hundreds of other images of the same kind, the woman faced additional charges of possessing child pornography.

Following her arrest, the woman claimed that the man charged along with her had been the instigator and that it was he who recorded everything on his cell phone over a period of two years. The boy, who is now five years old, confirmed many of the details to investigators. After being shown the evidence, the man denied he knew the mother or the child. They each face a minimum sentence of five years imprisonment.