Laval News Volume 25-24
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.
AGAPE major participant at the “Building Together” conference
On November 23rd and 24th, Agape’s Kevin McLeod and Ian Williams took part in a 2 day exchange conference* in Quebec City put together by the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN). The exchange conference “Building Together” joined over 20 community health and social service networks (NPIs) across Quebec along with many public partners from the Integrated Health and Social Services Centres (CISSS) and Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres (CIUSSS).
The event had four primary objectives: To highlight several Adaptation projects that were carried out in 2013-2018; To review the implementation of health projects aimed at English-speaking individuals and communities in Quebec; To highlight best practices and priorities for new projects in 2018-2023; To encourage networking between all of the partners.
The conference highlighted several success stories and the partnerships that have built successful results together. The conference was also a key opportunity to develop new ideas and collaborations for improving access to health and social services for English-speaking communities and individuals across the province. There was a deeper understanding of the issues facing many communities and how those issues have been addressed through creative programing and adaptation of services.
“It was great to see all of the organizations come together with great ideas and success stories, all benefiting the English-speaking minority population of Quebec.” said McLeod. “We have a good working relationship with the CISSS Laval (Health and Social Services Centre) and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them. The last census shows that there are 90,980 English-speakers in Laval which represents 21.8% of the Laval population. The numbers keep growing in our favor, services must do the same.”
Agape had the opportunity to share their own success stories as well as display the many services/projects offered to the English-speaking community of Laval such as the Adaptation of health and social services initiative*, Networking and Partnership Initiative (NPI)*, Health Promotion Projects (HPP)* for youth and seniors, Community Health Education Programs (CHEP)* and the McGill Training and Retention of Health Professionals Progam.*
“Agape has been around for many years now and we offer so much more than a food, clothing and furniture bank. It’s nice to see that Laval English-speakers are finally turning to Agape for many different services. ” McLeod added.
Welcomed at the reception were special guests Gaétan Barrette, Minister of Health and Social Services and Kathleen Weil, Minister responsible for Relations with English-Speaking Quebeckers, Minister responsible for Access to Information and the Reform of Democratic Institutions.
“We spoke with Minister Weil and we agreed to schedule a meeting in the New Year,” McLeod explained. “Agape would like to welcome her at our organization and we would like to introduce her to the English-speaking population of Laval.”
*Initiatives funded by Health Canada through the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013-2018: Education, Immigration, Communities.
Laval City Watch December 6, 2017
New park along the Rivière des Prairies
The members of the executive committee will forward a recommendation for municipal council approval concerning the acquisition of lot 3 936 659 of the cadastre of Quebec. This lot encompasses an area of approximately 5790 square meters and is located south of Bord-de-l’Eau Road bordering the Rivière des Prairies. The cost of the acquisition is $847,775 (net taxes included).
The site will first be used to store construction equipment and parts needed to support the ongoing reconstruction work on the Bigras and Verte Islands bridges. The immediate advantage is to return Jolibourg Park to its original vocation as it has been temporarily used as a warehousing site for this construction. After the renovation infrastructure projects have been completed the executive concluded that the land could be used for the development of a new park and or riverfront green space.
Acquisition of a lot in the Papineau woodlands for conservation purposes
The City of Laval will acquire lot 1 392 463 of the cadastre of Quebec at a cost of $13,925 (net taxes included) for conservation purposes. The land which covers an area of 697 square meters is located within the Papineau Woodland special ecological development zone, identified as such in the revised urban development master plan. The Bois Papineau wooded area is located in the Duvernay district in the heart of an urban area. It houses among other things, three nature reserves recognized for the diversity and richness of their ecosystems. Also the marked trails of this woodland allow for many activities such as hiking, snowshoeing and bird watching. The Papineau Wood Conservation Association has been active in promoting and developing this area since its creation in 1986.
Four lots ceded to the municipality in the permanent agricultural zone
Lots 1 981 504, 1 981 459, 1 981 540 and 1 981526 of the cadastre of Québec, located in the Saint-François district whose total area measures 26,185 square meters, will be transferred to the City by the owner for the nominal sum of one dollar. These lots are located within the permanent agricultural zone of Quebec, in a designated area that has been characterized by the regrouping of agricultural lands (consolidation site number 15). These lots are part of an area in Laval whose zoning cannot be altered and cannot be used for purposes other than agriculture.
Infrastructure work on part of Elsa-Triolet Street
Part of lot 5 096 940 (proposed lot 6 160 229) of the cadastre of Québec, of an area of 1,744 square meters, will be transferred to the City of Laval by the owner for the nominal sum of one dollar. The land thus acquired will be used to facilitate infrastructure projects on part of the Elsa-Triolet Street.
Destination Europe: Laval companies get help to open new markets oversees
Thanks to an agreement with Emploi-Québec; Laval’s Economic Development Department will support four Laval-based companies to acquire specific knowledge of potential European markets. With this expertise it is hoped that these companies will be able to develop a market strategy which will enable them to set up partnerships and business contacts in order to gain access to trade in these markets. This was made possible by grants as part of the Destination Europe project. This project will culminate for each participating company with the organization of a prospecting mission in the targeted country. To support them the City of Laval will retain the services of two consultants. The fees of these consultants totaling $ 40,000 will be entirely borne by Emploi-Québec ($ 22,000) and by businesses ($ 18,000).
The initiative Destination Europe is a business support project for market development in Europe. It is part of the opening of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) Interim Agreement, which will come into force on September 21st 2018. It will promote new opportunities for businesses, which will then have access to a market of nearly 500 million consumers. The agreement reached between the City and Emploi-Québec makes Destination Europe more accessible to more Laval companies as the grants provided in this agreement represent 41.51% of the overall project budget which is estimated at $53,000.
20th edition of the OSEntreprendre Contest
The Economic Development Department of the Ville de Laval will once again be responsible for organizing the regional component of the OSEntreprendre contest (formerly known as the Québec Entrepreneurship Contest) which will be celebrating its 20th edition in 2018. This is the only contest in Quebec to mobilize, promote and raise awareness for the development of the entrepreneurial culture. The regional awards ceremony will take place as part of the OSE Laval event, in which over 400 people took part last year. The contest is open to new companies in the start-up and conception phase as well as start-up companies just launched. Also an important component is the presentation of student entrepreneurship projects ranging from elementary to university age. Also former participants from 1998 to 2012 will vie for the Prix Réussite Inc prize which recognizes companies that have succeeded in their development.
The contest is being rolled out in Quebec’s 17 administrative regions at three levels: local, regional and provincial. However, since Laval is a city and a MRC there is no local level so all projects are directly referred to the regional committee. In all more than $ 600,000 in bursaries and scholarships will be awarded across all of the regions of Quebec as part of this event.
Intelligent Mobility Incubation and Acceleration Center in Laval (CIAMIL)
The members of the executive committee have forwarded a recommendation for city council approval of the memorandum agreed to with the Société de transport de Laval-STL Laval’s transportation agency. The agreement calls for the establishment of an Incubation Centre for the strategic development of Intelligent Mobility in Laval (CIAMIL- Centre d’incubation et d’accélération en mobilité intelligente à Laval). The non-profit organization which will ultimately be governed by a seven-person board of directors, will aim among other things, to mobilize existing companies to develop and implement innovative solutions for smart and sustainable mobility of people and goods in industrial parks, downtown and employment areas.
$12,000 grant to the Regional Council of Culture
A grant of $ 12,000 has been awarded to the Regional Council of Culture for the work of creating a regional culture development action plan. The organization will have the means to establish up to six independent teams that will focus on different cultural areas for development whose initial efforts will include scheduling forty meetings involving more than 60 regional partners (artists, cultural organizations, cultural professionals and other regional partners). These focus groups will have the goal to identify the priorities for cultural development in Laval over the next five years. As the official body assigned the task of organizing the local cultural assets in Laval the Regional Council of Culture has been mandated to develop this action plan in close collaboration with all its local partners working in this field. This initiative is part of the consultation process started this winter and whose results will be highlighted at the Summit of Culture meeting to be held in June 2018.
Mayor Demers helps mark International Children’s Rights Day
(TLN) On Nov. 20, around 1,000 children, parents, citizens, elected officials and representatives from community and school organizations walked along the streets of Laval before finishing up at Laval city hall during an event to mark the annual International Day for the Rights of Children.
The procession, which started at École des Quatre-Vents, concluded with five children reading key articles from the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Children, followed by short speeches by Mayor Marc Demers, CSDL president Louise Lortie, and Chantal Gignac, executive-director of the Maison des enfants Le Dauphin.
“Laval is the city of families par excellence,” said Demers. “It distinguishes itself by the choice place accorded to children through the city’s leisure programs as well as its policies, created to encourage their development while assuring their security. In short, children are at the heart of the priorities of the administration in Laval.”
Vipers and Panthères “Habs” for a day
TLN
On December 3, Vipers de Laval Nord and Panthères de Deux Montagnes “Stormed The Centre” and played a game at The Bell Centre and where “Be the Habs” for a day. The teams have taken part in Under Armour’s Storm The Centre competition and where participating in the Armour Cup on Sunday December 10. The teams will spend the day at The Bell Centre working with the Canadiens staff, get treated like the pros and enjoy a day of mentorship with Montreal Canadiens alumni Marc Denis and Gaston Gingras.
Laval News Volume 25-23
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.
