(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.