TALE OF THE APOCALYPSE…

(Ed. Note: In 1998 The Laval News -TLN was
published under the name The Chomedey
News -TCN-due to its distribution only in
the Chomedey area. Therefore all TCN mentions
in the article refer to the previous title
name of The Laval News which is distributed
throughout Laval).

Peter Karahalios

One person in Laval is dead, six were injured and thousands were left without electricity and heat in what was most certainly the worst ice storm to ever hit the province of Quebec. Merchants have lost tens of thousands of dollars per day in potential revenues as Hydro and municipal emergency crews, aided by police, firefighters and the military, juggled setting up shelters, feeding the displaced, clearing branches and trying to restore power. Yet; this is one of the “good news” scenarios, as the death toll in other regions climbed to a total of twenty, and several homes still remain without power…

Although several media outlets had warned of what was to come weeks before, no average citizen could have possibly imagined the extent of the devastation that the first ice storm – the worst one in the province’s history – of 1998, was to spread in Quebec, eastern Ontario and northern Vermont.

As is always the case when the positions of hot and cold air streams are reversed, the drops that landed on the trees, buildings, power lines and everywhere else, turned into solid ice instantly…

For a total of five days, they just wouldn’t stop falling…

As a result of the ice build-up on the trees, the latter ended up having to carry over 30 to 40 times their own weight. Several of them didn’t make it; It was a most heart-wrenching scene. Wilted over and encased in a surreal suit of ice which in some cases was three inches thick, they started dropping their branches and splitting. Power lines were struck and the first outages were recorded.

Things got worse as the unforgiving pellets continued to fall from the sky…

The power lines started to freeze. There too, the ice became unbearable. They buckled and – in many cases – snapped, falling to the ground, exposing pedestrians and automobiles to killer voltages.

But the mayhem was not to be over; not by any stretch of the imagination shot…

The blue flashes in the sky, were initially quite impressive to those unable to explain them; Little did they know that each dousing of blue against the charcoal gray night sky was an exploding transformer…

The population took it all with a grain of salt. We have Hydro Quebec; a world giant…

Most of them slept at home the first night as the drops kept falling…

Conceived in mere hours, the dreaded iceman – a creature no mob movie euphemism could have pegged in such a cruel light- set about to do wreak his havoc. He deprived well over 1.5 million homes of electricity and heat, disrupting lives. Thousands doubled up with friends and relatives who were still fortunate enough to have power while the not-so-fortunate ones were forced to go to various shelters that were popping up.

Hydro crews from New York, Vermont, Detroit and even from as far as Connecticut were called in; police and firefighters followed suit just as the first of 11,000 soldiers were starting to show up. In Laval a total of 75 soldiers from Canadian Armed Forces Base Valcartier would start the tedious but yet backbreaking task of clearing the debris under freezing temperatures, and assisting Hydro staff in their first efforts.

Sensing that some people, especially senior citizens, would be reluctant to leave their homes as it got colder, police officers and soldiers started going door-to-door, making sure nobody was in danger. Lives were saved…

Lights out

In Laval, the situation was by far the best. Although at the peak of the storm some 78,000 Hydro subscribers – mainly in Chomedey and the west end- were out of electricity, that number was brought down to 67,000 and then to 39,000 in under six hours.

Doctor Nick Karelis, a Laval general practitioner told TCN that hypothermia and especially as it may have afflicted senior citizen’s was most on his and every other medical person’s mind during the storm’s harshest moments.

“I have a lot of geriatric patients and I was really afraid they wouldn’t leave their homes after losing power” he said, breathing a sigh of relief that this actually did not occur with tragic consequences in Laval. The doctor also pointed out a storm-induced side effect which started occurring just days after the worst was over; “There are a lot of colds and flu going around. It stems most likely from the cold and other storm related circumstances” he concluded, repeating that it is imperative for senior citizens to get immediate treatment.

Sergeant John Alexander Greene of the Laval Police Department explained that at the peak of the storm, almost half of the city’s population was left without power.

“If you want an approximation of how many people were actually out (of power)” he explained “you must multiply the 78,000 number – which is only the number of Hydro accounts – by 2.6 or 2.8.” A quick calculation came up with 218,000 souls; well over half the population.

TCN asked Hydro Quebec why Laval was spared the full wrath of the storm and why the power was restored much more quickly than in other areas.

“It is a combination of two main factors aided by a whole series of other ones” replied Hydro-Quebec media spokesperson Serge Marcoux.

Mr. Marcoux noted that the quantity of precipitation to hit the Laval area was not very big and proceeded to point out that “less precipitation means less damage; which in turn means fewer downed power lines. This in turn enabled us to work faster and subsequently reconnect homes much faster” he explained, and added that there are also more distribution lines going into Laval. “Thus” the Laval grid patch had not suffered as much structural damage to its lines as the one in Montreal did”

,he concluded  Although the Ile-Jesus territory was spared the full wrath of the dreaded iceman, here too, the consequences were quite significant.

Revenues fall…

According to Laval police, one senior citizen lost his life on Tuesday January 13th, in a fire at a senior citizens’ home in Sainte-Dorothée’s (567) Terrase Cyr. “It was fireplace related and definitely a result of the storm” confirmed sergeant Greene, who also noted that at the peak of the storm, some 400 people in all were forced to leave their homes and take refuge in one of the three shelters that were opened up by municipal authorities.

Merchants were also hard hit by the storm. Perishable foods that needed refrigeration were spoiled as clienteles got thinner and thinner, in some cases to the point of non-existent.

“This mess really did a number on me financially” lamented Dimitrios Tsekeris, owner and operator of Atomic restaurant. “The storm knocked out my telephone line, and Bell did not forward it to my other one. I spent six hours with three delivery guys and three orders in total” he said.

Mr. Tsekeris explained that when one of his two lines are busy, his incoming phone calls are transferred to his alternate lines. In this case, although his primary line got knocked out, the ringing sound could be heard just the same. Thus, no busy sound was available to forward the switch to his alternate line.

Efthimios Mourelatos, owner of the Mourelatos grocery stores – one of which is located in Laval – was also upset.

“I lost 50,000 dollars in goods that perished. I could have done without that” he quipped.

Dry cleaner Peter Beros echoed the same sentiments: “People only have one thing in mind at this time; to find shelter and warmth” he said in trying to put a rational face on a 40 percent drop in his business.

…and so do morals

The storm’s damage did not limit itself to a physical aspect. The human spirit was also tinted; mainly by greedy merchants who jacked up the prices of essential items during the crucial days. A well known United States-based department store chain raised the prices of batteries and flashlights  by 100 percent. Some Laval gas stations tripled the price of propane, while other merchants tripled the price of firewood. Certain restaurateurs also took part in the pricing of shame…

Their actions were despicable enough to warrant an outcry – no less surprisingly – by fellow merchants. “It’s despicable” protested pharmacist Spiros Fengos, who owns and operates a Pharmaprix on Curé-Labelle boulevard. “It just goes to show you how low some people can get” he continued, and added that he was also in a position to gouge but does not regard it as part of his moral make-up. “I sell approximately 57 “C” size batteries in an entire year. I sold 102 during the storm, in one day” he explained. I had increased revenues all while managing to keep a good name for my business during tough times” he explained; “I just can’t understand why someone would choose to shoot themselves in the foot” he concluded rhetorically in reference to the gougers.

Mr. Tsekeris also weighed in to the criticism. His target was the Labelle boulevard Canadian Tire branch. He usually fills up his 16 ounce propane tank for $2.99 or a 14 ounce tank at $1.99. Upon his arrival to fill up, he was shocked by the price increase. The 14 ounce tanks would now cost $9.99 to fill up.

Good Samaritans

If the human spirit was tinted during the storm, it was also and by the same token, strengthened.

Almost immediately as soon as the effects were starting to be felt in Montreal, the people of the Saguenay – the scenes and memories of flooding still fresh in memory – responded by sending enormous quantities of firewood to Montreal and the most hardest hit surrounding areas.

Several organisations – even corporate enterprises – got into the act.

On January 13 Heinz Canada shipped a truckload containing 2,000 cases of jarred and canned food to assist the relief effort in Quebec in response to a plea that Canadian companies contribute to a food distribution centre established at St-Hubert Military Base in Montreal.

“We contacted Quebec authorities and learned that jarred infant food and cereal were urgently required” said Paul Sneddon, Heinz Canada President and CEO. “Therefore, half of our shipment to Montreal consisted of jarred baby foods and cereals. We are very concerned about the large number of affected people, including many of our own employees and their families” he concluded.

The Canadian mortgage and housing corporation also helped in a very tangible way. The federal housing agency turned over its vacant housing units with electricity and water to Quebec public security, for people who had been affected by the power outages.

The Canadian Auto Workers’ union donated $250,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to help it meet the needs of victims of the massive ice storm.

“The Red Cross faces an incredible challenge as it races to provide support to thousands of Canadians who have been without power, light, heat and warm meals during this crisis,’’ said CAW president Buzz Hargrove.

The CAW has also asked its local unions across the country to help raise more funds for ice storm victims by contributing the equivalent of $1.25 per member, which means another $250,000 is committed to the massive relief effort. The CAW has more than 200,000 members.

In the past the CAW has also made substantial donations to those needing disaster support. The CAW gave a matched donation of $250,000 to victims of flooding in the Saguenay Lac. St. Jean region of Quebec in 1996 as well as $191,000 to the victims of the Manitoba flood of 1997.

The Independent Order of Foresters, a Toronto-based international fraternal benefit society with over one million members, has donated $100,000 to the Red Cross to help victims of the Eastern Ice Storm, and the president of the organization is calling on other organizations in Canada to give what they can. Volunteer fundraising efforts by IOF members were also held at International Headquarters and throughout the organization’s local chapters to give further aid to its members and communities. Some chapters have already delivered much-needed goods to Montreal area shelters.

In response to urgent requests from Montreal area municipal officials, Scott Paper delivered 80,000 rolls of hygienic tissue products to various shelters in the south and west shore of Montreal. In the last two weeks, Scott paper has delivered a total of 300,000 rolls of hygienic tissue products to community shelters in Quebec.

AT&T Canada has contributed $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross Ice Storm Relief Fund to help relief efforts in Québec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, on behalf of the 7,000 Canadians who work for the AT&T Canada branded family of companies across the country.

“This has been a truly devastating experience for the people and businesses of Québec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada,” said Jim Meenan, President and CEO of AT&T Canada Enterprises Inc. “We hope our contribution will help Canadians get through this difficult time and return to their normal way of life as quickly as possible.”

Réno Dépot opened up its stores on a 24 hour basis, taking in people who were looking to get away from the darkness and the cold, and serving as a staging point for the tonnes of goods that were collected by volunteers.

“The generosity was beyond belief” said Réno-Dépot spokesperson Nathalie Szuszkiewicz, in commenting the effort made at the Laval branch. “In just under two days, three 45 foot trucks worth of goods were collected and hauled out to the hardest hit areas.”

Even the banks welcomed the opportunity to polish up their image. Most of them announced sizable donations.

The Bank of Montreal, the CIBC, the Scotiabank Group  and the Toronto Dominion Bank all made 200,000 dollar donations intended to help disaster relief efforts for areas of Eastern Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces affected by the ice storm.

Agape representative Betty McCleod was elated at the reaction she got from various members of Laval’s ethnic communities. “I did not have to make one single phone call. Everything came on its own, in advance. The outpour of generosity and solidarity was amazing. We got enough goods together to feed forty families” she said with elation visible on her face.

Pondering the aftermath

In Laval, the “all clear” was sounded on Wednesday January 14th, in what municipal officials call a successful mobilisation of various emergency resources working well together at the same time. Power had been entirely restored…

During the crisis, a total of three shelters were opened; one in the Centre d’Accès and the other one at the Centre Saint-Joseph. For a brief while, the Cosmodôme also became a shelter. The part of Laval to suffer the most damage was the western area, including Chomedey. In addition, the closing off of the Lachapelle bridge – for de-icing – caused some tense moments for motorists.

On the bright side, however, according to Sergeant Greene, there was no overabundance of crime. Four homes on Elliot street were looted as a result of the storm but the perpetrators were found and arrested almost immediately.

“The call for volunteers was also answered rather impressively” continued Sergeant Greene. As soon as we requested some volunteer help, we got at least 800 call-backs. Green also mentioned that the shelters were adequately staffed, with various activities and that even food was handed out at the Centre de Bénévolat and various fire stations where firefighters could be found on duty.

According to City sources, the effort had succeeded to the point where Laval felt able to offer aid and expertise to other communities. As a result, it sent a generator to Saint-Bruno and ten volunteer police constables to the South Shore.

The LPD media relations officer also pointed out that firefighters and police constables put their contract negotiation gripes aside, and came out in full force, to aid in the disaster.

Some Lavallers, however, have some serious gripes of their own about the way things were handled in their city.

“First of all, I would really love to know who the genius who decided that the January 2nd snowfall should not be picked up, is. They all fell for those idiot predictions about it melting; just like in Montreal. Are they not bright enough to suspect that in the middle of winter, regardless of whatever water we get, things might just freeze” lamented a male Chomedey homeowner, punctuating the word ‘freeze’ and making it clear that he was not at all impressed with the conditions of the side streets. My street is un-navigable to cars” he protested pointing to hardened snow which had hardened atop some four inches of ice.

The plights of motorists have encountered great difficulty in getting around in various municipalities who decided to not clear the January 2nd snowfall. Before it turned into ice, the snow was imprinted by car tires, thus becoming somewhat of a forced railroad and preventing motorists from steering their car. Vehicles are to be thrust forward on grooves formed by the elements. “Should anyone park further away from the sidewalk and closer to the center of the street, I have no choice but to smack him. I can’t get my car out of these snow tracks” he continued. “It’s happened to many people I know.”

A senior citizen, who gave her name only as Carole, told TCN that she was surprised nobody came to get her. “I did not even know where the shelters were. I had no access to newspapers and no batteries. How would I be able to find out where to go?” she protested. The information should be given out much more efficiently.”

The seventy-two year-old Chomedey resident felt that this was a crisis that only the young and mobile can survive. Our needs (those of senior citizens) were not looked after that well. We have special needs” she said.

Tallying the cost

As the dust begins to settle, Lavallers and Quebeckers in general, realise that they have been shaken from their very foundations. Twenty-one lives were lost as a result of the dreaded iceman’s deeds. Merchants, farmers and producers lost millions in revenues, as the total cost breaks through the two billion dollar barrier and keeps climbing. People find themselves exposed to potential rate hikes from insurance companies who will most certainly use the storm as an excuse to jack up their prices. Some businesses have been unmasked as crooks and bandits. Hydro-Quebec, a supposed world giant and a model of efficiency and technological advancement throughout the globe, is backed into a corner, facing dozens of embarrassing questions. Even the politics has changed. Nobody talks of referenda and sovereignty, and some uncomfortable moments and situations of the past in Canada’s military have been more than compensated for by the great job the troops are said to have done in assisting Hydro and police crews.

Slowly, the province tries to rise again. We all just hope that the second ice storm predicted in the Farmers’ Almanac for February will not come true…

Martin C. Barry

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government now half-way through its first mandate, Newsfirst Multimedia had the opportunity recently to touch base with one of the senior members of the Trudeau cabinet.

First elected an MP for the riding of Vancouver South in 2015, Harjit Sajjan was appointed Defence Minister by Justin Trudeau in November that year. Sajjan was the first Sikh Canadian to become Defence Minister.

Newsfirst Multimedia Co-publisher George Guzmas and journalist Martin C. Barry had the privilege to sit down with Sajjan for an interview at the federal cabinet’s Quebec region offices in Old Montreal. What follows is an abbreviated transcript of the interview.

Newsfirst: As an Indo-Canadian, you are seen as a role model by many young people in the Indo-Canadian community, including a good number in one of our readership areas. What is your message to young people in general, including Indo-Canadian youths?

Harjit Sajjan: I look at it regardless of what your origins are. What’s important is to have the confidence to believe in yourself. People think that looks attract. I always feel that actually confidence attracts. What I always say is believe in yourself. Don’t let anybody tell you what you can’t do. Just have pride in yourself and if you want to learn more about your culture learn it. But, more importantly, learn about others. That’s the biggest thing: to genuinely learn about other cultures. And when you learn about each other, that’s when you break down those barriers. The ultimate thing is if you want to make a difference and it’s your choice, go for it. That’s what really excites me – how we can set an example. Because we had mentors in our lives who helped us and now it’s our responsibility to help the next generation.

Newsfirst: Canada held a joint exercise recently with the U.S. to simulate a nuclear attack on both countries. Can you tell us a little bit about Canada’s preparedness for the possibility of nuclear war?

Harjit Sajjan: Certainly when it comes to the safety of Canadians this is what the Canadian Armed Forces are for. We’re looking at foreign threats, we look at all conflicts and especially anything that can impact us back at home. And we conduct joint exercises with our allies. In fact, I can hardly even keep track of how many exercises. But more importantly, on a daily basis we work with the U.S. quite regularly. And that’s why in our defence policy a part of it is called A Secure North America, with our most important ally the U.S. In fact, we probably have 800 personnel actually in the U.S. We actually have generals who are deputy-commanders of the U.S. corps’s, in making cases working at headquarters like Pacific Command out of Hawaii and many other places including CENTCOM [United States Central Command]. So we do a lot of exercises. But this is what good militaries do – prudent planning, making sure that we train. We always want to make sure that we train well. But let’s never forget the most important thing is diplomacy. And [Foreign Affairs] Minister Freeland is working extremely hard. Especially when it comes to North Korea, we’re working with the U.S. and other allies to allow diplomacy to work.

Newsfirst: Has there been a growing awareness lately of the nuclear issue given the tensions over North Korea?

Harjit Sajjan: We’ve been monitoring the situation with North Korea for some time. Obviously we’ve seen an increase in some of the missile testing, which we unequivocally condemn. We asked them to de-escalate the situation. Because it’s not good for them, it’s not good for our allies in the region. And we’ll continue to find different ways. Our government is committed to working with our allies. And, as I stated, Minister Freeland has stated that she’ll be working with the U.S. and many other allies in terms of trying to come up with potential solutions to this. And until then we’ll always keep planning and making sure that Canadians are always safe.

Newsfirst: In terms of support for civilian infrastructure like electricity, water, fuel in the event of a military cataclysm, does the Ministry of Defence have any plans for providing support to civilians?

Harjit Sajjan: Canadian Forces are here to provide all the necessary support needed for any type of disasters. As we prepare for any type of horrible disasters that we hope we never come to, we have to keep in mind what are the things that we mainly respond to in natural disasters. So whether, for example, it’s floods and a week later it’s something else we have to deal with, those are the things. For example, in Quebec here we will always be quick to arrive and slow to leave to make sure Canadians are confident that the Canadian Armed Forces, with all the other security partners working with the provincial government and with the municipalities, will always be there for them to give that sense of calm. I’m very proud of all the work the Canadian Armed Forces have done, because I like to visit a lot of the communities in the region, as I’ve done for the fires situation in B.C. as well. We’ll always be there for Canadians.

Newsfirst: It seems that the current policy of the U.S. is not to intervene should Canada come under ballistic missile attack. How endangered might we be from an attack by North Korea, for example?

Harjit Sajjan: As I’ve stated, we monitor these situations extremely closely and we’ve been doing this for a very long time. In fact, this is one of the reasons why in our national defence policy we look at the various threats. In fact, we actually had our national defence committee go down to NORAD to take a look at what they do to make a recommendation. So what some people sometimes look at is the defensive aspect of missile defence. What I look at is what are we trying to protect ourselves from. So when we talk about the air threat from ballistic missiles, we fully understand that and we work very closely with NORAD – it’s a bi-national command that we have. But what I also want to do, and it’s in defence policy, is how do we look at all perils and threats. So I don’t want to just focus on one threat and then not be set up for the next. The military is there to also potentially look at flexibility for dealing with new threats. So when we do the analysis for this as we move forward, especially when it comes to North American defence and modernization, we’re going to be looking at all sorts of threats – from the air, land, surface, on the water, and also underwater as well. And that will allow us to figure out what are the things that we need. So we don’t just want to focus on one issue, we want to make sure that we’re looking at it from a completely holistic aspect of things, and then we’ll make some decisions.

Newsfirst: You served in Afghanistan. What sort of impact did that have on you personally, compared to other learning experiences in your lifetime?

Harjit Sajjan: When it comes to my experience, I’m very fortunate. I had the opportunity to serve. It allowed me to see the tremendous impact that our Canadian soldiers can have on the ground, and the need also for them. But we need to support them. And so as the minister now, I realize that if we’re going to sustain something like this we’re going to have to make sure that they’re well looked after, and our defence policy now does just that. And so it really helped form my thinking on this, and that’s one of the reasons for putting our people first – it’s because of our experience in Afghanistan. Coalition members always want us to be part of the solution when it comes to many different conflicts. So it also gives us a far better understanding of what type of tools are needed to understand conflict. And our defence policies put in the right resources into certain areas, especially when it comes to intelligence. That’s why we’re going to be making sure that our Canadian forces can have the technology and the tools for the future. But let’s never forget our number one asset is always our women and men in uniform. And looking after them and then giving them the right tools is really going to make the difference.

Newsfirst: There was controversy over your role in Operation Medusa in Afghanistan. We understand from reading various sources that you made a significant contribution to the operation in terms of intelligence gathering, although perhaps it has been misunderstood. Can you set the record straight on this matter?

Harjit Sajjan: I’ve been very clear on this. Regrettably, to talk about your own experience in this political realm, people often want to take it a different way. I’m very proud of my service. I got to meet people who served in those areas and I’ve very proud that I was able to serve with them. They know what I’ve accomplished and I know exactly what other people have accomplished. I think what people should know is that regardless of anything, you should be proud of the impact that you have. In fact, for me I found it very disappointing from the opposition on how they tried to portray and attack my service when at the end of the day it’s not what I did nor how I served. So I’ll always be very proud of my service, because when my children look at me, my daughter she looks at me to this day and she knows how long I’ve been away from her, and I have a son now who didn’t know this. So I want my children to be very proud of the fact so that they can have an impact on this world. My daughter knows that I gave up a career to go serve in Afghanistan. I actually gave up my policing career because I couldn’t get leave of absence to deploy a third time when I deployed with the Americans on their request. But I gave it up because my service was needed, so I went. So I am extremely proud of what I’ve been able to do and it serves me well as a minister now that I can ask the right questions, I can put the right resources, and it is my privilege to be able to serve them.

Newsfirst: In terms of Canada’s role as a peacekeeper, the government has said it wants the country to resume its past role as an international peacekeeper, although so far we are seeing relatively little of that resolve being turned into action. Is there more peacekeeping in Canada’s future?

Harjit Sajjan: It isn’t always just about peacekeeping, it’s about what is Canada’s contribution going to be to the U.N. on peace-support operations. And Canada is committed. We’ve made the announcement of how we’re going to do this. We committed a little over a year ago what we’re willing to contribute based on our analysis and how we’re going to do it. What we want to do is make sure that when we contribute something it’s actually going to have an impact on the ground. For any government, it is a difficult decision anytime you send your most precious treasure into conflict zones. So you want to make sure they’re going to have the right impact on the ground, and to do this they have to be well-supported, trained and equipped, have the right rules of engagement and the right mandate, as well. But what we’ve offered the U.N. right now is exactly what the U.N. was looking for: innovative ways on how to have an impact on their peace-support operations, rather than just picking locations and putting all your resources in one area and expecting a mass of changes, which is not going to happen. What we’re trying to do is, there are already missions that are ongoing, great work has been done. But there’s been challenges, as well. So what we want to do is our contributions have an impact and support the United Nations’ work that’s going on. At the same time, some of those challenges, for example, were troop-contributing nations having been part of the problem. There have been peacekeepers who have not done their jobs well. We need to make sure that these things change. And so we’ve offered up an initiative on how to help the entire peace-support operation. So what we’re trying to do is help the U.N. to make all their missions better. Imagine if other nations also followed suit in doing this with the principles we have outlined, now you might actually see for the long-term of having a substantial impact for not just one mission, but potentially across the board.

Newsfirst: Based on the allocation of budgets, in what state (equipment and personnel) are the Canadian Forces in now?

Harjit Sajjan: ‎Our government’s new defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, establishes a new vision and approach for defence. Our government has laid out an ambitious yet realistic plan so that Canada can meet defence challenges now and into the future. Defence spending will increase over the next 10 years from $18.9 billion to $32.7 billion annually. The regular force will grow by 3,500 members and the reserves by 1,500. Investments will also be made to acquire, maintain, and upgrade CAF capabilities.

Newsfirst: What would be the ideal number of troops and equipment for the Canadian Armed Forces?

Harjit Sajjan: To ensure the CAF has the people and capabilities it needs to succeed on its missions, we will increase the size of the regular force to 71,500 personnel, and the reserve force to 30,000, and better support their health and welfare. Our government will also undertake the largest defence modernization effort in decades, supported by a rigorous, evidence-based capability planning process‎. Additionally, we will invest in areas such as intelligence, targeting and Arctic capabilities. We will also pursue critical enablers in the space and cyber domains.‎

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.

(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.”