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Laval-Les Îles MP Fayçal El-Khoury confident Carney has what it takes

Martin C. Barry
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Laval-Les Îles MP Fayçal El-Khoury confident Carney has what it takes

Expects new Liberal gov’t to move swiftly on affordability, home buying and Trump

With volunteers wrapping up their work at Fayçal El-Khoury’s campaign headquarters in Sainte-Dorothée last Monday evening, the incumbent Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP was optimistic the incoming Liberal government would hold to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s promise to deliver solid economic policies to counter U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariffs as well as his threats to annex Canada.

Longtime Liberal seat

The polls hadn’t yet closed on election night when The Laval News sat down for a post-election interview with El-Khoury, who was well on track to winning his fourth term since first being elected in 2015.

As his riding has been one of the most reliable Liberal Party of Canada fortresses for several generations of voters, there was no reason to believe on the evening of April 28 that the outcome would be any different.

Throughout the evening, El-Khoury enjoyed a comfortable lead of more than 15 percentage points over his nearest rival – Konstantinos Merakos of the Conservatives.

While the polls had closed nationally at 9:30 pm, it was eleven minutes past 10 when the French-language TVA network projected a Liberal government coming in. Before the hour was up, there were additional projections of a minority Liberal government.

A lot on the Liberal plate

The Laval News asked El-Khoury what his predictions are for the direction the country will be taking under a new Liberal government led by Mark Carney. “With a leader like Mark Carney, he is the only one who led two major banks, in Canada and Britain,” he said.

“He is a great economist, and he is planning right away to do whatever needs to be done in order to deal with issues like affordability, building homes, trying to bring rents down, and first buyers of homes who don’t want to worry about the future.”

Other issues he said the Liberal government under Carney will be taking on are food availability and combatting inflation. “And we are seeing inflation and interest rates going down since Mr. Carney took power,” said El-Khoury.

Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury on election night last Monday at his campaign headquarters in Laval’s Sainte-Dorothée district. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Dealing with Trump

“And also one of the greatest and biggest challenges is how to deal with Mr. Trump,” he continued. “He [Carney] made it clear he’s going to stand and make sure we keep our Canadian values, our sovereignty, our independence.

“I especially like that in all his speeches he has united Canadians. And we have to be united no matter what party we belong to. And I am sure he is the right leader at the right moment for Canadians from coast to coast.”

Just as former prime minister Justin Trudeau was regarded by many political observers as free-spending, Mark Carney is viewed as being far more austere in his fiscal outlook, especially as his background is in finance and number-crunching.

Balancing the budget first

The Laval News asked El-Khoury whether Canadians can perhaps expect to see some extravagant budget cuts with Carney now leading the country. “Listen, he has already said what he is going to do,” El-Khoury suggested.

“He said he’s going to balance the budget and he would find a way to invest more to bring the economy back up. And he knows a lot about how to invest in order to improve our record. And that is exactly how he is going to do it – by investing, not by cutting.”

Incumbent Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury is seen here on election night last Monday with his wife and key staff members at his campaign headquarters in Sainte-Dorothée. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Thanks his team

In closing, El-Khoury said he wanted to express his thanks to all the citizens of Laval-Les Îles, as well as to all the volunteers, staff and other members of his campaign team, including family. “Because of them I am here,” he said.

“I will always listen to each and every one of them, and I hope that together we can bring forward more projects, more developments for the people of Laval-Les Îles.”

Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour introduces bill allowing landlords and tenants a say in rent adjustments

Martin C. Barry
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Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour introduces bill allowing landlords and tenants a say in rent adjustments
Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour.

(NEWSFIRST) – While the Minister responsible for Housing has just unveiled the new criteria used to calculate rent increases by the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL), the Official Opposition Critic for Housing, Virginie Dufour, has introduced a bill to create an independent committee to make recommendations on rent-setting criteria.

With her bill, the Liberal MP advocates for a change in the tool for calculating the NLP so that it is fair, simple and balanced. Housing and tenants’ rights associations must be involved in this formula.

A revision of the TAL scale should make it possible to mitigate the sudden effects for tenants, and to ensure that owners have the necessary resources to maintain the rental housing stock.

A revision of the grid must reflect the real costs of homeowners, insists Ms. Dufour.

“This important responsibility for establishing the criteria for setting rents must no longer fall solely on the will of the Minister responsible for Housing,” said Dufour.

“Homeowner and tenant associations are in the best position to agree on what needs to be considered based on the evolution of the market and the reality of the moment,” she added. “This is why we propose the creation of a joint committee, which will meet every five years, with the function of making recommendations to the TAL on this subject.

“All the groups in the field are dissatisfied with the new rules unilaterally imposed by the minister when they should rather be part of the solution by being directly involved in its formulation,” said Dufour. “I ask the CAQ to proceed quickly with the study of this bill.”

A new beginning for Laval’s Armenian Genocide memorial

Laval News Contributor
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A new beginning for Laval’s Armenian Genocide memorial

(NEWSFIRST) – On the Commemoration Day of the Armenian Genocide, the City of Laval announced the relocation of the monument dedicated to the memory of the victims.

This artwork by artist Arto Tchakmakchian, part of the City of Laval’s Public Art Collection, will be moved to a more accessible location within Coccinelles Park. This decision follows a preliminary agreement reached with the Joint Laval Committee for the Armenian Genocide Monument.

This significant monument, which commemorates the over 1.5 million victims of the 1915 genocide, has stood since 2013 alongside an off-ramp of Highway 440 on Daniel-Johnson Boulevard. Its new site, chosen through mutual agreement between the City and representatives of the Laval Armenian community, will offer a more fitting environment for reflection and remembrance.

The City of Laval will be responsible for the costs associated with relocating the artwork and its concrete base, developing the new site, restoring the current location, and ensuring the monument’s upkeep and preservation at its new home.

The monument’s form and the inscription engraved on its base will remain unchanged.

“By providing this monument with a more accessible and appropriate location, we reaffirm our solidarity with the Armenian community and our commitment to the values of peace, justice, and recognition,” stated Stéphane Boyer, the Mayor of Laval.

“The Armenian community is an integral part of Laval’s social fabric, and I thank them for their collaboration. This gesture reflects our commitment to preserving and highlighting the sites of memory that shape our collective history.”

“On this day of commemoration, my thoughts go with emotion to all the families marked by the Armenian Genocide,” added Seta Topouzian, the municipal councillor for the Renaud district. “This monument, in its new location, will allow everyone to remember, reflect, and pass on this essential memory to future generations.

Fatal bus crash driver ruled not criminally responsible

Martin C. Barry
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Fatal bus crash driver ruled not criminally responsible

Former STL bus driver Pierre Ny St-Amand, who was at the wheel of the bus that crashed into a Sainte-Rose daycare in early 2023, killing two children and injuring others, was found not criminally responsible on Tuesday because of mental incapacity, according to a judge.

An aerial view of the bus crash on the morning of Wednesday Feb. 8 2023. (Screenshot courtesy of Nouvelles TVA)

In rendering his decision, Quebec Superior Court judge Eric Downs pointed out that not criminally responsible is neither an acquittal nor a conviction.

He said the court was convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the 53-year-old was suffering from a psychosis on February 8 in 2023.

Among other things, St-Amand was reported by witnesses to have removed his clothing in the moments after the crash, while also speaking incomprehensibly.

St-Amand has been ordered to remain indefinitely detained at the Philippe Pinel Institute, a psychiatric hospital in Montreal for those found not responsible for their acts because of a mental disorder.

The crown prosecution has asked that St-Amand be declared a “high risk accused” to public security.

City to rename a municipal garage in memory of Marc Desforges

Martin C. Barry
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City to rename a municipal garage in memory of Marc Desforges

The City of Laval announced earlier this week that the sector three municipal garage on Chomedey Blvd. will be renamed in honor of Marc Desforges, a blue-collar employee who died in the year 2000 while on duty.

A proposal to rename the garage in his memory was put forward by a public works employee – who had been a friend of Desforges – and who circulated a petition. More than 1,270 City of Laval employees supported the proposal.

The decision came as people around the world were marking International Workers’ Memorial Day (National Day of Mourning in Canada) on April 28, honouring the memory of those who have been killed, been injured or gotten sick because of their job.

A day to remember

It’s also a day to remember and stand with municipal workers’ families, who are collateral victims. Laval city council will confirm the decision at its next public meeting on May 6.

“Twenty-five years later, the tragic event which cost this beloved employee his life continues to affect those who witnessed what happened as well as those who intervened,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer.

“Each victim of a work accident or a work-related illness is one to many,” he continued. “Honoring the memory of Marc Desforges by giving his name to the sector three municipal garage is a reminder that we need to be involved together and on a daily basis in the prevention and reduction of risks from work accidents.”

A family tradition

Marc Desforges was a blue-collar worker with the city since the age of 18. At age 27, he lost his life in the sector three garage. He came from a family in which several members had also been municipal employees. His father, Gilles, was a plumber with the city for more than 20 years, while his mother, the late Lucille Bonneau, was well-known for her involvement in the community.

Over the past 50 years, according to the city, a total of eight municipal employees have died while performing their duties. Among the deceased blue-collar workers were truck and equipment operator Maurice Vanier in 1975, electrician Jean Maheu in 1980, labourer Jacques Filiatreault in 1985, firefighter Langis Villeneuve in 2020, as well as police officers François Florent in 1957, Valérie Gignac in 2005, Daniel Tessier in 2007 and Éric Lavoie in 2008.

Corrections made by city

In 2017, commemorative plaques were installed in all the city’s municipal garages in memory of the city’s blue collars who departed suddenly as a result workplace illnesses or injuries. Individual plaques were also installed, with family members, elected officials and workplace colleagues of the deceased present.

In recent years, according to the city, efforts have been undertaken to improve workplace health and safety. For example, certain pieces of equipment have been modified with things like protective grills, while staff have received additional training in workplace safety.

Committed to improving

“On the occasion of this Day of Mourning, the city states again its commitment to pursue efforts towards improving its programs, and issues a reminder of the responsibility of each one of us with regards to personal security as well as that of colleagues,” states the city.

Marked annually in Canada on April 28, the National Day of Mourning is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives, suffered injury or illness on the job, or experienced a work-related tragedy. It’s also a day for employers and workers alike to collectively renew their commitment to improving health and safety in the workplace and to prevent further injuries, illnesses and deaths.

In 1991, eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress, the Parliament of Canada passed the Workers Mourning Day Act making April 28 an official Day of Mourning.

Marked around the world

The Day of Mourning has since spread to more than 100 countries around the world and is recognized as Workers’ Memorial Day, and as International Workers’ Memorial Day by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

According to the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), in 2023, there were 1,057 workplace fatalities recorded in Canada. Among these deaths were 29 young workers aged 15-24.

Add to these fatalities the 274,022 accepted claims for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease, including 32,861 from workers aged 15-24, and the fact these statistics only include what is reported and accepted by the compensation boards, there is no doubt the total number of workers impacted is even greater.

A new direction for Canada following country’s 2025 election

Martin C. Barry
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A new direction for Canada following country’s 2025 election

As virtually all politicians and electoral candidates know from experience, nothing beats going door-to-door during an election campaign – no matter how time-consuming and exhausting it might be.

Not only does it offer an opportunity to touch base and get your message out to decided and undecided voters. It also allows incumbent and novice candidates alike to gain a sense of what’s actually happening on the ground, and what possibly to expect long before the ballot counting has been completed.

It seemed fairly clear during the month-long campaign for Canada’s 2025 general election that the Liberals were edging significantly ahead of the Conservatives – much to Conservative leader Pierre Poilièvre’s dismay.

While Poilièvre had every good reason to believe, as late as last January, that he’d easily be waltzing into power because of former PM Justin Trudeau’s overwhelming unpopularity – as well as Trudeau’s headstrong determination to lead the Liberals to what would have been almost certain defeat – Mark Carney’s arrival completely changed the scenario and stole the wind out of Poilièvre’s sails.

If the Conservatives made one error – being an overall reflection of their tendency throughout the campaign – it may have been to dwell too long on issues that typically appeal to the emotions – such as violent crime and elaborate punishments – rather than economic problems – which were the Liberal focus for the most part during the campaign.

While Canadians and Quebecers are as preoccupied by crime (including violent criminal acts, but increasingly also fraud and online scams) as they were a decade ago when the Conservatives were last in power, it’s clear that in this election their minds were on threats of an economic type coming from Donald Trump and the U.S.

Carney and the Liberals returned to this theme again and again. But, in the meantime in the closing days of the campaign, Poilièvre – like a hockey coach who’d pulled the goalie in a last desperate bid – ratcheted up his tough-on-crime rhetoric in the apparent hopes this might offer a better chance of jarring undecided voters into supporting the Conservatives.

As well, around the half-way mark in the campaign, Poilièvre announced that a Conservative government would be “giving judges back the power to sentence multiple murderers to consecutive prison sentences without parole eligibility beyond 25 years.”

Canada has indeed experienced up to 10 mass murders in a little more than a decade. They include the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting in which six people were murdered, the 2018 Toronto van attack in which 11 were mowed down and killed, and now the Vancouver Filipino street festival car attack with nine fatalities.

The fact that the last of these took place just a day before Canadians went to the polls may have led more than a few voters to support the hardline tough-on-crime views promoted by the Conservatives.

In the run-up to election day, and another example of Poilièvre’s style of politics, he pledged to have the country’s MPs sit over the summer holidays until they would pass three key pieces of legislation.

But what real impact could a measure like this have, except as a raw emotional appeal to Canadian voters so teed off at government that seeing their MPs punished by being virtually held hostage in the House of Commons with a symbolic gun to their heads would be enough to secure votes for the Conservatives?

If anything, it’s the type of political blackmail – the equivalent of holding democracy hostage – one would previously have imagined only Donald Trump stooping to. But it was Poilièvre threatening to use such a juvenile tactic.

Describing Mark Carney in an opinion piece in The New York Times last Sunday, technology journalist David Wallace-Wells said Carney “may emerge from this month’s elections as the new face of global liberalism,” with Carney having previously “declared the eight-decade-old economic order – on which the modern American empire was built – simply ‘over.’”

If that is so, then Canada stands to play an increasingly significant role in the emerging new order, beginning with the willingness of our leaders to stand up to Trump and the U.S. in defiance to the belligerent threats that are certain to continue while Trump remains in office.

– Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia –

Education institutions sign up for consortium at city’s Carré Laval

Martin C. Barry
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Education institutions sign up for consortium at city’s Carré Laval

Laval inks agreement with INRS, UQAM, Collège Montmorency and Collège LaSalle

Since spring is a time for planting seeds and encouraging growth, it was fitting that officials from the City of Laval and four Montreal-area higher education institutions chose a day in April to sign an agreement to form a consortium aimed at building a college and university campus near the city’s expansive Carré Laval.

City and four partners

The agreement was announced earlier this month with a formal document signing between the city and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) Collège Montmorency and Collège LaSalle.

Mayor Stéphane Boyer is seen here with representatives of Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) Collège Montmorency, Collège LaSalle and Carré Laval following the signing of a protocol of agreement earlier this month. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

The campus would constitute a fourth component at Carré Laval, where residential, commercial and light industry are already slated for development. Located on a large, mostly vacant square of land at the southwest intersection of Autoroute 15 and Saint-Martin Blvd., Carré Laval’s development will be taking place over a span of 20 years.

A mostly vacant site

The most notable landmarks until now near the Carré Laval site have been the Palais de Justice, the abandoned stone quarry behind the courthouse, and in more recent years the temporary staging base for the lightshow entertainment start-up Illumi Laval.

“This reimagined campus project will be adding to the availability of higher learning in Laval – the third-largest city in Quebec which is in full growth,” states a blurb issued by the five partners, adding that the project would be a key element in helping to train or retain new talent, while generating impactful commercial and industrial projects.

“Laval’s needs for higher education and research are great,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer prior to signing the city into a consortium to create a higher education campus at Carré Laval. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

According to their press release, the centre will have room for a research laboratory, specialized businesses, innovative organizations and enterprise accelerators, as well as green spaces open to the public in order to encourage open access to higher learning.

Local and global

“With a growing population and a sustained economic outlook, Laval’s needs for higher education and research are great,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “This initiative illustrates Laval’s commitment along with its partners to offer all Laval residents local access to education and research of global calibre.

“This strategic collaboration will help form future generations directly on our territory, while stimulating innovation and making our area more attractive,” he added. “In the current economic context, it would be essential for us to aim for innovative solutions out of the box, and that’s exactly what we are doing with this reimagined campus project.”

Jenny Desrochers, a spokesperson for UQAM, noted in an e-mail to The Laval News that UQAM has been present in Laval for over 40 years and “has been a partner from the very beginning of the Carré Laval project, which focuses on knowledge, innovation, and social transition,” while adding that Mayor Boyer is a UQAM graduate.

UQAM at Carré Laval

She said UQAM is spearheading three initiatives to be part of Carré Laval: a Global Health Innovation Zone (global health being an approach advocated by the university for the development of health sciences at UQAM); establishment of a laboratory school with UQAM’s faculty of education to improve teacher training; and training of the next generation of French-speaking scientists, in collaboration with INRS.

“UQAM’s research expertise is already sought by various partners in Laval and will continue to be so as part of the revitalization and redevelopment of urban centers, particularly with a view to ecological transition,” said Desrochers.

“Carré Laval is a promising project which continues more than 80 years of scientific health research in Laval,” said Luc-Alain Giraldeau, the INRS’s general manager. “The Carré constitutes a solid base for the INRS’s vision. We are out to generate impactful research done by all those determined to bring it to life.”

A conceptual rendering of Carré Laval when completed. (Photo: Courtesy of City of Laval)

Growing education horizons

The head of Collège Montmorency suggested the CEGEP is anxious to get started on the project. “Collège Montmorency is happy to take part in this collaboration and to explore the possibilities,” said Benoit Lessard.

“This consortium offers us a unique opportunity to pursue our educational mission by taking actively part at a place of innovation and collaboration, while at the same time benefiting all our students.”

Claude Marchand, CEO of Collège LaSalle, was equally enthused. “This project marks an important step in the future of training and employability in the region,” he said.

“Collège LaSalle is strengthening its commitment to renewing a workforce ready to enter a labour market that is constantly evolving,” added Marchand. “Thanks to our campus in Laval, we are becoming a real link between tomorrow’s talents and the real needs of creative industries and technologies,” he added.

Laval News Volume 33-09

Laval News Staff
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Laval News Volume 33-09

The current issue of the Laval News, volume 33-09, published on April 30th, 2025.
Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)

Angry motorist slams into front entrance doors at Laval Police HQ

Martin C. Barry
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Angry motorist slams into front entrance doors at Laval Police HQ

An apparently angry man in his late 20s was placed under arrest last Saturday outside Laval Police Dept. headquarters on Chomedey Blvd. after he drove his car into the building’s front entrance doors, causing extensive damage.

Security cameras, which are always plentiful at police stations, captured the moment when the driver rammed the glass front entrance doors at 2911 Chomedey Blvd.

The front entrance doors at the Laval Police Dept.’s headquarters building at 2911 Chomedey Blvd. can be seen on the left of the police car. (Laval News file photo: Martin C. Barry)

The cameras also recorded the suspect, identified by TVA Nouvelles as Zakaria Sadji, arriving in his car at the police headquarters parking lot, pointing the car directly at the front doors, then driving into them.

Although the police headquarters front doors lead into a spacious reception area, no injuries were reported.

After demolishing the entrance, he reversed, then reportedly waited quietly for police officers to arrive and arrest him.

Sadji was arraigned on Monday at the Palais de Justice de Laval on Saint-Martin Blvd. where he pleaded not guilty to charges of public mischief and dangerous driving.

120 Citizens from Laval and Montreal presented with Lieutenant Governor’s Medals

Laval News Contributor
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120 Citizens from Laval and Montreal presented with Lieutenant Governor’s Medals

Quebec Lieutenant Governor Manon Jeannotte presided over two Lieutenant Governor’s Medal presentation ceremonies, held on Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., at École secondaire Saint-Maxime in Laval.

“What you bring to your community goes far beyond the actions you take,” she said during the ceremony. “You inspire a Quebec where everyone can believe in the power of human connection.”

A total of 120 citizens were honoured for their remarkable contribution to Quebec society, receiving the Lieutenant Governor’s Medals in the Youth (111) and Seniors (8) categories as well as the King Charles III coronation Medal (1).

The Lieutenant Governor’s Medals aim to recognize the commitment, determination, and selflessness of citizens from all regions of Quebec who have had, or continue to have, a positive influence within their community or across the province.

There are five categories:

  • The Youth Medal
  • The Seniors Medal
  • The Medal for Exceptional Merit
  • The First Nations Medal
  • The Inuit Medal
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