Click here to read the Laval News Volume 25-13 online
This is a archived copy in PDF format of the Laval News Volume 25-13 that was published and distributed June 28, 2017.
This issue covers local events such us politics, sports and human interest stories. It features editorials and other columns
Martin C. Barry
The Mouvement Lavallois, the party led by Mayor Marc Demers which currently dominates Laval city council, is entering the final stretch before the next municipal election with a record 5,600 signed-up members and a campaign war chest containing more than $129,000.
While the ML is aiming to have as much as $250,000 on hand before the Nov. 5 election, it will be the first time a municipal election takes place in Laval with new rules for political party fundraising since the provincial government brought in changes.
One of the new regulations, which is aimed at levelling the playing field for all parties while discouraging corrupt fundraising practices like those of the former Vaillancourt administration, will see Laval’s municipal parties allotted funding by the city based on the number of votes won in the election.
“They [the government] chose that way to assure that political parties don’t have to rely so much on private donations,” Demers said in an interview with the Laval News on June 11 during a break at the ML’s annual general meeting at Collège Letendre. It was attended by around 120 members.
Noting that moves to change political fundraising rules started as far back as when René Lévesque was Quebec’s Premier, but accelerated with recommendations made by the federal Gomery Commission into the Liberal Sponsorship Scandal, Demers said the current Quebec government followed suit last year with its own political fundraising revisions.
“In Laval, political parties will get about 60 cents every year per vote they get in the election,” said Demers, adding that those rules are now in effect, although the ML will only be declaring that source of revenue at its next annual general meeting.
“It’s not in our report because our report is for last year when we didn’t get anything. But that will be a major change.” According to Demers, most of the ML’s current treasury is being saved for the 2017 election campaign. Although the ML has no office (unlike the former mayor’s Parti Pro des Lavallois), it has one part-time staffer (Loïc Bouffard-Dumas) working one day a week for the party.
“We keep our expenses at a minimum to keep the money for the campaign,” the mayor said. He suggested the ML is using a very strategic and planned approach to fundraising. “If you start raising money six months before the campaign, it’s not healthy if I can put it that way.
“Because it’s very tough, you have temptation: people might offer you big amounts,” he continued. “We didn’t want to be there. So we started right after the last election doing financing with suppers and things like that to have money available for the campaign. This started three years ago.”
Martin C. Barry
Seven Laval-area groups providing assistance to senior citizens and their caregivers will be benefiting from $1.2 million in subsidies announced by Quebec Minister for Senior Citizens Francine Charbonneau who made the announcement on June 5 at the Place des Aînés community centre in Chomedey.
Mayor Marc Demers, who was on hand for the announcement, said it was good news for seniors as well as for those who take of them. He said organizations like l’Appui Laval do incalculably valuable work and the money they are receiving from Quebec is well spent by the government.
For her part, Charbonneau said the groups chosen to receive the subsidies give back many times more. “Each time you help one person, you are helping a family and who knows how many more people,” she said. “Calculate it any way to like, but each time you reach out to help, you are helping many, many people.”
“For over five years, l’Appui Laval has been committed to increasing its services offered to Laval caregivers,” said Mariette Chalifoux, president of l’Appui Laval, which is serving as an umbrella for the seven recipients of the funding.
“Information, psychological support and respite services which are offered by community organizations provide valuable support to caregivers and contribute in improving their quality of life,” she added. In 2012, according to l’Appui, Quebec had more than 1.13 million family caregivers who provided care and support to a senior. One in 10 caregivers spends more than 20 hours a week on their caregiving duties.
For the next two years, l’Appui Laval is committed to financially supporting 14 projects presented by the organizations. The projects will allow caregivers who support an elderly person with a loss of autonomy to access various services that meet their needs. The organizations chosen to receive the subsidies are:
The Association lavalloise de parents et amis pour le bien-être mental (ALPABEM), which develops information and training services for caregivers of seniors with mental health issues; The Association lavalloise des personnes aidantes (ALPA), which hosts conferences and provides individual and group support for caregivers of seniors. In addition it offers a home respite service 24/7; the Centre Communautaire le Rendez-Vous des Aînés (CCRVA) and the Comité d’animation du troisième âge de Laval (CLAVA), which provides respite days for caregivers by welcoming seniors to their premises;
Senior Citizens Minister Francine Charbonneau
The Coopérative de soutien à domicile de Laval, which is starting a home respite service that will let caregivers get a break for a few hours in order to meet a one-time need; The Services sociaux helléniques du Québec, which in collaboration with ALPA will assist English-speaking and various community caregivers. Their goal is to ensure awareness of the different resources and services offered to them in Laval; The Alzheimer Society Laval, which provides a range of services for caregivers of a person with Alzheimer, including home consultation, respite for one-time need and respite with accompaniment.
As Charbonneau made clear while delivering some of her remarks in English, the provincial government wants to increase the availability of services for English-speaking senior citizens and their caregivers. One of the organizations, Services sociaux helléniques du Québec, will be carrying out some of this mandate.
“We will sensitize and inform mainly in English, in order to facilitate the accessibility of services,” said Chrysoula Beletsiotis, coordinator for the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal’s caregiver program.
“We will target natural caregivers of the elderly within the anglophone and ethno cultural communities of Ste-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest, Les Îles-Laval, Fabreville-Ouest and Chomedey,” she added. “Even though we have managed to sensitize a significant number of caregivers to date, there are still so many more caregivers of the elderly that need to be reached before they burnout. We have only touched the tip of the iceberg.”
Martin C. Barry
At the beginning of Laval city council’s monthly meeting on June 6, Mayor Marc Demers paid homage to members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Red Cross, municipal employees and volunteers who all did their part to help provide relief during the recent flooding crisis in Laval.
According to the mayor, nearly 1,200 Laval employees were involved in the flood relief effort.
“This evening and with the greatest respect, I wish on behalf of all the citizens of Laval, in the presence of the members of the administration, to express our sincerest thanks and acknowledgement for the help and support made to the citizens,” he said.
While it had been only a few weeks since the flood crisis, relatively few questions were put to the mayor about it. One of the only citizens to come forth raising the issue was Sylvain Daoust, who has previously raised questions about province’s and the city’s management of flood zones. Daoust asked Mayor Marc Demers whether the city might seek changes to the 0-20 years flood zone.
Demers told him that the city has no power to change provincial regulations for flood zones. “Only the government of Quebec can do it,” he said. “The city has been making submissions for several months to modify that and has asked to the support of provincial elected officials to change the regulations.”
The only other resident to raise the flooding issue was Micheline Charbonneau, who said she was among those who were flooded. According to Charbonneau, a number of car owners on flooded streets who moved their vehicles as the water rose later received parking tickets for leaving their cars in no parking zones. Mayor Demers said the executive-committee had asked for parking tolerance in some sectors during the flood crisis and that tickets in question would be re-examined.
Also during question period, Action Laval leader Jean-Claude Gobé raised questions about a condominium in Florida previously owned by former Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt and which is said to have been purchased though an offshore company in the Bahamas suspected to be involved in money laundering.
Reminding the mayor that the City of Laval signed an agreement with Vaillancourt prior to the former mayor’s being jailed following his conviction for public corruption, Gobé suggested the city should be doing more to find out who is “hiding” behind the offshore company.
“I think, Mr. Mayor, that it would be part of our responsibility and out of respect to the citizens in this situation with Mr. Vaillanourt which was outrageous to take all the measures to recover all the monies possible for reasons having to do with justice and equity,” he continued.
Responding, Demers said he was reluctant to speculate on the issue. “Truly, the condo in question is not something new – it is known by the police authorities,” he said, adding that it had also come to the attention of UPAC and several judges.
Commenting on the fact the condo in question is said to have been sold for a much lower price than the current market value, Demers said, “Everybody knows that real estate a few years ago in Florida got cut to around a third of its value. And it was during this time that the acquisition of this condo was made.”
Demers also noted that the agreement the City of Laval signed with Vaillancourt was scrutinized by several leading legal experts familiar with all the recent municipal corruption issues in Quebec and that the city managed as a result to recover some $10 million from Vaillancourt when most people were doubtful it would be possible.
“He is currently in jail and the City of Laval has the money,” said Demers. “It would have been very easy for him to say he was contesting everything, that he would pay lawyers $8 million and he would be left with two, rather than give it to the city.” He told Gobé that what he was asking for “is technically impossible. It’s basic in law.”
Also during the meeting, Chomedey city councillor Aglaia Revelakis, the sole sitting member of council for Action Laval, tabled a motion calling on the council majority to support a resolution to create a new municipal committee for women’s issues in Laval. During the citizens’ question period, the motion was supported by a group of four representatives of the Table de concertation de Laval en condition féminine (TCLCF), including Souad Siala.
Members of the executive committee have enthusiastically approved the inclusion of the City of Laval in the Francophone and Francophile Cities of America Network. This organization’s primary aim is to promote tourism and the cultural attractions of its member cities. Since Laval is growing as a touristic destination, the administration believes that aligning its offer with more than 120 member cities of this association will allow it to become better known. It is hoped that the increased notoriety will help vitalize local cultural offerings while promoting exchanges with other French cities and communities which share historically, culturally and linguistically connected history in the Americas.
The executive committee has tendered an offer for services via public bidding for a sidewalk rehabilitation project. As part of its Universal Accessibility Plan, the City of Laval has identified area where corrections to existing sidewalks are required to provide ramps for easier access and mobility. This will serve the added purpose of facilitating access to public transportation for people with reduced mobility.
The goal of the Young Promoters Fund (CYF) is to help young entrepreneurs aged18-35 years old to either start a business or acquire one. While the global objectives of this fund are to create and or maintain jobs while promoting the economic and social development of Laval it also servers to sensitize future entrepreneurs about business opportunities. On the recommendation of the committee, a grant of $ 7,500 was awarded to Faouzi Younes for the creation of a company specializing in providing training for the maintenance and safe storage of hunting equipment.
Financial assistance of $ 5,000 was awarded Laval’s children’s choir, Les Petits Chanteurs de Laval. With more than 300 boys and girls aged between 8 and 17, the organization has built an enviable reputation as the largest choir group in Quebec. Since 1981 this Laval organization has promoted and developed the musical talent of local singers, the cultural offerings of its choral presentations as well as showcasing Laval culture on the most important local and international stages. When the administration plays host to a regional economic meeting in 2017, the Petits Chanteurs de Laval will have the honour of performing, showcasing the vivacity of local culture and the development of its young talents.
The members of the Executive Committee passed a recommendation for city council endorsement of by-law L-12498 approving the project to build fire station number 5 in the Saint-François district and decreeing a loan of $ 8,967,000 for this purpose. The addition of this municipal infrastructure is part of a multi-year investment to improve security services in the region. The new fire station will allow the fire department to deploy ten firemen in response to any occurrence in the area in under ten minutes, a standard suggested by provincial directives.
In addition, considering that the construction project is already part of the triennial investment program (TIP) 2017-2019 with a budget of $ 6,288,400 the executive committee also recommends an amendment to increase the amount to $ 9,296,000, which will also include costs related to professional services, plans and specifications required for the construction and getting the infrastructure operational.
The executive committee has presented a motion to city council for approval to award a $15,324,787.97 contract to the firm Eurovia Québec Grand Projet to reconstruct the bridge between l’île Pariseau and l’île Verte (chemin des Trilles) as well as renovation of the infrastructure connecting l’île Jésus to l’île Bigras via chemin Dupont.
The contract also encompasses road works to rehabilitate the infrastructures on Rue Dupont, between chemin du Bord de l’Eau and the bridge on Île Bigras.
The city issued a call for tenders for the upgrading and redevelopment of the multifunctional promenade pathway along Paradis watercourse (between avenue des Lacasse and avenue Papineau) as well as the infrastructure project to relocate a section of the sanitary sewer system between Marbella Street and Papineau Avenue. Upon review of the bids received the executive committee has awarded the contract to Duroking Construction for $ 1,574,718.87.
The members of the Executive Committee are also soliciting bids through a public call for tenders for professional consulting engineering services for the preparation of plans, project specifications and overseeing services during the major refurbishment of the chalet and swimming pool of Chenier Pool.
In the broad directives of the City of Laval’s twenty year strategic vision for 2015-2035, the City wants to redevelop neighborhoods to be healthy, attractive and human friendly environments. To achieve this it is important to ensure effective, active and sustainable mobility. The executive committee has tendered an offer via public bidding for the professional services of consulting engineers to carry out a literature review of existing sustainable neighborhood road networks plans of other administrations. This process is an integral component for the development of Laval’s integrated sustainable mobility plan of action.
Click here to read the Laval News Volume 25-12 online
This is a archived copy in PDF format of the Laval News Volume 25-12 that was published and distributed June 14, 2017.
This issue covers local events such us politics, sports and human interest stories. It features editorials and other columns
The Laval Police Service confirms that 26-year-old Mohamad Achraf Maatoug was arrested in the Vancouver area regarding the murder at Le Moomba bar on May 18, 2017.
That night, around 3:15, a fight broke out between different individuals inside the bar. During this fight, the suspect stabbed the victim with a knife and fled the scene. The death of the victim was reported in the hospital shortly afterwards. As a result of this event, the suspect was subject to a Canada-wide arrest warrant.
Steps are being taken to repatriate him to Laval, where he will appear in court on a charge of murder.
The Police Service wishes to acknowledge the co-operation of the police officers of the Vancouver Police Department and the RCMP for their assistance in the search and arrest.
Any information that makes it possible to progress the investigation can be transmitted confidentially via the Info-Line 450 662-INFO (4636) or via the 911 by mentioning the file LVL 170518 009.
Sports Laval pays homage to its finest during ninth annual gala
Martin C. Barry
More than 50 athletes and officials as well as 20 organizations in Laval that provide the local sporting community with support were awarded trophies and $45,000 worth of athletic bursaries on May 26 during Sports Laval’s ninth annual gala.
Elected officials from the three levels of government were on hand for the event which drew 300 guests to the Embassy Plaza.
In a speech, Mayor Marc Demers agreed with motivational sports coach Jean-François Ménard, the honorary president of this year’s event, that sports acts as a lever for many other things in life. “It’s a school of life, it builds self-esteem and it’s important for a community and for society,” said Demers.
Gift from Nez-rouge
The bursaries, a gift from Opération Nez rouge Laval-Basses Laurentides, were awarded in 11 sports and athletic categories. Florence Laroche, a high-performing soccer player, was named Sports Laval’s Athlete of the Year in the international category.
Among the dignitaries attending were City of Laval deputy mayor David De Cotis, well-known Quebec sportscaster Rodger Brulotte, Quebec Liberal MNAs Jean Habel (Sainte-Rose) and Saul Polo (Laval-des-Rapides), and federal MPs Angelo Iacono (Alfred-Pellan), Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval-Les Îles), Yves Robillard (Marc-Aurèle-Fortin) and Eva Nassif (Vimy).
An emotional highlight of the evening was the induction into the Laval Sports Hall of Fame of Denis Baillairgé, who contributed to the development of a variety of sports in Laval, including baseball and hockey, as a player, coach, organizer and administrator over a period of 40 years.
Two inducted in Hall of Fame
Pierre Marchand, a contributor to soccer in Laval over a period of 35 years, was also inducted into the Laval Sports Hall of Fame. Since 2012, the City of Laval has recognized the important contribution Marchand made with the Prix Pierre Marchand now awarded annually during the Mérite sportif lavallois.
In an interview with the Laval News, MNAs Saul Polo and Jean Habel agreed that events like the gala are important for building the confidence of local athletes.
“The population of Laval is growing quickly,” said Polo, noting that “events like this showcase sports talent from Laval that distinguishes itself across the province and also nationally.” Habel added, “That’s why it’s important for us to support our youth and for us to be here.”
(TLN)
The 11th annual Laval Firemen’s Festival, which is taking place from June 2 – 4 at the Centropolis, promises to deliver all the excitement that festival-goers have become used to in past years.
There’ll be outdoor shows for the whole family all weekend. The three-day event is being sponsored by belairdirect, which shares many of the same preoccupations as the Laval Fire Department with regards to raising awareness of fire hazards and safety.
The shows start Friday
The weekend will start off musically on Friday June 2 with two shows on the main stage in the middle of the Centropolis. The first show with Simon Kearney will be at 8 pm. He will be followed by a show by a group of musical firefighters known as Mozaïk, featuring special guest Jonathan Painchaud, at 8:45 pm.
Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am to 4 pm the festival site will be filled with a range of activities. They will include educational kiosks on fire prevention and safety, a “smoke house” demonstrating what the interior of a dwelling is like during a fire, a car fire simulation, firefighter museum artefacts, fire truck displays, and more still. New this year will be demonstrations of the uses of thermal cameras and simulations of earthquakes.
Montreal Jazz Band
During the evening of Saturday June 3, residents of Laval are invited to come out and dance to the sound of the Montreal Jazz Band during an event devoted to nostalgia. A stage will be set up not far from some of the most “in” outdoor terraces in Laval. For the young during the afternoon of Saturday and Sunday, there’ll be mascots walking around, face painting and wandering clowns.
The ever-popular parade of fire trucks, sirens and warning signals blaring, is scheduled to start Saturday morning at 9:30 am at its point of departure at Mondo’s garage (19 Munck Ave.) in the industrial park. They’ll make their way towards their annual rendez-vous and arrival at the Centropolis at 10:30 am.
Firemen in the kitchen
Beginning at 11 am Saturday, there’ll be demonstrations of cooking by some of the firefighters, whose gourmet sense is well-developed from their years of preparing hearty meals in the kitchen while waiting for emergency calls at the fire station to come in.
Again this year, the Caisse Desjardins des Grands Boulevards de Laval is sponsoring the firemen’s cooking activity, during which the firefighters’ mission will be to make their best meal while reminding the public of fire safety tips while using the kitchen.
The Firemen’s Race
Whether it’s for 1.5, 5, 10, 21.1 or the full 41.2 kilometres, you may want to take part in the Firemen’s Race. The 41.2 kilometre leg of the event will be starting at 7 am at the Centre communautaire Boileau. The start for the 21.1 kilometre segment will be at 8:30 am at Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, the 10 km at 9:15 am at Rosaire-Gauthier Park, the 5 km at 9:45 am at the Armand Frappier Museum and the start of the 2 km will be at 11 am under the “big arch” at the Centropolis.
The races are sponsored by Pomerleau, the day’s lead sponsor. The various races will follow the shores of Île Jésus, while also crossing various areas of the Laval region considered emblematic. Each participant in the races will receive a special medallion and an energizing snack upon reaching the finish line at the Centropolis.
24-Hour Challenge
The 24 Hour Challenge is another event involving the firefighters that will be starting at 2 pm Saturday and ending at the same time the following day. Eight teams of 10 firefighters will spend 24 hours climbing and descending staircases in an imposing 12-metre-high metal structure set up at the Centropolis. Donation pledges taken by the participants will go towards the Fondation des pompiers du Québec pour les grands brûlés.
The City is preparing to tender an offer for public bids for the construction of a park chalet/ community center for Lausanne Park. This project involves the construction of a single level multi-vocational community building with a total surface area of approximately 1,400 m2. The original plans provide a parking area of approximately 80 spaces. The builders are required to achieve a LEED GOLD certification.
The building will address a pressing need for a local sports chalet and will also provide community center locals on the same premises. The project facilities of this new community installation will include changing rooms, multipurpose halls, sanitary facilities, snack area, various adjoining rooms and storage spaces. The budget for this construction has already been approved and is part of the municipality’s infrastructure development program.
The executive committee has mandated the its administrators to prepare and tender for public bid a construction project for work on the redevelopment of the park play areas and fortifying and improving the winter sledding slopes at Parc Bigras.
Following public consultations to identify the priorities and needs in the redevelopment project of Bigras Park a consensus expressed by concerned residents was the desire to maintain the existing slopes for winter sledding activities. After review by the appropriate professional consultants it was concluded that improvements were needed to ensure that the facilities and layout of the park were operating safely. As a result, plans are being prepared and the project will soon be presented for public bidding.
According to the provincial agricultural regulations act MRCL-5, the Consultative Agricultural Committee of the Laval region must be composed of eight members appointed by the executive committee, including four members of the municipal council and four members chosen from among local agricultural producers as defined by the act defining local agricultural producers. The producers cannot be members of the council but must reside on the territory they will represent and be included on the list drawn up by the Union des Agricultural Producers. The executive committee has endorsed the following representatives that will sit on of the Consultative Agricultural Committee the next two years. The list of members includes: Ray Khalil, City Councilor and President of the committee; Daniel Hébert City Councilor; Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier, City Councilor; Nicholas Borne, City Councilor; Sylvain Cléroux agricultural producer;
Louis Marineau, agricultural producer; Agathe Vaillancourt, agricultural producer and Donald Beaulieu, agricultural producer.
The executive committee has approved and authorized the acquisition of a 7,553-square-meter lot located on the banks of the Mille-Îles River, east of Arthur-Sauvé Boulevard. This area was purchased for the purposes of developing a riverside municipal park. The proposed development will include a public fishing area as well as docking facilities to allow for boat, canoe and kayak launching into the river.
This is part of a concerted effort to develop and expand waterfront access and facilities. Last February acquisitions were made which allow for the expansion of the waterfront park la berge des Goélands (the Gull shoreline). A pathway through the park areas, an access ramp to the water as well as landscape viewing points, observation areas of the fauna and the aquatic flora are planned improvements that are coming as part of this waterfront park development.
The Executive Committee has endorsed a contract for tree planting under its canopy expansion action plan program for 2017-2018-2019. This project is part of the City of Laval’s desire to increase the natural tree canopy. Therefore nearly 1,400 trees will be planted under this contract, and they will mainly be located in the areas parks. A tree canopy is the top portion of a tree composed of branches and leaves or needles. All trees have canopies, and all trees cast shade. However, trees with tall trunks and dense, wide-spreading lateral branches create leaf canopies that can cast enough cooling shade to moderate a local environment often able to reduce temperatures in their shaded area by as much as 10 degrees centigrade. Canopy trees come in different types, from majestic tall evergreen or deciduous trees to smaller trees well-suited to smaller landscapes. Planting of a natural canopy is an environmental friendly development strategy for the beautification and cooling of the cement heat sinks associated with the growing urban sprawl.
The members of the executive committee have agreed to the construction of a permanent outdoor ice rink at Louis-Durocher Park. This new facility will be accessible to citizens twelve months a year. The project involves the construction of sturdy wooden boards, oversized galvanized steel fencing, and a lined asphalt surface which will be covered by ice in the winter months but can be used for hockey and lacrosse play during the summer months. City officials are happy to develop local projects like this which can provide services to a large number of sports associations and residents of Laval all year long.
An agreement that has been reached between the city administration and the nonprofit swimming association Laval Aquatic Movement was endorsed by the executive committee. The associations’ mandate involves the planning, coordination and implementation of aquatics courses and activities for all ages in municipal swimming pools in 2017. As a leading regional partner with many years of experience providing aquatic programming to Laval residents the administration of Laval Aquatic Movement has demonstrated that it has the necessary expertise to co-ordinate courses and activities, hiring, supervising and paying staff salaries, supervising teaching staff, promoting and advertising as well as managing the program enrollment process.
This coming Saturday June 17th 2017 from 8 am to 4 pm the city of Laval will hold its annual compost sale. As the city is expanding its collection of organic waste the compost which results from this waste management is offered to Laval’s residents at a modest price. To procure up to fifteen bags of compost residents only have to present a proof of residency in Laval. Only cash payments are accepted. Location of the activity is the parking lot at 1333 Chomedey Boulevard. It can be accessed via Cardinal Street and the 15 kg compost bags cost $ 2 per unit.
The administrations ultimate goal is to expand the organic waste management service to all buildings of 7 residential units or less in Laval by 2020.The collected material is transported to an industrial composting site.
The production of drinking water is a wealth that the administration wants to preserve especially during the summer months. This is why regulations governing water use are in force year-round.
For example, it is prohibited at all times to operate any appliance using water in such a way that it is wasted such as a garden hose without an automatic closing system (gun) or defective air conditioners/pools that leak etc. You cannot allow water from irrigation to run down the street or on neighboring properties or use a garden hose to melt snow
From the 15th of May to 15th of September, it is forbidden to clean the parking areas and sidewalks with a garden hose. Permission to water with automatic (timer) sprinkler systems is permitted from 4:30 am to 6 am every other day according to even and odd addresses on even or odd dates only.
Manual water sprinkler systems can also be operated every other day from 8 pm to midnight. Garden hoses equipped with guns and used to water plants, washing vehicles, windows and walls are permitted at all times.
New landscaping which requires frequent watering is allowed with a purchase of a watering permit at a cost of $26. Watering is then allowed at any time for a period of 15 consecutive days. Obtaining a watering permit is compulsory for new landscaping and is available at the municipal tax counter. While adhering to proper water etiquette is environmentally friendly failure to adhere to municipal regulations can result in fines ranging from $ 100 to $ 1,000 per infraction.
