(TLN) Laval city council’s monthly meeting on Feb. 2 became a “tennis match” between the mayor and members of the opposition.

The reason was persistent demands by opposition members that Sainte-Dorothée city councillor Ray Khalil resign after newspapers and television newscasts reported that back in June 2013 police found contraband tobacco and firearms at the residence of his father, George Khalil.

Opposition councillors Michel Trottier and Alain Lecompte demanded Khalil’s resignation since he is the manager of his father’s restaurant, Lordia.

The mayor repeatedly reassured them that Khalil, from the moment he was elected Saint-Dorothée’s city councillor, has had no relations or interests in the Lordia restaurant.

“I was for 30 years in the police force and I learned that before accusing anyone there should be an inquiry,” said Mayor Marc Demers. “If someone is going to enquire on the subject it will be the ethics officer of the City, but it is not ethical to accuse someone purely on allegations,” he added with an angry tone.

Ray Khalil: I have nothing to do with the restaurant any more

It was inevitable for Ray Khalil to address the council. In a short speech he explained that he has no shares in the Lordia restaurant and he withdrew from the restaurant long ago. Sometimes, though, he goes to give them a hand when it is really busy, he added.

“I am neither an administrator or a manager of the restaurant,” he emphasized.

Sablon in bad shape

Among the various questions coming from citizens, one had to do with the deterioration of the infrastructures of the Centre du Sablon community centre. The question came from Sainte-Dorothée citizen Josée Gauthier. Gauthier informed the council and the citizens present that since 2011 the Centre du Sablon has been waiting for funding to do major renovations.

“In September 2014 we were promised by the sitting mayor a renovation budget of one million dollars but nothing (has been seen) yet,” she said. According to Gauthier, the money is badly needed since the swimming pool facility is in a terrible state. She said the lockers are also broken, the showers don’t work, and with those that work the water temperature is not stable, but on the contrary is extremely hot. “Imagine little children using the showers what could happen to them,” she said. On top of that the dryers do not work plus there is a problem of insulation and heating in the rooms used by the Jardins des enfants, she continued.

“I understand your concerns,” responded the mayor. “There was a legal problem that delayed the transfer of funds. It had to do with the 100-year so-called lease of the centre. I assure you that very soon it will be resolved and the appropriate funds will be transferred for the renovations to take place in 2016.”

Laval to Dorval Airport

Chomedey councillor and official opposition leader Aglaia Revelakis presented a motion for the Laval transport authority to implement a direct transport service – shuttle – from the city to the Dorval airport. “This will help many citizens in their travel plans,” she said. Unfortunately since there was no one to second the motion – even among the independent opposition councillors – the motion was dropped.

Legislative hearings into a Quebec bill to end school board elections began Tuesday, with more than 50 groups and individuals signed up to present their positions.

If passed, Bill 86 would abolish school board elections and councils of commissioners. Elected councils of school commissioners would be replaced by new school councils with 16 representatives, which are either elected or appointed.

These councils would be composed of:

• six parents, one of whom is the parent of a child with a disability.
• two school principals.
• one teacher.
• one non-teaching staff member.
• six community members.

The bill has faced fierce opposition, especially from English school boards, which have said they would challenge the law in court.

One concern is that the new system would jeopardize the Anglophone community’s constitutional right as a language minority group to manage its own schools by electing representatives.

Opponents of the bill even found an unlikely ally in Parti Québécois leader Pierre Karl Péladeau.

“If they want to reform school board governance, they must respect the Anglophone community’s rights,” Péladeau said to the surprise of many.

The committee on culture and education will hear from the Commission scolaire de Montréal and that board’s parent association today. Another hearing is scheduled for Thursday this week.

Hearings were supposed to start last month but were postponed when Premier Philippe Couillard made a last-minute cabinet shuffle, replacing education minister François Blais with Pierre Moreau.

Another stir happened when the province’s two largest English and French-language school boards were at first refused slots on the agenda. The government eventually bowed to public pressure and added them to the list of presenters.

Bill 86: Quebec’s proposed school board reform could violate Anglo rights, expert says

Couillard government’s controversial bill to end school board elections could face constitutional challenge

The Couillard government’s controversial legislation to end school board elections, Bill 86, could face a legal challenge if it’s passed.

The proposed legislation may violate the constitutional rights of English-speaking Quebecers, says Michel Doucet – an expert on minority language rights.

“There might be some problems on the way the people will be appointed to this new governance structure,” said Doucet, a law professor and director of the International Observatory on Language Rights at the Université de Moncton.

If passed, Bill 86 would abolish school board elections and councils of commissioners.

Elected councils of school commissioners would be replaced by new school councils made up of parent representatives, staff members and community members.

Council members would be selected in a variety of ways:

• Parent representatives would be elected by groups of parents.
• Staff members would be appointed.
• Community members would be either elected or appointed, depending on the will of the parents’ committee on each school board.

Doucet says this selection process may violate the constitutional rights of those in Quebec’s English-speaking community who may not have children in the school system.

Anglo rights enshrined in Charter

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that English-speaking Quebecers have special rights to manage and control their schools under section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Doucet says those right-holders include not only parents, but also Anglophone Quebecers without children in the system.

“There is a little gap there between what is in (Bill 86) and what should be done to respect section 23 (of the Charter),” said Doucet.

In a nod to the Anglophone community and its voter participation rates, which are much higher than the provincial average, Bill 86 includes a provision for the election of the community members on the board – but only if the board’s parents committee agrees.

However, Doucet does not believe that provision goes far enough to satisfy the government’s constitutional obligations to English-speaking citizens.

“In this case, there still could be a challenge: the parents saying the minister has kept too much power on how this structure would be functioning and how the people would be elected,” Doucet said.

Unlikely ally in PKP

Doucet’s interpretation of Bill 86 echoes legal concerns raised by others when the bill was first introduced last year.

Some groups representing Anglophone Quebecers said it violates their constitutional rights as a minority language group and attacks Anglophone’s rights to manage and control their own schools.

Those groups have found an unlikely ally in the Parti Québécois.

In January, PQ Leader Pierre Karl Péladeau said he was “flabbergasted” by what he called a lack of consultation with English-speaking Quebecers.

“If they want to reform school board governance, they must respect the Anglophone community’s rights,” he said.

Hearings started Tuesday

Legislative hearings into the bill got underway Tuesday, with more than fifty groups and individuals presenting their position on the controversial bill.

There have been a few hiccups along the way in the organization of these hearings.

The province’s two largest English- and French-language school boards were at first refused slots on the agenda, although the government eventually bowed to public pressure and added them to the list of presenters.

Then, the hearings had to be postponed due to last month’s cabinet shuffle. A new education minister, Pierre Moreau, replaced the unpopular François Blais.

Moreau, however, was taken away by ambulance minutes before the cabinet swearing-in ceremony.

Premier Philippe Couillard said Moreau had contracted a virus.

Moreau will return to the National Assembly in time for the start of hearings, for the first time since his illness.

A spokesperson for the minister says it will be a “progressive” return to work.

All people who are already scheduled to present their response to Bill 86 have been confirmed, with more hearings to be scheduled at a later date, depending on the state of the minister’s health.

Martin C. Barry

One of the largest fire halls in Canada by number of emergency calls handled officially opened on Souvenir Blvd. in Chomedey last week with a ribbon-cutting attended by Quebec Public Security Minister Francine Charbonneau as well as Mayor Marc Demers and several senior members of Laval city council.

Replaces old station

Fire chief Robert Séguin referred to Laval’s new No. 2 fire hall as a “gift” filled with some of the latest firefighting technology. The $6 million building at the corner of Armand-Frappier Blvd. replaces the city’s crowded and long outmoded former fire hall which was located just a few blocks west on Souvenir Blvd. adjacent to city hall.

According to the city, new No. 2 fire hall is large enough that its services could be expanded as Laval’s “downtown” area develops and grows.

“The completion of this fire hall answers a real need,” the mayor said in an address to several dozen people, including current and retired members of the fire department. “The old fire hall, the most called upon of the nine fire halls on Laval’s territory, no longer had the space to assure operations could carry on optimally. This new building is notable for its technological modernism. It will allow the fire department to work in conditions that will be better to come to the rapid assistance of citizens.”

Expansion foreseen

Located in the centre of Laval, the new fire hall meets standards established by Quebec’s Public Security Ministry for fire risks and firefighter response times, including the number of firefighters required to be on the scene for incidents. According to Robert Séguin, director of the fire department, fire hall No. 2’s size and strategic location are such that it will be able to accommodate more trucks, equipment and personnel in the future if needed.
That could well come to pass, since the development of Laval’s “downtown” core is in full swing and will no doubt place increasing pressure on fire hall No. 2 as the area densifies. As it is, the new facility will be one of 10 of the most active fire halls in Canada, said Séguin, adding that it will be handling 7,000 calls annually. “I feel like a kid at Christmas who’s just received a nice gift,” he said.

Built to LEED code

Fire hall No. 2 is the second municipal building in the City of Laval to be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The first was the fire hall in Ste-Dorothée which was completed only a few years ago. LEED certification assures that a building has been designed and constructed with safe and sustainable materials as well as to maximize savings on energy consumption.

Martin C. Barry

In anticipation of the opening of Place Bell next year and a significant rise in activity that will probably be generated as a result in Laval’s central core, the city’s public transit authority has announced the launch of a new bus line connecting the Montmorency Metro station to the growing number of attractions and services to be found in downtown Laval.

Convenient without a car

The Société de Transport de Laval says its new No. 360 bus line was designed to meet the travel needs of the many visitors staying in hotels around downtown Laval who don’t have access to a car, as well as those who might prefer to park their car and use the bus to visit the many areas of interest around the Centropolis and the Carrefour Laval.

“Downtown Laval’s tourist attractions are increasingly popular destinations,” said De Cotis who joined officials from the STL, Tourisme Laval and the Cosmodôme for the launch of the 360 line at the Maeva Surf interior surfing boutique and bar at the Centropolis earlier this week.

Opening downtown Laval

“By offering access to these locations, we are facilitating travel and providing access to the people of Laval and Montreal who want to explore this area and delve into its offerings,” he added. In an interview with the Laval News, De Cotis acknowledged that part of the reason for creating the new line is to open Laval’s downtown area to an increasing number of people from Montreal so they can have easier access.

“As the bus will be running every 20 minutes, it will be very advantageous for people from Montreal to come to Laval for all the growing amount of tourist attractions we have in our downtown such as the hotels, the Centropolis, Centre Laval and Carrefour Laval,” said De Cotis. At the same time, he also acknowledged that the 360 shuttle takes into account the anticipated activity and growth that will probably be generated by Place Bell.

Fulfilling a demand

STL executive-director Guy Picard said that according to a survey of their ridership conducted last August, 51 per cent of those surveyed used the bus to travel to one or more of the destinations on the 360 line route. “The addition of the 360 line will certainly respond to this need as well as to the needs of the many thousands of visitors that come to Laval,” said Picard.

“The 360 bus line is a great example of Tourisme Laval’s role within our tourism industry, which is to support growth-market projects that allow increasing the number of visitors and contribute to structuring our offer,” said Geneviève Roy, president and CEO of the tourism development agency. “In our opinion, the 360 line is a tourist product by itself since it’s an asset that enhances the attractiveness of our tourist sites, making them more accessible to a greater number of visitors.”

Making travel to Laval easier

Marc De Blois, executive-director of one of Laval’s most popular and widely-known attractions, the Cosmodôme, was also very enthusiastic about the project. “This partnership with the STL positions Laval as a choice destination,” he said. “The 360 bus line will help us reach this goal by making it easier to travel around this part of the city.”

Although the line will initially be operating on weekends only from now to June 19, by this summer it will be going into operation seven days a week starting June 20 until Aug. 26. After that, it will be resuming a weekends-only schedule until next Dec. 31.

Major attractions on line

The 360 line will be making regular scheduled stops at many of central Laval’s most popular attractions, including the Centre Laval shopping mall, the St-Martin Hotel & Suites, the Palace congress centre, the Comfort Inn/Quality Suites, the Hilton and Holiday Inn Laval, the Cosmodôme, and of course the Carrefour Laval and the Centropolis. Standard STL fares will be charged. The STL says the schedule could vary in accordance with the seasons, as summer is generally a busier time of year.

(TLN) Laval Mayor Marc Demers has enthusiastically greeted news that hearings in the trial of former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt could begin as early as March next year.

“What we think now is that judge Marc David is making himself available so that the trial can begin as quickly as possible,” Demers said in a statement last week.

“We note also that the judge shares our preoccupation to see justice administered within a reasonable time frame,” he added. “The judge expressed this concern while referring to recent cases in the news.”

Proceedings in the prosecution of Vaillancourt have been notable so far for significant court date delays obtained by his defence team.

Additional information as to whether the case will indeed be proceeding in due course is expected to be released on March 18 when an announcement will be made about defence and prosecution being able to establish court dates.

(TLN) Laval citizen Natale Polito -well known for his comments against the opposition “show me the money”- is gearing up to ask the city administration about the non-removal of snow on streets like Guenette in Chomedey. “It is very dangerous for all what is happening in our streets” he commented. “Snow removal crews push the snow towards our lots trapping many elderly citizens.

Mr. Polito is also concerned that ambulances and fire trucks will not be able to pass through the streets because of bad snow removal. “We are tax paying citizens to have services from the city and snow removal is a priority”, he added.

40-year-old Laval woman is going to trial

(TLN) A 40-year-old Laval woman is going to trial in Montreal on charges of sexual assault on a child as well as distribution of child pornography based on evidence that she and a male companion enticed her three-year-old son to perform sexual acts which were recorded on video and uploaded on the Internet.

The woman, whose name is being withheld by the court to protect the identity of the child, was first reported in 2013 to police in the U.S. by a major online Internet service provider which said that the suspect had uploaded child pornography that featured children and adults engaged in sexual acts.

The Montreal Police Department, which took over the investigation, had nothing to go on at first except for the woman’s e-mail address. By the fall of 2014 they knew her name and were eventually able to retrieve digital photo files on her computer corresponding to those described by the ISP. As they were among hundreds of other images of the same kind, the woman faced additional charges of possessing child pornography.

Following her arrest, the woman claimed that the man charged along with her had been the instigator and that it was he who recorded everything on his cell phone over a period of two years. The boy, who is now five years old, confirmed many of the details to investigators. After being shown the evidence, the man denied he knew the mother or the child. They each face a minimum sentence of five years imprisonment.