Families are having difficulties making ends meet, says Alice Abou-Khalil
For a second year, Fabre Member of the National Assembly Alice Abou-Khalil has donated dozens of school backpacks to children attending two primary education institutions in her riding: École Pierre-Laporte and École Fleur-de-Vie.
In all, Abou-Khalil and her constituency office staff dropped off 25 backpacks last week at each school.
‘As elected officials, we see it as our duty to see that our schools and the community get the support they need’
Left, École Pierre-Laporte school principal Simon Guilbault and Fabre Member of the National Assembly Alice Abou-Khalil are seen here last week with 25 of the 50 backpacks she donated to two Laval-area schools for children to use during the upcoming school year. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
“We’ve found that there are many families here that are having difficulties providing school supplies for their children for back-to-school,” she said.
“As elected officials, we see it as our duty to see that our schools and the community get the support they need. This helps get the school year off to a good start for the children and the parents, many of whom often are working two jobs to provide adequately for their families.”
It’s France Lessard’s first report since stepping into the position last January
In her first report as the City of Laval’s auditor-general since assuming office last January, France Lessard says the city’s management of its organic waste program could do with some improvement, taking into account discrepancies she found when comparing data produced by Laval to data from the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM).
Bad news, good news
The City of Laval’s auditor-general, France Lessard, recently tabled her first report in Laval city council, after stepping into the position at the beginning of this years. (Photo: Courtesy of City of Laval)
In the report, which was presented to Laval city council on August 13, Lessard said she found differences in what Laval reported regarding its organic waste collection, and what was reported by the metropolitan community, although there were also more positive things.
“Some progress has been made in the residential sector, [but] supplementary efforts are necessary to improve the collection and processing of organic materials in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors, as well as construction, renovation and demolition,” she said.
Seeks improvements
She said additional efforts would also be necessary to better inform and provide assistance to service users, most notably for the implementation of an organic waste collection at multi-unit residences. In 2022, according to Lessard’s report, 279,197 tonnes of residual materials on Laval’s territory were picked up, representing 625 kilos per resident.
In another finding, Lessard said that the city’s supply and service division is not making optimal use of agreements for group purchases.
“Opportunities to save are being missed because of a lack of supervision and proactive communication in the existing agreements,” she said. “What’s more, the absence of clear directives for the personnel and limited used of follow-up tools are contributing to an underuse of the agreements.”
Compliance improving
According to Lessard, the city’s compliance to recommendations by the auditor-general in past years rose to 86 per cent by 2019, from 67 per cent the previous year. However, she added that only 61 per cent of recommendations were fully implemented, suggesting that little has changed in the way the city administration follows up on the auditor-general’s recommendations.
For the years ahead, Lessard identified a number of issues she said she intends to focus on, including municipal taxation, mobility, cybersecurity, access to social housing and homelessness, as well as the impact of climate change on flooding and excessive heat in densely urbanized areas.
Games, healthy snacks and entertainment added up to fun for everybody
Following a fiasco like the one in 2023 when the Chomedey Neighborhood Party was suddenly cancelled after being completely rained out, the organizers got a lucky break this year.
Members of Groupe Terrato, a percussion ensemble, performed during this year’s Chomedey Neighbourhood Party in Parc Berthiaume-du Tremblay on Saturday Aug. 17. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
New venue this year
Not only did the rain hold off for most of the day on Saturday August 17, but the venue for the Fête de quartier de Chomedey (as it is otherwise known) was different.
It shifted from the relatively small Parc Pie-X in central Chomedey, where it was staged in recent years, to the much larger Parc Berthiaume-du Tremblay in l’Abord-à-Plouffe, a stone’s throw from the Rivière des Prairies.
Laval city councillors Vasilios Karidogiannis (L’Abord-à-Plouffe), Councillor Aline Dib (Saint-Martin) stopped by for a while, talking to Natalina Pace of Agape among other things. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
As it was, hundreds of residents of Chomedey and adjoining districts got a chance to meet their neighbors while enjoying a day of games and fun.
Something for everyone
Many moms, dads, children and grandparents enjoyed a day that was vastly better than last year for late summer weather. They enjoyed musical entertainment and there were organized events for the kids. And as is the case each year, the Fête de Quartier promoted healthy living habits.
Librarians from the City of Laval’s public library network were on hand during the event to promote Le Studio Espace numérique as well as the library’s bookmobile. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Among the many things to see and do were drumming and dancing, as well as information booths sponsored by a variety of community organizations.
Among the groups were Espace pour la vie Montréal, Clinique dentaire communautaire pour enfants, Scama, Éducation des adultes Laval, Agape, the Maison des jeunes at the Centre communautaire Val-Martin, Maison des enfants le Dauphin, Bibliothèques de Laval and Centre du Sablon.
MP and city councillors
The elected officials who came out during the afternoon to touch base with their constituents included Vimy Member of Parliament Annie Koutrakis, as well as Laval city councillor for Saint-Martin Aline Dib and l’Abord-à-Plouffe city councillor Vasilios Karidogiannis.
“This is the opportunity that I enjoy the most – to be here and touch base with the organizations and people who do the real work on the ground,” Koutrakis said in an interview with The Laval News.
“All the organizations that participate in this Fête de quartier are either in my riding or a colleague’s riding,” she added. “And to see them actively contributing to the community is something that for me is priceless.”
A delegation from the Laval Police Dept. included Constable Carrera and the LPD’s official mascot, Flair. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)Volunteers with Enfant d’Abord provided healthy snacks and advice on the proper nutrition of children. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
First time in l’Abord
Karidogiannis was pleased that the organizers chose to stage the day at a park in his district. “It’s the first time they’re doing it in l’Abord-à-Plouffe,” he said, noting that Parc Berthiaume-du Tremblay had just recently finished undergoing an extensive refurbishment.
“The setup is amazing,” he continued. “The space is great, the vibe is new and different, the weather is holding out and we’re getting to meet all the organizations from the area which is very important. Everything’s great.” Councillor Dib marvelled at the growing cultural diversity to be seen in Laval’s neighbourhoods. “This is an event that brings out the best in everybody,” she said.
The City of Laval and Hydro-Québec say they are working together on a project to create a biodiversity corridor on an electricity right-of-way currently used by the public power company.
As such, the city will be receiving a $593,798 subsidy from the electricity company to create a linear park where a variety of new plants and vegetation will be planted. The park will also have a multifunctional path when completed.
Alexandre Warnet, the Laval city councillor for Laval-des-Rapides, who is also responsible for environmental issues on the executive-committee, is seen here with Alain Paquette of Hydro-Québec and Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer. (Photo: Courtesy of City of Laval)
“This agreement with Hydro-Québec marks a decisive turning point in the implementation of the Trame verte et bleue in Laval,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer, referring to an intermunicipal program that encourages the development of a network of biodiverse outdoor parks and spaces.
“By transforming our electrical corridors into places of biodiversity, we are beautifying not only our urban landscape, but we are also active contributing to the preservation of our ecosystem,” he said. “This is an initiative that will benefit the population of Laval as much as the local fauna and flora.”
“At Hydro-Québec we believe firmly that cooperation with municipalities is essential to improve the quality of life of citizens,” said Alain Paquette, a Hydro-Québec spokesman in charge of the dossier for the company. “We see an opportunity to allow citizens to benefit from the reliability of new electrical installations, with the implementation of this initiative, to encourage sustainable mobility as well as access to a vast, enriching and biodiverse green space.”
The area where the path is to be located is situated between Autoroute 440 and the Rivière des Prairies, east of Autoroute 13. It covers an area of roughly 50 hectares over 5.4 kilometres, subdivided into mixed, natural and recreational segments.
As an initial symbolic gesture, the City of Laval last week inaugurated a new biodiverse halt at Binet Park in the middle of the new corridor. The city plans to plant a diverse selection of vegetation that will encourage pollination and the presence of birds.
There will also be a small wooden terrace, and some trails linking the corridor to a nearby school and the neighborhood.
Mayor Boyer shares his thoughts on Storm Debby aftermath
Earlier this week, Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer summarized the city’s efforts to conduct a massive clean up in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby.
“The clean up operations continue,” he said. “Saturday night we went to 290 streets cleaned, and 1517 families helped. Our employees work up to 12 hours every day. A huge task considering that all the neighborhoods of Laval have been affected by floods. There would be the equivalent of 4 years of trash to pick up…
“In person or on social media, you shared with me your concerns about this disaster,” Boyer continued.
“Certain financial impact, but also lost memories, work-related stress, uncertainty about the future. But all around the city, I’ve also seen neighbors who help each other and employees who are proud to be able to help. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we’re not giving up as long as the work is not done!”
More than 7,000 Laval addresses visited during ongoing cleanup
After gathering up 82 per cent of the debris left behind in Laval following Tropical Storm Debby, the city is keeping cleanup crews on hand to make sure the job is done properly.
According to the city, intervention teams were going around a second time earlier this week on streets that were most impacted by flooding in order to collect any materials which may have been put out on the curb since the first pickup.
“Since August 12, our teams have accomplished a gigantic task, collecting more than 1,350 tons of debris over 82 per cent of Laval’s territory,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
Cleanup on a Laval residential street following Tropical Storm Debby. (Photo: Courtesy City of Laval)
“We understand to what extent these times have been difficult for the people impacted, and you can rest assured that the City of Laval is at your side,” he added. “For each home affected, that is a whole year of trash which must be picked up, and we will not abandon our efforts as long as they are necessary.”
Patrick Taillefer, director of the Laval Fire Dept. who is also responsible for overseeing emergency measures, said staff has been at work on the cleanup since the beginning. Faced with the magnitude of the mess, he said the operation went into overdrive late last week.
“Our main strike force, consisting of nearly 250 personnel and around 60 vehicles, will continue to make their way through the streets of the city to help conclude this second major operation,” he said. “Our staff, some of whom have also been impacted personally, are united and are sparing no efforts. The affected citizens can count on our support.”
Summary of waste pickups
More than 2,200 streets covered, for 82 per cent of Laval’s territory
Nearly 7,089 addresses visited
3,350 tons of debris collected
Large waste items pickup
Regular waste collections of large items are taking place as scheduled. However, only items which normally are accepted will be picked up. Discarded furniture and demolition debris from water damage will be picked up during a special collection. The city is asking residents who didn’t suffer storm and water damage to hold off throwing out items until next month.
Écocentres
The City of Laval’s Écocentres can be an excellent option for those with the means to take discarded items and materials there on their own for disposal. Given the exceptional circumstances, the city has authorized staff to accept a larger than usual amount of waste from residents and additional staff are there to serve you.
Some restrictions loosened
The city says it is allowing winter car shelters to be used on a temporary basis to cover furniture and other items retrieved from flooded homes, so long as they are being used for that specific purpose.
At the same time, the city is reminding homeowners that a permit is not needed for regular maintenance and remedial repair work carried out in flooded homes to restore them to order. However, permits must be obtained for larger renovation projects from the City of Laval’s urban planning department.
The current issue of the Laval News, volume 32-16, published on August 28th, 2024. Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports. (Click on the image to read the paper.)
During the early afternoon on Wednesday Aug. 21, a City of Laval crew was hard at work exploring the ground beneath the Curé Labelle/Notre Dame boulevard intersection for the cause of a slope in the road that has kept the heavily-trafficked corner closed to traffic since Monday.
City of Laval work crew active at the corner of Curé Labelle and Notre Dame in Chomedey/Laval around noon on Wednesday Aug 21. (Photo: The Laval News)
On his Facebook page, Laval city councillor for the area Vasilios Karidogiannis has confirmed that the problem isn’t sewer- or water aqueduct-related.
He said on Tuesday that traffic circulation was expected to be restored by the end of Wednesday.
Notre Dame/Curé Labelle is one of the most heavily-travelled intersections in the City of Laval.
In addition to carrying local traffic, Curé Labelle Blvd. is also part of Quebec Route 117 which connects Montreal to the Laurentian region.
A ground collapse, rather than an issue involving broken sewer or aqueduct pipes, is the reason why the intersection of Curé Labelle and Notre Dame boulevards has been closed to traffic for the last two days, according to Vasilios Karidogiannis, the Laval city councillor for the district of l’Abord-à-Plouffe.
Notre Dame/Curé Labelle is one of the most heavily-trafficked intersections in the City of Laval.
The corner of Curé Labelle and Notre Dame in Chomedey during the early afternoon on Aug. 20 when the intersection was closed to motor vehicle traffic. (Photo: The Laval News)
In recent years, it has undergone several major makeovers, necessitating extended closure, as the City of Laval replaced subterranean sewer infrastructure, partly in response to past flooding in the area.
On his Facebook page Monday evening, Karidogiannis wrote:
“A slope of the road was observed on Curé-Labelle Boulevard at the intersection with Notre-Dame Boulevard. For safety reasons, traffic has been closed at this location and the engineering department has carried out an analysis of the situation early this morning.
“We can already confirm this is not a sewerage or aqueduct issue. Corrective work will take place this Wednesday, August 21st and traffic will be restored at the end of the day on Wednesday,” said Karidogiannis.
Couche-Tard founder and CEO Alain Bouchard. (File photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven convenience stores revealed on Monday that Laval-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, which operates multinationally, has made an offer to purchase controlling interest in the much larger 7-Eleven chain.
7-Eleven operates more than 84,000 stores in 19 countries, while Couche-Tard has more than 16,500 stores and gas stations in 31 countries under several brand names and banners.
Couche-Tard founder and CEO Alain Bouchard. (File photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
Seven & I Holdings, which wholly owns 7-Eleven as one of several subsidiaries, said it received a preliminary proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard to acquire all of its outstanding 7-Eleven shares.
Couche-Tard was founded in 1980 in Laval by current board chair Alain Bouchard with a single convenience store at a time when the “dépanneur” concept was just getting off the ground.
The company has grown since then in leaps and bounds.
Notably, Couche-Tard acquired the Mac’s Milk convenience store chain in Ontario and other provinces in 1999, followed by the acquisition in 2003 of the Circle K chain, which currently ranks second in the U.S. after 7-Eleven for number of stores.
Winds give way to sunshine during four-day painting and sculpture event
In spite of a weather-related snafu that got the 2024 Symposium de Ste-Rose off to a somewhat shaky start, patrons attending the four-day artists’ gathering this year enjoyed some splendid weather – in sharp contrast to the rainstorms that impacted attendance at symposiums in the past.
From July 25 to 28, appreciators of fine sculpture and exquisite art came from all over Quebec as well as other parts of eastern Canada to enjoy the 27th annual Symposium de Ste-Rose.
From the left, contributing artists Lily St-Gelais from Saint-Rémi on Montreal’s South Shore, Corporation Rose-Art president Oprina-Felicia Dolea of Laval and former Rose-Art president Carole Faucher also from Laval are seen here on day two of this year’s Symposium de Ste-Rose. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
A historic setting
As has been the case for almost 30 years, the symposium took place in downtown Sainte-Rose along Sainte-Rose Blvd., next to the Old Firehall (La Vieille Caserne), near the historic Église Sainte-Rose-de-Lima.
According to Oprina-Felicia Dolea, president of the Corporation Rose-Art which organizes the event, high winds on opening day made things a little chaotic.
Céline Martel and her spouse Pierre, from Cap Santé east of Quebec City, were among the artists who travelled furthest to be part of the 2024 Symposium de Ste-Rose. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
“We had at least one tent fly off,” she said in an interview with The Laval News, adding that although the tent was damaged beyond repair, it was covered by insurance. Nonetheless, there were clear skies and warm sunshine over the following three days.
More than 20,000 visitors spent time at the Symposium de Ste-Rose this year. The event’s honorary president was Christopher Skeete, the Member of the Quebec National Assembly for Sainte-Rose.
Sculptor Mario Millette of Saint-Sauveur in the Laurentians was one of the 70 artists who took part in the Symposium de Ste-Rose from July 25 to 28 in Laval’s Vieux Sainte-Rose. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
Home to great artists
The village of Sainte-Rose is renowned as the birthplace of internationally-acclaimed Québécois painter Marc-Aurèle Fortin. Sainte-Rose was also at one time the home of landscape painter Clarence Gagnon. Both influenced generations of artists and are honored by local street and place names.
The symposium is regarded by some as one of Canada’s most successful gatherings of visual artists and a first-rate showcase for their works. Each year, attending is seen by art connoisseurs as an opportunity to enjoy the works of a range of visual creators who express themselves in a variety of styles.
As the Symposium de Ste-Rose’s reputation has grown across Quebec and other provinces, the organizers have also received some significant recognitions. In 2019, the Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented them with a Dunamis award for helping to promote tourism in Laval.
Promoting local tourism
The symposium’s organizers were also a finalist for a second Dunamis in 2020 as a “sustainable” organization or enterprise. It’s notable that tourism has been growing by leaps and bounds in Laval over the past few years, as travellers from all over Canada and the U.S. discover hidden treasures such as the Symposium de Ste-Rose.
Daniel Martel of Laval loves landscapes and vivid colors. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
As an added bonus this year, archeologists who’ve been working on archeological excavations on the grounds of the historic Église Sainte-Rose-de-Lima agreed to set up a display of some of the artifacts they recovered. They included antique household objects as well as religious items.
