A 20-year-old male suspect is being charged with first-degree murder after a 46-year-old woman who was a real estate agent was attacked in the Armand Frapppier Woods in eastern Chomedey on the night of Wednesday May 29.
The victim, identified as Irina Draghicescu Iankulov, was a real estate agent with Groupe Sutton Excellence for the past 15 years, according to news sources.
The Armand Frappier Woods in Chomedey.
Last Wednesday evening, a 9-1-1 call to the Laval Police reported the presence of a seriously injured woman in the woods, which are popular among walkers and hikers.
Officers who found the victim attempted to revive her, but she was declared dead at the scene.
Police located and ended up arresting the suspect, said to be a resident of Laval, while he was reportedly attempting to break into an apartment not far from there.
After being interrogated by the LPD, he was described as “a person of interest” and had no criminal record.
To ensure maximum safety and the smooth running of the 12th edition of the Laval Firefighters’ Race, streets in some neighbourhoods will be closed to traffic and unavailable for parking on Sunday, June 2, from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The City therefore invites motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to collaborate and plan their trips to avoid any inconvenience.
A detailed schedule of street closures as well as a map illustrating the affected areas on Laval territory are available on the website of the event.
Participants are recommended to get to the site using transportation such as carpooling, public transit, cycling or walking. On the day of the Run, they will be able to use the Société de transport de Laval (STL) bus service free of charge upon presentation of their bib.
On June 2, volunteers and the police force will ensure the security and smooth running of the event. In particular, traffic surveillance will be provided at all intersections along the route.
To learn more about the Firefighters’ Race: coursedespompiers.laval.ca
Fête nationale celebrations June 23 and 24 at Centre de la nature
The City of Laval is planning for a major blowout at the Centre de la nature in Duvernay for Quebec’s Fête nationale celebration. A big night-time stage show will be taking place on Sunday June 23, with day-time activities scheduled for Monday June 24 during the day.
The stage show on the main field at the Centre de la nature will feature a range of musicians and performers, including Qualité Motel, Zachary Richard, Ariane Moffatt, Galaxie, Laurence Jalbert, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Fanny Bloom, Safia Nolin, Kanen Lumière, Connaisseur Ticasso, Ya Cetidon and Sensei H.
The evening will come to a close with a performance by someone whose identity city officials are keeping as a surprise up to the last moment.
They have also announced that there will be no fireworks display this year (which is perhaps not surprising considering that other municipalities have cancelled their fireworks for environmental reasons, as well as fears in recent years of triggering off wildfires).
“I am pleased to be able to share this unique and innovative evening with everyone in Laval so that one and all can come together to have fun during this great and memorable annual concert,” says Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
The Centre de la nature will be accessible beginning at 6 pm and the concert starts at 8:30 pm.
Food trucks will make stops at the site for those who want to have a bite to eat before the evening starts. Free shuttle buses will take those arriving by public transit to the Centre de la nature from the Montmorency Metro every 30 minutes. The buses will make return trips at the end of the evening.
The celebrations continue at the Centre de la nature on Monday June 24, with activities for children, including face painting, music shows, inflatable games and food trucks. The city has given the Société nationale du Québec à Laval a $20,000 subsidy to coordinate this year’s local Fête nationale celebrations.
Laval expands availability of electric scooters
Already well-known and highly-appreciated by many Laval residents, self-service electric scooters are back again in Laval this summer, with up to 400 scooters being made available in various locations.
The city first signed on to allow rentable electric scooters on its territory in 2023. They are now being gradually deployed at 33 stations. There are expected to be twice as many scooters this year.
“Access to scooters this early in the season will allow the service to be tested out over the course of a complete season, and it is very possible this will lead to even more promising results,” says Laval city councillor for L’Abord-à-Plouffe Vasilios Karidogiannis, who is responsible for mobility dossiers on council.
The scooters are being furnished by Bird Canada and Lime. To use them, users need to download an app made available by either company at the App Store for iPhone and Google Play for Android devices.
Those using the scooters must follow certain rules, such as mandatory helmets, minimum age 14, and driving only on bike paths or roadways where the speed limit doesn’t exceed 50 km/h.
All the electric scooters are fitted with GPS geolocation devices, so they can be found at any time by the companies that own them, and they must be returned to any of the 33 stations on Laval’s territory in an upright position.
Seven pupils and a teacher get hair shaved and cut in ‘Spring Raise Craze’
Students at Jules Verne Elementary School succeeded in raising more than $9,000 for the Pink in the City breast cancer cause during the second annual ‘Spring Raise Craze’ head shave event held at the school in Laval’s Pont-Viau district on May 24.
Jules Verne Elementary was just one of eight Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board schools that took part in head shaving events for Pink in the City in recent weeks. The goal was to help provide support for research into finding a cure for metastatic breast cancer.
The Jules Verne Elementary School students raised more than $9,000 in pledges for Pink in the City. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Shave and a haircut
In all, several of the Jules Verne Elementary students agreed to have their heads shaved completely, although some agreed only to a haircut or partial hair removal.
The students whose heads were shaved were Michael D’Angelo, Nico Marandola, Mark Macovetchi, Shakir and Rahim Michelot. Students who received haircuts were Evelyn Grande, Jenylee L’Heureux Plouffe and Paisley McGovern. Teacher Lisa Morello also agreed to get her hair cut.
While some of the Jules Verne Elementary School were upbeat while getting their heads shaved, others were a little more dour. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
“We have a hairdresser for everybody,” Jules Verne Elementary principal Melissa Roux said in an interview with The Laval News. She was among the many staff members, parents, and school children who wore pink as a sign of their solidarity with the cause.
Volunteers turned away
So many students at the school were keen on signing up to be cut or shaved, that the administration had to set up a short list, with some students going ahead with it immediately, while others will be taking part in the third Jules Verne Elementary ‘Spring Raise Craze’ in the spring next year.
According to Daniel Johnson, a longtime SWLSB spiritual animator with an extensive background in student leadership development, the board’s schools raised at least $130,000 for Pink in the City through head shaving events this year alone.
So many students wanted to take part, the school set up a short list
Pink in the City president Denise Vourtzoumis was on hand in the Jules Verne Elementary school yard last week to help the students cheer on their classmates who agreed to have their hair shaved or cut. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Win for Pink in the City
Pink in the City succeeded in raising $120,000 from the EMSB’s Raise Craze last year, said Denise Vourtzoumis, a Chomedey resident who is president of Pink in the City. She expected there to be even more momentum this year.
Resource teacher Lisa Morello, who sat for a haircut, donated eight inches of her cut tresses. Ten years ago, she found out she had the breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), which makes her more at risk of developing breast cancer. She said she wanted the students to learn about the need to be proactive when it comes to health.
The current issue of the Laval News, volume 32-11, published on May 29th, 2024. Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports. (Click on the image to read the paper.)
The Quebec highways ministry says that asphalting work on Autoroute 13 in Laval will mean the highway will be closed at certain specific times from May 24 to 27.
Here is a summary of the schedule:
A-13 northbound between the Louis-Bisson Bridge and Exit 12 (Boul. Samson/Boul. Notre-Dame/Boul. St-Martin)
· From Friday 11 pm to Monday 3:30 am: complete closing of Exit 12 (Boul. Samson/Boul. Notre-Dame/Boul. St-Martin northbound).
· On the nights of May 24 to 27: Friday from 11 pm to 8 am, Saturday from 11 pm to 9am and Sunday from 9 pm to 3:30 am
Partial night-time closing: just one lane available (of four).
· Saturday May 25 from 8 am to 11 pm
Partial daytime closing: just one available.
· Sunday May 26 from 9 am to 9 pm
Partial daytime closing: two lanes available (out of four).
Changes in weather could cause this work to be postponed, says Transports Québec.
The Laval Police say they have arrested five suspects and seized large quantities of various types of illegal drugs during a series of raids conducted in Laval last week.
Warrants executed at two residences and in a vehicle in Laval’s Sainte-Rose and Chomedey districts led to the seizure of 25 grams of crack cocaine, 140 grams of cocaine, 383 methamphetamine tablets and more than $5,000 in cash.
According to the LPD, the anti-narcotics operation was the culmination of an investigation that began last December after a tip from a member of the public.
Police arrested three men and two women between from 24 to 50 years of age.
The suspects were questioned by police and then released pending upcoming court appearances.
A man was declared dead after being struck by a truck while changing a tire on Highway 15 last week.
The incident happened on the northbound Gédéon-Ouimet Bridge, which links Laval to Boisbriand.
Quebec provincial police said the victim had stopped in the right-hand lane to fix a flat tire.
“The driver came out to change a tire,” said Elizabeth Marquis-Guy, a spokesperson with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). “A pick-up truck hit him before leaving the scene.”
The victim, a man in his 30s, was declared dead at the scene. Officers were working to locate the driver of the truck that hit the victim.
The SQ released surveillance photos of a truck believed to be involved in the collision and have been asking anyone with information to come forward.
Accused in killing of two kids at Laval daycare stands trial next year
It is alleged that former STL driver Pierre Ny St-Amand was behind the wheel of the bus that rammed the Garderie éducative de Sainte-Rose. (Photo: Facebook)
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others when an STL bus crashed into a Sainte-Rose daycare in February last year is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.
St-Amand was arrested after a transit bus crashed into the front of a daycare in Laval on Feb. 8, 2023, killing two young children, aged five and four and injuring six others.
In February, a Quebec court judge ruled after a preliminary inquiry that there was sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The former STL driver will stand trial on two charges of first-degree murder and seven other charges, including attempted murder and aggravated assault.
Laval youth protection centre janitor charged with pimping
A 36-year-old man who works as a janitor at a youth protection centre overseen by the CISSS de Laval is facing charges of exploiting a 14-year-old girl for sexual purposes.
The Sûreté du Québec issued a press release earlier this week announcing the arrest of Serge-André Exil-Florestal. The Laval resident was detained and was arraigned before a judge in Gatineau QC.
According to court documents obtained by Montreal’s La Presse, the accused was in contact with the girl from November 2023 until February 2024. It is alleged that during this time, he encouraged her to offer sexual services for money in Laval and in Gatineau.
‘One of the most important announced in Laval,’ says Mayor Stéphane Boyer
A new 114-unit housing project, selected as part of the second call for projects of the Société d’habitation du Québec’s Programme d’habitation abordable Québec (PHAQ), will be built quickly in Laval’s Sainte-Rose sector, federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez, Quebec Minister Responsible for Housing France-Élaine Duranceau and Minister Responsible for the Laval Region Christopher Skeete, announced last week.
Canada-Quebec Agreement
The federal government’s contribution will come from the Canada–Quebec Agreement under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), to which the Government has contributed $900 million.
The Government of Quebec, for its part, announced new investments of $900 million in the November 2023 economic update. The City of Laval is also a financial partner in this project and is required to make a contribution equal to at least 40 per cent of the SHQ’s base grant.
In response to the housing crisis, the governments of Canada and Quebec announced on February 16 the rapid construction of 2,574 new housing units throughout the province as part of 47 selected projects, including those just announced.
Fast-tracked projects
To ensure the projects launch quickly, their developers must sign an agreement with a contractor within 12 months of being selected to remain eligible under the Programme d’habitation abordable Québec.
“The agreement we have signed with the Government of Quebec will allow us to build more housing for Quebecers, more quickly,” federal Minister of Housing Sean Fraser said in a statement.
“The historic investments and initiatives that the Government of Quebec will use to support municipalities in increasing density and shortening construction timelines will make tens of thousands of new housing units a reality. The announcement of more than 2,500 new units marks the start of the work the Housing Accelerator Fund is doing in Quebec.”
‘Investing in well-being’
“Investing in affordable housing isn’t about pouring money into concrete,” said Rodriguez. “It’s about investing in the well-being of the people who live in our communities. This is the case for the future residents of these social and affordable units, who will have access to a safe and comfortable place to call home, where they can rest, recharge and welcome their loved ones. We are continuing to deliver for Quebecers by taking concrete actions that make a real difference.”
“Members of our community know they can count on our government to step up and tackle the housing crisis in our region,” said Skeete. “Today’s announcement is the result of successful collaborative work. I applaud the federal and provincial governments and the City of Laval for setting up the required financial levers, as well as our local partners and, of course, the Société de gestion Querbes, which believes in the value of social and affordable housing as a vector for a better quality of life in our community.”
‘Important project,’ says mayor
“This project is, seriously, one of the most important announced in Laval in the last few years,” said Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer. “It’s a wonderful achievement that will bring more housing to the Saint-Rose sector at a time when the need for housing has never been greater.
“In fact, that’s the whole reason we held Quebec’s first Sommet de l’habitation: to provide the momentum needed to see action like this being taken. This collaboration with the provincial and federal governments shows that we’re moving forward and our firm commitment as a partner city to removing barriers to getting housing built.”
Some highlights of the project:
Some of the households that move into these units could benefit from the Société d’habitation du Québec’s (SHQ’s) Rent Supplement Program, ensuring that they spend no more than 25 per cent of their income on housing. This additional assistance is covered by the SHQ (90 per cent) and the City of Laval (10 per cent).
To keep the other units affordable, a maintenance period for this assistance will be required. This period could last up to 35 years. Assistance rates will vary based on the term of the commitment. Rents may be indexed each year based on percentages set by the Tribunal administratif du logement.
Laval city councillor for Saint-Bruno David De Cotis worked in conjunction with Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board commissioner Barbara Barrasso, along with UPS Quebec operations supervisor Enrica Uva, to organize and coordinate a major spring cleanup in Lausanne Park which took place on Saturday May 4.
Again next year
Although this was only the second time for such an undertaking at the park, De Cotis said it was far from the last, and will continue for years to come.
In all, 30 – 40 students along with parents from Terry Fox Elementary School took part. They were joined by nearly three dozen employees of UPS.
“I was very surprised to see the determination and good will on the part of these students to take part,” said De Cotis.
“They efforts today made all the difference and are a sign of a promising new generation to come, of this am sure. Congratulations to these young people for taking part in this event,” he added.
UPS’s contribution
The UPS workers who took part were from the Laval region.
“UPS is committed to seeing resources are in place for a green community,” said Uva. “Until now, we have contributed to the planting of 28 million trees. Our goal is to plant 50 million by 2030. UPS employees are happy to work together to clean up Lausanne Park.”
“Our students showed that they are capable of doing things right,” said Barrasso. “I am proud to see what they were able to do, and I feel certain that their parents are just as proud of them. One youth at a time, one activity at a time, we are building the society of tomorrow.”
