The current issue of the Laval News, volume 32-18, published on September 25th, 2024.
Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
Laval News Volume 32-18
The costliest severe weather in Quebec’s history – the August flooding – caused nearly $2.5 billion in insured damage
Remnants of Hurricane Debby devastated Laval, Montreal and other areas of Quebec
The remnants of Hurricane Debby that travelled across southern Quebec on August 9 and 10 are estimated to have caused nearly $2.5 billion in insured damage, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ).
This one flood event now ranks as the costliest insured event in Quebec’s history, surpassing even the 1998 ice storm.
“The record-breaking downpour caused by the remnants of Hurricane Debby has led to a surge in insurance claims related to flooded homes, businesses and vehicles,” said Johanne Lamanque, vice-president for Quebec of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
“From the very beginning of this crisis, insurers deployed extraordinary measures to respond as quickly as possible to their clients’ need for financial support,” she said.
While insurers say they are continuing to assist their customers with financial support as rapidly as they can, the sheer volume of claims, coupled with skilled labour shortages and continued strains in Canada’s supply chain, means that the claims process will take time.
As IBC recently reported, Canada’s home, auto and business insurers are grappling with the most challenging summer on record for damage from severe weather events and natural disasters.
The flooding in Toronto and other parts of southern Ontario, the Jasper wildfire, the Calgary hailstorm and flooding in regions of Quebec, have resulted in approximately 228,000 insurance claims.
By comparison, last year, insurers reported 113,000 claims in July and August and 160,000 claims for the entire year amidst record-breaking wildfires across the country.
Canada’s insurers are simultaneously supporting customers impacted by the flooding in Quebec, the July and August southern Ontario floods, the August Calgary hailstorm and the Jasper wildfire. The insurance industry is on the ground in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta, assisting customers as they put their lives back together.
“Insurers are paying out more in claims for the Quebec flood event than the federal government has invested on climate adaptation over the past decade,” said Craig Stewart, vice-president for climate change and federal issues at IBC.
“Launching the promised National Flood Insurance Program is the single most-important step the federal government can take to better protect homeowners from the financial risks of climate change,” he added.
“Unless the federal government commits the necessary resources during the upcoming parliamentary session, with the backing of the provinces and territories, insurers will not be able to support the program before 2026.”
He said all levels of government must immediately take measures to stop building and rebuilding on flood plains and areas prone to wildfire, invest in disaster mitigation, including upgrades to stormwater infrastructure, and roll out programs to help fire- and flood-proof homes.
According to IBC, insured losses related to severe weather in Canada now routinely exceed $2 billion annually.
By comparison, between 2001 and 2010, Canadian insurers paid out an, on average, $701 million a year in claims related to severe weather.
2024 losses are now an order of magnitude higher.
Burglars snatch high-end clothing at kidswear store
The Laval Police late last week were still trying to identify several suspects who took part in a brazen early morning burglary at a designer children’s wear boutique near the Carrefour Laval mall.
According to initial reports, the perpetrators were able to get into the outlet through a commercial address next to the Kid Biz store.
They apparently broke through a wall between the two businesses, through which they managed to get into the high-end children’s clothing retailer around 1:40 am.
The store is known for selling designer kids’ apparel and accessories, retailing in some cases for more than $1,000 per item.
On its website, Kid Biz bills itself as “Quebec’s leading boutique for high-end childrenswear,” as well as “the largest children’s retail boutique in Canada.”
According to the website, the designer brands children’s wear featured in the store include Givenchy, Balmain, Moncler, Armani, Moschino, Versace and Hugo Boss.
Recent Laval Fire Dept. calls
Around 5:40 pm on Friday Sept. 6, the Laval Fire Dept. was called to respond to a fire which had broken out in an industrial building located on Lachaine St. in an industrial sector of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.
Although the blaze wasn’t considered highly dangerous, smoke was spotted by firefighters as soon as they arrived, and a 10-07 code was sent in, meaning an intervention would be necessary to put out the fire.
During the early evening of Aug. 31, firefighters from the LFD responded to a fire call from a commercial address near the intersection of Industriel and Saint-Elzéar boulevards.
It turned out to be a blaze which started in a pile of debris.
The firemen had some difficulty at first putting it out, directing several streams of water, before having any success. However, a large volume of smoke could be seen from a considerable distance.
On Sunday Aug. 25 just before 10 am, a shed located behind a home on Léandre-Descostes St. in Chomedey was the source of a large explosion which caused a fire that spread to several other sheds in a rear lane.
According to an initial assessment of the cause, a propane heater used improperly to warm up a swimming pool was the probable cause. Electric wiring hanging from poles near the blaze were damaged, with some falling to the ground.
Firefighters from the LFD’s No. 2 firehall on Souvenir Blvd. responded. They managed to get the situation under control within minutes and backup units weren’t necessary. Property damage was limited to the affected sheds and nearby houses weren’t damaged.
A more serious fire broke out and burned overnight from Aug. 26-27 at an apartment complex on Bois-de-Boulogne Ave. in Chomedey.
The blaze is believed to have been caused by some items of clothing which were left too close to bedside lamp in a bedroom in a third-floor apartment.
The LFD received the first call just after 10 pm, and were on the scene within eight minutes, although tenants had started evacuating before the firefighters arrived.
A dog that was found unconscious in the unit where the fire had broken out was revived by the firefighters with respiratory equipment adapted to rescuing pets. Damages were estimated at $10,000 to the building and an additional $9,000 for furnishings.
Mother Nature cuts down time families spent at Laval’s Fête de la Famille
Rain leaves many moms, dads and kids adrift in mid-day downpour
Many of Laval’s moms, dads, children and grandparents got just a taste of the fun normally to be had on Labor Day weekend, when the city lives up to its annual end-of-summer tradition by holding the Fête de la Famille at the Centre de la nature in Duvernay.
Unwelcome rain
Given Mother Nature’s precarious moods in recent years, the city’s highly popular Family Day was reduced roughly by half.
Rain that began slowly falling during the early afternoon quickly changed into a steady downpour that drove anyone lingering on the Centre de la nature grounds into a frantic search for cover.
Although Environment Canada had forecast rain starting no earlier than 3 pm after bright and friendly skies that morning, dark clouds were gathering by as early as two, while gusts of wind threatened to uproot tents and send them aloft like giant kites.
A scaled-down Fête
However, many of the usual sights, sounds and fun things were there, although scaled down considerably in some cases. The “zip line,” a perennial favorite among kids as well as adults every Labor Day weekend, was a shadow of its former self this year, being reduced to a mini-version.
Still, some of the Family Day’s old standby favorites, like the Laval Fire Department’s firehose and burning house simulator, were still as big a hit with the kids as in many years past.
A Jurassic Park “circus” proved itself to be very popular with kids and parents, although it and most of the other activities were cut short by mid-afternoon when the rain began falling in torrents.
Hundreds attend Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis’ summer BBQ
‘It’s a way for us to thank our citizens while just having a great time’
More than 800 guests – most of them constituents in Vimy MP Annie Koutrakis’s riding – chowed down on hot dogs, salad and other outdoor BBQ delights on the afternoon of Sunday Sept. 1 in Laval-des-Rapides’ Bernard Landry Park.
Again next year
Although it was Koutrakis’s first annual BBQ since first being elected in 2019, she pledged it was far from being the last. “We plan to have this event every year,” she said in an interview with The Laval News.
“And it’s a way for us to thank our citizens while just having a great time in a family atmosphere to tell them how much I appreciate them. It’s also for them to know that they have a federal Member of Parliament who is always there ready and willing to help.”
Touching base locally
Koutrakis and her staff spent time since early August visiting more than 40 local community organizations and non-profit groups, including several senior citizens’ retirement residences.
“Everybody knew about our annual BBQ,” said Koutrakis, noting that several buses of seniors were expected to take part in the festivities that afternoon. “For us, when I look at this, it warms my heart to know that we did the right thing.”
While there is a common misconception that MPs enjoy long summer and Christmas holidays when the House of Commons isn’t in session, the truth is that the vast majority of parliamentarians use the time to catch up on local issues in their ridings, while going around touching base with people and organizations.
Busy summer for Koutrakis
“Oh my god, I think summer is the best time for all Members of Parliament to be on the ground and visit the small businesses, family organizations, daycamps.” she agreed. “We visited many of the companies and organizations we helped this summer through Canada employment.”
She said the riding of Vimy alone this past summer received nearly $1 million to provide subsidies to 66 children’s daycamps and other groups so they could create 204 jobs for students who were off during summer vacation.
“So, the good word is that summer is the best time for MPs to get some things done, when we’re not torn between parliament and other things that need to be done,” she added. An event such as a large gathering of citizens can also offer opportunities to hear what’s on the minds of constituents. Koutrakis learned what some of them were thinking.
Meeting constituents
“Today I heard from several people who wanted more information on the government’s housing strategy, for instance,” she said. “There were some who said they had reached out in the past for services at my office and they specifically wanted to meet members of my team who had helped them out.
“I can’t ask for better than that,” she continued. “So, it’s really great to be able to have these informal get-togethers to hear directly from people where you know that you’re made a difference in their life. And it makes me better as a Member of Parliament. We learn as a team.”
Tropical Storm Debby recovery continues in Laval
During the last few days of August, City of Laval work crews were wrapping up the last of a series of coordinated trash and waste pickups on streets throughout the city, after the devastating floods that washed through several neighbourhoods of Laval on Aug. 9.
Over the previous three weeks, a coordinated effort by several key municipal departments focused on the massive task, with assistance from a few contracted outside service providers.
According to the city, more than 25,000 hours of work went into the cleanup, and city teams were resuming their day-to-day operations, as students in schools across Laval were adjusting to back-to-school routines and settling down to classes.
“Planning and coordination efforts as well as the exceptional mobilization of several hundred people made it possible to conduct this never-before-seen cleanup operation on Laval’s soil,” said Patrick Taillefer, director of the Laval Fire Dept. and principal coordinator for emergency measures.
“For every residence affected, our teams had to pick up the equivalent of nearly a year’s worth of trash,” he added. “They managed to do it with success, after a second and then a final sweep over all the territory.”
“Since August 12, the City of Laval’s teams worked incessantly to support our community,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
“This cleanup operation, which quickly became our absolute priority, showed one more time the solidarity and resilience of all the people in Laval. Thanks to the commitment of our staff and the collaboration of everyone concerned, we were able to surmount this challenge together and reestablish order in our neighbourhoods to the best of our abilities.”
Just what was done
- Work crews passed twice on all Laval’s territory, for a total of 2,900 streets
- 15,363 addresses visited
- More than 8,000 tons of debris gathered
- 4,170 10-wheel truck trips
- 12,455 visits to the écocentres
- Around 1,000 tons of debris dumped
- More than 25,000 hours of work
- Estimated cost $4 million
Other options still available
Laval’s écocentres continue to be an excellent option for those still needing to rid themselves of trash and debris left from the flooding. Because of the exceptional nature of the situation, the city is allowing a much greater volume of materials per resident to be accepted.
They are also reminding residents who were impacted that some insurance policies include rental charges for steel containers to gather debris and its pickup by a specialized contractor.
Giant mural completed at Chomedey high-rise
On Aug. 29, representatives of the City of Laval were on hand for the official unveiling of a large mural created over two exterior walls on a high-rise building at the corner of Saint-Martin and Daniel Johnson boulevards in Chomedey.
The work, titled Inner Child Healing, was created by multidisciplinary artist Jacquie Comrie, on the outside of the 14-storey Tours Saint-Martin.
“Adding to the City of Laval’s already impressive collection of public art, this impressionist and brilliant work will be embellishing the sector to make it even more lively, while at the same time adding to the experiences of those using the sector,” said Laval city councillor for Sainte-Rose Flavia Alexandra Novac, who is responsible for cultural dossiers on city council.
“The building’s architecture was perfectly suited for such a large project in an area where its visibility over a wide and well-trafficked area will ensure it is seen by a maximum of passersby,” she added.
The artist who created the work explained how she went about it. “In my artistic efforts, I use color as a tool for social transformation in order to create a positive impact and beneficial effects on mental health,” Comrie said.
“Color is a universal language for transmitting emotions, in addition to being a powerful tool to embellish spaces. It has healing properties and also the capacity to influence our thoughts, our behaviors and our well-being.”
The mural was created with the assistance of MU, an organization that has been behind the creation of many other exterior murals in the Montreal region since 2007. The City of Laval undertook to sponsor the mural as part of an existing cultural policy to promote public art in open outdoor spaces in strategic locations.
Around 60 other murals and other works of art are part of a growing collection on Laval’s territory. They can be found on many municipal buildings including libraries, sports and community centres, as well as in green spaces and public parks.
Marius-Barbeau library branch in Saint-François moves
Since Sept. 7, the City of Laval library network’s Marius-Barbeau branch in Saint-François has been closed while a move is undertaken to a new location at the Espace citoyen des Confluents (ECC) at 1000 Marie-Uguay St.
According to Laval city councillor Flavia Alexandra Novac, in charge of library services on city council, the new locale will give the branch more space and convenience for its users who are mostly in Duvernay-Est and Saint-François.
“They will have access to a collection of more than 55,000 documents, several new pieces of digital equipment, a terrace, a reading room, a special section especially set aside for teenagers, meeting rooms and much more,” said Novac.
“This will be a place very simply that is exceptional where you will be able to find places for gatherings, exchanges and for culture, which is sure to become an important focal point for the community,” she added.
Until Nov. 2 when the ECC is schedule to open, library users from the area are invited to use the Germaine-Guèvremont library branch located at 2900 boulevard de la Concorde Est in Duvernay, or any of the eight other Laval public library branches.
At the same time, library users are reminded that many of the City of Laval’s services are not available online, making it unnecessary to go in person to a library branch. For example, books and documents can be reserved online, while other resources can be consulted directly in databases of information. Book and document loans can also be renewed online.
MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier always present for her community
Donation of school bags to primary schools in Chomedey to promote integration, academic success and fight against children’s poverty
(NEWSFIRST) – In this back-to-school period, it is essential that all children in Chomedey schools have the necessary resources for their success and academic development.
Like last year, Chomedey’s representative, Sona Lakhoyan Olivier, worked with the Néz pour vivre Foundation to provide school bags to students in need.
Francine Laplante from the Néz pour vivre Foundation launched the project “The Star Godmother” to help students in difficulty through various actions.
Sona Lakhoyan Olivier generously contributed to the progress of this cause by allowing seven schools in Chomedey to receive a total of 200 bags, valued at $10,000, which will be given to children in need.
Laval News Volume 32-17
The current issue of the Laval News, volume 32-17, published on September 11th, 2024.
Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)
Moderna’s Canadian facility in Laval receives Drug Establishment License from Health Canada
Moderna Inc. (Nasdaq:MRNA) announced on Monday that its Canadian manufacturing facility, which is located in Laval, has been granted a Drug Establishment License (DEL) by Health Canada.
The certification, according to a statement issued by the company, affirms the facility’s compliance with rigorous safety and quality standards, authorizing it to produce drug substance.
“This key milestone enables Moderna’s Canadian manufacturing site to become fully operational, bringing the company closer to ensuring a reliable and onshore supply of mRNA vaccines within Canada,” said Moderna.
With the DEL in place, the facility will proceed with the final qualification process, positioning it to domestically manufacture a portfolio of mRNA vaccines against respiratory viruses beginning in 2025, including COVID-19 and, contingent on approval by Health Canada, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and seasonal influenza.
“This is another landmark in Moderna’s long-term strategic partnership with the Government of Canada to provide onshore respiratory vaccine manufacturing capabilities and support national pandemic readiness,” said Roger Ngassam, Laval Manufacturing Site Head at Moderna Canada.
“This platform will be the foundation for enabling the manufacturing of multiple mRNA vaccines right here in Canada,” he added.
“This is a significant achievement in our efforts to bring certified end-to-end mRNA manufacturing capabilities to Canada and is the first of our manufacturing sites outside the U.S. to reach this milestone,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.
“We look forward to continuing our work with the Government of Canada to support the national supply of vital respiratory vaccines.”
The DEL status adds to Moderna’s existing global manufacturing footprint, which includes key facilities in the United States, as well as facilities under construction in Australia and the United Kingdon.
According to the company, the Laval facility will be playing a crucial role in furthering Moderna’s positive impact on global health, while contributing to the local economy, and ensuring Canadian access to safe, high-quality mRNA medicines.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna focuses on RNA therapeutics – mainly mRNA vaccines.
The company, which underwent a massive surge in growth during the Covid pandemic, has only one commercial product so far, which is the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
However, Moderna has 45 treatment and vaccine candidates, of which 38 have reached the advanced stage of clinical trials.
They include potential vaccines for influenza, HIV, Epstein-Barr human herpes, and several vaccines against cancer.
Local school boards and Laval Police team up for ‘Drop Me Off Safely’ campaign
The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, the Centre de services scolaire de Laval and the Laval Police have teamed up once again at the beginning of a new school year to get things underway with a focus on student safety.
Their initiative aims to promote safe driving habits around school zones during drop-off times to ensure the well-being of students.
The “Drop Me Off Safely” campaign is an initiative of the Laval Police and has won the Recognition award granted by the Association des directeurs de police du Québec, in the Road Security category.
Recognizing the importance of safety during the crucial moments of student drop-offs, the Laval Police initiated the campaign to raise awareness and ensure every student is safe on their journey to school.
Once again, the campaign will be spread over four strategic periods under various themes throughout the 2024-2025 school year.
More specifically, the police will be reminding motorists of speed limits to respect and mandatory stops to watch out for when a school bus turns on its flashing red lights.
“Our focus at the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board is always the safety of our students and staff,” said school board chairperson Paolo Galati.
“Being part of the “Drop Me Off Safely” campaign is important to us and we are proud to support this initiative to keep our students safe,” he added.
For more information and engaging activities on bus safety, you can visit the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board’s website: https://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/en/parents/transportation/swlsb-annual-school-bus-safety-program/.
