A new Covid vaccine manufacturing plant that has just been completed in Laval’s Cité de la Biotech will be up and running by the fall next year, according to the company operating the facility.
Moderna’s new facility is located in an area of the Cité de la BioTech where the INRS agreed to sell some of its space.
The $250-million Laval plant, which officially opened on Feb. 23 with federal and provincial officials present, will eventually produce about 100 million doses of vaccines annually, which is enough for all of Canada, said Moderna’s chief operating and quality officer, Jerh Collins.
Federal Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
The factory will be able to do a lot more than make vaccines against COVID-19, said federal minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, during a news conference.
“Moderna is not just about COVID-19,” said Champagne.
“This is a range of vaccines that we will be able to produce at home. … There are even vaccines potentially for cancer.”
Quebec’s economy minister, Pierre Fitzgibbon, said the project makes it possible to reduce Canada’s dependence on foreign-produced vaccines.
Petition tabled in National Assembly by Mille-Îles PLQ MNA rejected
A petition tabled recently by Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour in the Quebec National Assembly, signed by 243 people who are demanding noise-abatement measures for the REM train which will be passing through Laval, was rejected by the CAQ majority, Dufour says.
Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Petition rejected
Dufour, who is the PLQ’s official spokesperson for the region of Laval, had presented the petition on behalf of affected residents who live in the Îles-Laval area.
According to the text of the petition, the signers maintain that calculations used to evaluate noise levels that will be generated by the 250 train trips through the area contained errors and omissions which were acknowledged by the train line’s developer, CDPQ Infra.
Noise abatement sought
The petitioners, with support from Dufour, are demanding that CDPQ infra be held to a commitment to quickly implement noise abatement measures to fix the problem, and that this be done for the health, security and peace of the residents, before REM service begins in Laval.
(Photo: Courtesy CDPQ Infra)
“The residents of this sector in Laval are worried and fearful, with good reason, regarding the undesirable effects of noise pollution on their health, their quality of sleep and the environment,” Dufour said.
“Not only did the CAQ refuse de listen to them, but none of the CAQ MNAs from the region of Laval were present during a working session on the petition to defend the residents of the area,” she continued, saying that “this is deplorable.”
Snowshoes, camping and hot chocolate rule at Lausanne Park
Several hundred residents of the City of Laval’s Saint-Bruno district enjoyed some respite from the cold weather at Lausanne Park last Sunday when local city councillor David De Cotis staged his annual Lausanne en Hiver winter celebration event.
According to De Cotis, it was the first time that he and other organizers had been able to hold the popular gathering since the Covid pandemic, when most public events were halted.
From the left Seen here during the Lausanne en Hiver at Lausanne Park last Sunday are local city councillor David De Cotis, Carole Sabourin (CA member of the Loisirs St-Bruno),
Isabelle Piché (city councillor for the District of Saint-Francois), and James Lee Bissi, community organizer for the event.
Several local events
Lausanne en Hiver is one of several outdoor celebrations the Saint-Bruno councillor for Action Laval holds at Lausanne Park throughout the year, the others being the Fête de quartier during the summer and the Halloween party in late October.
Seen here during the Lausanne en Hiver at Lausanne Park last Sunday are members of the Chevaliers De Colomb conseil St-Elzéar Metry El-Koury, Pierre Archambault and Jean-Yves Darisse.
Among the people, organizations and groups who turned out last Sunday were the Chevaliers de Colomb St-Elzéar council, as well as Vimont Member of the Quebec National Assembly Valérie Schmaltz. For the kids, there was a petting zoo featuring baby goats, sheep and chickens.
Lots of winter fun
The Chevaliers served up a true Québécois wintertime treat: maple taffy on snow.
As well, there was a custom-built igloo for all those wishing to learn more about it, skating, snowshoeing with the assistance of volunteers from Sports Laval, trail rides and a warm campfire to keep warm in the frigid outdoors during the mid-winter in Laval.
If anybody needed a little more inducement to warmth, there was also hot coffee and hot chocolate, and some fitness instructors kept the crowd warmed up and enthusiastic with an energetic Zumba workout.
PLQ tourism critic notes two ski-related fatalities in the Laurentians in January
Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier is asking the CAQ government to pay more attention to snow quality at the province’s ski hills, following a relatively snowless winter and two fatal ski accidents in the Laurentians north of Laval in January.
“What’s important is that they do provide good snow,” Lokhoyan Olivier, who is the PLQ official opposition’s spokesperson for tourism issues, said, referring to ski hill operators, in a recent interview with The Laval News.
Ski fatalities in January
A snowmaking “cannon.”
On Jan. 16, a man died after a fall while skiing at Mont Avila in Piedmont, 50 kilometres northwest of Laval in the Laurentians. The incident happened after another one a few days earlier, when a 15-year-old teenager died after falling from a ski lift at a resort in Morin-Heights.
Although the Sûreté du Québec said at the time they were investigating both incidents for possible causes, they dismissed the notion that anything other than accidental factors were at play in either case.
In an exchange with Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx in the National Assembly in January, Lakhoyan Olivier asked Proulx to shed some light on the Legault government’s current level of support for ski hill operators – including possible assistance to help them upgrade snowmaking machinery (called snow cannons or snow guns in the industry).
Skiing and tourism
“As you know, Quebec’s ski stations are an important player in our tourism industry,” said Lakhoyan Olivier, noting that the province’s skiing industry generates an overall $870 million worth of business annually, while drawing up to 6 million tourists to Quebec.
Pointing out that climate change is changing ski hill conditions and making them potentially more hazardous, Lakhoyan Olivier said hill operators need better quality snow guns in order to remain competitive while continuing to provide adequate service when average temperatures are on the rise because of climate change.
Support for snowmaking
Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier, who is the PLQ’s official spokesperson on tourism issues, is urging the Legault government to support ski hill operators with funding for new snowmaking machines, although Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx appeared reluctant to do so in a recent exchange with Lakhoyan Olivier in the National Assembly.
The Quebec Association of Ski Stations has appealed to the provincial government to provide subsidies to help ski hill operators renew their snowmaking equipment. The cost is estimated to be $65 million. It’s worth noting that in neighbouring Vermont, where the ski hill operators compete with those in Quebec, Vermont State officials provided operators with funding for snowmaking equipment renewal in recent years.
After pointing out that the Legault government is aware of the challenges faced by the province’s tourism industry because of the impact of climate change, and that it allotted some funding, Proulx said the government is leaning towards helping hill operators develop a year-around model of tourism, rather than only during the winter.
She said this means developing a strategy to place more emphasis on summertime leisure activities, such as mountain biking. As for the snow cannons, Proulx said the government had previously furnished funding for snow equipment renewal, although she offered no prospects of further assistance for gear replacement.
The Quebec Association of Ski Stations has appealed to the provincial government to provide subsidies to help hill operators renew their snowmaking gear
Towards year-around tourism
“We cannot only invest in snow cannons, we must invest in the diversification of commercial activities on mountains” so that it doesn’t become focused on just on one thing,” said the tourism minister, while adding that the CAQ government hoped to broaden the development of tourism at ski hills so that employment can be provided year-around, rather than just during the winter months as is often now the case.
Despite the tourism minister’s responses, Lakhoyan Olivier insisted to The Laval News that skiing in Quebec remains too important as a sport and leisure activity to be neglected. “Snowmaking machines are at the heart of the industry,” she said. “And the Laurentians are so beautiful, they are like the jewel of Quebec and need to be taken care of.”
Comments follow a major car theft conference in Ottawa
Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer as well as LPD police chief Pierre Brochet had this to say last week after taking part in a major gathering held in Ottawa by law enforcement officials from across Canada regarding the vehicle theft wave that has broken out in virtually every region of the country.
A concerted strategy
“Car theft is a crime against property which has a major impact on other types of criminality here as in other areas of the country,” said Boyer, while noting that a nationwide action plan will be needed with concerted actions.
Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer, left, and LPD police chief Pierre Brochet agree that a concerted strategy is needed to deal with the ongoing national wave of car theft.
“The Laval police service already has actions underway on the territory, although the challenges remain numerous,” added the mayor.
“Through our presence today, we wish to add the voices of local communities, while at the same time offering our complete cooperation to find solutions to this complex problem which cannot be resolved without strong coordination and additional resources.”
Criminals are profiting
“The issues are many and complex, including the necessity to have a global approach bringing together all the concerned players in order to ensure there are significant outcomes,” said LPD chief Brochet. “Car theft has become a market that is unfortunately too lucrative for criminals.
“Together, we have the ability to put the brakes on this phenomenon by prioritizing multiple solutions,” he added. “The impact on the sense of security of the population and the police force is real. Faced with the current situation, it has become more than necessary to coordinate things nationally with adequate investments so that the partners can mobilize quickly and efficiently.”
Some facts about car theft in Laval
Number of vehicles stolen annually on Laval territory *
In 2021: 1,047
In 2022: 1,567
In 2023: 1,351, in addition to 77 arrests linked to stolen vehicles
‘Unlike anything I’ve seen in Canada since Duplessis,’ he says of Premier’s treatment of minorities
“Values – fundamental values – cannot be withstanded away.”
With those words – echoing perhaps another politician’s assertion in the Quebec National Assembly 36 years earlier that “rights are rights are rights” – former NDP leader and Chomedey MNA Tom Mulcair denounced current Quebec Premier François Legault’s endorsement these past few years of various pieces of nationalistic and protectionist legislation.
Hard times for Anglos
Although the year is still young, already it’s shaping up to be a tough one for supporters of English-language Quebecers’ rights, Mulcair, currently a political advisor, academic and media commentator, told an audience of lawyers and law students at Concordia University on Jan. 24.
“Values – fundamental values – cannot be withstanded away,” said Mulcair. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
Elected three times to the Quebec National Assembly as the MNA for the Laval-area riding of Chomedey, Mulcair also served four times in the House of Commons in Ottawa, during which he became leader of the NDP and head of the official opposition.
‘People who discriminate’
During his talk to followers of Concordia’s Jurist-in-Residence Conference series, on Tolerating the Intolerable: Racisms and Discriminations Remain a Societal Challenge Beyond the Charter, Mulcair described Legault as a cynical politician caving in to political pressures from Francophone nationalists, while suppressing other people’s rights.
“What exactly does that mean? You have people who discriminate, who are intolerant, who want to restrict somebody else’s rights. It means you have to finally listen to them,” Mulcair said. “Just like that? Just a little bit? But not a lot? That’s where we are.”
Neither ethical nor moral
Former Chomedey MNA Tom Mulcair (who also was leader of the NDP party) spoke at Concordia University last month. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
According to Mulcair, Legault’s overall stance as the sponsor of laws like Bill 21 (preventing the government from hiring workers who wear religious symbols like head scarves), Bill 96 (adding to linguistic restrictions in Quebec’s French Language Charter) – as well as the English universities tuition hikes – reflects “a total lack of ethical and moral” foundation.
“It’s not resting on anything other than a political need to move ahead and to come up with an answer,” he said.
Just as former West Island Liberal MNA Clifford Lincoln stated his position in 1988 while announcing his resignation from the Bourassa cabinet after the Liberals added to Bill 101 with Bill 178, Mulcair also maintained the current CAQ government cannot justify the suppression of fundamental rights by invoking a notwithstanding clause.
Trudeau’s complicity
He said the attacks by Legault on the English-speaking community of Quebec have also included attempts to remove Canadian constitutionally-guaranteed English school boards, as well as efforts to do away with the equality of French and English before the courts.
“Oh, did I mention that Trudeau’s not done anything about that?” he quipped, taking a shot at the current Prime Minister (against whom Mulcair ran and lost in the 2015 federal election). Back to Legault, he said the Quebec Premier’s moves show “a mean spiritedness by Legault that is unlike anything I’ve seen in Canada since Duplessis.”
Attacking les Anglais
According to Mulcair, Legault’s overall stance reflects “a total lack of ethical and moral” foundation. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
Noting that in recent years Legault had flip-flopped on key issues in the Quebec City area, such as the proposed Québec/Lévis bridge tunnel project, “but never at a complete loss Mr. Legault, it came to him in a flash, the golden rule of Quebec politics: when you are in desperate trouble, when there is nothing left for you, you attack les Anglais.”
He suggested that the CAQ government’s legislated move to limit registration of Francophone students at Anglophone CEGEPs by establishing quotas, hearkens back to another era when McGill had quotas for the number of Jews it would admit as students.
“And that’s not that long ago – that was right into the 1960s – a sad and dark era indeed,” he continued. “Here Legault is telling young adults, as I say, that he’s going to decide for them what language they use in their post-secondary education … It’s an anathema in a free and democratic society to have that sort of distinction being made.”
After 30 years, THE LAVAL NEWS has ended its door-to-door distribution.
The February 21st, 2024 edition of THE LAVAL NEWS was the last issue delivered door to door by PUBLIC SAC. Since our first edition in 1993, THE LAVAL NEWS entrusted PUBLIC SAC with the mandate to deliver our paper, your paper, to your door. On that note, we thank all the workers who were behind and in front of the scenes that made the distribution of your newspaper possible.
However, on March 4th, 2024, PUBLIC SAC ceased its door-to-door distributing service due to changes in municipal by-laws in Montreal and other cities in Quebec. It’s an effort to reduce, at the source, a significant amount of paper and plastic in circulation in cities across Quebec. This leaves us with no cost-effective way to distribute our newspaper.
Therefore, as of March 6th, you can pick up THE LAVAL NEWS throughout the city at many selected local distribution points, such as public buildings, grocery stores, pharmacies, bakeries, etc.
Below, you will find the list of distribution points. Thank you for your loyal readership. We will continue to keep you informed and entertained.
Points de distribution / Distribution points
H7A
600 Montée du Moulin
Jean Coutu
H7A
600 Montée du Moulin
RONA
H7A
8075 Blvd. Lévesque E
Ultra Depanneur
H7C
4411 Blvd. de la Concorde E
IGA
H7C
4425 Blvd. de la Concorde E
Jean Coutu
H7E
2900 Blvd. de la Concorde E
Germaine-Guèvremont Library
H7E
3200 Blvd. de la Concorde E
Metro Plus
H7E
3595 Blvd. de la Concorde E
Intermarché Palumbo
H7E
4975 Blvd. Robert-Bourassa
Canadian Tire
H7E
5805 Blvd. Robert-Bourassa
IGA
H7E
2495 Blvd. Saint-Martin E
Patisserie St Martin
H7E
3245 Blvd. Saint-Martin E
Villa Val Des Arbres
H7G
155 Blvd. de la Concorde E
Metro Plus
H7G
300 Blvd. de la Concorde E
Polyclinique Médicale
H7G
405 Blvd. des Laurentides
Jean Coutu
H7G
1610 Blvd. Saint-Martin E
Chartrand Ford Inc
H7K
134 Blvd. Bellerose E
Euro Marché
H7K
5000 Blvd. des Laurentides
Metro Plus
H7K
5680 Blvd. des Laurentides
IGA
H7L
180 Blvd. Curé-Labelle
Jean Coutu
H7L
380 Blvd. Curé-Labelle
IGA
H7L
1207 Blvd. Curé-Labelle
Metro Plus
H7L
173 Blvd. Sainte-Rose
Uniprix
H7M
1640 A. Jean-Noël-Lavoie E
Subaru de Laval
H7M
1755 Blvd. René-Laennec
Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital
H7M
1859 Blvd. René-Laennec
Jean Coutu
H7M
1759 Blvd. des Laurentides
Uniprix
H7M
1904 Blvd. des Laurentides
Super C
H7M
255 Blvd. Saint-Martin E
Vimont Toyota Laval
H7M
700 Blvd. Saint-Martin E
Honda De Laval
H7N
475 Blvd. de l’Avenir
Salle André-Mathieu
H7N
1100 Blvd. de l’Avenir
Metro Plus Dépatie
H7N
1455 Blvd. de l’Avenir
Résidences Soleil Manoir
H7N
279-B Blvd. Cartier O
Uniprix
H7N
307 Blvd. Cartier O
IGA
H7N
430 Blvd. Cartier O
Proxim
H7N
255 Blvd. de la Concorde O
Jean Coutu
H7N
255 Blvd. de la Concorde O
Intermarché Palumbo
H7N
1295 Blvd. de la Concorde O
Jean Coutu
H7N
1315 Blvd. de la Concorde O
Uniprix
H7N
1395 Blvd. de la Concorde O
Maison des arts de Laval
H7N
1950 Rue Claude-Gagné
Place Bell
H7P
3699 Autoroute 440 O
Colfax
H7P
4355 Autoroute 440 O
Guimond Sports Complex
H7P
3095 A. Jean-Noël-Lavoie
Carrefour Multisports
H7P
3131 A. Jean-Noël-Lavoie 440 O
Mercedes-Benz Laval
H7P
2705 Blvd. Chomedey
440 Lincoln Laval
H7P
2800 Blvd. Chomedey
Cadillac Laval
H7P
2805 Blvd. Chomedey
CHSLD de Laval
H7P
2911 Blvd. Chomedey
Service de police de Laval
H7P
3230 Blvd. Curé-Labelle
Agoo
H7P
3505 Blvd. Dagenais O
Gabrielle-Roy Library
H7P
3270 Blvd. St-Elzear O
Résidence Estia
H7R
4515 Blvd. Arthur-Sauvé
Jean Coutu
H7R
6155 Blvd. Arthur-Sauvé
Metro Plus
H7R
3875 Blvd. Sainte-Rose
Depanneur Wilson
H7S
1700 Blvd. le Corbusier
Duclos Laval Chrysler
H7S
2250 Av. Francis-Hughes
STL
H7S
1446 Blvd. Saint-Martin O
St. Martin Oasis
H7T
3500 A. Jean-Noël-Lavoie
Desmeules Chrysler
H7T
3670 A. Jean-Noël-Lavoie O
440 Laval Chevrolet
H7T
2150 Autoroute Laurentian
Cosmodôme
H7T
3300 Blvd. le Carrefour
Groupe Sélection
H7T
1700 Blvd. Chomedey
Lallier Kia de Laval
H7T
2200 Blvd. Chomedey
Mazda de Laval
H7T
2385 Blvd. Chomedey
Chomedey Toyota Laval
H7T
2450 Blvd. Chomedey
BMW Laval
H7T
2137 Blvd. Curé-Labelle
IGA
H7T
1794 Av. Pierre-Péladeau
Presse Café
H7T
3131 Blvd. Saint-Martin O
Ville De Laval
H7T
3208 Blvd. Saint-Martin O
Déjeuner Cosmopolitain
H7T
3216 Blvd. Saint-Martin O
Marchés Tau
H7T
4363 Blvd. Saint-Martin O
Pharmacy Liounis
H7V
3205 Place Alton-Goldbloom
Jewish Hospital
H7V
1 Place de la Belle-Rive (#7)
Le Domaine Bellerive
H7V
5 Place de la Belle-Rive
Appartements Bellerive 3
H7V
505 Rue Cardinal
Residence Le Renoir
H7V
800 Blvd. Chomedey (Tour B, 2nd Floor)
CLSC Ruisseau-Papineau
H7V
1333 Blvd. Chomedey
Laval Administration
H7V
1400 Blvd. Chomedey
Jardins de Renoir
H7V
1535 Blvd. Chomedey
Multiculturelle Library
H7V
435 Blvd. Curé-Labelle S
Axion 50 plus
H7V
610 Blvd. Curé-Labelle
Jean Coutu
H7V
2999 Blvd. Notre Dame
CHSLD Résidence Riviera
H7V
3055 Blvd. Notre Dame (#109)
Boisé Notre-Dame
H7V
1450 Pie X (Suite 214)
CDC Laval
H7W
1013 Autoroute 13
Tennis 13 Fitness
H7W
5400 Av. Clarendon
Depanneur Bleue
H7W
1665 Rue du Couvent
CLSC Ruisseau-Papineau
H7W
25 Promenade des Îles
Villagia De L’ile Paton
H7W
4311 Blvd. Notre Dame
Marché Bamyan
H7W
4325 Blvd. Notre Dame
Tabagie Elite
H7W
4331 Blvd. Notre Dame
Lillies Bakery
H7W
4349 Blvd. Notre Dame
Uniprix
H7W
4919 Blvd. Notre Dame
Vie en vert Supermarket
H7W
4594 Promenade Paton
Manoir des Îles
H7W
755 Chemin du Sablon
Centre du Sablon
H7W
4219 Blvd. Samson
Depanneur Samson
H7W
4305 Blvd. Samson
Supermarché Atlantis
H7W
4427 Blvd. Samson
Royal Lepage
H7W
4600 Blvd. Samson
Supermarché PA
H7W
4657 Blvd. Samson
Ambrosia Bakery
H7W
4691 Blvd. Samson
Jean Coutu
H7W
4725 Blvd. Samson
Depanneur Chomedey
H7W
4136 Chemin du Souvenir
Serano Bakery
H7W
4232 Chemin du Souvenir
Dépanneur STO DEP
H7X
550 Autoroute Chomedey O
IGA
H7X
3200 Autoroute Chomedey A13
Chomedey Hyundai
H7X
239 Blvd. Samson O
Allô mon Coco
H7X
245 Blvd. Samson
Jean Coutu
H7X
555 Blvd. Samson
Metro Marché Denigil
If you would like to add your store as a distribution point, please email us.
The current issue of the Laval News, volume 32-04, published on February 21st, 2024. Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports. (Click on the image to read the paper.)
Front page of The Laval News, February 21st, 2024 issue.
A Laval Police Dept. spokesperson confirmed last week that two deaths reported at a Laval-des-Rapides apartment were a homicide followed by a suicide and that the victims were a father and a son, the latter having received a life sentence for murder more than two decades ago.
A police source confirmed to media that one one of the deceased, a 43-year-old man, was Richard Germain, while the other was his 67-year-old father, Pierre.
The bodies were discovered after the LPD received a request from their counterparts in the City of Montreal on the morning of Feb. 7 to conduct a wellness check on a resident on rue d’Orly in Pont-Viau.
Richard Germain received a life sentence after he pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Chrystelle Lavigne-Gagnon, a 15-year-old girl. Richard Germain was granted full parole in June 2022.
Lavigne-Gagnon died after being stabbed repeatedly in August 2000 after being in a brief relationship with Germain.
Germain had previously been charged with eight counts of uttering threats toward the girl.
A Parole Board of Canada report stated that Germain “grew up in an unhealthy family environment steeped in violence.”
The federal government’s pledge to crack down on an organized wave of car thefts that is currently sweeping the country contrasted last week with a glaring example recorded by security cameras at a used car dealership on Laval’s Curé Labelle Blvd.
A still image from security camera footage at the car dealership captured the moment the suspects drove off.
Two suspects posing as buyers turned up at Auto Karetta a short time before the dealership was set to close for the day, asking to test drive a 2016 Mercedes CLA 45 AMG.
Although a dealership sales rep told them it was too late for a test drive, he agreed to let them start the car and he opened the engine hood.
In spite of the driver’s obstructed view because of the open hood, he drove off, striking the employee.
When the driver stopped momentarily on Curé Labelle Blvd. to close the hood, the employee ran to catch up and tried to open a car door, but was pushed away.
Investigators with the Laval Police are looking for the suspects, described as a man and a woman who are believed to be in their 30s.
According to news reports, a West Island Mercedes dealership alleged that someone stole a license plate from one of the dealership’s vehicles later on that same day and bolted it to a car that matched the description of the stolen vehicle.
