The sub-contractor that collects tolls from motorists who pass between Laval and Montreal over the Autoroute 25 bridge is warning about a fraudulent text-based scheme targeting drivers.
Concession A25 operates the electronic toll gathering system and also designed and built the bridge.
The Autoroute 25 bridge between Laval and Montreal is managed by a private firm sub-contracted by the Quebec highways ministry. (Photo: Courtesy of Concession A25)
The fraudulent texts, which convincingly appear to originate from the company, claim that unpaid amounts are owed and that there will be penalties if payment isn’t made before a deadline.
A hyperlink leading to a website where action purportedly can be taken is embedded in the text, although clicking on it can lead to malware being downloaded, as well as other consequences that can compromise personal and banking information.
Concession A25 says recipients should report the messages by replying to 7726 – SPAM on most keypads – in the “to:” field, which enables mobile operators to investigate the message’s content.
This will tell your cellular provider to open an investigation on the contents of the message.
Police and security guards could do little but look on without intervening at Carrefour Laval the day after Christmas as several dozen pro-Palestine activists staged a noisy protest against the Gaza War when the mall was crowded with thousands of Boxing Day shoppers.
The demonstrators first gathered around 2 pm inside the mall as well as outside at entrance doors where they chanted slogans urging shoppers to boycott stores with retail outlets in Israel.
Similar protests took place on the same day at malls, shopping centres and commercial districts in many parts of the world.
Montreal’s sole independent ethnic station serves 17 cultural communities
The entrepreneurial family behind one of Canada’s most ambitious multicultural broadcast media ventures hosted a celebration for its many loyal clients and supporters in Montreal last week to mark the anniversary of its first decade of operation.
ICI Television, an independent multicultural station with its transmitter near downtown Montreal on top of Mount Royal, has seen its share of challenges over the past 10 years.
ICI Television founder and president Mohammad Norouzi, centre, is seen here during the anniversary celebration with his son, Sam, senior vice-president and general manager of ICI, along with Sam’s two children. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
David vs. Goliath
But, as in the storied biblical tale of David and Goliath, ICI Television overcame initially great odds against a mighty foe, to gather a loyal following of supporters and a comprehensive schedule of programming in 17 languages.
Although ICI Television has undergone several transformations over the years, the station’s most recent incarnation dates back to 2013. That’s when Mohammad Norouzi, a Persian Montrealer, struck a deal with Rogers Media to support ICI Television.
ICI first started airing programming in December 2013, taking on the role as Montreal’s sole dedicated multicultural television broadcaster.
CBC’s pre-emptive strike
However, not long before this, the aforementioned Goliath (a.k.a. CBC/Radio-Canada) came along. The federal government-owned national network claimed in a lawsuit, filed pre-emptively in March 2013, that ICI Television’s branding violated a Radio-Canada claim to “Ici” as a registered trademark.
A number of ICI Television’s content producers were presented by Sam Norouzi with recognition awards during the station’s 10th anniversary celebration at the Volare Plaza Hotel on Côte de Liesse Rd. in Montreal. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
In spite of that, ICI Television has managed to survive and even flourish for 10 years in an increasingly turbulent mass media environment.
As for the CBC, they recently announced a hiring freeze, as well as plans to cut 600 jobs to help make up for an anticipated $125-million shortfall. This in spite of the more than $1 billion in funding CBC/Radio-Canada receives from the federal government annually.
The ‘power of dreams’
“A decade ago, an ambition was realized when ICI Television was born,” Sam Norouzi, Mohammad’s son who is senior vice-president and general manager of ICI, told a gathering of several hundred guests at the Volare Plaza Hotel on Côte de Liesse Rd.
They celebrated with beverages from an open bar, before enjoying a lavish seafood buffet and a full-course meal.
Sam called the station’s success “a testament to the power of dreams, hard work and the unwavering support of our viewers, partners and dedicated teams,” while adding that “we have strived to provide quality content that entertains, informs and resonates with our diverse audiences.”
Video clip from Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who normally might issue a written congratulatory statement on a PMO letterhead when acknowledging a significant milestone by a person or organization, sent a videotaped message several minutes long, suggesting the high regard he has for ICI Television.
“To everyone celebrating this evening and to all of you who’ve worked so hard in the past 10 years, thank you – here is to many more years of success,” said the Prime Minister.
In an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia, Sam Norouzi pointed out that of the many ownerships ICI Television has been through, the current one under the Norouzi family is the first to have lasted a full ten years. “So, it’s quite a milestone, it’s quite humbling, and it’s a very exciting experience,” he said.
Silvana Di Flavio and Angela Mariani
were the Master of ceremonies.
Coping with the turbulence
As these are turbulent times for everyone with a stake in mainstream media, Sam acknowledged that ICI Television is not an exception to this trend – although it is managing to cope while maintaining a positive outlook towards the future.
“With the phenomenon of cord-cutting and ad revenues transitioning to streaming services, that effect is compounded and multiplied for ethnic media, because we have to play the same game but with one hand tied behind our back,” he said, noting they don’t have access to big advertisers because of differences in how ICI’s viewership gets rated.
“So, it is a difficult situation,” Sam added. “Still, we’ve been able to survive so far through very responsible management. And, for that reason, we are very optimistic about the future.”
The Laval Police completed a major recently involving a large network for the cultivation and sale of cannabis that was operating in Laval, Montreal, as well as on the North Shore and the South Shore.
Projet Drago, as the initiative was code-named, led to the identification of four suspects, followed by four raids with arrests in Laval, Montreal, Saint-Adèle in the Laurentians and Saint-Adèle-de-Newton in the Montérégie.
The investigation led to the discovery by police that although production of cannabis had been authorized to some of the suspects by Health Canada which had issued permits, a substantial amount of the product was being distributed outside the agency’s rules and therefore illegally.
The police estimate the value of the cannabis seized at more than $2.5 million. The seized materials included:
2,085 plants of cannabis;
169.3 kgs of cannabis bud;
9.26 kgs of bulk cannabis.
Also seized
$34,530 in Canadian currency;
864 cuttings;
Two vehicles valued at $60,000;
2 air conditioners.
Chhuong Ngo, age 44, Con Ngo, age 52, Van Linh Pho, age 48, as well as Steve St-Germain, age 52 ans, face charges of producing cannabis illegally. They were arraigned at the Palais de justice de Laval and were freed on bail with conditions to follow until their next court appearance.
Adèle Sorella acquitted of charge she murdered daughters
A Laval woman was acquitted on Monday in the 2009 deaths of her young daughters after a third trial on murder charges.
Adèle Sorella was convicted of murder in 2013 and 2019, but both of those decisions were overturned on appeal.
The girls were found dead in the family’s Laval home, but their bodies showed no signs of violence and a cause of death was never determined.
Justice Myriam Lachance said in her written decision that she remained unconvinced that Sorella had seized an opportunity to kill her daughters, Sabrina and Amanda, when they were eight and nine years old respectively.
Sorella was married to known Mafia figure Giuseppe De Vito, who died poisoned in prison in 2013.
Laval Police seize first 3-D printed gun
There’s a first time for everything, and the Laval Police announced recently they had seized a 3D printed firearm for the first time.
As these types of weapon have already become quite common in the U.S., it’s believed it will be only a matter of time before they also turn up more often in Laval and other areas of the province.
According to the LPD, officers pulled over a vehicle in late November for a routine infraction of the Highway Safety Code. While the officers were checking ID and documents, one of the occupants of the vehicle falsely identified himself.
The two occupants were placed under arrest, and while searching the suspects, police seized a 3D-printed revolver from one of them. A small quantity of drugs and false identification were also seized.
According to the LPD, the possession of a 3D-printed firearm is an emerging phenomenon in Quebec as police battle gun-related urban violence.
The 30-year-old alleged to be carrying the weapon was arraigned at the Palais de Justice de Laval on a charge of possession of a prohibited weapon. He remained in custody at last word and was scheduled to make another court appearance on Jan. 18.
Local police in raids over killings, including one in Laval
Laval was one of several communities across Quebec where police were recently conducting raids and seizures tied to a series of organized crime-related killings, including the deaths of three people who were mistakenly targeted.
The operation was connected with killings in Montreal and on the North Shore from the mid-1990s to more recently. Police said the raids — in Laval, Mirabel, Rosemère and Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot — were primarily in conjunction with the deaths of the three people mistakenly killed.
The victims were Lida Phon, 32, who was killed in a Laval home in August 2012; Domenico Facchini, 37, who was shot dead in a cafe in Montreal’s St-Léonard borough in December 2012; and Nicolas Lavoie-Cloutier, 18, killed in Terrebonne, Que., in June 2018.
Police said suspects targeted in the raids were linked to the Mafia, the Hells Angels and street gangs.
Fabre CAQ MNA Alice Abou-Khalil played a key role recently in helping to arrange the vaccination of a constituent more than one hundred years old, in the comfort of her home, and just in time for her birthday.
According to a statement issued by Abou Khalil’s office, she and her team made it possible to get one of her senior citizens, Mrs. Lena Sweeney, vaccinated this fall by a registered nurse without having to leave home.
Mrs. Sweeney’s daughter, Denise, was trying to get her this vaccine, but was not able to get hold of anyone who would agree to do it. So, she called Abou-Khalil’s office, urging the staff to do something – and they did.
While talking to Denise, staff at the Fabre riding office learned how old her mother was and that got things started. Upon finding out that Mrs. Sweeney had recently turned 102 years old, Abou Khalil said she wanted to pay homage to her in a special way.
She asked the Honorable Michel Doyon, Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, to prepare a certificate honoring her seniority. Abou-Khalil then reached out to the mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer, who gave her a special certificate plus a gift. And Abou-Khalil produced a certificate of her own, as well.
On December 11, Mrs. Sweeney was surprised to receive a special visit. It’s understandable that at age 102, being the dean of the Fabre constituency is a huge deal.
Abou-Khalil visited her, delivering all the certificates, as well as some gifts and a flower bouquet.
Mrs. Sweeney found this gesture touching when she was told that all those people had gathered to make her 102nd birthday a special one.
Her daughter, Denise, was emotional, too, and thanked everyone who contributed to making her mother’s birthday a day to remember. It was an early Christmas gift that will last a long time, she said.
In the picture from left to right: Aldo Geloso, President Groupe Geloso, Virginie Dufour, MNA for Mille-Îles, Isabelle Piché, councillor for Saint-François, David De Cotis, councillor for Saintt-Bruno, Jean Gagnon, director-general of Centre de bénévolat et moisson Laval, and Christopher Skeete, Quebec MNA for Sainte-Rose.
Action Laval city councillors David De Cotis (Saint-Bruno) and Isabelle Piché (Saint-François) spent most of a morning and an afternoon one day just before Christmas helping to deliver food baskets to needy families all over the Laval region.
The Laval city council colleagues (who are also a husband-and-wife team) volunteered their time and resources to the Centre de bénévolat/Moisson Laval to see that families in Laval that are less fortunate might have some Christmas joy in their lives during the upcoming holidays.
“We wanted to give of our time to see that citizens in need in Laval received what they needed,” said De Cotis, while adding both he and Piché do a fair amount of hands-on volunteering.
The Youth and Parents AGAPE Association says it struggled this year to gather enough non-perishable items for its annual Christmas food drive.
“We don’t have enough non-perishable items to help families that are in need,” the organization stated on Dec. 15 on its Facebook page. “Due to the school strike and many other reasons, we haven’t received a lot of donations as years past,” they added.
MP Vimy Annie Koutrakis (second from left) participated in Agape’s 2023 Christmas food drive.
At last word, Agape was looking for donations of mac and cheese, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce with and without meat, toilet paper and paper towels.
After joining local elected officials for the launch of Moisson Laval’s 39th Christmas basket campaign, Agape wrote on their social media feed, “Inspiring to see community spirit in action! “Fruitful discussions with provincial and municipal colleagues, highlighting the meaningful work of Moisson Laval,” they added.
“Together, let’s make this festive season brighter for all.”
Agape executive-director Kevin McLeod (second from right) and the evening’s comedians.
On Friday, November 10th, nearly 200 guests gathered at the iconic Embassy Plaza in Laval for an evening of comedy with a cause.
The event was organized to help raise funds for the Agape English-speaking Senior Wellness Center located at 3860 #204 on Notre Dame Boulevard.
The Senior Wellness Center was created in 2019 in response to a growing need. “One of the issues we’re seeing with regards to Laval English-speaking senior citizens is that there is a need for increased access to health and social services or even activities for that matter – in the English language,” The centre’s executive director Kevin McLeod commented. “Englishspeaking seniors in the region are often left to their own devices with little help. Many local documents are offered solely in French, as are a lot of the activities and non-profit organizations.”
The non-profit offers drawing and exercise classes, technology workshops, health presentations, painting, bingo, clubs, games and much more for Laval English-speaking residents older than 55. The Senior Wellness Centre has since garnered approximately 500 active members.
Fundraising needed
“We’re going to need more funding to sustain our activities,” said McLeod. “We have to fundraise. We’re one funder leaving us away from putting us in danger.” Now, AGAPE is hoping to get more funding in order to keep its Senior Wellness Centre operations running.
That is why they launched their 1st Annual Christmas Comedy Night Gala. The Emcee for the evening was local legend and comedy soprano Franco Taddeo. The comics for the evening were the opener, Marianne Mandrusiak, upcoming comedian Viveth K and Montreal comedy Icon Joey Elias. Franco opened the show with his wonderful wit and comedy and all the comedians kept the audience laughing for more then 2 hours.
Among the guests for the evening were many municipal, federal and provincial politicians and their attachés who came out and donated to support the worthy cause.
“We don’t make money on our ticket sales, as we want to keep tickets affordable for our senior members,” said McLeod. “Profits come from our raffle ticket sales, silent auction and advertising in our evening booklet. Thanks to all our generous donors we raised just over $6000 for the evening. This is a great start, and we would like to double that next year,” said McLeod.
McLeod thanked all the donors for the wonderful gifts that were donated. “Without our sponsors and advertisers for the evening, we would not have had all the wonderful prizes that we had.” Sponsors included WestJet, Pharmaprix (El-Achkar, Jehtha and Merrouni), Pilaros, Agga Coffee, Lindt chocolate, The Montreal Alouettes, The Laval Rocket, DormezVous and many more.
Keep an eye out for next year’s event as it promises to be another great one!
‘There’s definitely understaffing,’ says a union rep, outlining one of their grievances
For parents of children attending Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board schools where rotating teacher strikes have disrupted many families’ lives, there’s a promise of labour peace until January at least, although strike action could resume then if the provincial government and striking teachers fail to come to an agreement.
Picket line solidarity
Several hundred teachers from SWLSB schools and vocational centres from all over the board’s territory – including Laval but also the Lanaudière and Laurentian regions – gathered outside Laval Junior Academy on Daniel Johnson Blvd. earlier this month for a noisy picket line demonstration of solidarity.
Hundreds of striking teachers from all over the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board’s vast territory, gathered outside Laval Junior Academy on Daniel Johnson Blvd. earlier this month for a final show of solidarity before the Christmas holiday break. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Melanie Massarelli, a former LJA educator who is now director of membership welfare for the Laurier Teachers’ Union, said in an interview with The Laval News that the LTU members have many of the same grievances as their counterparts in other provincial teachers’ unions.
Support lacking: union
The complaints centre largely around classroom working conditions and the pedagogical integration of students. “Unfortunately, as a generality there is no support for the teachers,” she said, noting that teaching students with disabilities has become a key issue because classroom assistance is lacking.
“There’s definitely understaffing – there’s a lack of teachers,” she continued. “Even the qualified teachers that leave university, within their first five years 50 per cent of them drop out. For us this is a big issue.”
Regarding working conditions within the SWLSB itself, she said the board struggles to convince qualified teachers to accept positions at schools located in some of the SWLSB’s northernmost reaches in the Laurentians.
Says incentives needed
Unionized SWLSB teachers gathered together outside Laval Junior Academy for one last massive show of unity before the Christmas holidays. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
She said the board would need to improve conditions and provide more incentives to fully certified teachers, many of whom completed their university studies in Montreal and other urban centres, so they agree to teach in rural areas like Joliette, St. Agathe and Rawdon.
While many of the teachers involved last week in the demonstration outside LJA previously walked picket lines outside their respective schools, they gathered together for one last massive show of unity before the Christmas holidays.
Massarelli said the teachers could walk out on strike again in January, prior to which the union leadership would have to serve seven days notice.
Owners are fed up with clients who reserve tables but never show up, says the RAQ
While soaring inflation and labour shortages are just two of the issues currently afflicting restaurant operators in Laval, Montreal and the rest of Quebec, the province’s restauranteurs remain cautiously optimistic about their prospects in the new year, although there are still problems to be worked out.
Not all is good in the restaurant sector across Canada, according to reactions gathered by a nationwide restaurant industry group after the Trudeau government issued its 2023 Fall Economic Statement last month.
Inflation and labour
The government missed an opportunity to implement sector-specific support for the restaurant industry, which was the hardest hit by the pandemic, claimed Restaurants Canada.
Arthur Schiller, founder and CEO of “BY2048,” an upstart company that makes and markets a plant-based substitute for smoked salmon, was one of the many Quebec-based food industry players who took part in the RAQ’s annual gathering at the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montreal last month. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
“The industry does not want a handout, but rather they need more time for recovery and without more government support the foodservice industry is running out of runway,” they said in a statement.
The trade group said the update left little room for optimism for the more than 95,000 restaurant operators who employ over 1.1 million people across Canada to help deal with record-high inflation, the soaring cost of food, and increasing labour shortages.
CEBA and immigration
Among the measures Restaurants Canada is urging the government to adopt in order to promote bottom-line growth would be revisiting the Covid pandemic CEBA repayment plan by extending the interest-free period by 12 months. They are also calling on the government to implement a pilot project for a dedicated immigration stream for the hospitality sector.
While Restaurants Canada said the country’s food service sector achieved remarkable growth in the past year, projected to reach $110 billion by the end of 2023, they added that it didn’t translate into a fatter bottom line for most food service businesses, with 51 per cent operating at a loss or barely breaking even, compared to just 12 per cent before the pandemic.
Annual gathering of RAQ
Last month, Quebec’s largest trade group for restaurant operators, the Association Restauration Québec (ARQ), held its annual gathering for 5,600 RAQ members from all over the province at the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montreal.
In an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia, RAQ vice-president for public and government affairs Martin Vézina named off a few of the most pressing issues now facing Quebec’s restauranteurs. Among them are the question of a growing discrepancy between the earnings of table service employees (up to $40 per hour with tips) and kitchen workers ($22-$25 an hour without tips).
Wage discrepancies
“There’s a difference of around $15 an hour and this is creating friction,” Vézina said, noting that the province’s current regulations regarding tipping revenues don’t allow the employer to divide them up more equitably between different types of workers.
He said the RAQ is lobbying the provincial government to allow restauranteurs to do just that, while also asking Quebec to include some protections in the law to prevent unscrupulous employers from using it as a pretext to clandestinely exploit workers.
Labour shortages persist
Like Restaurants Canada, the RAQ has serious concerns about labour shortages. In addition to a chronic lack of workers, the province’s labour laws currently place some limits on when and for how long employees can be asked to work. RAQ wouldn’t mind if that requirement were loosened up a bit – at least until the province’s economy picks up.
Finally, an issue that has been rankling a growing number of the province’s restauranteurs for some time has nothing to do workers or tips, but rather the restaurant customers themselves. According to Vézina, restaurant owners and personnel are fed up with clients who make table reservations, but then never show up.
Selvananthini Shanmugarasa, owner of the Nanthu Kitchen in Montreal’s Côte des Neiges district, was intrigued by Keenon Robotics’ “Dinerbots,” but said she was unlikely to be able to use one at her relatively modest restaurant. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
Missed reservation penalty
He said that over the coming Christmas holidays, some restaurants will be writing off tens of thousands of dollars in income which will be lost for this reason alone: people who simply decide not to respect their reservation. He said the RAQ is asking Quebec to pass legislation that would allow restaurants to impose a $20 penalty.
According to Vézina, as many as 3,500 restaurants (15-18 per cent of the province’s eating establishments) closed permanently as a result of the Covid pandemic. Tracking the numbers by following lists of restaurant permits issued by the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the association has determined that closings continue to exceed openings of new restaurants.
Served by a ‘Dinerbot’
Some of the innovations being promoted as labour-saving alternatives during the RAQ’s trade show last month were Shanghai-based Keenon Robotics’ table server “Dinerbots,” capable of performing rudimentary waitressing tasks, such as delivering food and beverages to seated patrons. The concept reportedly has started to catch on in some parts of Asia, although not yet in Canada or Quebec.
Among the ARQ members looking for new ideas at the exhibition’s many corporate booths was Selvananthini Shanmugarasa, owner of the Nanthu Kitchen bakery/restaurant in Montreal’s Côte des Neiges district. Although she was intrigued by the idea of a robot providing a helping hand in her establishment, she passed on it, saying her business was probably too small to justify the cost.
