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.
The mall parking lot at the corner of de l’Avenir and Saint-Martin boulevards where a man was injured by gunshots on Feb. 9
Investigators with the Laval Police Dept. have launched an investigation into an apparent murder attempt which took place recently in a shopping mall parking lot at the corner of Saint-Martin and de l’Avenir boulevards.
Multiple gunshots were fired during the incident around 1 pm on February 9.
The apparent target was a 33-year-old businessman sitting in a Mercedes SUV.
Shortly before, he had been conversing with a construction contractor regarding renovations to be carried out on a locale at the mall.
According to media reports, LPD officers arriving on the scene found the victim had sustained a minor gunshot injury.
He was transported to hospital where his condition was reported to be stable.
A motion tabled by Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier in the Quebec National Assembly earlier this week, calling attention to the fact the Quebec Winter Carnival is marking its 70th anniversary this year, was passed with the unanimous support of MNAs from all parties.
Lakhoyan Olivier, who is the PLQ’s official spokesperson on tourism issues, noted in her motion that the winter carnival is a key event for the tourism industry in the Quebec City region, while also promoting the of province Quebec as a tourist destination.
Bonhomme Carnaval. (Photo: Courtesy of Carnaval de Québec)
“I had the pleasure of being able to experience all the excitement of the Carnaval de Québec and even to meet Bonhomme Carnaval this week,” she said in a statement. The 2024 Carnaval de Québec ran from January 25 to February 11.
“It also represents a real economic engine for winter tourism in the city of Quebec and the entire region,” she added.
Quebec, Laval, others on board with financial commitments towards children’s health
The Centre de pédiatrie sociale Laval is undertaking a major expansion of the children’s healthcare services it has offered to needy families in Laval for years.
Centre de pédiatrie sociale Laval executive-director Cadleen Désir (centre) is seen here with centre board members, project partners, Mayor Stéphane Boyer, Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete and Chomedey city councillor Aglaia Revelakis during the launch for “Espaces Bienveillance” earlier this week. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
After two years of careful planning, officials with the centre plan to open new “Espaces Bienveillance” points of service in Chomedey and Pont-Viau, with help from the provincial government, the City of Laval, several non-profit and corporate donors and the Mouvement Desjardins.
Promoting children’s needs
The Centre de pédiatrie sociale Laval is a non-profit organization that provides activities and care to children in the community. The centre contributes to the overall development of children and adolescents with developmental, social or health problems in disadvantaged areas.
The centre also promotes the interests and rights of children and their families. Its mandate is to offer, within a living environment integrated into the community, interdisciplinary health services to a vulnerable clientele that finds itself sometimes excluded from the current service network.
Officials at the centre have decided to strategically refocus services within Chomedey and Pont-Viau, both of which are areas where a need for social services for at-risk children has been growing in recent years. The plan calls for new points of service to be opened in both districts. The centre de pédiatrie currently has offices at École primaire St-Paul in Chomedey, although they have outgrown the space.
Chomedey locale opens in August
Beginning last December, the Centre de pédiatrie’s board and management began exploring options for relocation. This month, they are analyzing their findings and will be choosing a location for the Chomedey point of service. In May, they’ll be conducting whatever renovations will be necessary, and in August they’ll be moving in.
At the end of this year, they’ll be planning similar actions for the new Pont-Viau point of service, and hope to move in by May 2025. With that said, the Centre de pédiatrie sociale de Laval hopes to be able to increase its case charge so that 600 active dossiers can be dealt with at any given time eventually.
Elected officials from the Legault government, the City of Laval, Mouvement Desjardins, the Fondation Dr Julien and the Fondation Choquette-Legault accepted the Centre de pédiatrie’s invitation to attend an official launch for “Espaces Bienveillance” last Monday morning at Laval city hall. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
It was perhaps a measure of the growing importance of the Centre de pédiatrie sociale Laval that a good number of elected officials from the Legault government, the City of Laval, Mouvement Desjardins, the Fondation Dr Julien and the Fondation Choquette-Legault accepted an invitation to attend the official launch for the expansion program last Monday morning at Laval city hall.
Quebec, Laval on board
The provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is supporting the expansion with $390,000 in funding, while the City of Laval’s Municipal Office for Housing is providing the centre with $47,314 and city-owned locales rent-free.
The Fonds du Grand Mouvement Desjardins (the Quebec-based financial services and credit union cooperative has a long history of social commitment) is providing $211,000. The Fondation Dr Julien has pledged $31,250, while the Fondation Choquette-Legault is promising $100,000. Laval-based SMT Hautes Technologies, which deals in circuit electronics manufacturing and assembly, is in for $100,000.
A ‘major pillar,’ says Boyer
“The Centre de pédiatrie sociale Laval is a major pillar in the creation of an environment conducive to the development of thousands of children, especially those finding themselves in precarious circumstances and at risk of falling between the cracks,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
“It gives me great pleasure to be able to reaffirm the support of our government towards the Centre de pédiatrie sociale Laval,” said Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete, who is the Minister Responsible for the Laval Region in the Legault cabinet. “They are a key player for families in Laval and I feel certain that the realization of the Espaces Bienveillance project will produce positive results for many children,” he said.
As many as 30 people who were enjoying an early evening meal on Jan. 28 at a McDonald’s restaurant on Saint-Martin Blvd. near Le Corbusier Blvd. in downtown Laval suffered burning eyes as well as respiratory irritations after four individuals released pepper spray, while apparently targeting a specific 18-year-old male.
According to a report of the incident by the French-language TVA network, some of those who suffered effects had to be transported to hospital. It was also reported that a general panic broke out inside the restaurant for a few minutes after the suspects released the pepper spray.
Clients of the McDonald’s restaurant at the corner of Saint-Martin and Le Corbusier boulevards suffered the effects of a pepper spray attack in late January.
“I was blinded. I couldn’t breathe,” one of the victims told the network, adding that the spray spread rapidly. “I was trying to get back to the table where I was seated in order to get my children. People were screaming and most of the people rushed towards a door which was blocked. It was chaos.”
The restaurant was crowded at the time as a children’s birthday party was underway. Another victim reported that she had no choice but to seek refuge in the washroom with her daughter to escape the fumes. She said that at one point, not knowing what the panic was about, she thought that maybe a gunman was on the loose.
She said that she and others used snow on the ground outside the restaurant to soothe their eyes. According to the report, the Laval Police have launched in investigation into the incident.
Laval among 11 cities where raids conducted by SPVM for illicit cannabis
Although marijuana use and its controlled sale has been legal in Quebec and the rest of Canada for more than five years, the police continue to conduct raids on unlicensed producers who distribute and sell the psychoactive substance through clandestine channels.
Laval was one of nearly a dozen cities in the Montreal region as well as north of the city where raids were conducted on Jan. 31 in what was described by the SPVM as the “dismantlement of a network of illegal production and distribution of cannabis on a large scale.”
Besides Laval, where the Laval Police Dept. provided assistance, search and seizure warrants were also executed at residences as well as commercial and industrial buildings located in Montreal, Blainville, Saint-Lin-des-Laurentides, Mirabel and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade.
According to the police, more than a ton of cannabis was seized during the wide-area operation. This included 4,930 cannabis plants with an estimated value of $6 million. Results of a preliminary investigation have led the police to conclude that a significant amount of the substance seized was meant for export to the United States.
In a press release issued after the raids, the police maintained that some members of the network were using certificates issued by Health Canada for legitimate medicinal cannabis production in order to give the illegal operation an air of legitimacy.
The SPVM were also assisted by the Sûreté du Québec, the Ontario Provincial Police and enforcement officials from Health Canada. Three suspects, aged 30, 36 and 41, were detained, although charges and formal arrests were pending subject to further investigation by Quebec’s Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions.
Laval man arrested after rental car stopped for speeding in Cornwall
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they arrested two people, including a man from Laval, following what they describe as a “routine traffic stop” near Cornwall in eastern Ontario.
Members of the OPP Highway Safety Division stopped the driver of a rental car for speeding on Jan. 30 in the eastbound lanes of the 401 in South Glengarry Township shortly after 3:00 pm.
With the help of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry OPP, officers located unsealed cannabis, over 40 cell phones and more than 40 pre-paid credit cards that had a variety of names on them.
Among those arrested and charged was 23-year-old Mehdi Aloui of Laval. He has been charged with:
Three counts of failing to comply with a probation order;
Three counts of failing to comply with a release order;
And breach of recognizance.
Also arrested was 23-year-old Rousseley Castan of Montreal. He was charged with:
Speeding;
Driving a vehicle with cannabis readily available;
Having a dirty and illegible license plate;
Two counts of failing to comply with a probation order.
The two were released from police custody and are scheduled to appear in court on March 6. Two other individuals detained during the operation were released while an investigation continues.
Moms, dads and kids partied at Centre de la Nature as well as smaller parks
Thousands of moms, dads and children turned up at the Centre de la Nature in Duvernay as well as smaller parks all over Laval on the weekend of Jan. 26-27-28 for Laval en Blanc, a rejuvenating celebration of winter that serves as an annual counterpoint to the city’s popular Fête de la Famille during the summer months.
Laval’s Centre de la Nature in Duvernay was one of dozens of venues where moms, dads and kids could gather on Jan. 26-27 and 28 for Laval en Blanc, the city’s annual three-day celebration of winter designed to add a little spice during the cold time of the year. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
For some, the idea of having fun outdoors during the winter, in temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius, is a novel concept and a discovery in itself – although it’s the very reason Laval en Blanc is organized each year by the city.
Fun for everyone
There was snow sledding, ice skating, zip line rides, fireworks obstacle course racing, snow sculpting, even some musical performances to be enjoyed by kids and their families in warmth inside a pavilion. However, the activities weren’t limited just to the Centre de la Nature.
While some people end up “climbing the walls” while confined inside this time of year, here was a real opportunity to get it out of your system at the Centre de la Nature during Laval en Blanc 2024. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Parks all over the City of Laval hosted a range of other Laval en Blanc activities. They included the Berge aux Quatre-Vents in Laval-Ouest, the Berge des Baigneurs in Sainte-Rose, the Bois Armand-Frappier in Chomedey, the Bois de l’Équerre in Sainte-Rose and Parc de Lausanne in Vimont/Auteuil.
Vourtzoumis family fundraisers have brought in more than $1 million since 2006
In 2006 while driving to school with his mother, an 11-year-old Lawrence Vourtzoumis heard an advertisement on the radio requesting volunteers to shave their heads as a demonstration of solidarity for those who had lost their hair due to chemo treatments for breast cancer.
Lawrence was captivated by this idea and asked his mother, Denise, if he could participate. He wanted to shave his head to show support, which was a pretty brave thing for a pre-teen to do. Denise agreed and helped Lawrence raise the required amount of money to be able to participate.
Eighteen years and many fundraising gala evenings later, Pink in the City (the organization he and his mother helped found) has raised more than $1 million for the MUHC Foundation, which remits funds to the McGill University Health Centre’s Breast Clinic Wellness Program.
Members of Denise and Bobby Vourtzoumis’ family, including children and grandchildren, are seen here with an enlarged cheque for $325,000, representing Pink in the City’s latest donation to the MUHC Foundation. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
$325,000 since last year
The latest annual contribution was an astounding $325,000, presented to MUHC officials during a rousing celebration, including a Pink in the City plaque unveiling, at the hospital in Montreal last week The event, held in the MUHC’s towering interior atrium, was attended by a good number of political and community leaders from the Laval and Montreal regions.
They included Laval city councillor for l’Abord à Plouffe Vasilios Karidogiannis, Montreal city councillor for Parc Extension Mary Deros, Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board chairman Paolo Galati, Senator Tony Loffreda, and a delegation of students from SWLSB schools who helped add tens of thousands of dollars to this year’s sum with matching amounts from Avon.
More than $1 million raised
“The MUHC Foundation is so grateful for Pink in the City,” foundation officials wrote on Pink in the City’s Facebook page. “Since their inception, Pink in the City has donated over 1 million dollars to the MUHC Foundation. Thank you, Denise Vourtzoumis, for your leadership and dedication to making a difference in the lives of women and helping them thrive after cancer. We look forward to what you have stored for 2024!”
“Grateful to stand with Pink in the City today as we celebrate their incredible journey in the fight against breast cancer,” said Senator Tony Loffreda.
“Grateful to stand with Pink in the City today as we celebrate their incredible journey in the fight against breast cancer,” Senator Loffreda wrote on Pink in the City’s Facebook page last week. “Witnessing the impact of their work, from fundraising milestones to shaping young hearts, is truly inspiring.
“Congratulations to the entire Pink in the City family, and a heartfelt thank you to Denise Vourtzoumis for her unwavering passion,” added Loffreda. “Let’s continue to paint the city pink and support one another in this important cause.”
Humble beginnings
Pink in the City started as a single event in 2006. This heightened an already existing awareness about breast cancer in the community and the need to support those who had been touched by this insidious disease. It also embedded the idea that every selfless gesture of support makes a difference.
“From this first experience it was clear that there was much more to do and my family and I have been blessed to be able to create new opportunities to support this important cause over the years,” Denise writes on one of Pink in the City’s web pages.
Having been raised with a strong belief in volunteerism and giving back to the community, she said it was important to rally like-minded people to the cause – people who cared and wanted to make a difference. Over time, volunteers, sponsors, partners and medical advisors allowed Pink in the City to attain and exceed its goals.
Student leadership
But at the same time, community partners have played a key role by supporting and attending Pink in the City’s various functions and events. Partnerships have extended to leadership programs at Laval-area high schools through the Model the Way program.
“Model the Way assures that the commitment to our cause will be carried forward by young people in the future,” added Denise. Last week, a Laval Senior Academy delegation, including students Alejandro Gutierrez and Zoe Scappaticcio, attended Pink in the City’s cheque presentation ceremony, accompanied by SWLSB chair Paolo Galati.
From the left, Laval Senior Academy students Alejandro Gutierrez and Zoe Scappaticcio who helped raise funds last year for the MUHC through Pink in the City, along with SWLSB chairman Paolo Galati. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Almost from the beginning, Pink in the City has worked closely in partnership with the breast clinic at the MUHC. Under the guidance and leadership of Dr. Sarkis Meterissian, the clinic has helped define goals by providing updated information about breast cancer, the needs of patients and of the medical practitioners who provide care.
Council zoning decision paves the way for development of Trudel Studios
Elected officials from both sides of the Laval city council floor enthusiastically greeted council’s overwhelming decision last week to approve a zoning change in the Saint-François district that will allow the development of a sprawling film production complex to be known as Trudel Studios on a tract of land currently owned by the city.
During the same council session, the council members were presented with the report of a commission that oversaw a month-long public consultation on related issues which took place from December last year until this past January, while hearing views from 360 residents.
New zoning regulations
Council’s decision to approve rezoning for the project, which was first proposed by its developer two years ago, took into account new zoning code norms which came into effect in November 2022. They require that more green space should be part of the film studio project once it is completed.
A conceptual rendering of what the Trudel Studios main building might look like, which was submitted by the developer at an early stage of the project.
“After consulting the population twice rather than just once, we are giving the green light for the creation of this important cinema production complex in Laval,” Mayor Stéphane Boyer said in a statement. “Should it be built, this project will enable the creation of hundreds of jobs, while also developing an altogether new industry on Laval’s territory.
Most residents in favour
“It should be recalled that since the very first time it was presented to the population, the project was enhanced to include more green space and to improve the integration of the building into the sector,” he continued. “The public consultations and the surveys done in the past few months demonstrate that a majority of the citizens support this project.”
During the public consultation, 243 interventions were officially registered, including 32 during public meetings and 211 which were submitted in writing. Out of all the interventions, 173 expressed approval for the project, 21 were neutral and 49 were against.
Some unsettled issues
The mayor said he remains fully aware that some of the people responding during the consultation were against the project. “If a project of this size potentially involves major benefits, I understand that it can also raise preoccupations,” he said, noting that the city plans to undertake more studies starting this year to ensure the harmonious integration of the project into its surroundings, some of which are agricultural.
Before the project can proceed, it will need to be certified as conforming to provincial and Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) urban planning regulations. As well, the developer will have to submit detailed plans before obtaining a construction permit.
Major production centre
When completed, Trudel Studios is expected to be among the largest film production complexes in North America, with seven interior studios, including one that measures 60,000 square feet, making it the largest of its kind on the North American continent.
In the meantime, among those opposing the project is a lobby of people who object to farm land in east-end Laval being put to a use other than for the cultivation of agricultural products. Should the project continue as planned, the city would sell the 2.2 million-square-foot lot for more than $32 million to the promoter, Michel Trudel, a former senior management official at Mel’s Cité du Cinéma studios in Montreal.
Councillor Piché in favour
The local city councillor for Saint-François, Isabelle Piché who sits with the Action Laval opposition party, issued a press release last week saying she would support the project, while taking into account that the majority of residents from the area appear to be in favour, based on a survey Action Laval conducted in the area.
“I cannot ignore the fact that the majority of the citizens of my district are in favour of the by-law project, although I nonetheless took the time to raise several concerning issues that came up in the letters and memoranda that the commission received,” she said. “I find it very important for these issues to be included in the recommendations to the executive-committee,” she added.
City still has to come up with the balance for the $180 million project
The City of Laval was gifted on Friday last week with a windfall of funding for its $180 million central library and cultural centre project, scheduled to be completed in 2027 in the downtown Montmorency district.
Quebec Culture and Communications Minister Mathieu Lacombe’s announcement of $44 million from the CAQ government was greeted enthusiastically by Mayor Stéphane Boyer along with councillors from his team, with three Laval-area CAQ National Assembly members and one of Laval’s two Liberal MNAs also giving thumbs up.
Mayor Stéphane Boyer (centre) is seen here with Quebec Culture and Communications Minister Mathieu Lacombe (immediately left), Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete (immediate right) and other Laval MNAs during the $44 million funding announcement at the Maison des Arts de Laval last week. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Underfunding corrected
That said, the Legault government seemed to agree with the mayor’s frequent assertion that Laval had previously been underserved by the provincial government in funding ($59 per local resident on average, compared to $87 elsewhere in Quebec) for the city’s cultural needs.
However, the city may have to get down and do some creative thinking in order to come up with the $136 million balance that will still be owing on the project, although they’ll have at least the next three years to pull some strings.
In the education district
“I would like to thank the government of Quebec for the financial aid announced today, which will enable the construction of cultural infrastructure for Laval,” Mayor Boyer told officials and reps from local cultural organizations at the Maison des Arts de Laval in the heart of the city’s higher-education district. (Both the Université de Montréal and Collège Montmorency have nearby campuses.)
“This commitment is clearly a clear sign of endorsement for this project which is crucial for a large city like Laval,” said Boyer.
As a Laval resident, I feel especially proud to be participating in this stage on the very important cultural development of my city,” said Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete.
“Unique for this kind of project, this pole of discovery and experience has long been awaited by the Laval cultural and artistic community, and will serve to enhance the experience of being downtown, while also benefiting all of the population. Our teams are already at work to turn this into a signature project for the centre of our city.”
Arts and economic synergy
“Access to culture is an important priority for our government and I believe that today we are proving this beyond a doubt,” said Lacombe. “Thanks to this investment, culture in Laval will be undergoing a transformation. The existence of this infrastructure in the heart of downtown Laval will give rise to a synergy in the arts and the economy that will prove to be beneficial for the greater agglomeration.”
“As a Laval resident, I feel especially proud to be participating in this phase of very important cultural development of my city,” said Sainte-Rose CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete, the delegated Minister for the Economy as well as Minister for the Laval Region. “This major project announced today will push our region forward so that it stands out even more.”
‘Audacious and distinctive’
While the city has yet to release any substantial preliminary information on what the building could look like, a press release issued last Friday by the city referred to the building being designed with “audacious and distinctive architecture” in line with the cultural development of Laval as a theme.
Mayor Stéphane Boyer said “teams are already at work to turn this into a signature project for the centre of our city.”
“It will allow the cultural experience of Laval by creators as well as the public to be reinforced, just as it will be part of the dynamics and effervescence of the Montmorency pole, but also of all the centre city.”
Boyer claimed that combining a library and a cultural centre into a single building with overlapping multimedia functions would be a first-of-its-kind in Canada, while adding that it would also help to substantially expand the city’s network of public library branches.
Green space with library
Last summer, Laval city council’s two opposition parties, the Parti Laval and Action Laval, came together to say they agreed that the site chosen by the city, on Jacques Tétreault St. a short distance from the Montmorency Metro, should also serve for the creation of a new park, because green space downtown is seriously lacking.
In a short interview last Friday, Mayor Boyer confirmed to The Laval News that the city is taking the park recommendation under serious consideration and that some green space will be set aside on the central library grounds for a public park.
According to the city, applications from architects and developers bidding on the project got underway in September 2023, from which three were chosen based on a point rating system. Subsequently, an invitation to submit design proposals was made just before the end of last year, although that process has not yet been completed.
The current issue of the Laval News, volume 32-03, published on February 7th, 2024. Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports. (Click on the image to read the paper.)
