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Laval marks 10th year for ethics and integrity bureau (BIELT)

Martin C. Barry
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Laval marks 10th year for ethics and integrity bureau (BIELT)

Officials with the City of Laval last week marked the 10th anniversary of the founding of a special office for the enforcement of ethics and integrity guidelines and rules.

It was created in the aftermath of the corruption scandal that shook the municipality a decade ago, forcing the resignation of former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt.

“Each member of the staff of the city contributes to the culture of ethics and integrity,” says Laval Police director Pierre Brochet.

From the left, Marie-Claude Boudreau, head of ethics and conformity at the BIELT, Laval Police chief Pierre Brochet, and Benoit Pinet, police inspector responsible for oerations at the BIELT.

“After a decade of actions and projects, we are in a new era, and numerous positive developments have followed. We salute the path taken by our leadership and the reach of the BIELT in all the actions that affect our city.

“Participating in the growth and development of Laval can only take place when accompanied by an adherence to its values and the best practices as regards ethics and integrity.” The City of Laval launched the BIELT in 2014, in conjunction with the City of Terrebonne.

To underscore the value of the work accomplished by the bureau’s team, officials from the BIELT will be on hand at Laval’s interim city hall on Saint-Martin Blvd. on May 16 to sign the city’s Golden Book.

Officials from Quebec’s Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) and the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) are also expected to take part.

Laval doubles up on its support for Communauto

The City of Laval says it is adding new Communauto car-sharing stations to the existing network on its territory, in addition to increasing financial assistance to be made available to new subscribers to the service.

The city says it is undertaking the measures as part of overall efforts to help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Quebec government is providing financial assistance.

“Our government is proud to support the City of Laval, which is implementing various concrete initiatives to support the reduction of greenhouse gases on its territory,” said Quebec Environment and Climate Change Minister Benoit Charette.

Marco Viviani, vice-president of strategic development at Communauto, Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer, and Christine Poirier, city councillor for Duvernay-Pont-Viau, responsible for dossiers involving development on city territory. (Photo: Vincent Girard, City of Laval)

“This subsidy is not only a step in the right direction,” he continued, “but will also contribute to encouraging the recruitment of new subscribers to use this service, while also favouring the implementation of new car-sharing stations on Laval’s territory.”

“We are proud to diversify the mobility options available to the people of Laval,” added Laval city councillor for Pont-Viau Christine Poirier, who manages the city’s territorial management dossiers.

“We are offering an efficient and accessible option to reduce solo car use, while taking into account the reality in Laval regarding daily car use,” she added.

“Several new stations set up on municipal properties will be tested during a pilot project between the city and the service, of which the new stations will become permanent if the support is there,” said Poirier.

Laval chooses three partners to meet tree-planting goals

The City of Laval is partnering up with three organizations specialized in planting trees to meet its ambitious tree-planting objectives, which it hopes to meet by the year 2030 at least.

CANOPÉE, PlantAction and GRAME will be assisting the city in planting trees. One of the goals of the tree-planting program is to reduce the impact of “heat islands,” which are built-up areas of asphalt and concrete within cities that retain heat much longer.

“The advantages of planting trees are well-known,” says Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “They contribute to the greening of the landscape, to better management of rainwater and the struggle with heat islands.

“What’s more, they contribute to the maintenance of good physical and mental health. We have given ourselves the mission to do everything we can to make Laval a greener and better place to live. Our efforts today and our ambitious targets will benefit generations to come.”

Ottawa’s capital gains changes make winners and losers, says CFIB

Martin C. Barry
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Ottawa’s capital gains changes make winners and losers, says CFIB

Small business lobby sees progress on $2.5 billion in carbon tax rebates

The 2024 federal budget changes on capital gains will create many winners, but also losers among Canada’s entrepreneurs, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which issued a detailed analysis of the budget following its release last month.

Carbon tax rebates

Dan Kelly, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

However, the CFIB is optimistic on another issue that’s impacting small businesses, noting important budget progress in unlocking $2.5 billion in carbon tax rebates for SMEs.

In a recent survey of the the needs of small businesses leading up to budget day April 16, the CFIB found that over three-quarters (77 per cent) of the country’s small business owners felt that addressing rising prices and the cost of doing business should be a top priority for government this year, while another 74 per cent wanted to see government reduce the overall tax burden.

CFIB made several recommendations to the federal government, urging it to focus on reducing the cost of doing business by:

  • Returning the $2.5 billion in carbon tax revenues owed to all small businesses, not just certain sectors;
  • Lowering the federal small business tax rate from 9 per cent to 8 per cent, at least for the next two years;
  • Increasing the small business deduction threshold (e.g., to $700,000) and indexing it to inflation going forward;
  • Lowering Employment Insurance (EI) premiums for smaller employers;
  • Introducing a timeline to balance the budget;
  • Reducing red tape.

Capital gains advantages

After the release of the Trudeau government’s 2024 budget, CFIB president Dan Kelly had the following to say. “The big surprise for small business is a series of changes to capital gains taxation,” said Kelly.

“Our early assessment is that most small business owners will come out ahead or be unaffected by today’s changes as a result of a boost in the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption from $1 million to $1.25 million and a new Canadian Entrepreneurs’ Incentive for some sectors which will lower the capital gains inclusion rate to 33.3 per cent on the next $2 million when fully phased in.”

However, the capital gains inclusion rate increase to 66.7 per cent will create many net losers, he added, including owners of medium-sized businesses.

In addition, owners of professional corporations (such as doctors), financial, insurance, food and accommodation, arts, recreation, entertainment and personal care services firms will be excluded from accessing the new Canadian Entrepreneurs’ Incentive and will be hit with more taxes on capital gains for sales of small business shares above $2.25 million.

‘Demotivating’ changes

“What worries me the most about the capital gains changes is the potential to demotivate Canadians from getting into business in the first place or working hard to grow a small business to a medium-sized business,” continued Kelly.

“CFIB will be pushing back against any increase in the capital gains inclusion rate for all small- and medium-sized business owners. It seems bizarre that government would single out some sectors of Canada’s SME community for higher taxes, including many of those hardest hit by pandemic restrictions like restaurants and arts and recreation firms.

Long overdue rebates

“Carbon tax rebates owed to small businesses have been a long time coming, but we’re glad to see the government making progress on it,” added Kelly. “Most importantly, it is good to see government broaden its eligibility rules to include most small and medium-sized firms.”

The Trudeau government has said it will urgently return over $2.5 billion owed to an estimated 600,000 businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

The Trudeau government has said it will urgently return over $2.5 billion owed to an estimated 600,000 businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Responding, CFIB says it “understands all Canadian Controlled Private Corporations (CCPCs) that issue T4s in the eight provinces will receive a rebate cheque based on their number of employees.”

“Many details of the size, scope and timing of carbon tax rebates for SMEs remains unclear,” commented Kelly, maintaining that CFIB will continue to call on government to ensure the $2.5 billion is returned in 2024 with meaningful rebates for the smallest businesses and to raise the share of future SME rebates back to 9 per cent of carbon tax revenue or more.

Budget not yet balanced

“It is important to note that 82 per cent of small firms now want the consumer carbon tax regime scrapped altogether,” he said. In the meantime, the CFIB says the federal government hasn’t introduced a plan to bring the budget back to balance, while it continues to project huge deficits for the foreseeable future.

Commenting on other budget measures:

  • CFIB said it is encouraged to see Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance to allow businesses to immediately write off the full cost of innovation and productivity enhancing assets, such as computers and data infrastructure, starting today to January 1, 2027.

The lobby group also said the 2024 budget made important progress on Employee Ownerships Trusts, allowing business owners to access a special capital gains exemption of up to $10 million when selling a business to employees.

Laval News Volume 32-09

Laval News Staff
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Laval News Volume 32-09

The current issue of the Laval News, volume 32-09, published on May 1st, 2024.
Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports.
(Click on the image to read the paper.)

Front page of The Laval News.
Front page of The Laval News, May 1st, 2024 issue.

Two face charges in Laval for alleged pimping, human trafficking

Martin C. Barry
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0
Two face charges in Laval for alleged pimping, human trafficking

Two men aged 25 and 34 respectively were arraigned at the Palais de Justice de Laval on Tuesday after the Sûreté du Québec filed charges against them of sex pimping, human trafficking and assault relating to incidents alleged to have taken place in 2020 and 2021.

The provincial police force said Francis Boivin and Serge Levesque remained in custody after the SQ’s Escouade intégrée de lutte contre le proxénétisme (EILP) made the arrests.

According to reports, Boivin faces human trafficking, pimping, assault with a weapon, and other charges, and Levesque faces pimping, material benefit from sexual services and assault charges.

The SQ said the charges relate to events which are alleged to have taken place between April 2020 and December 2021 in Montreal and an unspecified area in Ontario.

The SQ is asking anyone with information about the two men or other related crimes to call 1-800-659-4264.

Laval tops list of Quebec’s cities most targeted by fraud

Martin C. Barry
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Laval tops list of Quebec’s cities most targeted by fraud

The City of Laval was one of two communities in Quebec that saw the sharpest increases in fraud last year, according to data compiled by the Quebec Association of Directors of Police (ADPQ) last year.

The findings, released by the ADPQ at Sûreté du Québec headquarters in Montreal, found that nearly 37,000 Quebecers were victims of fraud in 2023, representing an increase of 15 per cent over two years.

Laval and Quebec’s Mauricie region saw the biggest increases in fraud at 20 per cent, while Montreal, Montérégie, and the Capitale-Nationale regions also saw steep rises in numbers of fraud victims.

The most frequent frauds in Quebec, according to the ADPQ, are those involving the fraudulent use of gift and credit cards, computers and identity theft.

These include frauds involving false representatives, grandparent-type frauds, and romance frauds.

The dozens of frauds reported each year are only “the tip of the iceberg,” according to an ADPQ spokesperson, partly because many victims prefer never file complaints with the police either because of shame or the amounts stolen aren’t substantial.

Arrests made in Laval, Montreal over ‘grandparent’ fraud scheme

Martin C. Barry
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Arrests made in Laval, Montreal over ‘grandparent’ fraud scheme

Laval is one of several cities where investigators have made multiple arrests following an anti-fraud investigation in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S. involving “grandparent” schemes in which $2.2 million was allegedly bilked from mostly elderly victims over a period of more than two years.

Fourteen suspects, 24 to 34 years old, were arrested in Laval and Montreal, having recently moved from Toronto, according to the Sûreté du Québec which worked in conjunction with the Ontario Provincial Police on the investigation.

The police allege that this year alone, the group behind the operations defrauded 126 people across Canada of about $739,000, and that 15 of those victims lost money several times, for a total of $243,000.

Most of the victims, between the ages of 46 and 95, lived in Ontario and were reached on their home telephones by suspects pretending to be law enforcement officers telling them that a grandchild was in police custody.

The caller would request bail money to release the grandchild.

The OPP maintains that secondary accomplices, described as “money mules,” were enlisted by the masterminds of the scheme to go and pick up the money from the victims.

Laval Fire Dept. welcomes 24 new firefighter recruits

Martin C. Barry
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Laval Fire Dept. welcomes 24 new firefighter recruits

The Laval Fire Dept. marked the arrival of two dozen new firefighter recruits last week, part of a hiring effort to increase the force’s firefighting strength while replacing retiring staff.

“We wish a warm welcome to our 24 new firefighters,” the Association des Pompiers de Laval (APL) said in a post on social media. “They are proud to protect and to serve all the citizens of Laval. Good luck and much success professionally while you are with us.”

At the same time, the LFD announced the promotion of several staffers.  Jonathan Dufour, Dave Langlois, Jean-François Fontaine and Jean-François Dion-Roy were promoted to Lieutenants of operations effective April 22.

Suspects arrested after shooting at a residence in Laval

Two suspects appeared by videoconference at the Laval courthouse las week regarding a shooting which took place at a residence on Nénuphars Street in Laval’s Sainte-Dorothée district.

The two men, Bonyad Gulam Ali and Adam Hamouchi, were arrested Friday night in Laval by the Laval Police and the Sûreté du Québec’s major crimes division shortly after the gunshots were fired.

Ali and Hamouchi, both from Laval, are 18 years old. They both face charges of discharging a firearm and have remained in custody since their appearance.

Around 12 o’clock on the night of April 13, the two suspects allegedly fired a shot at a residence on Nénuphars Street, in Laval, before fleeing in a vehicle, said an SQ spokesperson, adding that they were quickly located and arrested by officers from the LPD.

Four teen arrests for ‘threats’ include some at Sainte-Rose high-school

Over a period of several days, the Laval Police arrested four teenagers for allegedly uttering threats at two Sainte-Rose high-schools – including one where similar incidents were previously reported.

Although the LPD ended up concluding that the threats were actually hoaxes, they still required lockdowns and a large police presence.

Administrators at the schools involved – École Poly-Jeunesse on Sainte-Rose Blvd. and École secondaire Curé-Antoine-Labelle on Marc-Aurèle-Fortin Blvd. – summoned the police to deal with “threatening comments” by students on three occasions over a period of more than a week.

École secondaire Curé-Antoine-Labelle in Sainte-Rose.

“In order to ensure security on the premises and to carry out multiple checks, the LPD had to confine thousands of students,” the LPD said in a statement.

The four teen suspects who were arrested could face mischief charges.

In the fall of 2023, the Laval Police said they had arrested a person under the age of 18 in connection with a stabbing that took place near École secondaire Curé-Antoine-Labelle.

As well, in November 2021, two teenagers were beaten at the high school as they were leaving classes by a group of young people who fired a gunshot during the altercation, ultimately leading to a large police deployment and the arrest of one suspect.

LPD identifies man who ‘flashed’ customers at Duvernay Tim Horton’s

The suspect was described as a Caucasian male, around 30 years old.

The Laval Police say they have identified a suspect in connection with an indecent-exposure incident at a Tim Horton’s coffee shop at 825 Vanier Blvd. in Duvernay in March.

According to the LPD, the incident occurred on the evening of March 4. The police had previously released surveillance photos to help the force’s sexual crimes unit track him down.

“He allegedly exposed his genitals while inside the restaurant,” the LPD said in a statement explaining why investigators were seeking him.

The suspect, described as a Caucasian male, around 30 years old, was estimated to be 1m71 (5’8”) tall and 95 kg (209 lb) in weight. He had brown hair and a brown beard. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black cap, a black hoodie, blue jeans and black construction boots.

Police raids in Laval and Montreal after gang member killed

Montreal police (SPVM) officers conducted several raids last week in Laval, Brossard and Montreal as part of an investigation into the murder of an alleged gang member.

Nearly 100 police officers from the Laval Police, the SPVM and the Longueuil Police took part in the operation. This was in response to the murder of a 28-year-old man who was shot on Feb. 17 while leaving a restaurant on Bellechasse St. in Montreal.

The victim, Brandon Jean Célestin, was the brother of alleged gang leader Jean-Philippe Célestin. The Célestin brothers were reportedly linked to Gregory Woolley, a man who was killed in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, south of Montreal in November 2023.

Storm erupts over Laval’s ‘Mustang Mach-E’ police car purchase

Martin C. Barry
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0
Storm erupts over Laval’s ‘Mustang Mach-E’ police car purchase

‘This is not the image we want to project,’ Boyer says of costly and contentious deal

Mayor Stéphane Boyer was apologizing last week for the Laval Police Dept.’s $1.5 million purchase of a small fleet of new electric police vehicles – including one for the police chief costing $94,000 – while publicly reprimanding LPD director Pierre Brochet.

In all, the LPD bought 13 Ford Mustang Mach-E’s, as well as 48 charging stations. A contract for the purchase was signed by the city in July 2023.

A Mustang Mach-E all-electric police cruiser similar to the 13 cars purchased by the city last year. (Screenshot photo: YouTube)

One of the lot, which was being driven by the police chief, according to the Journal de Montréal which broke the news, is a Mustang Mach-E GT. With a 488-horsepower engine, it can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and comes with heavy-duty suspension.

We need to talk

“I had a good conversation with the chief of police so that this does not happen again,” Mayor Boyer is reported to have said during an interview with the Montreal tabloid daily. “This is not the image we want to project,” he continued, while adding, “I am not spendthrift in nature.”

According to the JDM, Brochet had been driving the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT for at least four months when the issue of its purchase blew up in the media.

What was all the more embarrassing for the mayor was that he and the City of Laval administration have been pleading with the provincial government for several years now to provide more financial support for police services because of an increase in violent and gang-related crime in Laval.

Electrification program

The other 12 Mustang Mach-E police cars cost $78,000 each, although they have yet to be placed into service. The purchase of the 13 vehicles was apparently part of a larger disbursement approved by city council, which was in turn part of an overall effort to convert Laval’s existing fleet of conventional gas-fueled and hybrid vehicles to all-electric models.

At particular issue in the deal is the apparently inflated cost. The Town of Morin Heights in the Laurentians was able to purchase base-model Mustang Mach-Es for $48,000 each, according to the JDM. Mayor Boyer explained that the higher cost for Laval was largely due to bad timing, since the city made its purchase when the effects of the Covid pandemic were still impacting supply chains and were driving up costs.

Action Laval’s reaction

Action Laval, one of two opposition parties with members on Laval city council, was quick to sniff the potential for scandal. In a statement, the party’s interim-leader, Archie Cifelli, and Saint-Bruno city councillor David De Cotis demanded the city’s auditor-general immediately launch an inquiry into the purchase of what it referred to as “luxury” vehicles.

Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer, left, and LPD police chief Pierre Brochet.

“Our proposal is justifiable due to the fact that the mayor doesn’t answer the media’s questions,” the party said, alluding to the fact that Mayor Boyer initially declined to comment, although he later did so at length. De Cotis, for his part, noted that it was only a few months ago that he suggested city council create a new multipartisan committee to track the city’s finances and administrative issues.

Action Laval voted for it

In its statement, Action Laval maintained it was not aware of how the new police cars would be deployed when its councillors voted in favour of the executive-committee’s recommendation for the purchase.

“They trusted the Laval executive-committee,” said the party, noting that the Action Laval councillors voted while thinking primarily about the fight against crime and that the purchase of new resources was necessary for that purpose.

‘I am not spendthrift in nature’

Mayor Boyer, apologizing for the outstanding cost

Cifelli suggested that the party is particularly interested in who knew what and when they knew it, and that only the city’s auditor-general can conduct the kind of investigation that could get to the bottom.

“I am asking her to be willing to look into what information was available to the executive-committee when it made its recommendation, and to report back as soon as possible to the city’s elected officials,” said Cifelli.

AS Laval unveils electrifying, redesigned soccer uniforms

Martin C. Barry
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0
AS Laval unveils electrifying, redesigned soccer uniforms

BMW Laval wants to give back to the community, says sales manager Nick Loffreda

Every few years at the AS Laval soccer club, the launch of a new player jersey design helps propel the young players forward, while also adding to their pride, knowing they are participating in one of the world’s truly great sports.

Proud parents, supporters and friends of AS Laval gathered for a 5 to 7 get-together in the showroom of BMW Laval, one of the club’s lead sponsors, on April 4 for the unveiling of the latest uniforms.

AS Laval players from various age groups are seen here in their new uniforms, with BMW Laval general manager for sales Nick Loffreda in the rear at the centre. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

A carefully-designed kit

The jerseys, shorts and socks, in a range of colors with a hint of silver, prominently feature a BMW Laval logo and crest at the centre of the jerseys. There’s also an AS Laval crest just below the left shoulder, as well as various sponsors’ insignias and logos elsewhere on the socks, shorts and jerseys.

It’s been around two years since AS Laval came into being, following the merger of two soccer clubs from central and eastern Laval. The new uniforms were designed by AS Laval technical staff members David Cerasuolo and Anthony Corneli. They worked with experts in sportswear design to put the uniform into production.

The new jerseys, shorts and socks, in colors ranging from green to red and white, prominently feature a BMW Laval logo. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Something exciting and new

“It’s exciting for the kids, and even the staff members, to have something new like this new uniform design,” AS Laval’s general manager Ivana Mormina said in an interview with The Laval News. She said that just designing the new kit became an exciting process that many people took part in.

“We want to see the kids dressed in nice uniforms,” says Nick Loffreda, who leads the BMW Laval sales team. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

“Our colors are black, red, white and a little bit of silver,” said Corneli, who’s been with AS Laval and its predecessor associations for the past ten years.

AS Laval, whose history dates back at least 50 years under the two previous soccer clubs, has a total current membership of around 3,000 young soccer enthusiasts in U4 to U13+, as well as a semi-pro (L1QC) division. They are mostly from Laval, but also from Montreal.

An Italian-inspired design

“We brought back red after not having red in our colors for about ten years,” he continued. “But in general, we went back to a simple kit which is very subtle and clean. It’s going to look very sharp on the field.”

According to Corneli, the latest design was inspired in part by an Italian soccer club. Having grown up loving not only the sport of soccer, but also soccer fashion, whenever a redesign of AS Laval’s kits is called for, he is one of the first people on the AS Laval staff who is consulted.

Commitment to the community

Nick Loffreda, who leads the sales team at BMW Laval, said they felt it was important to give back to the community through the dealership’s support for AS Laval.

“It’s 50 years that we’ve been established and in business in Laval,” he said, noting that the soccer club and BMW Laval have been in a mutually-rewarding partnership for several years. “We want that partnership to continue. And we want to see the kids dressed in nice uniforms at the same time.”

Laval takes action to minimize disruptions caused by construction work

Martin C. Barry
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0
Laval takes action to minimize disruptions caused by construction work

Laval city council adopted a new by-law at its April sitting which will hopefully improve traffic flow along streets where construction projects, maintenance, renovations or demolitions are taking place.

“With the adoption of this new by-law, our priority is to promote respectful and exemplary conduct towards everyone who uses the roads,” Mayor Stéphane Boyer said in a statement.

As things now stand, according to the mayor, obstructions without permits in Laval are not only creating risks for the security of the public, but are also generating substantial costs for the city. “Better control will allow us to reduce how long disruptions on our roads are taking place,” he said.

The new by-law makes it mandatory for construction contractors to file a declaration with the city regarding how long they intend to occupy the sidewalk, bike path or street with stored construction materials and to obtain a permit.

A new schedule of permit fees comes into effect beginning on May 1. The rate charged will depend on factors such as the size of the obstruction, the amount of time it will be place and the type of street that stands to be impacted.

BIXI begins a new season in Laval

One of the sure signs of spring in Laval each year can be seen when self-serve BIXI rental bikes become available in Laval.

Last year, 295 BIXI units were deployed in various neighbourhoods of Laval and the same number is expected again this year. Two-hundred and fifteen of them will be regular pedal bikes, while 80 more will be electrically-assisted bikes available at 26 BIXI stations.

“Strengthened by its 2023 standings for active mobility, the City of Laval is increasing its offer to residents with an initiative aimed at encouraging active transit, in order to contribute to the reduction in greenhouse gases attributed to transportation,” Mayor Boyer said.

“Through concrete actions, we are reaffirming our commitment to promoting active, sustainable and environmentally-conscious mobility,” he added.

The city says that it in order to encourage active mobility among Laval residents, it will be offering 1,500 people from Laval a financial incentive ranging from $45 to $70 applicable to BIXI bike sharing services.

The offer is available to Laval residents 14 years of age and older. To qualify, applicants cannot have been subscribers to a bike sharing service since Jan. 1, 2019.

In addition to offering BIXI bike sharing, the City of Laval has been developing its network of bicycle paths. Nearly 15 kilometres of new bike paths are expected to be implemented this year. The city expects there will be 450 kilometres of bicycle paths by 2031.

City’s negotiations with blue collar workers ongoing

City of Laval officials issued a statement last week on negotiations with its unionized blue-collar workers regarding a new collective agreement.

Laval’s interim City Hall on Saint-Martin Blvd.

A summary of the situation as it stands now:

  • The last contract expired on December 31, 2021;
  • The city asked for a mediator on October 26, 2023;
  • A mediator was appointed on November 8, 2023;
  • 20 mediation sessions were held on the following dates:
    • 8, 16, 22 and 29 November 2023;
    • 6, 18, 19, 21 and 22 December 2023;
    • 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30 January 2024;
    • 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 27 February 2024.

According to the city, mediation was supposed to last no longer than 60 days, but could be repeated twice, the last session having ended this past March.

“Should we fail to agree on a new work contract, the City and the blue-collar union have chosen to pursue mediation outside the legal framework, this effort having resulted in some progress,” said the city. “At the same time, the employer now wishes to go a little faster and accelerate negotiations,”

Although the parties haven’t yet reached an agreement, “discussions during the mediation period progressed on certain articles, although there is still a lot of work to be done, notably on the monetary aspect,” added the city. As such, the city says its negotiating team is ready and available to engage in a “negotiations blitz conducive to the implementation of satisfactory solutions for both sides.”

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