The current issue of the Laval News, volume 32-07, published on April 3rd, 2024.
Covering Laval local news, politics, and sports.
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Laval News Volume 32-07
Eight families homeless in Fabreville after Delphis St. apartment building fire
Eight families who are tenants in an apartment block on Delphis St. in Fabreville became temporarily homeless on Monday evening when a fire in a first-floor unit of their building began spreading to other apartments, forcing occupants to flee with whatever belongings they could carry.
The Laval Fire Dept. responded around 6:30 pm to the fire which sent smoke billowing through the building, resulting in the hospitalization of one person who suffered smoke inhalation.
In all, according to the LFD, 27 persons were evacuated from the building which has been deemed uninhabitable for the time being because the electricity has been cut off.
However, the LFD has already deemed the blaze to have been accidental and probably caused by an unsupervised electric clothes iron.
Overall damages have been estimated at more than $250,000.
Sainte-Rose daycare bus crash driver sent to trial
More than a year after the bus crash incident at a Sainte-Rose daycare in which two children were killed and a half-dozen others were seriously injured, the driver at the wheel has been ordered by a judge to undergo a trial.
Former Société de transport de Laval driver Pierre Ny St-Amand faces multiple murder and aggravated assault charges related to the crash on Feb. 8, 2023.
The decision by Quebec Court judge François Landry on Thursday March 28 came after four days of testimony and legal arguments presented during a preliminary enquiry.
Preliminary enquiry begins into February 2023 Sainte-Rose daycare bus crash
A preliminary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deadly February 2023 Sainte-Rose daycare bus crash in which two pre-school children died got underway earlier this week.
Former STL bus driver Pierre Ny St-Amand, who has undergone extensive psychiatric evaluation while in custody since the Feb. 8 2023 incident, is the key suspect.
In addition to the two fatalities, six other children were seriously injured. St-Amand faces two charges of pre-meditated murder and a half-dozen more charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault.
Preliminary proceedings for the 52-year-old’s case are taking place in Saint-Jérôme north of Laval because of a lack of courtroom space currently at the Palais de Justice de Laval.
The Montreal daily Le Devoir reported earlier this week that a request by St-Amand’s lawyers that he be allowed to sit in court without handcuffs so he could write down notes was opposed by the head of security at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse, who said Saint-Amand’s behavior was known to be unpredictable.
He was fitted with a type of handcuffs which allowed him to move his hands more freely and take notes.
Man leads LPD on wild chase through Laval at the wheel of a backhoe
A man who allegedly stole a construction backhoe and led the Laval Police and the Sûreté du Québec on a chase through the City of Laval’s industrial sector was finally arrested after driving into a ravine in the district of Vimont.
At one point during the mid-afternoon incident, up to ten police cars could be seen pursuing the work vehicle, although quite slowly given the typically low road speed of backhoes.
The police were first alerted by a report that a backhoe driver was ignoring orders to stop while travelling along Route 335 south of Bois-des-Filion.
The driver then reportedly collided with another vehicle, and was spotted some time after this by the SQ on the service road of Autoroute 440.
Still refusing to stop, the backhoe driver made his way along Industriel Blvd. and on Dagenais Blvd. Ouest, all the while going through red lights and stop signs without even slowing.
After driving into the rear yard of an industrial business on Dagenais, he tried driving into an adjacent wooded area, but stalled in a waterlogged ravine where he got out and fled on foot.
The LPD eventually caught up to the 42-year-old suspect, who was reportedly known to police. However, they had to stun him with a jolt from a Taser before he could be detained.
Although he was transported by ambulance to hospital as a precautionary measure, he was scheduled to be arraigned at the Palais de Justice de Laval on Saint-Martin Blvd. to face charges of dangerous driving, evading police, interfering with police, possession of stolen property and breaking court-imposed conditions.
As a footnote, the backhoe itself had first been reported stolen in Ottawa. There was no immediate explanation from police as to how it ended up in Laval.
Recent raid in Laval nets major haul of methamphetamine, says RCMP
As part of an investigation that led to the seizure in Montreal of more than two million suspected methamphetamine tablets in late February, police from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) executed a search warrant at a Laval residence on March 17, resulting in the discovery of an estimated 1,750,000 additional tablets of suspected methamphetamine.
According to a statement issued by the RCMP, the tablets were located in an unoccupied house in Laval suspected of having been used for the sole purpose of storing drugs.
The Laval raid followed a police operation which was executed in late February at a clandestine laboratory in the Borough of Saint-Laurent in Montreal, where more than two million suspected methamphetamine tablets were seized in a commercial space described by the RCMP as “likely used for synthetic drug production.”
Significant quantities of chemicals used in the production of illicit tablets, two pill presses and sophisticated equipment for large-scale production were also seized, said the force. An investigation, which began in December 2023, led to the arrest of five individuals.
They were interviewed by RCMP investigators and released pending further proceedings. They face charges under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, including production and possession of controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking.
According to the RCMP, clandestine laboratories can be found in a variety of locations, such as homes, garages and warehouses.
The force notes that clandestine labs pose a great danger not only to those who operate them, but also to neighbors and first responders because of the toxic and potentially volatile nature of the chemicals and substances found there.
If you suspect illegal drug activity in your community, including clandestine labs, drug purchasing or toxic waste dumping, contact your local police service or Crime Stoppers (toll-free) at 1-800-711-1800.
Police seize $1 million in illegal drugs after raids in Laval, Montreal, Brossard
Warrants executed by police in Laval, Montreal and Brossard last week resulted in the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of close to $1 million worth of illegal narcotics.
Two men, aged 49 and 23 and a 45-year-old woman were arrested during the execution of search and seizure warrants at the suspects’ homes, in their vehicles and at a warehouse they allegedly rented.
Police said they seized 21 kilos of cocaine with a street value of around $525,000. As well, around 45,000 tablets of opioid were seized.
According to police, the pills contained metonitazene, a narcotic substance said to be 20 times more powerful than fentanyl and more conducive to poisonings and overdoses as a result.
The raids also resulted in the seizure of 36,000 benzodiazepine (tranquilizer) tablets, as well as amphetamine pills, methamphetamines and steroids, along with $175,000 in cash.
Laval-based Alimentation Couche-Tard names former PM Stephen Harper to its board
Couche Tard convenience stores, which has long been headquartered in Laval, announced earlier this week that former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been appointed to its board of directors effective immediately.
“We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Harper to our board,” said Alain Bouchard, founder and executive chairman of the board of Alimentation Couche-Tard.
“With his extensive experience in leadership, governance, business, and global affairs, he brings invaluable insights to the board, which will serve Couche-Tard well as we continue to grow and innovate to meet the evolving needs of the customers and communities we serve in Canada and around the world,” added Bouchard.
Noting that Stephen Harper became the twenty-second Prime Minister of Canada when elected in 2006, serving until 2015, Couche Tard said in a statement that this made Harper the longest serving Conservative Prime Minister since Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first PM.
Harper is currently chairman and CEO of Harper & Associates Consulting, which acts as a strategic consultant to clients around the world, providing advice on matters relating to market access, management of global geopolitical and economic risk, and the maximization of value in global markets.
Harper also sits on the board of directors of Colliers International Group Inc., a Canada-based diversified professional services and investment management company, where he sits on the governance committee as well.
Harper is also a founding partner and chairman of Vision One Management, which Couche Tard describes as a “fundamental value-oriented equity fund that applies a private equity investment approach to public markets.”
As well, he serves as chair of the International Democracy Union and international Friends of Israel Initiative.
“I am honored to join Couche-Tard, a great Canadian company and a global leader in convenience and mobility renowned for its commitment to excellence and innovation,” said Harper.
“Throughout my career, I have always believed in the power of collaboration and forward-thinking to drive success. I am eager to contribute to Couche-Tard’s continued success and to work alongside a team that is dedicated to making a positive impact on communities around the globe.”
Pont-Viau beauty spa sprayed with gunfire
Avanti Le SPA, a women’s beauty spa with locations in Laval’s Pont-Viau district as well as in Montreal, was sprayed with bullets overnight from March 15-16, shortly after a car dealership was also attacked by gunfire in Montreal.
Around 1 am, the Laval Police received a call about an alarm that was triggered at the spa on Saint-Martin Blvd. in Chomedey near McNamara St. Upon arrival, they could see bullet impact marks on the front window.
There were no reports of injuries, but an LPD spokesperson said it was the first time they had to deal with this type of incident at the spa. LPD investigators are analyzing security camera images for leads to suspects.
Around a half-hour after this incident, a car dealership in Town of Mount Royal in Montreal was also shot at, although it isn’t known whether the two incidents were related.
Teens arrested in Laval after two-hour car chase
Two male teenagers took several police services, including the Laval Police, on a two-hour chase in a stolen vehicle over a large area of the Montreal region early last Saturday morning, ending with their arrests in Laval.
Blainville police first noticed the teens in a late-model Toyota Highlander just before 4 a.m. Saturday and alerted the Sûreté du Québec. Suspicions were aroused, the police said, because the occupants were young.
The two then led police on a chase along autoroutes 15, 640, 40, 13 and 20, getting off at 55th Ave. in west end Montreal. The SQ lost sight of the car, but then the LPD spotted two teens matching the descriptions walking along Pie IX Blvd. in Laval and moved in to arrest them.
The car was found two streets away, although it had not yet been reported stolen by its owner in Mirabel.
According to reports, both teens were known to the police, who said they had a history of run-ins with the law. At the time, they had several conditions imposed by court order, including not to be in contact with each other.
The driver faces a possible charge of dangerous driving, as well as possession of a stolen vehicle, along with breach of conditions, including curfew. He remained in custody and was expected to appear in court via videoconference last weekend.
Electric malfunction blamed for Fleetwood St. fire
Some initial investigating by Laval Fire Dept. experts suggests that a blaze that caused significant damage to a three-storey multi-unit residence on Fleetwood St. in Chomedey on March 14 was caused by an electrical system malfunction.
Damages to the building itself are estimated at $225,000, while damages to the interior furnishings are estimated at $50,000.
Up to 20 people who were residing in the building’s six units, as well as in an adjacent building next door, were evacuated and have been forced to seek shelter elsewhere, largely because of extensive smoke damage.
A call about a fire at the building in eastern Chomedey south of Saint-Martin Blvd. came in to the Laval Fire Dept. around 2:30 am. Nine units from the LFD, including 34 firefighters, were deployed.
Recent Laval Fire Dept. calls
Mar 16: Building fire on Pacifique Ave. Called in to the Laval Fire Dept. from the Laval-des-Rapides sector.
Two-storey residential structure. Smoke apparent upon arrival of firefighters, with a Code 10-07, meaning intervention necessary.
Firefighters advised motorists and neighbours to avoid nearby Montmorency and D’Argenteuil streets until the end of operations.
Fire damages house in Sainte-Rose
March 15: Around 3:30 am, a house on Roseval St. in the City of Laval’s Sainte-Rose sector was significantly damaged by fire.
According to an incident report filed by the LFD after the firefighters’ arrival, flames could be seen shooting from the basement. They called in a Code 10-09, meaning a full rescue operation, with aggravating factors possible.
Coach Tony Polito leads Riverains M15-AA to victory with a formula for success
Hockey Laval adolescent boys’ team clinches 2023-2024 LHLL series championship
The Ligue Hockey Laurentides-Lanaudière’s 2023-2024 season has been a fruitful one for Hockey Laval Riverains M15-AA coach Tony Polito, as well as for the young players he oversees, and everyone else who provides support.
To speak only of this season, when the team clinched the 2023-2024 championship in their division, would be to overlook the fact that the last few years have been extraordinary under coach Tony’s leadership, as well as with his brother Manny’s contributions in the past year.
Action and results
It’s been eight years since Tony Polito joined Hockey Laval as a coach. In the last three years alone, the Riverains M15-AA team of promising 15-year-old players has succeeded in clinching as many as six championships.
In keeping with his action-based and results-oriented formula for bringing out the best in players, Tony is a man of relatively few words while describing how he feels about the team’s latest success.
“It’s humbling, I guess you could say,” he said in an interview with The Laval News late last week just before the team stepped out onto the ice for a practice at the Hartland Monahan Arena in Laval-Ouest. For the last two seasons in a row, the team finished first in the league, making it all the way this year as champions in the playoffs.
‘All for the kids’
But at the end of the day, says Tony, everything that takes place in junior-level hockey is volunteer-based. “It’s all for the kids,” he adds, while noting that the big payoff is the deep satisfaction that he and other supporters feel after guiding the players through successive winning seasons.
“I do it for the kids. I do it for the smiles on their faces. It’s all for them.”
With the LHLL season over, the Hockey Laval Riverains M15-AA players are now playing in regionals. Whoever prevails in the best-of-five series will go onto provincials to represent Laval against junior hockey teams from all over Quebec. The prize at the end of it all is the Chevrolet Cup.
All signs point to success
Tony describes the guys on his team as having been especially “pumped” for winning over the past season, while “handling pressure very nicely and they’re ready for it this year,” which bodes well for more success on the ice.
“This year it was a special group,” he said. “Their dedication, their will to just be better. They come to the arena and it’s just a joy to be with them each time. And I enjoy every second of it. I’m just enjoying the time spent with these kids, which feels really good.”
A collective effort
The players’ parents also get top marks from coach Tony. “They’re a very close group, very supporting,” he said.
“They support us and make sure to be behind us every step of the way. You know, it takes a village. We’re all very grateful for what they do for us.”
With the success of the Riverains under his belt, Tony acknowledges that he recently caught the attention of the Montreal Knights Hockey Academy, for whom he has agreed to coach a U16 “travel” team.
“I got approached with a different opportunity,” he said, while adding, “that’s what I’m going to be doing next year.”
