The Laval Police say they arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with charges that he was acting as a pimp for prostitution.
(Photo: Courtesy of Blue Line Magazine)
In the meantime, LPD investigators believe he may have multiple victims who wish to press additional charges.
Georgio Saliba was arrested earlier this week. He has already been arraigned at the Palais de Justice de Laval on Saint-Martin Blvd., although he has since been released on bail with several conditions to follow.
Georgio Saliba is seen in this photo issued by the Laval Police Dept.
According to a backgrounder provided by the LPD, one of Saliba’s alleged victims began a relationship with him.
Over the ensuing months, he allegedly proposed that she work for him, asking her to provide sexual services to customers.
The LPD maintains that the victim complied for a few months, although Saliba is alleged to have assaulted her when she tried to end their relationship.
The LPD is asking anyone with more information to contact them via their confidential information line at 450 662-INFO (4636).
Officers from the Laval Police Dept. took part in an interprovincial operation last week in which more than 13,300 kilos of contraband tobacco smoked in Middle Eastern “shisha” pipes, with an estimated value of nearly $5.8 million, was seized in Quebec and Ontario.
The operation, led by the Sûreté du Québec, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Montreal Police, with assistance from the Canada Border Services Agency, initially targeted a contraband tobacco dealer doing business in Laval and Montreal, but ended up leading to an importer based in Toronto, according to information issued by the police.
In all, eight search warrants were executed on June 14 at warehouses in cities that included Laval and Saint-Eustache in Quebec, as well as Burlington, Mississauga and Scarborough in Ontario.
As well, two residences were searched and several vehicles were seized during the raids.
The suspects were identified by the police as a Quebec man, age 45, and two Ontarians who are 44 and 43 years old respectively, although their names were not immediately released.
The Laval Police announced last week that investigators with the force made five arrests in May as part of an investigation into the theft of warehoused cargo, including high-end commercial vehicles.
Launched in October 2021, the lengthy investigation determined that the perpetrators were breaking into storage facilities in various areas of Laval and Montreal.
Five suspects were linked to the thefts whose value is estimated at $1.2 million and which included trucks and trailers loaded with air conditioning equipment.
A first search warrant was executed in May 2022 in the Laurentian community of l’Assomption where some of the stolen vehicles were located, although they had been altered.
Additional search warrants in June that same year at the homes of the suspects also resulted in the seizure of stolen goods, money and firearms. The assessed value of the vehicles seized at that point was around $1 million.
Among the vehicles recovered by the police were a utility trailer, nine Freightliner heavy-duty trucks, one all-terrain vehicle and one GMC Sierra light truck.
This past May 16, the police arrested Denis Guernon, Denis Lavallée, Sébastien St-Hilaire and Mario Savage, all between the ages of 44 and 59 years. They were released on bail with conditions to follow. Jonathan McCrae, 37, was arrested on May 24 after a warrant for his arrest was issued.
He made an appearance in Quebec Court and was also freed on bail with conditions. The charges against all the suspects include break-in and burglary at a business, possession of stolen goods worth more than $5,000, theft involving more than $5,000, vehicle theft and mischief.
More police visibility expected in Laval in effort to combat gun violence
The Laval Police Dept. is promising to increase its efforts against gun-related violence over the next few months, as speculation indicates it could be a hot summer for violent crime.
In a press release last week, the LPD said its Project Paradoxe will mobilize officers to combat gun violence this summer, a season described as a pivotal moment each year.
Jean-François Rousselle, assistant director of investigations with the LPD, said Paradoxe produced encouraging results last year and that the number of arrests and seizures of firearms contributed to a drop in criminality.
The LPD said they will also expand their bike patrol. Community intervention officers have already started several visits, accompanied by various representatives of municipal services.
Quebec investing over $5.6 million to fight organized crime
The provincial government says it will invest $5.67 million to set up an intervention team to fight organized crime in the Montreal region – including Laval.
The team will be made up of 10 Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers who will work closely with the Laval, Montreal, and Longueuil police forces.
The new squad’s mandate will be to ensure a presence in areas known to be frequented by organized crime members, but in particular to increase the sense of security of businesses and citizens who frequent these establishments.
“We want to enhance the public’s sense of security, and that’s why we’re strengthening police presence on the ground in critical areas,” said Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel.
“I feel certain that increased collaboration and intensified operations targeting individuals linked to street gangs will improve the quality of life of citizens in Montreal, Laval and Longueuil, who wish to frequent public places in complete peace of mind,” he added.
Over the past few years, the province’s main municipal police forces have set up organized crime intervention teams, which include the Laval Police Dept.’s Équinoxe, the Montreal Police’s Éclipse, the Service de police de l’agglomération de Longueuil’s Brigade d’intervention multidisciplinaire, and similar units set up by the Sécurité du Québec.
Man, 25, dies electrocuted while working in Laval
A 25-year-old man died last week after being electrocuted while working at a private residence in Laval-des-Rapides.
The LPD said that a call came in reporting that a man was injured while working on a sprinkler system in a yard behind a residence on des Prairies Blvd. near Dussault Ave. in L-D-R.
“The theory is that he was electrocuted, and he fell close to the water,” said LPD spokesperson Erika Landry, while adding that the man was transported to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Since the injury and subsequent fatality were work-related, Landry said the workers’ health and safety board, known by its acronym CNESST, will be involved in the investigation, assisted by the LPD.
More room needed at women’s shelter, says executive director Melpa Kamateros
Shield of Athena, which supports victims of conjugal violence in the Montreal and Laval regions, met part of its annual fundraising goal through a membership drive dinner and standup comedy event held at the Table 51 restaurant in Montreal on the evening of June 6.
The well-attended evening spotlighted the organization’s ongoing dedication to victims of conjugal violence as well as Shield of Athena’s support for many communities in Quebec.
The sit-down dinner portion of the event was MC’d by Montreal radio host Eramelinda Bocquer, a Shield of Athena governing board member.
A night of comedy
It also featured excellent food and live music, followed by stand-up routines performed by comedians from GiggleFest Montreal. Among the evening’s special guests was Greek Consul General in Montreal Katerina Varvarigou.
“We are raising funds for our shelter for women and children which has been open since 2004,” Shield of Athena executive director Melpa Kamateros said in an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia. She said they recently had to increase the number of available shelter spaces from nine to sixteen as a result of the Covid pandemic, adding to costs.
The fundraiser was part of Shield of Athena’s continuing efforts to raise up to $1 million this year through a series of special events. All proceeds from the June 6 “soirée” are going towards Athena’s House, Shield of Athena’s principal shelter for women and children.
Answering a need
A partial list of sponsors included Pat Tsatoumas from Direct Travel, Charisma Realty, Schwartz, the Hellenic Board of Trade, and Montreal Knights in partnership with NSA Laval.
Among the guests was Greek Consul General in Montreal Katerina Varvarigou. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
“We need to expand so as to respond to the increased needs for shelter by victims of conjugal violence,” said Kamateros. By meeting the $1 million fundraising goal, the emergency shelter will continue to serve those in need, she added.
Shield of Athena’s offices, located in Laval and Montreal, offer multilingual services by professional social workers, trained cultural intermediaries and supervised law students.
The shelter, Athena’s House, provides emergency housing to women and their children 24/7, in a safe and empowering environment. And across Montreal and Laval, Shield’s community outreach program provides information to men and women in their own languages.
More donations needed
Tickets for the membership drive dinner – which were priced at $175 per person – were available online through the Zeffy events website. A charitable receipt for a portion of the cost is being issued to contributors. And, of course, additional donations to support Shield of Athena’s ongoing mission are still being accepted with much gratitude and appreciation.
All proceeds from the June 6 ‘soirée’ are going towards Athena’s House
Shield of Athena was founded in 1991 to provide the Greek community, and particularly women, with information through a family and public awareness campaign aimed at the community and victims, in their language of origin. This approach demonstrated its potential for other communities. As a result, Shield now provides services in 16 languages.
A place away from threats
Shield of Athena says that through its extensive network, last year 1,229 clients were helped at the organization’s Montreal and Laval centers. In addition, 100 women and children of different ethnic and religious backgrounds found refuge at Athena’s House, “a place of solace away from often life-threatening situations.”
At $175 per guest, Shield of Athena’s fundraiser at Table 51 in Montreal on June 6 helped the women’s shelter reach its $1 million goal for this year. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
The Shield’s Community Outreach Department also connects with tens of thousands via its information sessions, television and radio interviews, as well as print and digital articles on family violence.
They are asking for continued support from those willing to buy tickets to future events, or one of Shield of Athena’s fundraising cookbooks, or by purchasing a painting on their Shopify Site, or through a donation to Shield’s annual membership campaign.
Fire trucks were the star attraction for thousands of kids and families
Although the fun and excitement were all there as in past years, the venue for the 2023 Laval Firemen’s Festival was entirely new on the weekend of Saturday June 3 and Sunday June 4.
Staged for years at the Laval Centropolis mall, the City of Laval and the Laval Fire Dept. decided to move the festival around two kilometres east to the parking lot at Collège Montmorency for this year’s event, citing improved safety and better access to public transit as the main reasons.
A big turnout
If anything, the crowds seemed all the more excited by the new location. In all, thousands of people from Laval as well as from further away turned out.
Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am until late afternoon, the festival site was filled with a range of activities, including educational kiosks on fire prevention and safety, a car accident simulation, firefighter museum artifacts, fire truck displays, wandering entertainers, stage performers and more.
Mayor Stéphane Boyer arrived at the Collège Montmorency site around 10:30 am Saturday morning in the passenger seat of a vintage Laval Fire Dept. pump truck.
Parade of fire trucks
Laval’s firefighters gave demonstrations of their skills in freeing accident victims from wrecked cars. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
The unit was followed by more than a dozen classic and more recent fire and emergency services vehicles, sirens and horns blaring, following a route through several residential neighbourhoods of Laval.
“We’re doing something new this year,” the mayor said in a brief interview with The Laval News, noting the vehicles took a route through Pont-Viau, Laval-des-Rapides and the downtown sector of Laval.
“I think this is always a very special occasion each year for our firefighters, but also four our residents,” he continued. “You can see a lot of happiness in their faces. This is always a great gathering for everybody.”
Action Laval city councillor for Saint-François Isabelle Piché welcomed dog owners from her district to the official opening of a new dog park on June 12.
Located just behind the firehall on Marcel Villeneuve Blvd., the canine facility is now open to dog owners from all over the Saint-François area.
Given the fact the park is going to be used by canines, several names of dogs that served over the years in the Laval Police Dept.’s canine unit were proposed to assign a name to the dog park.
And the winner is…
Laval city council’s toponimy committee chose the name Lava – that being the name of the first dog to serve in the LPD’s canine unit. Lava served from February 2003 until March 2009.
“It’s a name which I find is appropriate for this dog park,” said Piché, since Lava paved the way for all the dogs that came after her. “The dog handlers who worked with her, including the late Éric Lavoie and Fred Vincent, would surely be proud to know of this.”
Pet suppliers on hand
Representatives from several local businesses dealing in pet supplies were on hand for the opening, including La Boutique d’Animaux Chico, Boutique et Toilettage Animouff, Pension canine et féline Saint-François, les Amis de Balou et Astuces canines.
“I am very happy to have brought them together here today, since this raises their visibility,” said Piché, referring to the businesses. “It’s my way of encouraging businesses which are local and close to the community.”
Canadian Federation of Independent Business urges Ottawa to give more time
According to a new report released last week by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, nearly 250,000 small businesses – 19 per cent of all small businesses in Canada – could be at risk of closing their doors after 2023 unless the federal government changes the deadline to repay their Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans.
Seeking extended deadline
Dan Kelly, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
If the deadline isn’t extended, says the CFIB, small businesses will lose the forgivable portion by next December 31, which will add up to $20,000 more to their debt and cause them to face 5 per cent interest on the full balance.
“The message from small businesses is loud and clear: they need more time to repay their CEBA loan,” said CFIB president Dan Kelly.
“With only half of small businesses back to normal sales, most businesses – particularly in the arts, recreation, hospitality and the service sectors – will need more runway. Financial institutions still have time to delay repayment processes if the government extends the CEBA deadline, but that window is closing. Ottawa needs to act now.”
Some key findings
The report by CFIB, entitled Back in Business? Spring Update on Small Business and CEBA, includes the following key results:
Of the nine in ten small businesses who used CEBA, three quarters accessed loans between $40,001 and $60,000, while one quarter received loans of up to $40,000.
Only 10 per cent of CEBA users have repaid their loans.
A total of 43 per cent of CEBA users risk missing the current repayment deadline by end of 2023. Small businesses in the arts, recreation, and information (62 per cent), hospitality (61 per cent) and social services sectors (46 per cent) are most likely to miss the current CEBA deadline.
The smallest businesses with 0-4 employees are the most likely to miss the repayment deadline (49 per cent).
Even among the 47 per cent of small business owners who indicate they will meet the 2023 deadline, half say they will struggle to do so, and two thirds would like to see an extension of the repayment deadline.
Repayment uncertainty
“Most business owners want to repay the loan on time in order to secure the forgivable portion, but many of them still can’t guarantee they can do it,” said Simon Gaudreault, chief economist and vice-president of research at the federation.
“Our analysis suggests that most small firms expect to struggle in the process, putting their business’ future at risk. The closer we get to the end of this year, the more uncertainty a CEBA status quo will create for thousands and thousands of businesses.”
Relief for small businesses
CFIB is pushing the federal government to provide some relief to small businesses by:
Extending the repayment deadline for the CEBA loan to the end of December 2025 or at least 2024;
Considering additional debt forgiveness;
And implementing an appeal process for CEBA loan recipients that are now deemed ineligible.
“The CEBA loan, which once served as a pivotal economic lifeline during the nearly two years of COVID restrictions, is now a source of immense stress and anxiety for small businesses,” said Corinne Pohlmann, senior vice-president for national affairs at the federation.
More time needed, CFIB says
“Ottawa must give them more time, or we will see more ‘permanently closed’ signs in the coming months. If nothing changes, the consequences will be serious not just for affected businesses, but also for their employees and the wider economy.”
Business owners can sign CFIB’s petition to government to extend the CEBA repayment deadline on the CFIB website. In May alone, CFIB received over 3,500 new signatures, bringing their total to over 23,000 signed petitions from small business owners calling for improvements to pandemic supports and an extension to the CEBA repayment deadline.
Claimants want $500,000 in compensation plus punitive damages
With the publication of a court-authorized notice last week, a class action lawsuit against the Quebec government concerning abuses alleged to have occurred in provincial youth protection centres over the last 73 years is proceeding, although potential suit members have until July 9 to opt out if they choose.
Alleged abuses
On September 7 last year, the Superior Court of Quebec authorized the action for damages against the government (represented by the attorney general of Quebec) and 16 integrated university health and social services centres (also known as IHSSC, IUHSSC, CISSS and CIUSSS).
(Photo: Quebec Youth Protection)
The action concerns abuses which are alleged to have occurred in youth protection centres throughout Quebec since 1950. A person is automatically a member of the class action if they meet all of the following criteria:
· They were born on or after October 2, 1932.
· They are not a member of a First Nation, an Inuit or a Métis.
· They were under 18 years old when they were placed in a centre as per youth protection law.
· During their placement at the centre,
· They were sexually assaulted; and/or
· They were subject to one or several of the following measures:
· They were placed in solitary confinement;
· They were confined in a common area of the centre;
· They were locked up in their room;
· They were locked up in another room or in a cell;
· They were subject to the use of force, with or without the use of mechanical devices (for example, a straitjacket, handcuffs or shackles), of medication or of other chemical substances.
Excluded from lawsuit
Members of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, as well as Duplessis Orphans, cannot be included among the claimants as they may either have already received other financial compensation or signed a release under the National Reconciliation Program or programs offered to Duplessis Orphans.
For the purposes of the class action, the centres notably include youth protection schools or youth protection centres, reception centres, transition centres and rehabilitation centres.
However, hospital centres, group homes and foster families are not targeted by the class action. Mont d’Youville reception centre is also excluded from the action as it is already the focus of a separate and ongoing class action lawsuit. Finally, a person who was placed in a centre following youth criminal justice proceedings can not be a member of the class action.
Lead action claimant
The Superior Court appointed Eleanor Lindsay, after she initiated the suit in 2019, as the representative of all class members (the lead claimant). Lindsay claims she suffered sexual abuse and solitary confinement at two Quebec youth protection centres during the 1970s. She and the other claimants are asking for $500,000 in compensation plus punitive damages.
On their behalf, she claims that the Government of Quebec and the defendant centres are responsible for the systemic detention and abuse of children admitted into centres. She asks that the Superior Court order the Government of Quebec and the defendant centres to pay damages to the class members, including herself.
Investigative reports
The allegations are based largely on Montreal Gazette investigative news reports published during the mid-1970s which documented incidents of girls being punished with solitary confinement for often minor offenses, which sometimes allegedly included coughing, having nightmares or crying.
Quebec Superior Court has authorized a class action regarding a range of measures in youth protection centres
Those allegations and the defendants’ purported liability remain to be proven. In the coming years, unless the parties reach a settlement, the Superior Court will therefore be required to decide, following a trial, whether the defendants were at fault and whether and to what extent damages should be paid to the class members.
Deadline to opt out
If they do not want to be included in the class action and to obtain a payment if the class action is settled or granted by the court, class members may opt out at the latest at 4:30 pm on July 9. The means of opting out are specified in a full-length notice to the class members. All class members who will not have opted out prior to the expiry of this deadline will be bound by any judgment rendered in the class action. Responding in court to the allegations before the class action was authorized to proceed, lawyers for the Quebec government filed a motion to have the case dismissed on the basis the government could not be held responsible for the alleged abuses.
In order to improve things for Laval’s residents during snow removal operations, the city is taking measures to implement a new dynamic signage system to get information out as quickly as possible when snow ops are underway.
Last winter, the city launched six pilot projects in selected neighbourhoods, the results of which are said to have been promising. As a result, city officials have now chosen a system and is beginning a call for bids this summer.
The City of Laval hopes to replace this type of snow removal sign with an electronic system.
Ultimately, the one chosen will relay messages in real time to residents about the arrival of snow removal crews and how this will affect street parking. It is the city’s hope to see the system eventually implemented everywhere on Laval’s territory.
For the time being, they are starting in neighbourhoods which are the most densely populated. These sectors include Pont-Viau, Renaud, Laval-des-Rapides and Chomedey. It is expected that the new system will greatly reduce the time that is now necessary to inform residents when snow removal ops are happening.
“In Laval, parking is an everyday irritant for our fellow citizens,” says Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “That is why our administration is undertaking the implementation of a technology to make life easier for the population.
“The new solution will be be built around luminous panels that will indicate to Laval residents when they can park and when parking will be forbidden. They will therefore be able to park all the time, except during operations.”
“Dynamic signage is an interesting avenue to follow, for the population as much as for our public works teams who will be able to react in real time and communicate efficiently with the community,” says Laval city councillor for Sainte Dorothée Ray Khalil, who is responsible for public works on the executive committee.
“From the point of view of the citizen, the gains are equally important, since the on-street parking spaces will more quickly be filled after the snow removal trucks have passed,” he said.
Laval firefighters to hold blood donor clinic June 20
The City of Laval’s firefighters will be holding their 2nd annual blood donor clinic on June 20, in conjunction with Héma-Québec and the firefighters’ union (Association des pompiers de Laval).
Residents of Laval are invited in great numbers to give blood at five clinic locations at firehalls. At the same time, donors will be able to visit the firehalls and get acquainted with some of the firefighters.
Where:
From 8 am to 7 pm:
Firehall 2 (Chomedey): 3000 boulevard du Souvenir
From 10 am to 7 pm:
Firehall 3 (Saint-Vincent-de-Paul): 4111 boulevard de la Concorde
It is suggested all blood donors make an appointment online on the Héma-Québec website, or by telephone at 1 800 343-7264, while also checking some of the criteria for being able to donate blood.
Record participation in the Course des pompiers de Laval
The city is reporting that there was record participation in the recent 11th annual Course des pompiers de Laval (the firemen’s race), which brought together 5,800 participants of all ages and from all levels of running skill.
During the marathon segment, Oualid Jouadi finished first in an impressive 2 h 34 mins. 33 secs. in the men’s category.
Marjolaine Letalien finished first in the women’s category with a time of 3 h 15 mins. 58 secs. This year, the finish line was at Collège Montmorency, after having been at the Centropolis for many years before.
Laval Fire Dept. firefighter Alexis Dufour beat a world record for speed in a half-marathon (21.1 kms.) while wearing a full fireman’s outfit wearing 50 lbs., which included a breathing aparatus, in 2 h 54 mins. 3 secs.
Thanks to those efforts, $12,000 was raised for the Fondation des pompiers du Québec pour les grands brûlés (FPQGB), which raises money for victims of serious burns. Other participants in the race raised more than $70,000 for the FPQGB.
Councillor Karidogiannis says nobody reached out to him to complain
A used disposable diaper was among several pieces of bio-waste seen along the curb on 2nd St. in Chomedey last week after a resident notified The Laval News. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Responding to a complaint about poor sanitation on a street in l’Abord-à-Plouffe, the Laval city councillor responsible for the district has the following advice: call me first, says Vasilios Karidogiannis, before contacting the media.
Last week, Sotirios Limnios, the owner of a small apartment block on 2nd St. near the corner of 92nd Ave., took The Laval News on a short stroll along a stretch of 2nd St.
Bio-waste hazard?
He claimed it has been turned into an unsanitary mess strewed with bio-waste, including soiled disposable diapers, old vinyl medical gloves and broken glass.
As well, an adjacent private lot was littered with an old car tire, while it was also evident that a nearby street curb, strewn with old branches and leaves left over from last fall, hadn’t been subjected to the usual post-winter cleanup that Laval public works crews are expected to complete each year in the spring.
“They came during the winter to clean the snow off the streets, but what’s left as you can see will stay for all the rest of the summer,” he said, pointing to a thick accumulation of old branches and leaves on the curbside underneath a vehicle parked on the street.
And old tire was among the discarded items seen in a vacant lot along 2nd St., as pointed out to The Laval News by a nearby building owner. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
Curbside diapers
A few metres away beside a sidewalk curb on the other side of 2nd St., he pointed to a disposable adult diaper which had been discarded. As a piece of potentially hazardous trash, he suggested that it was supposed to be dealt with separately from the City of Laval’s regular refuse collections for recyclable and non-recyclable waste materials.
He maintains that the diapers came from a nearby household where an elderly woman is being cared for by a nursing attendant, who hasn’t been following sanitary guidelines for disposing properly of potentially hazardous bio-waste.
After being briefed by The Laval News on the complaint, Karidogiannis responded in a phone interview, “What I’m trying to understand is that he called you guys to complain? Instead of calling me to complain? I find that unfortunate that he would choose the media route for this.”
Among the complaints about sanitation on 2nd St. in Chomedey is that the street remains littered with debris left over from winter long after the city’s annual spring cleanup should have taken place. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)
‘He called you guys to complain? Instead of calling me to complain?’
He denied ever being contacted for assistance on the matter. For his part, the building owner acknowledged being aware Vasilios Karidogiannis is his city councillor, but didn’t confirm whether he’d reached out to him.
Karidogiannis insisted that whatever the issues, “I’m very easy to reach,” he said, noting that his contact information (including phone number and e-mail address) are posted on the Laval city council website, along with contact information for all city councillors and the mayor.
