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250,000 Canadian businesses risk closing as CEBA deadline approaches

Martin C. Barry
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250,000 Canadian businesses risk closing as CEBA deadline approaches

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.

Class action involving Quebec youth protection centres moves ahead

Martin C. Barry
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Class action involving Quebec youth protection centres moves ahead

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.

Laval sets out to improve its street signage

Martin C. Barry
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Laval sets out to improve its street signage

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
  • Firehall 5 (Saint-François): 7900 avenue Marcel-Villeneuve
  • Firehall 6 (Laval-Ouest): 5580 boulevard Dagenais Ouest
  • Firehall 8 (Sainte-Rose): 555 boulevard Curé-Labelle

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.

Is Chomedey’s 2nd Street a dumping ground for garbage and bio-waste?

Martin C. Barry
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0
Is Chomedey’s 2nd Street a dumping ground for garbage and bio-waste?

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.

Olivia from Laval is helping raise awareness of childhood cancer

Martin C. Barry
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0
Olivia from Laval is helping raise awareness of childhood cancer

IGA working with Charles Bruneau Foundation on province-wide tattoo campaign

A school-age girl from Laval who is recovering from cancer is part of a small group of pre-school children from Quebec who helped design tattoos which are part of a campaign led by IGA supermarkets to raise awareness of childhood cancer.

Young Olivia Grenier and an official with IGA extra Marché Richard Tellier in Laval are seen here.

For a fourth year, the Charles-Bruneau Foundation is working with IGA on the tattoo campaign. Proceeds from the sale of the temporary tattoos are going towards the foundation. The four children who drew characters for the tattoos had or are in remission from a childhood cancer.

An incredible experience

The children were assisted in the design of the tattoos by illustrator Audrey Malo, in conjunction with the Sid Lee promotion and marketing agency.

“It was an incredible experience being to create the visual signature of the project while working alongside the team from Sid Lee, who allowed me a lot of creative freedom,” said Malo. “This was a dream project: playful, funny, touching and for a good cause.”

Olivia Grenier, the girl from Laval, helped design a tattoo featuring a cake. The other children helped create tattoos depicting fruit and vegetable characters. All the tattoos, being sold in sheets featuring multiple tattoos, are available at IGA stores for $3 each until June 21.

‘A ray of sunshine’

Each of the four children has received medical treatment for cancer at one of the four Charles Bruneau Centres located in Quebec City, Sherbrooke and in Montreal. Olivia is considered by all who know her to be a little ray of sunshine. At age 5, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, and received treatment for it at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

The tattoos are all available at IGA stores for $3 each until June 21

“IGA is proud to have been associated once again with the Charles Bruneau Foundation in order to support research into childhood cancers,” said Caroline Duhamel, marketing director for IGA, as well as the company’s Rachelle Béry, Tradition and Bonichoix brands.

The Charles Bruneau Foundation’s primary mission is to find ways to provide children with solutions that maximize their chances of being healed of cancer.

Four special hospitals

The four hospitals in Quebec where the foundation has invested $40 million to create specialized treatment facilities are CHU Sainte-Justine, the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS in Sherbrooke and CHU de Québec-Université Laval in Quebec City. Since its beginnings, the Charles Bruneau Foundation has donated $55 million to pediatric cancer research, making it the leading contributor to pediatric hemo-ontological research in Quebec.

‘Évolution Laval 2023’ showcased clean technologies, sustainable mobility

Martin C. Barry
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0
‘Évolution Laval 2023’ showcased clean technologies, sustainable mobility

Laval Chamber of Commerce event drew up to 2,000 participants online and in-person

Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer spoke first-hand about his experiences leading one of Quebec’s largest cities in trying to introduce innovations into an urban setting.

Entrepreneurs and business people from Laval had the opportunity on May 30 and 31 to learn ways to maximize their efforts in an increasingly sustainable and evolving economy when the Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry staged Évolution Laval 2023, a multi-platformed and transnational event featuring internationally-renowned speakers.

A half-dozen presenters with wide-ranging experience in private sector and government management brought forward their views on sustainable mobility, electrification of transport, eco-fiscality, clean technologies and the measures that can be taken now to navigate the quickly-evolving environmental landscape while identifying and accepting challenges.

In-person and online

While up to 2,000 registered participants took part online, a few from Laval accepted an invitation to be present at the video studios of Creativ Nation on Le Corbusier Blvd. where the live segments from Laval were taking place.

Up to 2,000 registered participants took part online, while a few from Laval accepted an invitation to be present at the video studios of Creativ Nation on Le Corbusier Blvd.

Among the speakers taking part in person or remotely by videoconference were Erin Brockovich, the American paralegal and environmental activist whose key role in a major corporate lawsuit became the subject of the year-2000 Oscar-winning film Erin Brockovich.

Some practical experiences

Also sharing their experiences and stories were Bertrand Piccard, the first person to travel around the globe in a solar-powered aircraft. He is also a psychiatrist, the holder of 22 aeronautical records and the founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation.

As well, Bill Reed, the founder and creator of the LEED standard for environmentally sustainable construction norms, spoke about eco-responsible project financing as well as regenerative construction practices. Fabio Duarte, chief of research at MIT Sensible City Lab, explained how technological solutions can be integrated into municipal operations to make cities greener and more resilient to climate change.

Teaching entrepreneurs how to maximize their efforts in an increasingly evolving economy

Mayor Boyer’s take

Luc Sirois, a leading expert in technological innovation in Quebec, spoke of the challenges facing Laval. And finally, Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer spoke first-hand about his experiences as the mayor of Quebec’s third-largest city in trying to introduce innovations into an urban setting.

The presentations also provided business leaders from Laval with information on new economic trends, sustainable mobility, electrification of transport, eco-fiscality, clean technologies and more. The two-day event was MC’d by Alexandre Kénol, executive-director of Le Tiers Lieu, a cooperative workspace on Saint Martin Blvd. in Laval based on principles of social economy.

Laval News Volume 31-12

Laval News Staff
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Laval News Volume 31-12

The current issue of the Laval News, volume 31-12, published on June 14th, 2023.
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, June 14th, 2023 issue.

LPD seizes assault rifle during drug and weapons raids

Martin C. Barry
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0
LPD seizes assault rifle during drug and weapons raids
The LPD issued this photo of the materials seized in the raids.

The Laval Police said on Tuesday that officers with its organized crime division seized several firearms, including an assault rifle, while executing search warrants in Laval for narcotics and illegal weapons.

According to the LPD, around 50 officers and investigators from the Laval Police, as well as the Montreal Police, took part in raids at homes in Laval and Montreal which were believed to be connected to narcotics distribution networks.

The LPD released the following inventory of what was seized:

Armes à feu

  • An assault rifle;
  • A 9mm P80 handgun;
  • A 9mm ammunition clip with bullets.

Drugs

  • 9409.93 gr of methamphetamine in powder;
  • 2105.79 gr of Crystal Meth;
  • 66.83 gr of cocaine;
  • 934 tablets of methamphetamine;
  • 3646.95 gr of MDMA (ecstasy) ;
  • 17,692.43 gr of a powder used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Other

  • 4x cell phones;
  • 2x electronic scales;
  • 2x pill presses for making tablets;
  • $10,775 in Canadian currency.

The LPD said the search warrants were executed in conjunction with the provincial Public Security Ministry’s Project Centaure, aimed at combating armed violence, illegal firearms trafficking and organized crime.

Anyone who believes they have information useful to the police in the ongoing crackdown on organized crime is urged to call the Info-Police confidential hotline at 450 662-INFO (4636) or 911.

Ride the bus for $1 on smog days in Laval

Laval News Contributor
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Ride the bus for $1 on smog days in Laval

With smoke from wildfires burning across northern Quebec affecting many cities to the south, now is probably a better time than ever to take advantage of a special offer being made by Laval’s public transit authority.

From June 1 to September 4, whenever Environment Canada issues a smog alert for the Laval region, Société de transport de Laval (STL) bus riders will benefit from a special $1 fare for the next day.

Payable on board in cash, credit or debit, the single fare obtained allows you to travel on the entire network of buses and shared taxis of the STL. Launched 15 years ago this year, the STL’s smog alert program remains unique in Canada.

The STL says it wants to encourage the use of public transit in Laval to reduce the number of cars on the road, which are responsible for a significant part of air pollution.

Since its launch, the smog alert has been triggered 23 times by the STL, and more than 75,000 people in total boarded during these 23 days.

Bus in Laval Qc.

“Emissions generated by transport contribute to the formation of smog,” said Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier, Chair of the Board of Directors of the STL. “With the reduced fare, the STL is making a concrete contribution to improving air quality by encouraging as many people as possible to leave their cars behind and take public transit.”

The special $1 fare corresponds to a discount of nearly 75 per cent off the regular single fare.

In the event of a smog alert, the STL will broadcast a message on its website, its social media, its rider’s information tools and in a newsletter to its subscribers, in addition to communicating the information to the media.

Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier opens constituency office

Martin C. Barry
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0
Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier opens constituency office

She drew more than 36 per cent voter support in the Oct. 3 provincial election

Although it’s been more than half a year since the 2022 Quebec general election, it was only on May 18 that Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier finally got around to holding an official opening for her riding office after National Assembly work obligations and local office renovations held things up for a few months.

A Liberal fortress

Although Chomedey MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier has been busy at the National Assembly since being elected in early October last year, it was only this past May when she was finally able to welcome constituents to the opening of her riding office on Samson Blvd. in Chomedey. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

For longtime local Liberal strategist Claudette Lessard, Sona Lakhoyan Olivier was just the latest politician she’d seen over the years – from Lise Bacon (1981-1994), to Thomas Mulcair (1994-2007), and finally Guy Ouellette (2007-2022) – as Chomedey’s representative in the Quebec National Assembly.

“Chomedey has always been Liberal anyway – there’s no news there,” Lessard pointed out to the Laval News, while expressing the hope that it will continue along those lines, although only two out of the six provincial ridings in Laval are currently held by the Liberals.

An easy election victory

Last Oct. 3, Lakhoyan Olivier easily won the riding of Chomedey for the PLQ, drawing more than 36 per cent of the votes compared to less than 27 per cent support won by the Coalition Avenir Québec, the closest rival. While post-election results show that support for the CAQ rose by less than one percentage point, the Conservative Party of Quebec’s share in Chomedey surged by more than 16 points.

In a bid to maintain some continuity with the past along with tradition, Chomedey’s new Liberal MNA decided to preserve certain aspects of the décor in her suite of offices on Samson Blvd. at the corner of 1st Ave., which was previously Guy Ouellette’s constituency office. Noting that several paintings on the walls were placed there by Ouellette and his team, Lakhoyan Olivier said she kept them because they are part of history.

A cross-section of communities

“I love history and I love to recognize that,” she told the standing-room crowd who turned up for the celebration. They included a significant number of constituents from Chomedey’s Armenian community, as well as many others from this highly multicultural and ethnically-diverse provincial riding.

For the last six months, as Lakhoyan Olivier explained to her supporters, “I’ve been between the National Assembly three or four days a week and two days here. I’ve been as a legislator over there working hard to pass through bills. Working hard representing Chomedey and Quebec, because the needs of Chomedey are also the needs of Quebec.”

Longtime Chomedey residents Irving and Evie Applebee were among the many constituents who turned up at Sona Lakhoyan’s riding office on May 18 for the official opening. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

She said that since election day, she’s met with the leaders of many local community organizations. “I want to meet everybody,” she said, noting the presence of Agape executive director Kevin McLeod at the launch event as well as leaders from SCAMA.

A gift for languages

Sona Lakhoyan Olivier speaks five languages, has been a resident of the Chomedey area more than three decades, and has been well-known as a community activist in Laval for more than 30 years. Before being elected, she was an employee of Loto-Québec, serving as an executive hostess to VIP clients at the Montreal Casino.

Lakhoyan Olivier also served as an elected member of the former Commission scolaire de Laval (CSDL), as well as vice-president of the board of directors of the Fondation de la Cité de la Santé.

Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier (second from right), who became the area’s provincial elected representative in the Quebec general election last Oct. 3, is seen with members of her family at her Samson Blvd. constituency office at the official opening on May 18. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Laval News)

Raised on Guénette St. in Chomedey, Lakhoyan Olivier was born in Beirut, Lebanon, where she had the opportunity to learn Arabic, Turkish, Armenian (her mother tongue), as well as English and French.

Highly diverse education

During her years in Lebanon, she attended an Armenian community school during her primary years, followed by high school in Arabic, then a French-language girls’ school in Montreal, and finally Concordia University. While doing undergraduate studies at Concordia, she pursued minors in Greek, Russian, German and Spanish.

Juggling family obligations with work and now politics daily, she is married to Marc Olivier. Together, they raised two daughters, Savannah and Ariana, both of whom are pursuing studies at Concordia University.

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