They also caught a glimpse of Wellness Centre’s new rec room at end-of-summer event
A BBQ event held on the morning of Sept. 9 outside the Agape Senior’s Wellness Centre on Notre Dame Blvd. in Chomedey also was an opportunity for many of the seniors to take a tour of the exciting new recreation room.
The new billiards table in the recreation room at the Agape Senior’s Wellness Centre. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
Councillor’s invitation
The members of the Wellness Centre had been invited by Laval city councillor for Souvenir-Labelle Sandra El-Helou, who is responsible for senior citizens’ dossiers at Laval city hall, to come out and enjoy the BBQ which she sponsored and hosted.
According to Youth and Parents Agape Association executive-director Kevin McLeod, El-Helou offered to put together the late morning to noon-hour event and more than 200 senior citizens and other members of the community from Laval accepted the offer.
A great day for a BBQ
“It was a wonderful event, a beautiful lunch served to recognize their importance and the end of summer, and just to thank them for being there,” McLeod said in an interview with the Laval News.
On the lunchtime menu were chicken brochettes, potatoes and salad. Afterwards there were free gifts for the guests, including complimentary scarfs courtesy of Councillor El-Helou. The Coco Loco Family Breakfast Restaurant donated all the food. Background entertainment was provided by a professional musician who played keyboards.
Brand new recreation gear
At the same time, the seniors joined Agape staff in helping to open the new recreation room at the Agape Senior’s Wellness Centre. Caisse Desjardins de Chomedey played a key role in making the recreation facility possible through a $10,000 gift.
Agape executive-director Kevin McLeod (far left) and Laval city councillor for Souvenir-Labelle Sandra El-Helou are seen here with two guests during the Senior’s Wellness Centre’s annual BBQ on Sept. 9.
As well, outgoing Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette provided an additional $2,000, while Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete gave $2,500. The money purchased a range of recreation equipment for the room, including a billiards table, an air hockey table, wall-mounted television screens and a variety of other games equipment.
Fun and recreation await
“We just can’t wait to get all the seniors in here,” added McLeod, while noting that bringing all the financial support together to open the recreation room was a challenge in itself because finding funding isn’t always easy for non-profit organizations.
The Agape Senior’s Wellness Centre promotes physical, mental, social and emotional well-being among Laval’s English-speaking senior citizens 55 years of age and older. As described on the Agape website, “It is a place where seniors can go for health-related conferences, resources and referrals by our coordinator. For more specific needs, seniors can request an appointment with our social worker.”
The people of Laval-Ouest have a new firehall. Firehall No. 6, located at 580 Dagenais Blvd. West at the corner of 51st Ave., replaces an old aging firehall on 35th Ave. that once served the area. The new building cost $12.4 million.
According to Councillor Sandra Desmeules (Concorde–Bois-de-Boulogne), who sits on the executive-committee where she is responsible for public safety dossiers, the city decided to relocate the firehall in order to improve the fire department’s response time to fires.
“In Laval, we are already in a position to say that a minimum of 10 firefighters will be present on the scene of an emergency within 10 minutes of a distress call being received,” she said. “These numbers are more than statistics: they are a reflection of lives saved year after year.”
From the left, Laval city manager Jacques Ulysse, Bois-de-Boulogne councillor and executive-committee member Sandra Desmeules who is responsible for public safety dossiers, Mayor Stéphane Boyer, l’Orée-des-Bois councillor Yannick Langlois, and Laval fire chief Patrick Taillefer are seen here during the opening of the new Laval-Ouest firehall.
Here are some facts about the new firehall:
It is currently being considered for LEED environmental construction certification;
The garage doors have been designed higher and wider to allow access by new and larger fire trucks;
The firehall can accommodate eight firefighters per shift;
It has a special platform for training novice firefighters;
A solar-power wall will provide additional electricity for various needs;
The building’s exterior architecture has been designed so as to fit into the neighbourhood.
Councillors Cifelli and Piché ask city to recognize Quebec sign language
Action Laval opposition city councillors Isabelle Piché (Saint-François) and Achille Cifelli (Val-des-Arbres) are asking Laval city council to request that the provincial government officially recognize Quebec Sign Language used by the deaf.
An estimated 10,000 persons in Quebec use Quebec Sign Language, while more than 500 of these live in Laval. The federal government has already taken the step of recognizing Quebec Sign Language.
“In Laval, we already recognize LSQ, since our council meetings are signed directly for rebroadcasting online,” says Piché. “I am now asking my colleagues on council to send a message to Quebec.”
The last Parti Québécois government, under former Premier Pauline Marois, had initiated proceedings to recognize LSQ, although the legislation died on the order paper when elections were called.
“If this is a simple gesture for us, the municipal councillors, it is very significant for these people,” said Cifelli, referring to those who use LSQ.
Laval becomes a bee-friendly city
In an effort to add to its commitment towards biodiversity, the City of Laval says it has decided to sign onto the Bee City program.
A Bee City is a municipality or First Nations community taking action to help pollinators. The program is overseen by Pollinator Partnership Canada, which recognizes communities across Canada which take action to protect pollinators such as bees.
“Pollinators are essential to the preservation of biodiversity and contribute to the maintenance of food security,” said Laval city councillor Alexandre Warnet who is responsible for environmental and ecological dossiers.
“What’s important to keep in mind is that around 40 per cent of our food pantry depends on them, while 25 per cent of bees are threatened with extinction,” he continued. “So, we must act. I am therefore very happy to announce that Laval will be doing its part and will contribute to their protection.”
In becoming a Bee City municipality, Laval will be part of a North American network of municipalities which are being mobilized to protect pollinators.
The Bee City Canada program was launched in 2015. The City of Laval will be deciding in the near future what further actions to take in conjunction with Bee City to help pollinators here. In addition to this new commitment to help preserve bees, the City of Laval decided in 2020 to follow a program dedicated to ensuring the protection of monarch butterflies.
Office has at least 35 backdated cases left over from previous years
In her latest annual report tabled last week, City of Laval ombudswoman Nathalie Blais said her office managed to open 473 new complaint dossiers up to Dec. 31 last year, in addition to 35 backdated cases left over from previous years, for a total of 508 dossiers processed by the office over the past year.
3,869 complaints in nine years
Among the complaints dealt with in 2021, according to Blais, 61 per cent concerned environmental and ecological issues, as well as problems involving the city’s engineering, public works and urban planning departments.
Since its creation nine years ago, the Laval ombudwoman’s office has processed 3,869 complaints dossiers. The office claims that after being received, complaints are forwarded to city departments within 15 working days. The ombudswoman says some of the dossiers that remain open after several years haven’t yet been resolved because of their extraordinary complexity in certain cases.
Nathalie Blais, the City of Laval’s ombudswoman, says her department processed 508 complaints about various City of Laval services last year.
Pandemic took toll
The office also claims that in 47 per cent of cases, the ombudswoman can resolve the problem by providing relevant information to complainants, including information on their rights and the city department they should be dealing with.
“The past year was again marked by its share of challenges engendered by the pandemic,” said Blais. “In as much as communication delays are still present, our team works without stopping to reduce them, while at the same time fully playing its role as liaison between the citizens, the city and the elected officials.
Improving city services
“Now that we have a chance to get back together and re-establish dialogue, one of our priorities over the next year will be to contribute to the improvement of municipal services, which is after all at the heart of our mission following the treatment of complaints,” she added.
According to Blais, statistics compiled by her office show that the group asking the most for the ombudswoman’s help is 51 to 65 years of age. She said the office is currently working with an external consultant to develop a plan to better communicate with younger members of Laval’s population so that they are aware of the ombudswoman’s services.
Tree problem resolved
The ombudswoman’s office provided examples of some of the most outstanding cases it dealt with last year. In one, a resident drew the office’s attention to the fact a tree growing in an open public place was creating a safety problem because of its location on a narrow street.
The city’s position was that the municipality’s policy for preserving trees all but ruled out the possibility of cutting down the tree. After several months of discussions between various city departments, including exchanges with affected residents, the ombudswoman’s office finally persuaded the public works department that security ranked higher as a concern than the preservation of the tree.
‘One of our priorities over the next year will be to contribute to the improvement of municipal services’
Some other cases
The office had to intervene in a case where the public works department wasn’t being as transparent as it could be. A resident had made a request for asphalt resurfacing to take place on a certain street. Although public works knew the request was unlikely to be fulfilled, they withheld that information rather than risk the consequences of saying no.
The ombudswoman’s office convinced the department that frankness and transparency are almost always the best policy, as they allow residents at least to understand what is going on.
Upcoming challenges
The ombudswoman says she has a number of goals over the next two years, including a possible revision of the office’s branding and logo, the adoption of a new policy for working with the municipal services using new tools, increased accessibility, and the enlargement of the ombudswoman’s office team. Since the launching of a new ombudswoman’s office website at the end of 2020, they found that 42 per cent of complaints received last year arrived through the interactive form provided on their website.
Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez defends new approach – and mounting Liberal spending
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who is also lieutenant for Quebec in the Trudeau government. (Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
As families in Quebec and other areas of Canada increasingly feel the pinch of inflation in the post-Covid economic era, last week the Trudeau government quietly announced new measures they claim will make life easier and more affordable for Canadians before the current year is finished.
During an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia earlier this week, Montreal-area Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant in the Trudeau government, maintained that the series of proposed measures had already been well received by economists.
Justifies new dental program
He cited the beginnings of a new dental insurance program as an example of something that could pay off in the long run by providing support so that families wouldn’t have to give up some of their most important priorities to be able to afford others.
“I went to the dentist not too long ago, and my friend, you probably know this, it’s expensive,” said Rodriguez. “So sometimes people can’t afford it. Quite often, actually. So, they make that decision, then you know what? They’re going to sacrifice other stuff.”
Regarding the Liberal government’s rent subsidy program, he said they estimate it will help about 2 million people, who can expect to receive a “top up” of about 100$ very soon from Ottawa. “We’re working on the mechanism,” said Rodriguez. “We’ll have more details soon, but that’s what it is.”
Denies influence by Poilièvre
According to recent news reports, newly-selected Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilièvre claimed that his election was what actually motivated the Liberal government into finally taking decisive action against the country’s mounting economic problems, including inflation.
“We started way before the election of mister Poilièvre,” Rodriguez responded. “We don’t govern based on who’s the leader of the Conservative parties. We govern based on the needs of Canadians. So, some of the programs that I’ve mentioned, like the increase of the pension, like the kind of workers benefit that the help of housing, you know, before the top up and many other programs were put in place way before mister Poilièvre.”
The government says doubling the Goods and Services Tax Credit for six months will provide $2.5 billion in relief
Defends spending record
Despite the new Conservative leader’s further claims that the government’s massive spending over the past two and more years may actually have been feeding inflation, Rodriguez defended the Liberal record, comparing it to the results obtained in the United Kingdom, following that country’s strategy involving restrained spending.
“England, which is led by a Conservative party, didn’t spend that much, okay?” he said. “Compared together, okay, well, they have an inflation around 22 per cent. It’s crazy inflation. So no, we invested in Canadians view because we had to.
“We invested in our businesses because we needed them to stay alive. How do you want to rebuild the economy if your businesses are not there anymore, especially in small and medium size fences? So, we invested. It wasn’t perfect, we know that. But I think we invested smartly and Canada is considered among the top.”
Three new measures
According to the PMO, the government’s first pieces of the new strategy, to be introduced in the upcoming parliamentary sitting, would include the following measures:
Double the Goods and Services Tax Credit (GSTC) for six months, delivering additional financial help to roughly 11 million individuals and families who receive the tax credit, including about half of Canadian families with children, and more than half of Canadian seniors. Single Canadians without children would receive up to an extra $234 and couples with two children would receive up to an extra $467 this year. Seniors would receive an extra $225 on average.
Provide a Canada Dental Benefit to children under 12 who do not have access to dental insurance, starting this year. Direct payments totalling up to $1,300 per child over the next two years (up to $650 per year) would be provided for dental care services. This would be the first stage of the government’s plan to deliver dental coverage for families with incomes under $90,000, and would allow children under 12 to recceive dental care while the government develops a comprehensive national dental care program, as previously pledged following an agreement the Liberals made with the NDP in exchange of support in Parliament.
Provide a one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit to deliver $500 to 1.8 million Canadian renters. This element would more than double the Liberal government’s Budget 2022 commitment, reaching twice as many Canadians as initially promised. The new one-time federal benefit would also be in addition to the Canada Housing Benefit currently co-funded and delivered by provinces and territories. The federal benefit would be available to applicants with an adjusted net income below $35,000 for families, or below $20,000 for individuals, who pay at least 30 per cent of their income on rent.
According to the Liberal government, doubling the Goods and Services Tax Credit for six months will provide $2.5 billion in relief to those who qualify for it. As well, the Canada Dental Benefit would deliver over $900 million to support dental health, starting in 2022-23.
National dental coverage
The Canada Dental Benefit would provide direct payments to eligible applicants totalling up to $650 per year per child for dental care services for applicants with a family income under $70,000, $390 for those with a family income of $70,000 to $79,999, and $260 for those with a family income of $80,000 to $89,999. However, parents or guardians of eligible children would need to apply to access payments.
The government said that a new national dental program is under development, with the goal of expanding dental coverage to under 18-year-olds, seniors, and persons living with a disability in 2023, with full implementation for all families with incomes under $90,000 by 2025.
‘We believe we prevented the worst from happening,’ says Mayor Stéphane Boyer
A major disruption of public access to the City of Laval’s online computer services was expected to be resolved by last Sunday evening, although an assessment of the damage done will be ongoing over the next few days.
Late last week, the city was asking residents who normally rely on web access to use the 3-1-1 telephone information option, or go to one of the city’s in-person service counters.
Damage ‘limited,’ said Boyer
According to city spokespersons, technical teams got to work immediately trying to resolve the problem and hoped to have it fixed by early Monday morning when Laval city hall re-opened.
Mayor Stéphane Boyer told journalists during a hastily-convened press conference last Thursday that it was believed a “limited” quantity of information was stolen from the city’s systems during the attack, although what exactly was taken remained unknown.
From the left, City of Laval director-general Jacques Ulysse, Mayor Stéphane Boyer and technology director Guy Germain speak to journalists about the digital services disruption during a webcast press conference last Friday.
The city’s IT experts became aware something wasn’t right around 4 pm on Wednesday last week. As a precaution against the possibility hackers were at work, they immediately disconnected access to part of the incoming and outgoing internet services.
Said personal info safe
According to Mayor Boyer, the hackers probably broke into the city’s computer systems through an infected e-mail that may have been mistakenly opened by an employee. At the same time, he gave his assurances that the personal information of residents wasn’t compromised.
Initially, it is thought that the data taken probably consisted of some photo files or a considerably larger number of files containing text – around 600 megabytes worth, which is considered to be a small amount of data. The City of Laval’s in-house IT staff was being assisted by experts at global software maker Microsoft.
Worst didn’t happen: Boyer
“We believe we prevented the worst from happening, preventing the hackers from doing more when we stopped them,” said Boyer, adding that it was expected to take several days for a more thorough analysis to reveal the full extent of damage.
“But for the moment, indicators suggest the outlook is positive, meaning that our databases don’t seem to have been affected and seem to be okay,” he continued. “So, it would seem we acted quickly enough to avoid the worst.”
Mayor Boyer gave his assurances that the personal information of residents wasn’t compromised
In the meantime, some of the major fallout from the IT services shutdown was being felt by the city administration itself, which was unable to process online payments. And, among other things, access to the city’s online property valuation roll was also temporarily shut down late last week.
Payment systems impacted
“I can tell you that, despite the inconveniences caused by the situation, that today most of the city’s services have been cleared to our great satisfaction,” said city manager Jacques Ulysse. He said IT systems at the police, fire and public works departments, as well as at the public library, were all up and functioning.
However, he acknowledged that the city’s payment systems were still a source of trouble, and for that reason access to them was shut last week. As a result, transactions were being completed manually, or were postponed to a later date.
While the Laval Police say that officers who were pursuing a fleeing shoplifter last Monday had broken off the chase before the suspect was involved in a serious collision, Quebec’s Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) has opened an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Around 5 pm last Monday, the LPD responded to a call from a business on Robert Bourassa Blvd that the 34-year-old suspect had committed an act of shoplifting.
After a security guard identified the vehicle being used by the suspect, LPD officers began to pursue the vehicle, but subsequently decided to maintain a distance and only monitor the car.
According to the BEI, the suspect collided with another vehicle on des Laurentides Blvd. near Saint-Martin Blvd. and de Grenoble St. after the police broke off their chase.
The suspect was seriously injured in the crash and was taken to hospital where his condition was said to be stable. A separate investigation is being conducted at the same time by the Sûreté du Québec.
The Laval Police announced on Wednesday that they have arrested a 29-year-old woman who is regarded as a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run which took place last week along the service road of Autoroute 15.
This image of a gray Hyundai, 2007 – 2010 model year, was released by the LPD earlier this week as the vehicle used in the fatal A-15 service road hit-and-run.
The new development came nearly a week after a 53-year-old man was struck down by a vehicle in what is believed to have been a road rage incident.
The victim, who died in hospital a day later, had reportedly been involved in a heated argument with the driver of a second vehicle after the two collided.
Following the death, the LPD initiated a search for the vehicle, a grey Hyundai sedan, which reportedly fled the scene.
According to the LPD, the suspect vehicle was finally located in Rivière-des-Prairies/Pointe-aux-Trembles in north-end Montreal where a woman was placed under arrest.
She now faces potential charges of hit-and-run causing a death and manslaughter.
The current issue of the Laval News, volume 30-23, published on September 21st, 2022. Covering Laval local news, politics, sports, and our new section Mature Life. (Click on the image to read the paper.)
Front page of the Laval News, September 21st, 2022 issue.
This image of a gray Hyundai, 2007 – 2010 model year, was released by the LPD as the vehicle they believe was used in the fatal A-15 service road hit-and-run.
The Laval Police announced on Monday as the print edition of The Laval News was going to press that LPD investigators have new information about the person who was behind the wheel of a vehicle that is believed to have been involved in a fatal road rage incident last week on the Autoroute 15 service road.
According to the LPD, the person they are seeking is a woman between 30 and 40 years old with long hair. She has also been identified as having white skin, wearing glasses and has a tattoo on her neck.
The LPD also released images of the wanted vehicle. They show a gray Hyundai Accent, model year ranging from 2007 to 2010. The rear bumper of the vehicle is damaged.
Anyone who believes they have information about this vehicle or the driver can contact the police at 450-662-INFO.
Last Thursday, a 53-year-old man was found seriously injured around 7:45 a.m. on the service road of Highway 15 in Laval. Transported to hospital, Stéphane Taillon succumbed to his injuries Friday morning.
A 50-year-old male motorist was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition Thursday morning after apparently being run down by the driver of a second vehicle following a road rage incident along the service road of Autoroute 15 northbound near Souvenir Blvd.
Around 8 am Thursday, according to media reports, the two vehicles were involved in a collision, following which one of the drivers got out of his car, while the other driver reportedly struck him with his vehicle and then left the scene.
After being transported to hospital, the injured driver was said to be in a life-threatening condition. As of early Thursday afternoon, police were reportedly still actively searching for the driver of the second vehicle.
