Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s condemnation of the mayors of Montreal and Quebec City as “incompetent” in promoting housing development appears to have been prompted in part by a tour of a Quebec City construction site with a prominent developer.
Poilievre sparked an uproar last week with an attack on Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante and Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand in a Jan. 18 message on X (formerly Twitter).
The Conservative leader decried a “massive drop in construction in Quebec, while [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau pays billions to incompetent mayors, Marchand and Plante, who block construction sites. Federal money for cities will be linked to the number of houses and apartments built when I am PM.”
On Jan. 16, Poilievre posted on X several pictures of himself touring the construction site on the Place Fleur de Lys shopping centre property in Vanier.
The text says, “The family business Trudel Construction is building 3,500 housing units in the heart of Quebec City by repurposing a former shopping centre. It’s time to break down bureaucratic barriers so innovative builders like William [Trudel] and his team can build more affordable housing.”
Poilievre’s Quebec lieutenant and Charlesbourg–Haute-Saint-Charles MP Pierre Paul-Hus reposted the X message the same day. Paul-Hus’s constituency office had not replied by press time to a QCT request for comment on his leader’s “incompetent” attack.
The Trudel Alliance project does not involve “repurposing” the shopping centre, but rather building housing units, a hotel and other structures around the upgraded mall.
The Quebec government agency, Investissement Québec, has contributed $43 million in a repayable loan to the developers, on the condition the project provides a certain level of social housing. The plan calls for 15 per cent “affordable” units and 250 social housing units.
On Jan. 19, William Trudel was making headlines by denouncing government delays as an obstacle to building projects. In a Radio-Canada report, Trudel said it’s taken more than five years to begin construction on the first phase of the Fleur de Lys development, a 480-unit housing project. Trudel said the city’s regulatory framework is too cumbersome, especially when a project requires a zoning change to move forward.
“It will take political and administrative leadership in Quebec City to shorten deadlines and make decisions more quickly.… The development model in Quebec currently is not sustainable,” Trudel said.
Whatever prompted Poilievre’s attack on Plante and Marchand, reaction was harsh and swift from many political players, particularly the primary targets.
Marchand responded initially on X, saying, “Poilievre’s ‘common sense’ is to insult the elected representatives of Quebec. Frankly, this is not only contempt for elected officials, but for all those who work on housing issues in our city. This is petty politics. Quebec does not deserve this contempt.”
Marchand later added in a media scrum, “For a man who wants to be prime minister, to act like this … is not at all common sense. Common sense is to respect people.”
Plante, meanwhile, responded to Poilievre, offering a lesson in how Ottawa-Quebec relations work. The Conservative leader, she said on X, does not understand “that in Quebec, federal funding for housing does not go through the cities. Common sense is also to understand the financing mechanisms specific to each province.”
Trudeau, in Nunavut for a land transfer ceremony, told reporters Poilievre’s comments showed “condescension” to Quebec’s political leaders and an “ignorance for how things work between the federal government and the provinces.”
It was not the first time Poilievre has used the word “incompetent” to describe Quebec politicians.
In September, while in Quebec City for a party convention, the Conservative leader, referring to the rising cost of the city’s tramway project, said, “The federal government should not pay for cost overruns. Zero. It’s not my money; this money belongs to the taxpayers and I’m not going to continue throwing billions of dollars into projects poorly managed by incompetent politicians.”
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William Trudel (left) gives Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a tour of the Place Fleur de Lys construction site.
There’s nothing official about expanding the league yet, but there’s a desire among the players at Quebec City Hall to have a Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team in the city.
In what might be called a faceoff, Coun. Anne Corriveau of Québec D’Abord, the official opposition party at City Hall, proposed in a statement at the very end of the Jan. 16 city council meeting that the city “encourage” the acquisition of a PWHL team.
At 7:30 the following morning, Limoilou Coun. and Transition Québec leader Jackie Smith sent out a notice of a news conference later that morning to discuss “the return of professional hockey to Quebec City.”
Regardless of which city councillor won possession of the political puck, the city executive committee member responsible for sports, Coun. Jean-François Gosselin, a one-time professional hockey player, was quick to jump into the play.
Gosselin told a media scrum, “It’s a good idea. If there is a promoter who comes forward, we will respond.” He added, “Quebec is a hotbed of talent and it would help boost women’s hockey, which is very intense and very physical even if there is no body checking.”
In a statement, Smith said, “A PWHL team would only be positive for Quebec City. It would be good for hockey fans, good for our young girls, good for the local economy and the Videotron Centre.” She added, “The revival of the historic rivalry between Quebec and Montreal would be a major asset for this emerging league and the players would play in a modern and certainly noisy arena.”
While there are still some die-hards, such as the Coalition Avenir Québec government, who believe in the eventual return of a National Hockey League team to the Quebec capital, Smith said she believed it was time to move on.
“I hope that politicians will tell citizens the truth: the NHL will never return to Quebec; economic reality does not allow it; the league does not see the point in it.… Let’s leave the past behind us – the future of professional hockey in Quebec is female. Let’s open our arms to the PWHL, and I am convinced that before long, we will have a professional hockey team in Quebec,” Smith said.
In her proposal, Corriveau, noting the Montreal PWHL team sold out its home opening game at the Verdun Auditorium on Jan. 13, said, “Given that the female representation in a predominantly male sport helps eliminate discrimination in sport … the creation of a PWHL team in Quebec would be an opportunity to encourage the sport and once again demonstrate the passion of the people of Quebec for professional hockey.”
Despite the enthusiasm at City Hall and elsewhere, the wait may be a long one for an interested promoter to formally apply for a PWHL franchise.
In an email to the QCT, PWHL communications director Paul Krotz said, “We are gratified by, and deeply appreciative of, the enthusiastic response our league has received from our founding fans and business partners. The PWHL community has been growing daily since our launch this month, and we are committed to extending that growth and momentum as we go forward.”
Regarding new franchises, Krotz said, “To this point, our focus has been on sharing the stories of our athletes and on creating an environment in which they can excel and entertain. While a time may come when the expressions of interest we’ve received from other markets can be given the attention they deserve, that time has not been identified. We launched our league on a remarkably aggressive timeline, and our current priority is to serve our inaugural six markets to the best of our ability.”
The PWHL, created in August 2023, currently has six teams – Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York and Minnesota – all owned by the league, which is backed by American billionaire Mark Walters, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Players earn between $35,000 and $80,000 US, plus bonuses. Those amounts will rise by three per cent annually over the course of the eight-year deal. The salary cap is $1.26 million US.
The teams do not have names other than those of their host cities. The inaugural season, which began on Jan. 1, will have 24 games; next year’s full schedule, beginning in November, will have 32.
There is speculation that a March 16 game between Toronto and Montreal, currently marked “to be determined” on the PWHL schedule, may be staged in Quebec City.
The Montreal PWHL team salutes the fans at the club’s sold-out home opener on Jan. 13 at the Verdun Auditorium.
Although it may sound like somewhat of a cliché, ‘Out of the frying pan and into the fire’ might be the expression that best describes the overall mood last year.
After nearly three years of living through the Covid pandemic, a lot of people probably expected they’d be going from a bad situation towards some improvement.
But what with galloping inflation, shaky investment markets and new wars threatening to destabilize the world, 2023 turned into a year when it was hard to believe things would ever get back to normal.
July 2023
Opposition parties agreed: New park needed in downtown Laval
In a relatively rare instance of agreement, Laval city council’s two main opposition parties and a third political entity without council seats all agreed that a vacant lot owned by the city in Laval’s rapidly growing downtown sector should be used for a badly-needed public park, rather than for a library as planned by the Boyer administration.
The lot, on Jacques Tétreault St. and a short distance from the Montmorency Metro, had been singled out by the city as the location for a new municipal library building with a cultural centre.
However, the three parties as well as some residents in the mixed commercial/residential area believed it would be wiser to establish a park because of a local lack of green space in an area over-saturated with asphalt and concrete.
Two local members of the Quebec National Assembly, two Laval city councillors and an eminent neurosurgeon met at a Laval-area park to throw their support behind a province-wide campaign to encourage all children and adults to wear protective helmets to safeguard against the devastating effects of head injuries.
“Although we are proud of the cutting-edge care that our entire team is able to offer to patients who have suffered a head injury, the best defence remains prevention,” said Dr. Mathieu Laroche, a neurosurgeon at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur in Cartierville.
While the crowds were somewhat thinner than usual, a steady downpour of rain during the late afternoon on Canada Day didn’t deter some patriotic Laval and greater Montreal residents from celebrating the country’s birthday, as they got back in touch with their cultural roots at the 2023 Laval Hellenic Summer Festival.
Suspected professional shoplifters believed to be connected to organized crime in Romania were arrested this month in connection with the theft of more than $70,000 worth of merchandise in Quebec. Officers with the Laval Police made the arrests and were encouraging shopkeepers to report similar thefts that may also have been committed by the suspects.
August 2023
Delayed sunshine made up for two days of rain at the Symposium de Ste-Rose
Although two days of rainfall put a dent in the usually strong attendance at the Symposium de Ste-Rose, abundant sunshine on the art exhibition’s last day made up for the shortfall.
The annual three-day artists’ gathering and exhibition drew thousands of appreciators of fine sculpture and exquisite art from all over Quebec as well as other parts of eastern Canada.
“I have to admit that things haven’t been great over the past two days and I was a little discouraged,” Oprina Felicia Dolea, the president of the Corporation Rose-Art which organizes the symposium, said in an interview with the Laval News on day two. “However, they are calling for sunshine tomorrow so let’s hope,” she added.
When Nathalie Seukpanya, whose two children attend Crestview Elementary School in Chomedey, saw that students with autism needed a new tool to help improve communications, she set out along with other parents to find a practical and affordable solution.
The one-of-a-kind bilingual communication board they came up with, made from a rigid durable material and weatherproof for Laval’s challenging weather conditions, held the potential to transform the way children with autism engage and communicate in their educational environment.
“Basically, the board helps them communicate with their educators and their peers,” Seukpanya said in an interview with The Laval News.
In a bid to obtain financial aid from Ottawa’s Housing Accelerator Fund, the City of Laval said it had made a formal application to the federal government for $102 million in order to answer increasing housing needs here.
In a statement the city issued, it noted that funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund must pass through the Quebec government first before being transferred to municipalities and that the logistics of the transfer were yet to be announced.
Chomedey resident Jacob Abramson’s son, Marc, also from the neighbourhood, sent The Laval News reports of his work as a “Helitack Crew Chief,” fighting fires in Manitoba last summer. (Helitack stands for Helicopter Transport Initial Wildfire Attack.)
Large areas of Western Canada were engulfed in wildfires last year and Marc Abramson was at the front where all the action was. He was stationed in the Paint Lake region of North East Manitoba about 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
September 2023
Canadian Forces parachuters drop in at Souvenir Elementary
Shortly after 8 am one day in early September last year, when the students would normally be arriving to begin their day, a phalanx of the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team – better known as the SkyHawks – jumped out of a small plane hovering around 2,500 feet over the Souvenir Elementary School yard and made a gradual parachute drop into the centre of the field – getting the academic year off to an exciting start.
The 17th annual FILIA Walk a Thon on Sept. 16, which was also the fourth held in Laval, drew a loyal following of FILIA supporters, as well as elected officials who have provided help to the organization over the years.
It was a good day for a refreshing walk in and around the streets surrounding St. Norbert Park in eastern Chomedey, in order to raise awareness of the needs of senior citizens – which includes regular physical exercise.
Laval city councillor for the district of Souvenir-Labelle Sandra El-Helou, an associate member of the executive-committee, said she was focusing increasingly on FILIA, as well as on how the group can help the city meet Laval senior citizens’ needs.
“Every year I come to the walk to show my support for FILIA and also to thank them for the amazing job they do on the ground with our elderly population,” she told The Laval News.
In her final report as the City of Laval’s auditor-general before reaching the end of her 7-year mandate in December, Véronique Boily singled out the Laval Police Dept. for having insufficient controls over motor vehicle fuel purchases made with city credit cards, while taking into account the volume of purchases last year.
“The controls exercised by the Police Department are clearly insufficient for the volume of purchases, which amounted to $1.5 million in 2022,” Boily’s department stated in a summary of her report.
The report also pointed out that the city’s fuel card management system “lacks rigor since there is no mechanism to ensure that active cards are associated with vehicles in service.” The report noted that the city had not carried out monitoring activities or implemented appropriate corrective measures in light of the credit card issues.
The Al Sultan, a Middle Eastern-style restaurant familiar to many because of its strategic location on Curé Labelle Blvd. just north of the Cartierville bridge, became the focus of an arson investigation on Sept. 21 after an unidentified suspect tried to start a fire outside the establishment around 1:30 am. (The restaurant was finally destroyed by fire after another arson attack later in the year.)
October 2023
At work and play, meet Fabre MNA Alice Abou-Khalil
In a wide-ranging interview a year after first being elected to the Quebec National Assembly, CAQ MNA for Fabre Alice Abou-Khalil told The Laval News she was on the verge of persuading the Legault government to build at least one new high school in Fabre to meet the needs of an expanding population that included a large number of families.
“In Fabre there is no école secondaire – there is no high-school,” Abou-Khalil pointed out. “I’m pushing for it,” she said. “But I can’t push if the student numbers are not there as required to build one. I’m not making any promises. But the discussions are there.”
In the meantime, as far as Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier was concerned, until you’ve actually served as a member of the Quebec National Assembly, you can’t have a real idea of just how demanding the job is.
Lakhoyan Olivier was back in Laval one afternoon this month for the Thanksgiving long weekend, after spending the previous week in Quebec City working on National Assembly business.
In her role as MNA for Chomedey, Lakhoyan Olivier said she was worried about the riding’s situation with regards especially to the rising number of homeless people, and the challenging security problems they are beginning to generate.
The federal government should build two new military bases in Canada’s Arctic – including one with a deep-seawater port – to boost the country’s presence in its farthest northern regions, while also honoring a commitment to help maintain global peace, former Quebec Liberal Premier Jean Charest suggested during a talk at Concordia University on Canada’s prospects as a “middle-power.”
“Sovereignty over the north and the Northwest Passage in particular for me is an emerging development and an emergency issue,” said Charest, whose Liberal government launched the northern-Quebec-focused Plan Nord in 2008, with an eye to opening up the province’s far northern reaches for industrial/ economic development.
A cooking fire in Chomedey left six families homeless. According to authorities, the blaze started around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 in the basement unit of a six-unit apartment building on 80th Ave. near Perron Blvd. Other units in the building were damaged by smoke, and for that reason, occupants were not be able to return for several days.
November 2023
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Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis marked her fourth year in office
Four years after first being elected as the Member of Parliament for the Laval riding of Vimy, Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis was recollecting on the two mandates she received, as well as some of the crises she found herself facing.
“So many differences – the world is a different place from when I was first elected in 2019,” she said in an interview with The Laval News. “It’s a real honour to have been entrusted with the portfolio that I have been,” added Koutrakis. “I have an amazing team of colleagues who are helping. We have an amazing staff.”
Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis.
Quebec public sector union workers who walked off the job in late September, announced three more strike days for Nov. 21 to 23, unless a deal could be reached before then with the provincial government. Around 420,000 public sector employees were on strike as part of a walkout to protest the Quebec government’s latest contract offer.
The common front was demanding an increase of up to 20 per cent over the next three years. The impact of the strike was felt at public schools throughout the province, where teachers picketed and classes could only start by late morning or by the afternoon. A tentative resolution to the labour conflict was finally announced early in the new year.
The Laval Police said they arrested a person under the age of 18 in connection with a stabbing that took place near École secondaire Curé-Antoine-Labelle in Laval’s Sainte-Rose district. On the afternoon of Oct. 23, the LPD had rushed to Roi-du-Nord Park, in front of the high school, where a brawl between several people saw a teenager get stabbed. Although not life threatening, the victim’s wounds were serious.
Although Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer previously announced the 2024 property tax rate while emphasizing that the hike is less than the rate of inflation, there was no getting around the fact it was a whopping 4.8 per cent increase, even though that would only translate into $162 more on a house worth $440,742
In order to make ends meet next year, some serious cost-cutting would lie ahead, according to a statement issued by the mayor’s office. The mayor had already revealed that one way to keep expenses down next year would be to “greatly limit” new employee hirings,
December 2023
Canada positioned to dodge the recession bullet, says federal minister
Pondering the economic outlook for the coming year during an interview with Newsfirst Multimedia, Hochelaga Liberal MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada (the federal minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency in Quebec) maintained that since the country isn’t in a recession now, “that puts it in a good position” in terms of future investments, employment and economic renewal.
“Contrary to what some people might tell you or what Conservatives will tell you, that Canada is broke, Canada is not broken, Canada is in a good position,” she said, while acknowledging that “these are difficult times and we’re making sure that we will continue to support Canadians through this.”
Asked whether the government agrees with some economists’ forecasts that 2024 will see an economic downturn leading into a recession, Ferrada said, “Not at this moment. I think we’re looking at that very closely. But our economy right now is in a very good position.”
For the last 32 years, when many women and children have been in crisis in the greater Montreal region, they turned to the Shield of Athena for help. With that in mind, a cross-section of supporters from the community came together this month to raise $150,000 to help fund Shield of Athena’s biggest expansion to date: the Second Step Shelter, which is being built in Laval.
The Shield of Athena’s Lilac Event, which was held at the Palace Convention Centre, celebrated the work the Shield and its staff conduct on a daily basis. Set to open in 2024, the Second Step shelter will have 17 apartments which will be able to house women and children for up to two years.
If you were hoping to get into the holiday spirit with Christmas less than three weeks away, there was still time to get over to Laval’s Centre de la Nature in Duvernay for the city’s 12th annual Marché de Noël.
Some fifty exhibitors will be offering their creations, including handmade crafts, jewellery, clothing, beauty products, decorations and delicacies. Some of Santa’s helpers were even on hand, making their way around while entertaining the moms, dads and kids.
While soaring inflation and labour shortages are just two of the issues currently afflicting restaurant operators in Laval, Montreal and the rest of Quebec, the province’s restauranteurs were cautiously optimistic about their prospects in the new year, although there were still problems to be worked out.
The Association Restauration Québec (ARQ) had serious concerns about labour shortages, as well as customers who don’t show up after making table reservations, leading the RAQ to ask that they be penalized $20 in instances like these.
Several months before the October 2021 municipal elections in Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton, seven community activists and volunteers, who knew each other from around town – postal worker David Auclair, furniture maker and former councillor Harry Bird, animal refuge manager Anne-Marie Demers, engineer Nicolas Berger, medical equipment installer Joël Brulotte, young farmer Alexandre Berger and financial advisor James Penny – came together to form the Équipe Stéphanoise slate.
In a summary of their platform posted on social media, they “promise[d] … to ensure the conservation of landscapes, heritage and natural areas; encourage resilience initiatives, local and healthy agriculture, sustainable food autonomy; stimulate networking and sharing of knowledge and skills [and] maintain village security in a spirit of kindness and mutual aid.”
All seven were elected by acclamation, alongside two independent councillors, and Auclair was sworn in as mayor. However, by the end of January 2024, all but two – acting mayor Bird and Alexandre Berger – had stepped down, leaving the village of about 700 people one resignation away from being placed under administration by the Commission municipal du Québec (CMQ). A byelection is scheduled March 10, the town’s second in less than a year.
Bird, the only member of the slate with previous political experience, said it was “hard to say” what derailed the ambitions of Équipe Stéphanoise. “Definitely family, work and municipal life are hard to conciliate,” he said. He and others also cited increasing regulatory requirements, pressure from constituents and staff turnover as problems – the town has had five different directors general since 2021.
While few municipalities have been as troubled by mass resignations as Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton, out of all the municipal councillors elected or re-elected across the province in 2021, nearly one in ten has resigned, according to Elections Quebec data parsed by La Tribune. Smaller municipalities – where the offices of mayor and councillor are not full-time jobs – seem to be most affected. La Tribune’s findings are no surprise for several of the former councillors, who cited untenable work-life balance as their main reason for leaving.
“We don’t want to let anyone down, and we want to honour our commitments, but at a certain point, it becomes a mental health issue,” said Demers, a mother of two. “I used to be so motivated, but I’m not anymore.” She said she was proud of her team’s achievements – making the municipality certified bee-friendly and equipping it with a boat-washing station – but had no regrets about stepping down.
“I’d say I was working 20 to 25 hours a month [as a councillor], not counting reading documents or participating in public council meetings or answering constituent requests,” said Brulotte, 37, whose day job requires him to be on the road a lot. “Others were working closer to 40. Constituents also expect us to sit on committees and participate in community groups.” Demers and Nicolas Berger said they were quickly overwhelmed by the demands on their time, especially during a time of heavy staff turnover; Berger said he felt he “wasn’t up to standard” because he lacked time to read the hundreds of pages of documents put in front of him.
“You need to be rich or semi-retired or have a very flexible schedule … or you need to sacrifice a good amount of your personal time,” said Brulotte. “Do a student, a parent with a full-time job and a semi-retired 60-year-old widower all have the same opportunity to do well on council? They don’t … and that leaves large parts of the population unrepresented.”
Younès Boukala is president of the Union des municipalités québécoises (UMQ) young elected officials commission. He said his own job as borough councillor in the Montreal district of Lachine “is part time…but can easily take 35 hours a week.” He said the decision of young working parents not to see out their council terms is “sad but understandable,” amid the pressures of work-life balance, slow-moving bureaucracy and social media vitriol. “We are working on developing tools to attract [young elected officials] and care for them,” he said.
Jacques Demers (no relation to Anne-Marie Demers) is mayor of Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley and president of the Fédération québécoise des municipalités. He said it was “sad” to see councillors, especially young and enthusiastic councillors, jump ship around the province. “If we talk about day-care centres when we’re all 60-year-olds around the table, of course we know what a day-care centre is, but if it’s something that affects you personally [as a young parent] you’re going to fight for it.”
About 20 Japanese-Canadian families who were sent to Farnham after the end of the Second World War could soon have a memorial in their honour in the town, Mayor Patrick Melchior has said. The town council voted to provide “moral support” to the project in December, and further commitments could come in the next few weeks, he said.
The memorial project is spearheaded by Julie Tamiko Manning – a Montreal-based playwright and theatre producer who was born in Cowansville and grew up in Farnham – and a core group of volunteers from the Quebec chapter of the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) determined to bring a nearly forgotten chapter of the town’s history to wider attention.
More than 22,000 Japanese Canadians, mainly living in British Columbia, were forcibly sent to internment camps during the Second World War.
“If you lived within 100 miles of the coast or on any of the islands, you were interned, because the government believed you were a spy,” said Manning, a grandchild of internment camp survivors who has done extensive research on the history of internment in Canada and written a play about her family’s experience. Thousands of Japanese Canadians were imprisoned in Vancouver’s Hastings Park for months before being sent to camps in remote interior B.C., she explained. Her own grandparents were interned in Tashme, 200 kilometres east of Vancouver. In 1946, after four years of internment, the family was allowed to leave, but could not leave right away because Manning’s grandmother had just given birth.
“My assumption is that my family would have gone elsewhere, but because they left the camp so late, a lot of cities weren’t accepting Japanese-Canadian [ex-internees] anymore,” she said. “Farnham is where people were sent who didn’t have family or sponsors or a job offer in Montreal.”
She explained that 11 families, including her own, were moved into a large two-story house on Rue Principale, with an additional six or seven families housed on the nearby military base. Most of the families drifted away to move closer to relatives or into seniors’ residences, but her grandparents had bought a house outside of town as soon as they were able, and they stayed there.
“My grandfather continued to do manual labour and my grandmother was busy at home, raising nine kids,” Manning said. “I wonder what that was like, especially for her – she spoke no French and didn’t really speak English either.” They didn’t speak about their experiences, and Manning and her siblings, who didn’t speak Japanese, didn’t really ask.
Even as a third-generation Townshipper, Manning said she “never felt welcome” in the overwhelmingly white region. “I had never lived anywhere else, but I always felt like we were foreigners. In Montreal, I never felt that, but in Farnham I felt it all the time.” Manning said she believed the memorial project, the details of which are yet to be determined, would help “break down barriers” and familiarize people in the region with their own history.
Melchior, for his part, said he had heard vague stories about “refugees” coming to Farnham around the Second World War, but wasn’t aware of the details before Manning reached out to him. “I am a newcomer to this story and I’d like to learn more. We owe ourselves to learn more and share it with the population. We have an obligation of memory.”
Four volunteer action centres in the region have received a combined $268,000 in funding for the expansion or renovation of their kitchens or food storage areas through a program administered by the provincial government via the Banques alimentaires du Québec food bank network.
The funds went to the Centre d’action bénévole (CAB) de Farnham ($100,000 toward establishing a community kitchen at its future location at the Centre d’art de Farnham), the CAB de Cowansville ($100,000 toward a commercial kitchen and cold storage room), the CAB Marguerite-Dubois in Bromont (just over $45,000 toward renovation and enlargement of storage space) and the CAB Aux 4 Vents in Waterloo ($23,475 toward renovation and new equipment purchases).
Jean Valiquette, director of the CAB de Farnham, called the funding “a drop in the bucket, but a welcome drop.” The CAB is currently trying to raise a total of $6 million to get facilities in the disused Centre d’art up to code and move its community kitchen and food and clothing distribution services there, where it will share a building with the Maison des jeunes, the Association des personnes handicapées physiques de Brome-Missisquoi and other community organizations. Valiquette hopes the move will be able to take place this summer. The Centre d’art doesn’t currently have a kitchen.
“We can’t do all we want right away, but with this money, we can at least get started,” he told the BCN. “We are starting from zero. We need a kitchen built to [provincial food safety] standards with gas, electricity, plumbing… it’s a lot of work.” Once the community kitchen is functional, Valiquette hopes the CAB can use it to run cooking activities and benefit people in need. “Last year, we handed out 14,000 meals, and we’re trying to improve on that,” he said.
The Farnham CAB expansion project has run into several obstacles, from difficulty accessing federal funding to vandals raiding a locked shipping container filled with donated clothes. Valiquette invited people interested in supporting the centre to visit its website or drop by its current location on Rue Principale during opening hours to learn more.
Cowansville expansion fund nears goal
In Cowansville, CAB expansion project manager Nathalia Guerrero Vélez said the funding would go toward a $765,000 project to equip the centre with an adequate, wheelchair-accessible kitchen; a cold storage room and a multipurpose room to run cooking workshops. Hot meals made in the kitchen will be given to the town warming centre and food bank or sold at an affordable price to support the CAB, Vélez explained. She said the centre is currently using a rented storage space which isn’t large or accessible enough for its needs.
She said the organization had already raised $541,000 through various government programs and nonprofits. A benefit lunch to support the kitchen project is planned for Feb. 2 at 11:30 a.m. at Campus Brome-Missisquoi; call 450-263-3758 for more information.
The Laval Police have released photos of a man they say is a suspect in multiple fraud cases involving a “grandparent scam” perpetrated in Laval last summer.
In the scheme, a suspect called the victim claiming to be their son. The fraudster said he was in jail after causing an accident by using his cell phone while driving. He also claimed a pregnant woman was injured in the accident.
A second suspect then claimed to be a lawyer, took over the call, insisted the situation was very serious and there was an immediate need for about $5,000 in bail money.
He also told the victim that a collection agent would show up at the victim’s home to collect the funds with a file bearing a special number for the case. The victim was also told they had to write their name and bank account number on the envelope and turn it over to the collection agent.
The suspect sought by the LPD is 25-30 years old, speaks French, stands 6’ 4” tall and weighs about 250 pounds. He has short dark hair, dark eyes and a tattoo on his right wrist that extends slightly to the top of the hand.
Anyone with any information that could further the investigation is urged to call the Laval police information line at 450-662-4636 or call 911 and mention file LVL-230704-066.
Guns were fired less often than usual in Laval last year, according to the LPD
In a report on criminal use of firearms in Laval in 2023, the Laval Police Dept. says the number of incidents leading to a firearm being discharged took a sharp decline last year compared to the year before.
According to the force, there were 13 events in 2023, compared with 24 the previous year and 43 in 2021.
Jean-François Rousselle, assistant director of the force ‘s criminal investigation division, said a new strategy produced encouraging results.
The LPD attributes the decline to the success of Projet Paradoxe, which focuses on firearms-related events.
He said there had been a drop in gun-related incidents over the past two years.
In 2023, 57 firearms were seized by the LPD in Laval and 30 suspects were arrested.
Man dies in house fire on Jarry Blvd. in Chomedey
The Laval Police have opened an investigation after a fire last week that left a 71-year-old man dead on Jarry Blvd. in Chomedey.
According to the LPD, a 9-1-1 call was received at about 11 p.m., reporting flames at a residence on Jarry. Firefighters who entered found a man unconscious inside. Although attempts to resuscitate him were made on the spot and he was taken to hospital, he was later declared dead.
While a preliminary investigation suggests the fire was accidental, an on-site inspection of the residence’s kitchen found a smoke detector that had no battery. The Laval Police routinely opens an investigation into fires when the Laval Fire Dept. finds grounds to suspect arson or when there has been a fatality.
Gunmen mistakenly target two homes in Chomedey
The Laval Police are investigating two separate targeted shootings on de Normandie Blvd. in Chomedey last week, committed by gunmen who apparently got the address wrong in both cases. Officers with the LPD were called to one of the addresses near the corner of d’Alençon Ave. around 5:30 am.
The owner, an 86-year-old man, complained that gunshots had been fired on the garage door of his residence, although there were no reported injuries and the perpetrators fled quickly. The police said later that the man had no known connections to criminals and didn’t have a police record.
Nearly a week before, also around 5:30 am at a nearby house, near the corner of de Normandie and 100th Ave., gunshots were fired through a residence’s large front window into the living room, as well through a smaller window into a bedroom where a woman in her 20s was sleeping.
After interviewing the family, the police told them they were probably mistakenly targeted.
Suspect charged with murder after man fatally stabbed in Laval-des-Rapides
The Laval Police rushed to the scene of a stabbing incident last week on Place Robin in Laval-des-Rapides where they arrested a male suspect who allegedly attacked a 66-year-old man who died from his injuries.
Although the victim was taken by ambulance to hospital, he was pronounced dead upon arrival, according to the LPD.
An LPD spokesperson said the suspect and the victim knew each other, without providing further details. The Journal de Montréal identified the victim as Abdelhak Ajaba, the suspect’s father. The suspect, identified by Montreal media as Mohamed Reda Ajaba, was charged at the Laval courthouse with second-degree murder.
According to The Gazette, Mohamed Reda Ajaba has a criminal record. In 2018, he was sentenced to an eight-month prison term and two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to armed robbery and the unauthorized possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm.
As well, according to the daily, he has a case pending at the Valleyfield courthouse where he is charged with possession of material obtained through a crime and possession of burglary tools.
An attempt to deliver drugs via drone to the Hull detention facility on January 26 was short-lived after the aircraft was spotted over the facility. Gatineau Police were notified of the sighting over the facility on rue Saint-François slightly before 11:00 am.
The Gatineau Police Public Relations Officer Andrée East stated that, upon arriving at the scene, the police officer was met by an officer of the facility who had detained a suspect vehicle containing three male passengers. A fourth male who was exiting a wooded area not far from the drone sighting was later found by the police officer.
All four men were arrested and transported to the police station. East said those involved were Ontarians ranging from 18 to 34 years of age.
Two of the four signed a promise to appear, and the others were released without any accusation. East said the police service will be seeking charges for drug trafficking.
Photo caption: The City of Gatineau Police Service have arrested four men in connection with an attempt to deliver drugs into the Hull detention facility.
Photo credit: The City of Gatineau Police Service Facebook
The strong arm of the law has come down hard on 75 men and women throughout Quebec’s Montérégie and Lanaudière territory, each found guilty of poaching charges in the wake of a four-year investigation that saw fines totalling $314,430 levied against members of what investigators say belonged to a well-organized network.
The Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs in November released the details of its lengthy investigation. Dubbed Operation 57, more than 100 provincial wildlife investigators swooped in on various locations in the region four years ago, on Nov. 27, 2019, making the arrests after acting on tips received from local residents regarding various offences related to poaching. The arrests resulted in the dismantling of a well-organized poaching network, investigators said.
In a recent statement issued Nov. 20, 2023, the provincial authorities provided a detailed list of individuals, including their addresses, charges and fines.
The investigation focused on various activities, including the sale, purchase, illegal possession and exceeding of limits of fish and game, as well as the illegal fishing of yellow perch, walleye, sturgeon and striped bass. Some individuals were also charged with using live fish bait, a practice that is prohibited in Quebec, while others were charged with picking, possessing and selling wild garlic.
According to the ministry, the majority of individuals charged pleaded guilty.
The person facing the biggest fine is Francis Laroche of Beauharnois, slapped with a $67,925 penalty for a total of seven violations – illegal sale of fish, exceeding limits and illegal possession of fish, use of live bait, illegal purchase of large game, non-compliance with fish size limits, use of prohibited fishing gear, and fishing during prohibited times. Laroche also has had his hunting and fishing permits suspended for two years. He is also prohibited from fishing or possessing fishing gear within 100 meters of any body of water for a period of two years (from April 8, 2022).
The second most heavily fined individual is Marcel Champagne of Ste. Barbe. He was fined $54,350 in connection with the illegal purchase and selling of fish, the illegal purchase of large game and the sale and purchase of wild garlic.
Also listed among those facing the heaviest fines were Paul-Emile Richer of Godmanchester, who was fined $20,975; and Jessy Maurice of Beauharnois, who was hit with $11,175 in penalties.
Fifteen residents of Salaberry de Valleyfield were charged. They include Jean-Michel Leboeuf ($6,705), David Breton ($6,375), Jocelyn Faubert ($5,475), Réal Moyen ($5,475), Michel Forget ($5,000), Martine Durocher ($3,650), Patrick Deschambault ($3,650), Carl Delaunière ($3,000), Réal Dufour ($3,000), Gaétan Patry ($3,000), Yolande Laporte ($2,500), Gaétanne Charrette-Giroux ($2,500), Linda Pilon ($2,500), Michèle Schryer ($2,500), François Lafrenière ($2,500).
Richard Clément ($6,650) and Denis Poirier ($3,000), both of Ste. Barbe, as well as Gérald Galipeault of St. Louis de Gonzague ($5,475) and Etienne Nuckle of Terrebonne ($4,600) were among those listed.
Meanwhile, Roger Archambault of St. Zotique, pleaded guilty to illegal fishing and was fined $2,500, while Richmond Monette of Coteau du Lac also pleading guilty to illegal fishing, and fined $2,000. Luce Laberge of St. Zotique was fined $1,825 for the illegal purchase of fish, and Robert Latreille of St. Zotique, was fined $1,825 for the same offence.
The City of Montreal has launched an online map of construction work that can alert Montrealers to potential traffic obstacles as well as keep a live log of projects in progress.
Located on the City of Montreal website, the construction map is accompanied by a list of projects broken down by borough.
“We want you to know what is happening in front of your home, who is doing the work, for how long and what the impacts will be. The platform also allows you to better plan your trips and avoid unpleasant surprises. We are putting this platform online in a desire for transparency, but also to make the clients who lead the projects more accountable.”
by Lorraine Carpenter, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement today, the seventh anniversary of the Quebec City mosque attack, addressing the recent rise in Islamophobia since the Oct. 7 attacks and subsequent war in Gaza. Trudeau named all the victims of the 2017 massacre in Sainte-Foy, a Quebec City suburb, and expressed condolences to their loved ones as well solidarity with the Muslim community in Quebec and across Canada as they continue to experience Islamophobia.
“This attack was not an isolated incident — it was a painful reminder of the consequences of Islamophobia, hate and violent extremism. In recent months, Canada’s Muslim communities across the country have experienced a disturbing rise in hate speech, discrimination and Islamophobia. This is absolutely unacceptable, and we will continue to take action so that Canadians can feel safe and secure in their homes, communities and places of worship.”
Outlining what the Liberal government is doing to combat Islamophobia, Trudeau cited the continuing work of Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, investments in the Security Infrastructure Program to support communities at risk of hate crimes (including enhanced security at community gathering spaces) and federal gun control legislation.
“There are people who lied, who pushed me to resign and I’m the one experiencing the collateral damage the most,” Sherbrooke councillor Marc Denault told The Record days after his Jan. 23 resignation as president of the Société de transport de Sherbrooke (STS).
Denault, who had held his position for 10 years and worked as STS vice president for four years before that, said he resigned after Sherbrooke Mayor Évelyne Beaudin’s office excluded him from a meeting with provincial Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Geneviève Guilbault. Denault said the mayor’s chief of staff, Steve Roy, told him Guilbault’s office chose to exclude him from the meeting.
The minister, for her part, said her office had no role in keeping Denault from attending. “In no case did I or my team say that we didn’t want Mr. Denault to attend,” Guilbault said in a Jan. 25 interview with 107.7 Estrie’s Martin Pelletier. “It’s up to [the mayor’s] discretion to invite who she wishes,” she said.
“I resigned because the trust relationship was broken and because they lied to me,” Denault said. “I resigned because of my values.”
Denault maintained there were no prior conflicts between him and the mayor’s office. Asked whether the relationship was going “very well” before the incident, Denault responded, “not very well. Things were going well.”
“I think I’m perceived as someone who’s a unifier, conscientious. And I’ve sometimes defended the mayor on certain decisions,” Denault said. Either the mayor or people in her office were responsible for the fallout, he said.
The councillor said he hasn’t spoken to Beaudin since the incident. “I asked her to call me, but she never called me,” he said.
Denault said he was proud to consider the STS “the best organization in Quebec for public transport.” He pointed to reduced fares for low-income people and the universal transit pass for certain educational institutions as key accomplishments. “This wasn’t because of me,” Denault said. “This was because of the entire team’s work.”
The councillor predicted that staffing and finances will remain key challenges for the STS. “And, with the saga we’ve just been through, governance,” he added.
Denault said he will finish his term but won’t stand for election in 2025. He said he had already intended to make this term his last. “I’m turning the page.”
Beaudin’s office didn’t respond to The Record’s request for an interview.
Elected officials from the federal, provincial and municipal governments, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and representatives from the cities of Laval and Montreal, expressed support for the Tamil people during a major event for Tamil Heritage Month held at the Château Royal congress centre in Laval last Sunday which drew more than 1,000 persons of Tamil origin.
In a speech, Prime Minister Trudeau called out human rights violations against Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority. “Canada has one of the largest Tamil diasporas in the world,” said Trudeau, noting that Liberal government under his father in 1983 welcomed more than 1,800 Tamils who came to settle in Canada, starting a wave of further immigration to this country by the Tamil community.
Support from Trudeau
“Your contributions to this country are extraordinary,” he continued. “We know that even as we celebrate rights and freedoms and diversity and culture identity here in Canada, there continues to be challenging situations in Sri Lanka. And that’s why Canada will continue to stand with the international community, including at the United Nations’ human rights council, to call for accountability, call for justice, call for reconciliation.”
Trudeau said Canada will “continue to stand with the Tamil community” and that he stood by Canada’s decision last year to sanction several Sri Lankan state officials for gross and systematic violations of human rights during armed conflict in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009. He said it is important “to demonstrate that nowhere around the world will we put up with the kinds of human rights abuses that we’ve seen. We will continue to stand with the Tamil community.”
Celebrating the Tamils
First launched in 2010, Tamil Heritage Month celebrates the history of Canada’s Tamil community and its contribution to the social, cultural, political and economic strength of Canada.
The federal government declared January Tamil Heritage Month in 2016, recognizing the importance of the Tamil community on a national basis. Last Sunday’s celebration was Montreal’s sixth Annual Tamil Heritage Month event, organized by more than 50 organizations from all over the region. While recognizing the Tamil community’s accomplishments and tracing its roots, Tamil Heritage Month also provides opportunities to celebrate the Tamils’ history in Canada.
Pongal festival month
The month of January was chosen as Tamil Heritage Month for a number of reasons. The Pongal festival, the most important and widely-celebrated festival amongst Tamils around the world, falls in the middle of the month. Pongal is both a time of thanksgiving for the blessings of a past year and a time to look forward to the start of a new year. The first month of the Tamil calendar, Thai, begins in the middle of January.
Throughout the morning and early afternoon, members of Tamil cultural and community groups performed musical numbers and folk-dance routines. Short documentary film presentations were also projected, providing background on the history of the Tamil people, as well as more recent developments in Sri Lanka where a civil war raged and came to an uneasy conclusion more than a decade ago.
(Photo: Martin C. Barry, Newsfirst Multimedia)
Understanding the Tamils
Delivering a message on behalf of Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilièvre, former Laval Tory candidate Agop Evereklian said that as an Armenian, he identified strongly with the Tamils who endured tens of thousands of fatalities during the 26-year-long civil war between Tamil and Sinhalese forces.
“As a Canadian of Armenian origin, I really feel the history, the pain and the wounds of the Tamil people and I will always be a friend of the Tamil people,” Evereklian said.
Laval city councillor for Chomedey Aglaia Revelakis, who tabled a resolution in June 2022 calling on the city to recognize the extreme violence committed against the Tamil people as a genocide, was presented by Montreal Tamil community representatives with a symbolic gift in thanks and recognition of her support.
Deros proud of the Tamils
From the City of Montreal, city councillors from the governing Projet Montréal party, as well as from the opposition Ensemble Montréal, also came forward to express their solidarity with the Tamil community in Montreal.
“It is always a pleasure participating in your community’s events,” said Parc Extension city councillor Mary Deros, a leading member of the Ensemble Montréal caucus. Deros’s district is home to a large number of people of Tamil origin.
“I want you to know that I am extremely proud of your community,” she added. “Why? Because you continue to teach your culture, your language to your children. Your children are being educated in both English and French, but you still continue to teach them about their roots and I congratulate you for that.”
The Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) met Tuesday in its first meeting of 2024. Council members attended to go over the previous year in review and look ahead to the rest of the school year.
Kandy Mackey, director general of the board, read the annual report for the school year of 2022-2023. She noted the former director general Michael Soucy who returned the position to Mackey in 2023.
“Last year was the year that our former director general Michael Soucy ended his five-year tenure,” Mackey says. “We express our deepest appreciation for his commitment and his unwavering support of our school board.”
She also mentioned the expansion of Farnham Elementary School.
“We still continued a lot of investments, one being Farnham Elementary School that had a remarkable addition,” Mackey says.
Commissioner Joy Humenuik adds that the expansion has integrated the community more than ever.
“Since we’ve done the renovations and upgraded the school there, the town of Farnham has approached them to use it for activities that are overflowing in other places,” Humenuik says. “So, the community will be in the school more than it has been in the past.”
Chairperson Michael Murray addressed the appointment of a new director general of the Quebec English School Board Association (QESBA), David Meloche. One of the first items on their agenda is Bill 96. He says that the QESBA will deposit a contestation of the bill, stating that board believes the Office québécois de la langue français is looking at the bill very narrowly.
“The Office québécois de la langue français is taking an exceedingly narrow interpretation of the law that excludes English education from the application of the Bill 96 provisions,” Murray says. “And so we are forced to once again apply to the courts for a more liberal interpretation of the law.”
A meeting will be held Friday with the labour relations committee.
“The chairman and director general of each of the English school boards will be hearing a presentation from the negotiating team,” Murray says. “They will be required to vote on and either accept or reject the proposed settlement that is currently being presented to the various union groups.”
Megan Seline, former president of the Appalachian Teacher’s Association, posed a question to the board regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools. Murray responded to the inquiry positively.
“At the board here, we’ve been working to introduce the benefits of artificial intelligence for more than a year now,” he says, “since it began to show promise as a powerful education tool.”
He notes that there are no specific curriculum changes being discussed at the moment, but that the technology is promising.
“I’ve seen some demonstrations that are both dramatic and very promising in terms of how much teachers and students can benefit from introducing elements of artificial intelligence like chat bots and search engines,” Murray says.
ETSB teacher Adam Brody posed a question regarding the recent power outage and students who continued to attend school despite the buildings not having power. He raised concerns about the protocol for power outages.
“There seems to be some confusion from a lot of the teachers in the area in regards to what the procedures are when the power does go out for an undetermined amount of time,” Brody says.
Murray reassured meeting attendees that procedures are in place and were implemented properly.
“In a recent outage in Sutton, we chose to keep the school open because the school building itself was warm,” he says. “There’s adequate natural lighting through the windows and there was city supplied running water.”
He says that power was restored by noon and that the largest problem encountered was students having cold lunches.
“Our first concern is safety first,” Murray says. “There’s no question that our priority is to keep students safe and to ensure that there are adequate resources.”
Murray also reiterated how important it was for students to be at school given recent absences due to strikes.
“We felt that it was important to do whatever we could to minimize any further loss of time,” he says.
A motion was passed to invest $150,000 in audio and visual technologies including replacing existing SmartBoards with the latest interactive classroom technology: smart TVs.
Quebec’s Ambitious $300 Million Plan Faces Hurdles in Implementation
In the wake of a significant strike that left students academically behind including those from the borough of Park-Extension, the Quebec government, led by Education Minister Bernard Drainville, launched a $300 million catch-up plan. Aimed at mitigating the impact of up to five weeks of missed school, the initiative hinges on voluntary teacher participation. However, an internal survey reveals a startling lack of volunteers, casting doubts on the plan’s effectiveness.
Volunteer Shortage
Despite the incentive of overtime pay, the plan’s reliance on voluntary teacher participation is facing a critical challenge. A survey by the Fédération québécoise des directions d’establishment d’enseignement (FQDE) indicates a stark disparity in volunteer numbers across schools, with some having no volunteers at all. Nicolas Prévost, president of the FQDE, notes that the situation is “more negative than positive,” with many students unlikely to receive remedial services in the short term.
Alternatives and Challenges
The FQDE suggests that teaching students might assist post-university session, but the priority remains filling vacant positions. Moreover, the plan’s component of offering specialized services to struggling students is hampered by recruitment difficulties. Nicolas Prévost underscores the challenge: “It’s extremely difficult to find people to put the services in place,” despite the availability of funds.
Implementation During School Hours
Most catch-up activities are slated to occur during school hours, including class time and lunch breaks, due to the limited organization of recovery activities outside these times. The Montreal Association of School Directors acknowledges the “variable geometry” of the situation, with staff shortages in some areas requiring reliance on other staff members. Kathleen Legault, the association’s president, expresses uncertainty about finding resources for all needy students.
Mixed Reception Among Educators
The plan, while generally well-received for its flexibility, elicits mixed reactions from teachers. Some are eager to help and appreciate the opportunity for additional income, especially after unpaid strike weeks. However, others view additional efforts as inconsistent with the strike’s demands, highlighting the already high workload. Additionally, logistical issues like the lack of available premises due to daycare services pose further problems.
Awaiting a Fuller Picture
The Autonomous Education Federation has reserved comment, awaiting a more comprehensive understanding of the situation. Minister Drainville’s office urges patience and avoids drawing hasty conclusions, anticipating a more detailed report from school service centers. They encourage exploring alternatives, like employing retired teachers and teaching students.
Plan Highlights
Despite these challenges, the plan’s key measures include:
Tutoring during class hours.
Specialized help for students in difficulty.
A two-week delay in the 2nd stage bulletin.
Lighter ministerial exams (reduced weighting and content).
Increased resources for community organizations.
Free summer courses.
Total Budget: $300 million.
As Quebec grapples with the aftermath of a prolonged strike, the ambitious catch-up plan confronts significant obstacles, chiefly the scarcity of volunteer teachers. Balancing the need for immediate remedial action with the realities of staff availability and logistical constraints poses a complex challenge for the education sector. The situation remains fluid, with the government and educational institutions seeking viable solutions to ensure that no student is left behind.
In a striking assessment of the elder care system, Joanne Castonguay, the Commissioner of Health and Welfare, has called for a significant shift in the government’s approach to caring for the elderly. In her pointed critique, Castonguay asserts that the current focus on CHSLD accommodations is unsustainable and inefficient, urging for a pivot towards more home care services to meet the challenges posed by the rapidly aging population including the seniors of our borough of Park-Extension.
Releasing her fourth and final evaluation on the performance of home care services today, Castonguay paints a concerning picture of the current state of elder care. Despite the growing needs of the elderly, the long-term care and service system managed to deliver only 116.7 million hours of care in 2023, barely over a third of the actual requirement. This shortfall is expected to widen in the near future, given the demographic trends.
A striking revelation in her report is the disproportionate spending on CHSLD accommodations. These facilities account for a staggering 62% of long-term care expenditures, yet cater to only 16% of the users. This mismatch highlights a misallocation of resources, underscoring the need for a strategic redirection of funds.
Castonguay also criticizes the lack of uniformity and coherence in the existing elder care programs. The varying criteria across programs create unnecessary barriers to access, making it difficult for seniors to receive the care they need. To address this, she recommends the establishment of regional offices, aiming to streamline and simplify the process of accessing services.
In a further recommendation, Castonguay urges policymakers to reevaluate the tax credit system for home care maintenance. The current system, she argues, is biased towards senior residences (RPA), inadvertently disadvantaging those who opt for home care. This recommendation is part of a broader call to reorient the elder care system towards more personalized and home-based solutions.
In summary, the Commissioner’s report serves as a wake-up call for a systemic overhaul of elder care. Prioritizing home care and addressing inefficiencies in the current system are essential steps towards a more sustainable and effective care model for the aging population.
As Downtown Montreal embarks on a major transformation to enhance its city center, the neighboring community of Parc-Extension is also poised to play a key role in this urban revitalization. Reflecting the city’s commitment to strengthening vitality and attractiveness, the comprehensive City Center Strategy is a blueprint not only for Downtown but also for its surrounding areas, including Parc-Extension.
A United Front in Urban Development
The City Center Strategy lays out concrete initiatives focusing on neighborhood highlights, winter season attractions, public safety, cleanliness, and the acceleration of structural projects. These initiatives are crucial for Downtown Montreal, which, like many major cities, faces challenges such as the digitalization of the economy, the rise of virtual activities, climate change, evolving consumption habits, and the vulnerabilities of diverse populations.
Addressing the Impact of Hybrid Work Models
A significant challenge identified is the decrease in city center traffic due to the adoption of hybrid work modes. This shift has reduced demand for office space and decreased foot traffic in businesses, posing risks to the economic and cultural vibrancy of Downtown Montreal. Immediate action is deemed essential to ensure the long-term economic, social, and cultural resilience of these areas.
Three Priorities, Nine Projects: A Roadmap for Revitalization
The City Center Strategy is ambitious, with three core priorities and nine projects aimed at shaping the future of the city center. These include:
Highlighting Neighborhood Identities: Strengthening and promoting the unique characteristics of neighborhoods like Parc-Extension.
Deploying Winter Entertainment and Urban Attraction Strategies: This includes propelling areas such as the Latin Quarter and integrating vibrant urban mixes into the city’s fabric.
Creating Sustainable and Inhabited Neighborhoods: The plan envisions new residential areas in the Faubourgs and Bridge-Bonaventure sectors, consolidating the city center’s position in key sectors like life sciences, health, technology, and creative industries.
A Focus on Sustainability and Livability
Investments are prioritized in existing buildings, with an emphasis on creating green, pleasant, and safe routes. The development of the International District’s third phase and the deployment of new active mobility zones are also on the agenda, alongside efforts to enhance the cleanliness and maintenance of public spaces.
Living the City Center Experience
The strategy underscores Downtown Montreal’s vast offerings, encouraging people to choose it as a place to live, work, study, innovate, shop, and enjoy leisure activities. Inspired by discussions with key stakeholders and aligning with flagship documents like Montréal 2030, the City Center Strategy is a testament to integrated urban planning. Its implementation, in consultation with downtown partners, government bodies, and communities like Parc-Extension, will be marked by public announcements as the projects progress, ensuring a cohesive and inclusive approach to urban development.
Lorraine Carpenter, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has reacted to the murder of Narjess Ben Yedder in Pointe-aux-Trembles this morning. A suspect, reportedly the woman’s husband, has been arrested.
Plante expressed her condolences to the victim’s family and neighbourhood.
“Another femicide has shaken Montreal. This is unacceptable. Violence against women and girls must end. I offer my condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim as well as to the entire community of Pointe-aux-Trembles.”
To contact SOS Violence Conjugale, please call 1-800-363-9010 or visit their website.
Avian flu has been discovered at a commercial poultry operation in the Outaouais region, in the MRC of Papineau, causing the death and euthanization of approximately 17,000 birds.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported the case Jan. 3, noting that the contamination is “unusual” during the winter season. The case is the first confirmed in the Outaouais since 2002.
“It’s surprising us to have cases (of avian flu) in winter,” noted Martin Pelletier, director general of the Équipe québécoise de contrôle des maladies avicoles (EQCMA), a non-profit that works with government authorities to prevent and control diseases in the poultry industry.
“The farm was right in front of a lake where a pump ensures that the body of water doesn’t freeze,” Pelletier told the French-language daily Le Devoir. “It attracts waterflies. With a surface that is not frozen nearby, there is a greater chance that (wild) birds will winter near us (and contaminate domestic birds). That’s an obvious risk factor.”
The case was detected at Abattoir Charron, a family-run commercial poultry slaughterhouse in St. André-Avellin. Approximately 30 employees had to take a leave of absence from work while the facilities were sterilized.
As is customary in cases of avian flu, the federal food inspection agency has declared a wide radius around the site of contamination a possible infection zone. The wilderness as far as Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix to the north and North Nation Mills to the south is included in the agency’s “primary control zone.”
See AVIAN FLU, Page 4.
AVIAN FLU: Number of birds affected by flu in Canada hit 10-million mark this year
From Page 1
“We are very surprised. We know the company is careful in its procedures, in its protocols,” said Jean-René Carrière, mayor of St. André-Avellin, in a interview with Radio-Canada.
“We thought we were safe. Then, we realized that no one is safe. If there are regions that have been spared until now, redouble your efforts: you never know when (the flu) will arrive in your area,” Carrière said.
Biosecurity authorities are particularly worried about a new virulent strain of avian flu that can be transmitted from wild birds, like ducks, to domesticated fowl. Unlike earlier strains of the flu, the virus survives in cold weather and seems to find lakes and wetlands a fertile breeding ground.
The Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec is quick to point out that avian flu is rarely transmitted from birds to humans. In the rare cases when it is transmitted, the virus usually infects people who work in the poultry industry — either on farms, in slaughterhouses or at live poultry markets.
Since 2022, avian flu has caused the death of more than 1 million farmed birds in Quebec. Across Canada, the number of affected animals exceeded the 10-million mark this winter.
Decades ago, outbreaks of avian flu were known to flare up across the globe but would dry up with dryer weather in days or hours. However, this seasonal type of flu has now reached the point where avian flu is now endemic in European countries. The H5N1 strain has been detected in 76 countries in 273 breeds of birds.
There are currently 58 outbreaks in Canada, most in the province of British Columbia.
Despite seeing an increase in farm cash receipts in 2022, Canadian farmers saw their net incomes for the year drop, according to an economic report just released by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
The combined effect of high inflation and elevated interest rates is putting what the CFA has described as “tremendous pressure” on both farmers’ financial and mental health.
Farmers earned 6 per cent less in 2022 compared with 2021, the CFA report claims, as operating expenses outpaced revenues across all agricultural sectors.
“While most Canadian farmers have managed to stay afloat, largely due to high commodity prices and farm cash receipts that increased 14.6 per cent over 2021 levels, the ongoing impact of high inflation, matched with increasing interest rates, is beginning to take a serious toll on the operating margins of Canadian producers,” states the Farm Financial Health Report 2023-2024, a 33-page overview issued by the CFA earlier this month.
In 2022, Canadian farmers saw their total farm cash receipts increase by 14.6 per cent compared with 2021, the report says. This jump in revenues, based on figures obtained from Statistics Canada at the end of 2023, are based primarily on higher crop prices, which increased by $7.1 billion across the country, and improved livestock revenues, which gained $3.6 billion overall.
See FARM FINANCIALS, Page 4.
Also see Report recommendations, Page 4.
Report highlights, Page 4.
Optimism waning, Page 4
FARM FINANCIALS: Gains outpaced by growing operating costs
From Page 1
These substantial gains, however, were outpaced by growing operating expenses, which were calculated to have shot up by 18.6 per cent overall. The net effect left farmers with an overall net income of $11.8 billion in 2022 – or 6 per cent less than the $12.8 billion realized in 2021.
“One of the most significant input costs for Canadian producers through 2021 and 2022 was fertilizer,” the report states.
According to Statistics Canada, fertilizer prices began rising rapidly in early 2021 due primarily to high natural gas prices and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, resulting in a 54.4-per-cent increase in 2022.
Fuel prices also saw a 52.5-per-cent spike in 2022, the report states.
The report includes 18 recommendations aimed at government to help farmers manage the increasing cost of production, navigate regulatory barriers and mitigate the effects of climate change, while also provide support to the next generation of farmers.
The recommendations, the report states, “are aimed at ensuring Canada’s farmers have the flexibility and tools they need to weather the current financial climate and support the transition to a low emissions economy.”
“Canadian farmers play a crucial role in sustaining our rural communities, as stewards of our natural environment and in meeting our national and international food security needs,” the report states. It concludes: “Canadian agriculture has the potential to play an even bigger role in meeting many of the Government of Canada’s objectives related to sustainability, emissions reduction and sustainable growth while continuing to contribute to domestic and global food security.”
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay wrapped up 2023 with an ambitious trade mission to Vietnam, Japan and South Korea — countries that many agricultural economics experts predict will make up the world’s fastest-growing export market in the coming decades.
MacAulay, a veteran Liberal cabinet minister who also served as agriculture minister from 2015 to 2019, travelled to the Indo-Pacific region in November to meet with key industry groups, facilitate new business opportunities for Canadian exporters, and promote Canada’s agri-food products.
“We want their business, MacAulay said, who serves as MP for the riding of Cardigan on Prince Edward Island. “We want to provide more and we want to produce more. That’s simply where we are.”
Currently, Canada exports nearly half of its agriculture production to the region. In 2022 alone, Canada’s agriculture and agri-food exports to the Indo-Pacific totalled $21.8 billion.
But Ottawa sees even more opportunity for growth when looking at the surging population of these overseas markets. It is estimated that by 2030, the Indo-Pacific is likely to make up two-thirds of the world’s middle class — and over half of global GDP by 2040.
“It’s very, very interesting to look at Vietnam and its population, as well as Korea,” MacAulay said. “These are markets that are certainly available to us. And as the population and demand expands, that means the requirement will be bigger, so we want to be there.”
The federal ag minister’s trip was highlighted with key business meetings with government officials in each country.
While in Tokyo, MacAulay joined the Team Canada Trade Mission led by Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development. The mission included 160 organizations from Canada, with 17 of them coming in the agricultural sector.
In Seoul, MacAulay announced more than $23 million in funding for Canada’s agricultural industry stakeholders under the AgriMarketing Program. That program is designed to help major food producers and exporters build ties overseas and diversify the range of Canadian products available around the globe.
“When I first became minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food in 2015, our agricultural exports were $56 billion,” MacAulay said. “As I return to the portfolio, we’ve increased that number to over $92 billion. My goal is to continue to grow our exports. And that starts with opening markets and creating opportunities for our hardworking Canadian farmers.”
Ottawa is also attempting to bolster the presence of Canadian agriculture overseas by opening the first-ever Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office, planned for Manila, Philippines. No date has been set for the office’s opening, but the federal government has pledged $31.8 million to its development and construction.
MacAulay’s trip is part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, unveiled by the Liberal government in November 2022. The strategy’s main priorities include expanding trade and strengthening and diversifying Canada’s economic partnerships through investment and supply-chain resilience.
The final phase of the provincial government’s year-long consultation as it prepares to overhaul the laws that govern the protection of farmland in the province continues, with the last public input period extended until Feb. 16.
The focus of this phase of the consultation will be the ownership of agricultural land and who should have access to it. The aim of the exercise is to solicit opinions on the increasing value of farmland and the consequences in terms of taxation and the ability of young producers’ to buy it, as well as the question of imposing limits on non-residents owning farmland.
There are two ways to participate in the consultation: responding to an online questionnaire and/or submitting written comments by email.
Announced at the end of last June, the consultation is expected wrap up later this year and will result in the biggest reform of the rules and regulations administered by the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec since the agency was created in 1978.
Although focused on farmland and the activities carried out in the agricultural sector, the general population has been invited to participate in the process.
The first two phases of the consultation dealt with the agricultural territory in general, followed by a look at the activities permitted in agricultural zones.
The final phase, which focuses on ownership of farmland, will delve into topics that include the purchase of farmland by those who do not plan to farm, ensuring that young farmers can access and buy farmland, and restrictions to prevent non-citizens from acquiring farmland in the province.
According to documents made available for the public consultation and compiled using data from the federal census of agriculture and Statistics Canada, in 2021, 64 per cent of agricultural land in Canada was owned by the producers who use them, with 36 per cent rented by farmers.
In Quebec, the figures are higher, with the amount of farmland owned by the farmers who work it at 83 per cent, and farmers renting another 15 per cent.
In Ontario, only 72 of the agricultural land is owned by the farmers who work the land themselves. That figure drops to 62 per cent in the Prairies and 55 per cent in British Columbia.
Once the final phase of the consultation is completed, officials with the provincial Agriculture Ministry will tour some of the regions of the province to host group discussions with stakeholders in the agricultural sector and at the municipal level on the topics raised in the consultations. This will be followed by a day-long public consultation session.
A final report is expected later this year.
The Union des producteurs agricoles has been very clear, it is against any loosening of protections for all farmland, advocating for a zero-net loss policy across the board.
Click on “Consultations,” then scroll down to the third option, which outlines the process for the consultation on farmland use.
You can also watch webinars on the previous phases of the consultations at the same website. Click on the “Webinaires” tab to find a link to the videos, which are in French only.
Given the challenging economic trends with growing inflation, sustained interest rate hikes and the increasing severe weather events that are having uncontrollable impacts on growing seasons and crop outputs, farmers are less optimistic now than they were a year ago, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture claims in its latest report.
“Recent surveys have shown that the combination of high input costs, inflation, interest and debt levels are weighing heavily on the overall confidence of Canadian farmers,” states the Farm Financial Health Report 2023-2024, a 33-page overview issued by the CFA earlier this month. “When coupled with extreme weather-related events across the country, farmers are less confident in their farm financial security now and for the future than they were even one year ago.”
The report points to a survey conducted by the University of Guelph in 2021 that found that just more than three-quarters of Canadian farmers suffer from the effects of stress. More specifically, 77 per cent said they attribute their stress to the “unpredictability of the agricultural sector and feeling a loss of control,” 73 per cent attribute it to financial pressures, while 72 per cent cited workload pressures or a sense of lacking time.
The Guelph study also showed that farmers have suicidal thoughts at twice the rate of the general population.
Dealing with these high levels of stress, the report claims, can be managed, in part, through providing effective risk management and financial planning services, the authors claim.
The university survey highlights that 88 per cent of producers who follow a written business plan expressed having greater peace of mind in dealing with the growing challenges, while 77 per cent of producers who do not have a written business plan believe it would contribute to greater peace of mind.
But the process of committing a plan to paper is not straightforward.
“Producers are hesitant to plan because of the increasingly unpredictable natural environment, global economy, trade and geopolitical context,” the CFA report states.
Here are a few highlights from the Farm Financial Health Report 2023-2024 issued by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture:
Farmland values see big jump
The value of farmland across Canada increased significantly in 2022, recording a 12.8-per-cent gain, the highest one-year jump in a decade, according to the report.
According to Farm Credit Canada, Canadian farmland values have increased on average 10 per cent annually over the last 10 years.
The largest jumps in farmland prices were seen in Ontario, where the average value of an acre of farmland hit $17,962 – 52.4 per cent more than the average price of $11,786 recorded in 2019.
In addition, average annual mortgage payments jumped a whopping 41 per cent in 2022, the CFA reports, far outpacing the average annual increase of 9.7 per cent recorded in the last decade.
Vegetable, fruit and pork producers suffering big losses
The growing financial pressures in the agricultural industry are affecting the various sectors in different ways, with some feeling the economic pinch more than others.
For example, Canada’s fruit and vegetable sector reported a 40-per-cent jump in production costs – including a staggering 72-per-cent increase in fertilizer cost since 2020. Increasing labour costs have of about 20 per cent have also had a significant effect, while shipping fees have climbed by as much as 42 per cent, the report claims.
This has resulted in 44 per cent of the country’s fruit and vegetable producers – as of last January – reporting they were selling their crops at a loss.
Also leading the pack of sectors hardest hit are Canada’s pork producers.
Hampered by “decreasing processor capacity and increasing non-tariff barriers to trade,” the report says many producers are suffering from losses of $40 to $50 a head.
Farm debt hits record
The total debt held by Canadian farms hit a new record in 2022 – $138 billion.
The impact of interest rate increases on a capital-sensitive industry can be staggering, the CFA report states. Borrowing rates also have a big influence on spending and investment decisions.
According to the statistics, farmers in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec hold the highest level of debt. Farms in Ontario lead the pack with $35.7 billion in collective debt; followed by producers in Alberta, who hold $29.8 billion in loans; and farmers in Quebec, who have $27.2 billion in loans, according to Statistics Canada.
A proposal to encourage Canadian farmers to reduce methane emissions from cattle through a credit-trading system was announced by the federal government at the COP28 conference in Dubai last December.
The Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle proposal is the latest climate-change initiative put forward by the Canadian government in its ongoing efforts to reduce the effects of greenhouse gases.
The proposal would provide farmers who reduce methane emissions created by cow burps the opportunity to collect credits that could then be sold to other businesses seeking to meet their own emission targets.
These offset credits would be provided through the Canadian Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System and governed by the system’s previously established regulations.
Each credit would represent a metric tonne of methane emissions.
Reducing burp emissions would be achieved through improving diets for cattle and using strategies that support “more efficient animal growth,” according to the proposal.
Methane is emitted by cows during the animals’ natural digestive process. As food is digested, feed is converted into methane and released back into the atmosphere through burping.
According to the guidelines outlined for the proposal, the aim is to generate emission reductions that are “real, additional, quantified, verified, unique and permanent.”
Only cows confined to “beef cattle feeding operations” qualify. Grazing beef cattle and dairy cows are not included. The government could include other ruminants other than beef cattle in the project at a later date.
Studies of methane emissions from livestock show these emissions can be reduced by altering the animals’ diet, including using high grain rations and adding fats and oils to rations. Feeding higher quality forage – like replacing grass hay with alfalfa, as one example – can reduce the animal’s methane emissions.
Five generations is a long agricultural legacy. And 19-year-old River Morse of Hatley, in the Eastern Townships, knows that it’s a special benchmark for any farm family to reach. It’s an achievement that is one of the main joys of his life. And one that he aims to keep going.
“My first memory of being on the farm is of riding along with grandpa in the tractor while feeding cows,” Morse recalled. “Growing up, I would spend most of my days off school with my grandparents, helping out with chores around the farm.”
Morse grew up with a firm sense of his family’s farming history. His great, great grandfather Samuel Morse started the farm that the family still works today. Pork and dairy were the mainstays of production until grandfather Delmar sold the dairy herd to get into beef in the mid-1980s.
“I was raised on the family farm alongside my grandfather,” River explained. “It was him and my dad who started our beef operation. Growing up there allowed me to learn so many life skills, like having a strong work ethic, perseverance and determination.”
Growing purebred herd
That’s how the family business, Sonmar Simmentals, was born.The Morses currently calve 100 to 110 cows on a yearly basis, focusing on highly maternal cows that raise competitive calves for the seedstock industry. They have a growing herd of purebred Angus and Simmentals that River and his father, Jason, hope to expand in the coming years.
“Moving forward, I’d like to expand our purebred side of the enterprise and focus on genetic advancement with functional cattle,” he said.
Morse started participating in events with his local 4-H Club when he was 8 years old and never looked back. For the past two years he has served as the club’s provincial director. His involvement has afforded him opportunities, like interning for a summer in Forestburg, AB., (just east of Red Deer.) He credits 4-H with teaching him valuable life lessons and is eager to mentor farm kids in the way he was mentored.
“The 4-H program has shaped me into the individual I am today,” Morse said. “It’s taught me that nothing is given for granted, and if you want to be successful, you must outwork every other competitor. Luck isn’t given. It’s earned!”
Collecting prize ribbons
And Sonmar Simmentals have earned quite a few prized ribbons with its herd over the years, thanks in no small part to that work ethic and attention to genetics. A heifer that Morse and his father purchased out West last winter was named Grand Champion Female at both the Ayer’s Cliff Fair and Cookshire Fair last summer.
And the honours didn’t stop there.
“My fondest memory growing up would probably be just this past fall in receiving the honour of Supreme Champion Bull at the Expo Boeuf (in Victoriaville),” he said.
A month later, one of the family’s purebred bulls also made it among the top five finalists in the Supreme Champion Bull hunt at Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
“It was a remarkable experience being with a bull we bred and own — something my father has been doing for 30 years — and then finally being able to celebrate that moment with him and the family!”
Morse enrolled in the Farm Management and Technology Program at McGill University’s Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue in the fall of 2021. Last November, he was one of five students to win a Warren Grapes Agricultural Scholarship from the Quebec Farmers’ Association.
“I actually heard about the award from my friends and my father,” he said. “So I decided to apply with no intentions of winning. I was very honoured when I received the email to discover I was selected as a recipient.”
Looking to the future
These days, Morse is thinking ahead to graduation, hoping that he can one day return to the family farm while also working off-farm in the ag industry. He knows that the challenges faced by future farmers are considerable, but he’s never been afraid of hard work.
“It’s certainly going to be a challenge for young farmers to be able to progress in today’s world, but I believe my generation has the vision and ideas to continue to progress in this industry,” he said. “The cost of production is rising in all aspects of the agriculture industry, so we have to find other ways to reduce the cost or eliminate it.”
Morse seems poised to progress in his chosen vocation of farming, with both an optimistic mindset and the dedication to achieving his goals.
“I believe the non-farming public needs to better understand the day-to-day life we live. Without agriculture, the world would have a lot of empty plates come meal time. For many of us, it’s a passion that drives us to get up every morning and do the same thing over and over. I strongly encourage farms to have tourism to encourage the public to come see what the farming community does and why. Take the time and tell your story.”
Cereal farmers can increase yields by more than one-third, cut climate-busting nitrous oxide emissions by 39 per cent and improve their operations’ greenhouse gas balance by a mind-bending 88 per cent by diversifying traditional wheat and maize monocultures with cash crops and legumes, according to a six-year study just completed in China.
The study published in the journal Nature Communications is one answer to the relentless spin farmers have been seeing from the national fertilizer lobby, adding to the growing body of evidence – both in theory and practice – that shows how new cropping practices contribute to more profitable operations with healthier soils.
Cereal grains aren’t nearly the biggest part of Quebec’s farm sector. But cereal farming still accounted for 2,159 jobs and $616.1 million in wages in 2023, according to Cereals Canada, while the wider value chain delivered 51,693 jobs and nearly $9 billion in economic impact.
Apply the overall conclusions of this study from more widely, by adapting the general approach to other farm sectors, and you only magnify the front-line value of a climate solution that goes to the heart of building stronger farm businesses and local economies.
Yields up, emissions down
The research team led by Xiaolin Yang, associate professor at Beijing’s China Agricultural University and conducted in the part of China known as the North China Plain, demonstrated the benefits of changing up a traditional cereal monoculture, adding sweet potato as a cash crop and peanuts and soybeans as legumes. In addition to the big gains in yield, reduced nitrous emissions, and greenhouse gas balance, adding legumes stimulated soil microbial activity and delivered a 45-per-cent gain in soil health, based on selected physiochemical and biological properties.
Some of the biggest gains showed up in subsoil stocks, down to a depth of 90 centimetres.
“The large-scale adoption of diversified cropping systems in the North China Plain could increase cereal production by 32 per cent when wheat–maize follows alternative crops in rotation, and farmer income by 20 per cent, while benefiting the environment,” the study states, “emphasizing the significance of crop diversification for long-term agricultural resilience and soil health.”
The study also paints a picture of what happens when farms try to boost output year after year without taking care of the basic systems that make it physically sustainable. Between 1986 and 2016, the authors say, China increased crop production by 74 per cent, at the expense of a more than three-fold increase in fertilizer use — and food-related climate pollution to match.
“The loss of soil fertility, which may go along with the intensification of crop production, further complicates food production and exposes it to climate risks and environmental health concerns,” they write.
By contrast, integrated farming practices “offer a range of food crops to meet consumer demand for plant-based, healthy food — an increasing dietary trend in high- and upper-middle-income countries — while providing other agricultural products such as animal feed, industrial fibre or multi-purpose biofuels.”
‘Social novelty’ meets a systems approach
The North China Plain researchers stressed a wider array of reasons to adopt better cropping practices. A diversified crop rotation “will add significant ‘social novelty’ to the challenge of bringing essential food nutrients to dining tables without adversely affecting soil health,” delivering benefits “far beyond the agricultural benefits of crop diversification that are broadly recognized worldwide.”
The study cites other studies from North America, Europe, Africa and China that show rotational diversification:
• Increasing crop yields;
• Reducing the impact of adverse weather on ecosystem productivity;
• Enhancing system robustness;
• Delivering a “substitutive interaction” with fertilizer use that increases yields with lower dependency on synthetic inputs.
All told, the researchers say, “cropping diversification offers a comprehensive systems’ approach to enhance agro-ecosystem productivity and adaptability to changing climates worldwide,” while boosting the basic economics the enable any farm to deliver anything at all.
Number of beef cows across North America expected to continue to drop
The number of beef cattle across North America is expected to continue to get smaller in 2024, according to the latest forecast issued by Farm Credit Canada, with the number of heifers and cows being slaughtered expected to reach a new record high.
Recent higher prices for beef seen at the end of 2023 is not expected to stem the herd reductions as producers continue to deal with the impacts of droughts that have affected hay crops in the two of the last three summers.
In 2023, the number of heifers and cows accounted for 51 per cent of the animals slaughtered.
As 2024 begins, unless there is enough rain to provide a good hay and pasturing conditions, the rebuilding of herds is not expected to rebound quickly. Rather, the rebuilding process could span several year.
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In the hog industry
2024 expected to be another tough year for pork producers
This year is expected to be another tough year for Canadian pork producers, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture is predicting another 1.2-per-cent decline in production in Canada, as a global oversupply of pork persists.
According to the USDA, pork producers around the world will continue to suffer from tight profit margins that will result in a drop in the size of the number of pigs globally, including in China.
Farm Credit Canada expects Canadian producers will face tight margins into the summer month, but offer a glimmer of hope by signs of an increase in demand for pork at home as Canadians seek lower priced sources of protein.
In the dairy industry
Lower feed costs will boost profitability
Canadian dairy producers could see their profits return to pre-COVID levels this year, as feed costs stabilize, according to predictions by Farm Credit Canada.
“Feed availability and pricing – which have been extremely volatile in the last three years will be the ultimate determinant of profitability,” the FCC predicts.
With corn futures down to three-year lows, downward pressure on feed.
The FCC says producers should keep an eye on corn production estimates in the U.S. and South America for the upcoming growing season to get a sense of where the price of corn will be headed in 2024.
In farming overall
High borrowing costs weigh on equipment sales
With supply-chain issues no longer plaguing the farm equipment sector, inventory levels are expected to increase in 2024, according to market watchers.
But the industry is facing new headwinds, including inflationary pressures that are driving prices up and higher borrowing costs. The combination is pushing many producers to delay major purchases. These market conditions have cast a shadow on the outlook for farm equipment sales this year, according to the FCC.
In November, the agricultural lender reported: “A slowing of equipment sales means new inventory levels will continue to increase, returning closer to pre-pandemic levels.”
Adding: “Air drills and 4WD tractors are some of the few equipment categories where sales growth is anticipated in 2024 as delivery issues and low inventory in prior years drive sales up.”
As a longtime gardener who likes to make healthy and eye-pleasing meals, I enjoy the colourful veggies that have come on the market in the past decade or so. Even apartment-dwellers with space on a balcony or patio for a few containers can now grow red lettuce, orange cauliflower, pink potatoes, golden beets, black tomatoes and purple carrots. These and other rainbow-hued produce are also available at farmers’ markets and in large grocery stores.
But as Doctor Suess noted in his children’s book Green Eggs and Ham, pigmented foods need the right context or people are likely to balk.
While bright colours are charming in a stir-fry or omelette, purple milk and orange meatloaf don’t have the same appeal.
Aside from blueberries, blue foods are a tough sell for me. Only chicken cordon bleu with a glass of Blue Nun sound enticing, and neither of those is actually blue. In particular, I find the phrase “blue fungus” to be an appetite suppressant. And yet, an edible blue mushroom called Lactarius indigo may provide us with a powerful means of battling the climate crisis, as well as helping to alleviate food and water insecurity.
Also known as the indigo milk-cap or blue milk-mushroom, L. indigo is native to forested regions of eastern North America, East Asia, Central America and parts of Western Europe. This mushroom’s most unusual feature is that when cut or broken, it oozes a milky blue latex. Once exposed to the air, its gooey blue “blood” slowly turns green. All of which screams “yum,” of course.
The indigo milk-cap is one of many species of mycorrhizal fungi that form symbiotic relationships with tree roots. Though mycorrhizae take small amounts of sugars from roots, they greatly boost their efficiency, allowing trees to absorb water and nutrients more readily. In this win-win scenario, L. indigo lives off trees while making them healthier and faster-growing overall.
Eaten fresh, indigo milk-caps are said to have the crispness of an apple. Their flavour varies from site to site, but is usually described as mild, and when cooked tastes similar to a portobello. Indigo milk-caps and other mushrooms can also be processed to mimic seafood, meat and cheese products, as well as used to make soy sauce, or even fermented into wine and beer.
In a study published in February 2022, researchers from the University of Stirling in England, and El Colegio de la Frontera Sur San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico, showed that the amount of protein found in blue milk mushrooms on a hectare of forest exceeds that of beef cattle raised on a hectare of pasture. Not only that, the mushrooms can be harvested year after year with no inputs.
However, the real beauty of these mushrooms is that forests that are either inoculated with L. indigo spores, or already have existing populations of the fungus, remain intact. For a variety of reasons, it takes roughly a century for a tree seedling to become an effective carbon store. These “shroom-forests” will continue to grow and sequester carbon, thus helping to mitigate climate change, and all the while can still be used for recreation or hunting. Land managers can keep harvesting a percentage of mature trees on the same prudent schedule as before, without compromising forest health or affecting the L. indigo mushroom crop.
Worldwide, forests are being clear-cut at the alarming rate of about 24.7 million acres a year. In South America, around 85 per cent of deforestation is for the creation of pasture for beef cattle, and to grow other kinds of animal feeds. Worldwide, beef cattle burp enough methane each year to equal more than 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide, on top of the many other types of greenhouse-gas emissions caused by deforestation.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “When sustainably managed, forests contribute significantly to reducing soil erosion….” The FAO also says forests help conserve water, protect fisheries, safeguard biodiversity and provide us with cultural and spiritual benefits.
The FAO reports that close to 80 per cent of humanity faces water insecurity. With about three-quarters of the world’s fresh water originating from forested watersheds, it’s more important than ever to leave forests in place. Harvesting blue milk-mushrooms on a portion of the woodlands now slated for conversion to beef pasture and planting new forests with trees inoculated with L. indigo are great ideas, but will require buy-in from landowners, and most likely some kind of government incentives as well.
Public acceptance of foods based on L. indigo will also be crucial. In 1960, Dr. Seuss got his characters to accept green eggs and ham by pestering them with an intrusive stalker. These days, such antics would get Sam-I-Am taken away in handcuffs. But with soaring food prices giving everyone the “food blues,” perhaps a good PR campaign can sell the world blue veggie-burgers and imitation cheese.
As severe weather events become increasingly common, as well as more costly and destructive, consumer demand is likely to shift away from carbon-intensive food sources to some degree. Growing blue milk-mushrooms in your woodlot isn’t for every landowner. But it’s important to be aware of the many agro-forestry options that could give smaller diversified farms a leg-up as consumer tastes change going forward.
Lorraine Carpenter, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
The City of Montreal announced today that a total of $735,000 in funding is available for professional artists working in visual arts and crafts.
In conjunction with the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the city is offering funding to artists for studio space — specifically tenants or owners of a workshop space in a non-residential building. The fund will cover $13 per square metre for creative spaces and $3 per square metre for storage space.
Last year, over 400 Montreal artists received financial aid through this program, according to the city’s executive committee member in charge of culture and heritage, Ericka Alneus.
“Our artists contribute directly to the vitality of our city, the quality of life in our neighborhoods and the attractiveness of Montreal. We must offer them every chance to succeed, and accessibility to artist workshops is crucial.”
The deadline to apply for the subsidy this year is March 31, 2024.
Laval city council took an additional step recently towards expanding the use of “dynamic” signage along streets to better inform motorists and residents of parking restrictions whenever there is a need for this, such as during snow storms.
During a recent council meeting, the council members awarded a contract to Pierre Brossard (1981) ltée to implement electronic parking regulation signage.
The signs, which are programmable remotely, will allow municipal employees to inform motorists and residents in “real time,” rather than with sandwich board signs which have been in usage for decades and must be set up one at a time manually on the side of the street.
“The implementation of dynamic signage will translate into an improved efficiency of the system thanks to real-time displays on the street indicating that operations are underday,” says Laval city councillor for Sainte-Dorothée Ray Khalil, the executive-committee member responsible for public works.
“It’s all with an eye on improving citizens’ experience, as well as the management of snow removal including cleaning the streets during the summer in some of Laval’s most densified sectors.”
The illuminated panels will be lit up when needed to display specific times when snow removal or street cleaning operations will be taking place, meaning that motorists and car owners must move their vehicles. The city decided to opt for the system following tests with several pilot projects on its territory over the past few years.
According to the city, residents were polled for their level of expected satisfaction with the system, as well as the public works department’s views on how it would improve their efficiency.
Widespread implementation of the system is expected to begin during the summer of 2024. It is expected to become functional in Chomedey beginning next winter, followed by Pont-Viau and Laval-des-Rapides during the summer of 2025.
Laval council unanimously backs De Cotis motion calling for swimming lessons
A motion tabled by Action Laval city councillor for the district of Saint-Bruno David De Cotis, asking his council colleagues to support a suggestion that Laval residents should receive free swimming lessons, was favourably received recently.
The motion, which has the backing of the Société de sauvetage du Québec (Lifesaving Society), received unanimous support. It also had the backing of Raynald Hawkins, the executive-director of the society.
David De Cotis (right) and Raynald Hawkins.
De Cotis and the motion’s supporters agreed that as a municipality located entirely on an island surrounded on all sides by water, Laval is at a higher risk from hazards having to do with water-related incidents.
Laval at elevated risk
As well, supporters of the motion note that there are a large number of private and public pools in the City of Laval, and that many residents, including immigrants, may never have had the opportunity to learn how to swim.
“We have 38,000 private pools on the city’s territory,” said De Cotis, while adding that there was a sharp increase in the number of drownings in Quebec last year compared to previous years and that “we must do something to find solutions.”
“A project like this brings back a lot more than just swimming lessons,” said Hawkins. “It’s also an important way of introducing newcomers to Laval. The elected officials shouldn’t look upon this proposal as an expense for the city, but rather as an investment for the security of our children.”
Swim lessons for kids
The Lifesaving Society is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote safe interactions with water to prevent drowning and other injuries. The society’s Swim to Survive program (offered to 8+ year old students in the 3rd to 6th grades in elementary school) was created to prevent drowning.
It has been designed as an educational and active field trip. In addition to playing a key role in drowning prevention, the program gets children to move and gain self-confidence, and encourages them to visit aquatic facilities on a more regular basis.
Laval takes a new step forward by appointing the first director of its Office of Social Innovation and Ecological Transition
The Mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer announced recently the appointment of Sophie Paradis, who becomes the first Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Ecological Transition.
The Office, which is scheduled to launch in early February, will be responsible for supporting the City’s administrative units in aligning the delivery of services to citizens with the principles of carbon neutrality and equity in the face of environmental issues. Climate change and the importance of biodiversity in Laval require better coordination at all levels within the municipal organization.
“I am very excited to welcome Ms. Paradis to the Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Ecological Transition. We have great ambitions in terms of sustainable development and one of our wishes was to have a cross-cutting vision to guide our decision-making.
“In the context of the deployment of our climate plan – Horizon 2035, the Office will allow us to ensure that the ecological transition is applied everywhere and in a systemic way.”
The New Frontiers School Board is reacting positively to a $300 million catch-up plan recently announced by the provincial government.
Education Minister Bernard Drainville has confirmed that the government will not cancel March break, and the school year will not be extended to make up for time lost during public sector strikes last November and December.
Instead, Drainville outlined plans to help balance things between those who missed 23 days of school, those who lost nine days, and students in the private system who did not miss any classes. The plans include voluntary tutoring during school hours, support outside of school hours, free summer school, funds for community groups that provide homework programs or literacy aids, and help during spring break.
The plan also resorts to several measures that were put in place during the pandemic to limit the impact of absenteeism on final grades. End-of-year exams will be delayed by a few days and the weight of these assessments will be diminished. Students, especially those in secondary four and five, will only be tested on essential learnings in each subject.
There is also an option for school service centres and boards to delay the preparation of March report cards to the end of the month.
“We need to do everything that we can, to help the students to catch up and overcome the delays in the teaching and learning that they have suffered due to the strike,” said Drainville, who suggested there are ways to “make it almost a normal year.”
Drainville added he was very confident that there will be a “great mobilization” within the school networks between administration, teachers, support staff, and parents to work together to help their students.
NFSB looks ahead
“We are pleased that the government will be providing us with funding to support a plan,” said NFSB director general Michael Helm, who noted he is especially content that the ministry is allowing school boards and service centres the flexibility to develop plans to suit the needs of their students.
“This is indeed an unfortunate situation we all find ourselves in – especially for our students,” said Helm. He added that the government’s modifications to the weighting of final exams, the focus of final evaluations, and the possibility to extend the second term will be helpful.
The NFSB has met with the directorate to begin the planning process. Helm explained the goal is to quickly establish a rough draft that will then be used to consult with different stakeholders and partners, before finalizing the approach to the remainder of the school year.
The board has since launched an interactive ThoughtExchange survey to allow parents and members of the community to provide input regarding additional instructional support for children who may be struggling due to the lost school days. The questions touch specifically on the timing of tutorial sessions, and whether these should be done virtually or in person. At least 419 individuals have participated in some way in this survey, with over 321 thoughts having been shared. The survey will close at midnight on January 25.
Still some uncertainty
As the NFSB and the Centre de services scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands work to find ways to help students, the different public sector unions representing teachers, support staff, and educational professionals will be meeting over the next three weeks to vote on contract agreements negotiated with the government in late December.
Nick Ross, the president of the Chateauguay Valley Teachers Association, has confirmed that its members, for whom information sessions were given on January 17 and 18, will gather for a special general meeting on January 24 to vote on the proposals.
Support staff members of the Syndicat des employées et employés professionnels et de bureau (SEPB 576) will meet on January 31 in Howick to decide whether to approve the agreement in principle reached with the government.
Teachers working for the Centre de services scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands who are members of the Syndicat de Champlain met virtually on January 22 to vote on the agreements, while support staff will meet on January 29.
The New Frontiers School Board has published its renewed Commitment to Success Plan, which sets out the orientations and priorities for the institution to follow over the next four years.
“It is about each student and what each student’s needs are,” says NFSB director general Michael Helm. He notes that this philosophy plays a significant role in the Commitment to Success Plan, which was developed following a series of extensive public consultations that took place between November 2022 and September 2023.
The revised plan was adopted during the regular meeting of the Council of Commissioners in October and was submitted to the Ministry of Education for approval. The Ministry accepted the plan officially on October 26, and Helm says they are now working with the document to develop objectives that will eventually become an action plan.
A roadmap for the way forward
This was the first time the NFSB has consulted on the wording of its vision, which now centres on fostering success for each student. The board’s mission revolves around engaging students, staff, parents, and the community as educational partners, while the values of the NFSB include community, adaptability, responsibility, and equality/inclusion.
“We are very pleased with the outcome,” says Helm, who suggests that as a school board, “We are going to see some significant gains for our students.”
To better encourage student success, the NFSB will be looking at increasing access to specialized programs while also considering the learning environment and the importance of listening to students. The Plan outlines a series of Ministry of Education orientations and the NFSB’s commitments to achieve these objectives, which include making student success a top priority for Quebec society, making vocational education truly attractive, and making schools and centres welcoming spaces. The board does not shy away from admitting there will be challenges in meeting these targets over the next few years.
For example, the NFSB acknowledges it has seen a three- to six-per cent increase in employee turnover, especially in terms of teachers. High absenteeism rates and the level of student engagement are also areas of concern. To help, the board will be providing increased support to new teachers as well as mentoring and coaching initiatives for all employees. Students will see an increased focus on extracurricular activities and specialty programs.
The success rate of students with special needs is well above the provincial average, as is the proportion of students scoring between 70 and 100 per cent on the grade 6 compulsory mathematics exam; however, graduation rates and success rates for boys are currently below the provincial average. The participation rate in special educational projects by secondary students is also below the average across Quebec. The NFSB has committed to improving these areas, with the goal of achieving results above current provincial averages by 2027.
When it comes to adult learners and vocational programs, the graduation rate among NFSB students is slightly below the Quebec average. Here, the board has committed to being as flexible as possible to accommodate adult learners in their work/life balance. The board is hoping to attain permanent authorization for the Health Assistance and Nursing program, while looking to offer new programs that support the needs of the community.
In tandem with the ministerial orientations, the NFSB has developed its own orientations in consultation with students, staff, families, and the community. These objectives revolve around strengthening employee engagement, leveraging the power of data to make informed decisions, and fostering relationships and partnerships that will lead to collaborative and inclusive educational environments.
The NFSB has just launched its registration period for its kindergarten programs. Interested parents can access the Commitment to Success Plan to learn more about the Board’s engagements, as well as its bilingual programs, online at nfsb.qc.ca.
Photo: Gatineau embarks on artistic uplift: Launches programs to foster creative talent and celebrate cultural heritage. (TF) Photo courtesy of the City of Gatineau
With notes from Mary Baskin, Marie-Eve Turpin and Lily Ryan
Gatineau’s artistic community is set to experience a significant boost as the city unveils various initiatives aimed at promoting visual arts and crafts. Reflecting its commitment to enriching the region’s cultural fabric, the City of Gatineau has launched calls for applications for three distinct projects, each designed to foster artistic growth and celebrate Gatineau’s heritage.
Since 2015, the Triennial in Art Professions has illuminated the art scene by showcasing the works of professional artists from Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Outaouais, and the National Capital.
The 2024 edition, themed “MOVEMENT,” focuses on the interplay between environmental dynamics and artistic expression. This triennial event, now in its fourth iteration, invites professional artists to explore and interrogate the intricate relationship between their craft and the natural world. The exhibition, named “MOUVANCE,” aims to spotlight outstanding works, daring approaches, and innovative initiatives at the intersection of artistry and environmental contemplation. The selected pieces will form part of a traveling group exhibition scheduled for 2024 and 2025 across four locations in Quebec, including Gatineau’s Pierre-Debain Space.
In an effort to support local artists, Gatineau has introduced a financial aid program for those who attended an artist workshop in the city in 2023. This initiative, functioning as a reimbursement scheme, helps cover part of the costs associated with maintaining a creative space. The program’s objective is twofold: to bolster artistic creation and to encourage artists to remain in Gatineau by enhancing their working conditions. Eligible artists, either tenants or owners of workshops in designated buildings, can receive financial support covering up to 50% of their costs, with a maximum aid of $4,000 annually. This initiative underscores Gatineau’s commitment to nurturing its artistic community and promoting the development of artist studios throughout the city. The deadline for application submissions is set for February 28.
Additionally, the city announced a Commemorative Public Art Competition for the Aylmer Sector. Artists from the region, or those who have resided in Outaouais, are invited to propose permanent artworks for installation on the Aydelu Centre building. The theme, “Rising from the ashes: community and helping one another,” celebrates the Aydelu centre’s historical significance as a communal hub. The competition welcomes two-dimensional or self-supporting media submissions, with the deadline for proposals set for March 14. The chosen artwork is slated for installation in the summer of 2025, pending city council approval.
Reflecting on these initiatives, Isabelle N. Miroir, the municipal councilor of the district of Orée-du-Parc and president of the Arts, Culture, Letters, and Heritage Commission, remarked, “Whether you’re an art enthusiast or simply curious, these projects offer an exceptional opportunity to participate in and contribute to the richness of our community. We are proud to share these initiatives that celebrate creative diversity and hope they will ignite interest and participation. Together, let’s continue to make Gatineau a city where creativity flourishes for all.”
Photo: Quebec government officials announcing a $9.7 million investment in sustainable mobility projects, aimed at enhancing environmentally friendly transportation solutions. (TF) Photo: Tashi Farmilo
With notes from Mary Baskin, Marie-Eve Turpin and Lily Ryan
In a landmark decision to advance sustainable transportation, the Quebec government has dedicated $9.7 million to support innovative mobility projects. The funds, announced by Geneviève Guilbault, Vice Premier and Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, alongside Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, and Minister Responsible for the Laurentides region, mark a significant commitment to environmentally friendly transportation solutions.
The new initiative, part of the Programme d’aide aux nouvelles mobilités (NOMO), aims to integrate services such as bus, bike-sharing, and car-sharing within municipalities through technology and communication advancements. This move is seen as a crucial step in making transportation more sustainable, connected, and tailored to the needs of the community.
“In our 2023-2028 Road Safety Action Plan, we pledged greater support for municipalities in the financing of active transport, and that’s precisely what we’re implementing today,” said Geneviève Guilbault. “Providing efficient, attractive, and accessible options to reduce solo car usage is essential for encouraging a shift in transportation modes. Our government is investing to support initiatives that steer us in this direction. I encourage eligible municipalities, organizations, and companies to submit their projects right away and join the fight against climate change actively.”
The NOMO program’s funding will also extend to the development of travel management plans by employers, benefiting their staff and encouraging more environmentally friendly commuting options. These measures are part of a broader effort to shift away from solo car use and toward more sustainable modes of transportation.
Benoit Charette highlighted the transportation sector’s role in environmental issues, stating, “The transportation sector is the main emitter of greenhouse gases in Quebec. It’s an area where there is still much to do, and where solutions inevitably involve innovation and the use of active, collective, and shared transportation. The projects that will be financed will contribute to making these diverse modes of transport more attractive compared to solo car use, encouraging their adoption by a majority.”
This investment by the Quebec government reflects a growing awareness of the need for sustainable transportation solutions. With climate change concerns mounting, the move toward more environmentally friendly mobility options is not just a matter of convenience but a necessary step for the health and well-being of communities and the planet.
Photo: Clockwise from top left: Joanne Cain and Denis Poitras celebrate their love at a cozy dinner; their rustic barn home in Bristol radiates with the glow of sunset; Jasper, the family cat, enjoys a peaceful nap; a curious horse peeks through the window, adding charm to the country life they’ve built together. (TF) Photo courtesy of Joanne Cain
With notes from Mary Baskin, Marie-Eve Turpin and Lily Ryan
In the pastoral outskirts of Aylmer, Joanne Cain’s farmhouse radiates the charm of a life steeped in community spirit and a love story that blossoms against all odds. “Let me begin by saying that Aylmer will always be my home, no matter where I move to,” Joanne shares, her voice echoing the warmth of her small-town upbringing.
Born in 1968, Joanne’s life journey unfolds in Aylmer, a place where community ties are deep and enduring. “I lived on Parker Street until I married my high school sweetheart in 1987,” she remembers. In this tight-knit community, Joanne and her husband nurtured their three children, their lives woven into the town’s fabric. “I am proud to say they turned out very well because of the Aylmer community. It was a small town with so much to offer,” she says, her voice laden with nostalgia. A self-styled “Aylmer girl”, Joanne ran a business in her hometown, providing crucial health services. Her work extended beyond a profession; it was a lifeline to the community she adored. “Many of my friends still live in Aylmer. It was an amazing place to grow up,” she fondly recalls.
Joanne Cain’s path to rediscovering love is a testament to life’s unexpected twists and the beauty of second chances. After her divorce, she settled into a life of independence, focusing her energies on raising her children and managing her business in the familiar confines of Aylmer. She had adjusted to her status as a single parent, finding solace in the routine and community around her. “I wasn’t looking for a relationship at all,” Joanne reflects, indicating a contentment with her life before Denis entered the picture. This contentment, however, was poised to be disrupted in the most unexpected way.
In 2012, within the vibrant and rhythmic ambiance of a local salsa class, Joanne Cain’s life took a turn as unexpected as it was extraordinary. It was here she met Denis Poitras, an encounter that quickly blossomed into a deep and unexpected connection. “It was truly love at first sight,” Joanne recalls with a glow in her eyes. This fortuitous meeting, unforeseen and pivotal, swiftly became a defining moment in her life. She remembers vividly the day Denis arrived late to the class, sparking a whispered conversation with her daughter about the immediate attraction she felt. “When Denis walked in late to that salsa class, I whispered to my daughter, ‘Did you see those eyes?’ She replied, ‘Mom, didn’t you say you would be single for the rest of your life?’ We laughed it off and continued with the class.” This light-hearted moment marked the start of a new chapter, one where their relationship blossomed rapidly, culminating in the decision to buy their first home together outside Aylmer in May 2013. The resilience that Joanne had honed as asingle parent and entrepreneur now harmonized beautifully with Denis’s presence, as their lives became a tapestry of shared experiences and mutual support.
Their journey took a romantic turn when Denis proposed to Joanne in a grand, unforgettable gesture. In December 2013, during a trip to Punta Cana, he surprised Joanne with a proposal that was as public as it was heartfelt. Amidst a Michael Jackson show at a resort, he sang Kenny Rogers’ “Lady” and unveiled a 30-foot banner that read, “Joanne Cain, will you marry me?” The crowd’s overwhelming cheers mirrored Joanne’s joy as she said yes. The proposal was a testament to Denis’s thoughtfulness and the depth of his feelings for Joanne. Their engagement was a celebratory moment, one that further deepened their bond.
This bond was particularly evident as they faced the challenge of Joanne’s mother’s illness. It was during this time that Joanne and Denis made a heartfelt decision to have two wedding ceremonies to ensure her mother’s presence. Their first wedding was an intimate affair, held in their living room on May 10, 2014, coinciding with Joanne’s late father’s birthday. This ceremony was filled with emotional significance, bringing together family in a setting that was both personal and poignant. The second ceremony took place as originally planned in Mexico in December 2014. Joanne’s mother, defying her doctor’s prognosis, was present, making the event all the more special. These two ceremonies were not just celebrations of Joanne and Denis’s love; they were also a tribute to family, resilience, and the power of love to bring people together in the face of adversity.
As their life together unfolded, a significant new chapter began with a simple wish from Joanne’s daughter, reflecting a shared family passion for animals. “My daughter is an animal lover, just like me. She expressed a desire for a horse, which set us on a new path,” Joanne explains. This seemingly small request opened the door to a larger adventure, leading Joanne and Denis to purchase not just one, but three horses. This passion for equine companionship naturally led them to a 150-acre property, complete with an old barn and a house. Joanne recounts with a mixture of amusement and awe how Denis, a government worker with no prior experience in construction, boldly declared, “I will build our home inside the barn.” What might have seemed like an impossible undertaking became a tangible symbol of their new life together, a life that continuously embraced new beginnings and possibilities, much like their unexpected romance that started in a salsa class.
As Joanne and Denis settled into their new life on the sprawling 150-acre property, their family expanded in an unexpected way with the arrival of Jasper, a charismatic and affectionate cat who quickly became an integral part of their lives. Jasper, with his distinctive personality and charm, added another layer of warmth and vitality to their rural home. “Jasper had this unique way of making each day brighter,” Joanne recalls, her voice softening at the memory. He was not just a pet, but a beloved member of their family, bringing a sense of completeness to their idyllic country life.
However, their peaceful life took a heart-wrenching turn in January 2021 when Jasper mysteriously disappeared. The sudden absence of Jasper left a void in their home, his usual spots hauntingly empty. “It was unlike Jasper to wander off; the house felt eerily quiet without him,” Joanne recounts, the pain of that time still evident in her voice. The couple searched tirelessly for Jasper, combing the vast fields and neighbouring areas, their calls for him echoing unanswered. As days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, the hope of finding Jasper began to fade, yet his absence continued to cast a shadow over their home. Joanne and Denis grappled with the loss, reflecting on the joy Jasper had brought into their lives and the harsh reality of his unexplained disappearance. Jasper’s story, intertwined with theirs, became a poignant reminder of the unpredictable nature of life and the deep bonds we form with ouranimal companions.
The story of Jasper took a dramatic and joyful turn nearly three years later, in a twist as unexpected as his disappearance. In January 2024, a glimmer of hope emerged from an unlikely source. Joanne stumbled upon a social media post from Animal Aide Pontiac featuring a cat that bore a striking resemblance to Jasper. “At first, I couldn’t believe it. Could it really be him after all this time?” Joanne recalls, her voice tinged with a mix of skepticism and hope. The cat had been found on a farm nearly 37 kilometers away, a considerable distance from their home.
Driven by a blend of hope and disbelief, Denis set out to the location mentioned in the post. The moment he arrived and called out Jasper’s name, the cat, amidst several others, came running toward him. “It was an incredible moment,” Joanne recounts, her eyes lighting up at the memory. “Denis called me, his voice filled with emotion, confirming that it was indeed Jasper.” Jasper’s return to their home was a joyful reunion, marked by tears and laughter. The cat, who had been a part of so many of their memories, was back in their arms again. “When Jasper walked through the door, it was as if he had never left,” Joanne describes. His reappearance brought back a sense of completeness and joy that had been missing since his disappearance.
The story of Jasper’s disappearance and miraculous return has become a cherished narrative in Joanne and Denis’s life, a testament to enduring hope and the unexpected miracles that life can bring. Jasper’s journey back to them, against all odds, has only deepened the bond they share with him, reinforcing the idea that sometimes, the most unlikely occurrences can lead to the most joyful outcomes.
Today, their life in the country flourishes, filled with animals and the joys of rural living. The story of their cat Jasper’s loss and miraculous return adds a layer of wonder. “Jasper is finally home. It truly is a miracle. I believe that it is a miracle. If only he could talk!” Joanne exclaims, her voice a blend of joy and amazement.
Now, Joanne and Denis cherish their rural paradise, a significant departure from their Aylmer roots. “I moved to the country because life here is less chaotic, less stressful,” she explains with a sense of satisfaction. Their days are filled with gardening, caring for animals, and savoring the tranquility of their farm. “Our life is stress-free. We spend our time gardening, playing with the dogs and the horses, and cultivating fruits and vegetables for our meals. There’s no chaos, no rigid plans, just blissful moments spent with the love of my life,” Joanne describes, her expression one of serene happiness.
Joanne Cain’s story is a vivid tapestry of love, community, and embracing life’s unexpected turns. From the streets of Aylmer to the fields of their farm, Joanne and Denis have created a life uniquely theirs – a testament to the enduring power of love, resilience, and the beauty of new beginnings.
Photo: Visitors of all ages revel in the snowy delights of Le Domaine des Flocons, a winter wonderland set in the heart of Jacques-Cartier Park, Gatineau, as part of the annual Bal de Neige festival. (TF) Photo courtesy of the City of Gatineau
With notes from Mary Baskin, Marie-Eve Turpin and Lily Ryan
This winter, the city of Gatineau transforms into a festive wonderland with the opening of Le Domaine des Flocons, an integral part of the much-anticipated Bal de Neige festival. Set in the picturesque northern section of Jacques-Cartier Park, the event, running from February 2 to 19, offers a delightful escape into a world of snowy adventures and cultural festivities.
At Le Domaine des Flocons, excitement fills the air as visitors of all ages glide down thrilling tube slides under the twinkling lights of beautifully crafted ice sculptures. The Big Blizzard bringsa unique challenge, inviting participants to navigate an inventive obstacle course made of snow, tires, and tunnels, where each day’s fastest time is acknowledged with a prize.
Families will find joy in meeting the Ice Hog family, Winterlude’s charming mascots, who provide a warm and whimsical welcome to the park. The Kids Zone turns into a creative playground where little ones can explore miniature igloos, enjoy playful slides in the snow, and let their imaginations run wild in creating new winter games.
Art and culture find their place too, with live performances that range from acoustic sets to exhilarating breakdance battles. The Musée ambulant presents an outdoor exhibition that showcases the rich heritage and artistic flair of Indigenous communities, curated by Wendat beader Frédérique Gros-Louis.
Le Domaine des Flocons is more than just a winter festival; it’s a communal celebration of the season, art, and the spirit of togetherness. The event is a testament to the collaborative efforts of the City of Gatineau and Canadian Heritage, who have worked together to create an unforgettable winter experience.
For more information on this enchanting winter event, including detailed schedules and volunteer opportunities, visit the official website: www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=activites_evenements_idees_sorties/domaine_flocons.
Looking ahead at the various actions and projects she expects to undertake over the course of 2024, Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis said in an interview with The Laval News that some of the most significant issues for her constituents will be bringing down the cost of living, building more housing and finding ways to improve the health care system.
Federal health spending
While health care is actually a provincial jurisdiction, Koutrakis pointed out that the federal government also plays a role by transferring billions of dollars each year to the provinces to be spent on their health care services.
“We need to make sure that we strengthen and support the health care that Canadians are looking for, because we are an aging population, although we also have young people and others who face affordability issues,” said Koutrakis.
Business and employment
“That’s something I want to focus on,” she continued. “And I want to make sure that by creating well-paying jobs and helping small businesses, we can help the middle-class get ahead. As far as I’m concerned, when I look at Vimy and I see all the entrepreneurship that happens in this riding, like a small little enterprise or a depanneur or a pharmacy, these are the engine of our economy.
“I mean sure, the super conglomerates have a lot of capital that’s available to them to grow as multinational companies. But in Vimy we have a thriving community. And so, I want to make sure that the small businesses locally in Vimy that are having challenges can have extensions for things like the CEBA loans, because this is something I advocate for every day and I will continue doing so.”
Hellenic Heritage
Koutrakis, who is parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Economic Development for Quebec, has been advocating to other MPs as well as to members of the Senate to adopt a motion she was instrumental in developing which would declare March as Hellenic Heritage Month.
The bill, which she helped write, has been passed in the Senate and she expects that at least two House of Commons MPs will agree to sponsor it. “Hopefully, we can have that introduced sooner rather than later, so that we can get it done once and for all this year,” added Koutrakis, noting that she hoped it would demonstrate her support for her Hellenic origins.
When asked earlier this week about his political intentions in the coming year, Laval-Les Îles Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury told the Laval News that, among other things, he will be focusing on providing additional affordable housing to constituents, while also working towards improving the living conditions of the senior citizens in Laval-Les Îles.
Focus on seniors
In an interview, El-Khoury said he is currently working on several legislative issues involving senior citizens.
“In most caucus meetings, I raise the issue of our senior citizens,” he said, noting that Laval-Les Îles is home to an elevated number of seniors.
El-Khoury said he was among the first MPs to call upon the Trudeau government to create a new ministry to focus closely on senior citizens’ issues.
He said his efforts continue to persuade the government to implement the Canada-wide dental coverage plan, announced last year, which begins with an initial phase for senior citizens this year.
“And I will continue to play a major role in order to finalize once and for all the dental plan for our seniors,” added El-Khoury.
Students needed: El-Khoury
Another area the Laval-Les Îles MP said he will be concentrating on over the coming year involves immigration generally, as well as the issue of visas granted to students coming from overseas into Canada to undertake academic studies.
“Because students when they come to Canada, they pay rent, they pay tuition fees and other expenses, and this helps to push our economy forward,” he said.
At the same time, he noted that students whose skills and talents are developed at Canadian universities can often end up taking up permanent residency or citizenship here, thus contributing even further to the strengthening of the country’s economy.
Visiting students issue
Last week, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller said he was looking at ways to rein in an international student system that has “gotten out of control.”
Miller said that because of housing shortages and soaring rents, he would be looking at ways to reduce the number of international students, which has hit 800,000 students a year.
El-Khoury said the government’s plans haven’t been finalized and will be subject to fine-tuning in the coming year to ensure the issue is dealt with equitably.
While acknowledging that some incoming students may have abused the system and that better screening could be needed, he suggested it would be better to keep the door open to most foreign students, rather than enact policies that would place onerous restrictions on them.
Lorraine Carpenter, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced today that the city is investing nearly $37-million in local businesses and economic development.
Aside from direct investment, the city also supports local businesses via the PME, an organization overseen by the municipal and provincial government to provide funding and other means of support to Montreal entrepreneurs.
“Local businesses are good for neighbourhood life and the economy. Faced with a difficult economic reality, we continue to support them with investments of nearly $37-million and essential services offered by the PME.”
Despite seeing a slight dip in the last year, the average price of a single-family home sold in Vaudreuil-Soulanges gained a staggering 37.5 per cent since the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, according to the latest data released by the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers.
The rapid increase in housing prices in the four-year period from January 2020 to December 2023 in this region outpaced most other areas in the Greater Montreal region, including Laval, the South Shore and the island of Montreal. It ranked second only to the North Shore – an area that includes Mirabel, St. Jerome and the lower Laurentians – which saw prices catapult upward by 45.5 per cent. The average price for a single-family home across the province, which remained unchanged in the last 12 months, gained just over 41 per cent since 2020.
The average price of a home in Vaudreuil-Soulanges in December was $482,500. That is down 11 per cent compared with the same month in 2022, when a single-family home was selling for an average of $541,000. That brought the average price in this region for 2023 to $550,000 – down from $570,000 in 2022, a drop of 4 per cent. But the price at the end of the year was $150,000 more than the annual average price of $400,000 recorded in 2020, accounting for the 37.5-per-cent increase since the onset of the pandemic.
The highest average selling price for a house in Vaudreuil-Soulanges in 2023 was seen in July, when it hit $596,000, just under the all-time high seen in this region of $600,000 recorded in February 2022.
“Since the start of the pandemic, younger households have had to bear the brunt of sharply rising prices,” Charles Brant, the director of market analysis for the real estate brokers’ association, said in a statement. “However, the story is different for repeat buyers, who, thanks to their strong financial capacity, were able to weather the increase in property values.”
See REAL ESTATE, Page 11.
Also see Condo prices rise, Page 11.
REAL ESTATE: Prices now 8% below all-time high seen in 2022
From Page 1
The difficulty for new buyers to purchase a home could affect the market down the road, Brant added: “A reduction in the pool of qualified first-time homebuyers can adversely affect the transactional chain. For a market to be fluid, there must be a sufficient number of first-time homebuyers.”
To illustrate just how steeply prices have been rising, the average selling price for a single-family home in Vaudreuil-Soulanges hit the $500,000 mark for the first time ever in April 2021. It hit another all-time high less than a year later. Average prices now have receded about 8 per cent from that level.
Another indicator of the shift in the market is a drop in the number of sales in 2023 compared with the year before. There were only 1,176 single-family homes sold in Vaudreuil-Soulanges last year, compared with 1,357 in 2022, which represents a 13-per-cent decrease. And these homes lingered on the market longer last year, selling on average in 51 days in 2023. In 2022, the average house sold in 31 days.
The average selling price of a single-family home in Vaudreuil-Soulanges in 2023 of $550,000 remained higher than in other regions in the Greater Montreal area, except for on the island of Montreal, where the average price last year came in at $715,000. The provincial average was $416,500.
The price of a condo in Vaudreuil-Soulanges continued a steady climb upward last year, with the average price hitting $358,250.
This average price represents just a 1-per-cent increase compared with the average price of $356,000 recorded in 2022, according to the latest figures released the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers earlier this month, but it is a whopping 46.2-per-cent jump from the prices seen since the pandemic lockdowns in 2020.
Vaudreuil-Soulanges was the only region in the Montreal area that saw the average price of a condo go up last year. All other areas saw the average prices fall by 1 to 3 per cent.
Since 2020, the average price of a condo sold in Vaudrueil-Soulanges, which was pegged at $245,000, increased by $113,250 by the end of 2023.
The rate of acceleration in condo prices in this region far outpaced most other sectors in and around the Greater Montreal area, including on the island of Montreal, where condos prices increased by just under 15 per cent since the pandemic, and the provincial average, that recorded a jump in condo prices by just more than 34 per cent since 2020.
Number of units sold dropping
The number of condos sold in this region dropped last year by 22 per cent compared with the number of units that changed hands in 2023. Only 366 units were sold in Vaudrueil-Soulanges last year, a dip of 106 from the 469 sales recorded in 2022. The number of units sold last year was also well below the 611 condos that were purchased in the region in 2021.
The amount of time for a condo to sell also grew longer in 2023, with the average selling time of a unit stretching to 61 days, a whole 23 days longer than the 38-day average recorded in 2022.
The town of Hudson will host a series of public consultations sessions beginning tomorrow as it gets set to adopt its long-awaited planning bylaws that aim to limit how and where development can be carried out in the municipality.
The two bylaws put forward by Hudson council earlier this month comprise a major planning reform that seeks to protect the town’s existing tree canopy and limit construction throughout the municipality, but most specifically in four of its the largest undeveloped areas, including the Sandy Beach area and the zone that is slated for Phase 2 of the Willowbrook residential development in the east-end Como district along Main Road.
“This is a huge step for all of us,” said Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison in officially unveiling the proposed overhaul of the town’s planning guidelines.
“The purpose of the consultation is to explain the content (of the draft bylaws) and the changes that are involved,” Hutchison said.
“We want to do this with the buy-in of the population,” she added.
In the works for a little more than two years, the proposed bylaws, once formally approved, will trigger the lifting of the second of two building freezes that has been in place since 2022.
See HUDSON, Page 8.
HUDSON: Development not banned in Sandy Beach area
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As the drafts outline, development will not be banned outright in undeveloped areas, including in the Sandy Beach area, where a previously proposed 214-unit housing project has sparked major opposition in the town. The developer behind that project is currently awaiting a ruling from the Tribunal Administratif du Québec on whether a move by Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette to withdraw a permit to allow backfilling of wetlands on the site will stand.
The new guidelines focus on strict rules governing the protection of trees, restrictions on cutting a detailed list of 191 specifically identified “remarkable trees,” the banning of filling in wetlands for residential development projects and the protection of wetland buffer zones. The bylaws also introduce a series of financial contributions to a parks and natural areas fund by landowners seeking to construct and renovate buildings or subdivide lots.
To explain all the details and implications and solicit feedback, the town has engaged professional consultants to carry out a series of public information sessions. These sessions will also provide an opportunity for residents to voice their opinions that will be considered with the aim of possibly amending the proposed bylaws.
The feedback from residents, Hutchison said, will serve as a barometer on “how well we’ve done and whether we should be doing more.”
After the consultation sessions council will consider amendments to the proposal.
Councillor Mark Gray, who has been active in the grassroots group to save the wetlands in the Sandy Beach area from development, said he would have been more aggressive in imposing stricter restrictions, but qualified the draft as “a good balance that will be accepted.” He would be open to hearing if residents want restrictions to go further.
When questioned about how the new rules do not totally restrict residential development in the Sandy Beach area, Gray said: “If we can’t buy it, at least we have a framework in place to limit the damage (to the environment).”
The first two of three public information sessions on the proposed changes are scheduled for tomorrow, Jan. 25, from 7 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the community centre.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m., the town will host what is being touted as a public feedback session, where residents are invited to discuss and ask questions about the proposed bylaws.
The next day, Feb. 1, marks the beginning of a two-week public consultation period, which includes an online questionnaire for residents to provide feedback. This input will be submitted to council and will be taken into consideration, Hutchison said.
In March, Hudson council will make another presentation highlighting the feedback received. A final version of the bylaws will be presented for adoption by council in April. The next step will be to send the approved legislation to the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges for its approval before the bylaws will be put in force.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé made it clear again that he intends to stick to his decision to build a 5.7-hectare parking lot on the site of the new hospital in Vaudreuil-Dorion during a visit to the construction zone Monday, according to Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols.
“On the hospital parking issue, the minister provided a clear and definitive response,” Nichols said in a statement after meeting with Dubé. “He indicated that his government has no intention of returning to tiered parking.”
The move will create the largest heat island in the region, Nichols added, referring to the paved parking area designed to accommodate almost 1,900 vehicles and stretch over an area of just more than 14 acres.
Dubé announced his decision to scrap the plans for either an underground or multi-tiered parking plaza in favour of a surface parking lot last June as a measure to save $50 million on the $2.6-billion hospital project.
The move has come under widespread criticism from local elected officials and environmental groups, including Mères au Front, a local grassroots organization that launched a petition last fall. The petition, calling on the government to abandon its plan for the surface lot and signed by 2,632 residents of the region, was presented to members of the National Assembly in November.
A number of municipalities in the region, including the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion, as well as the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, have also called on the province to reconsider the plan for a surface lot, arguing the Legault government broke its commitment to build the hospital with a focus on environmental sustainability.
“The Quebec government’s decision to build a surface parking lot runs counter to municipal, regional and provincial environmental policies and objectives,” Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon said when the move was first announced.
“I also stressed (to Dubé) that we have already suffered significant consequences from climate change, particularly during the floods of 2017 and 2019,” Nichols said. “He told me that nothing would make him reverse this decision.”
The Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital will feature 404 beds, employ about 3,200 people and contribute $407.5 million to Quebec’s annual gross domestic product, according to a report commissioned by the CISSS and Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges in 2022.
Construction of the main pavilions of the hospital continues at the intersection of Cité des Jeunes Blvd., near the junction of Highway 40 and Highway 30. It is slated to open at the end of 2026.
A Presbyterian minister who lives in Pointe des Cascades will spend the next eight months in jail after admitting to repeatedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl who was a member of his congregation in Montreal West.
Montreal West Presbyterian pastor Samson Afoakwah was sentenced last Friday at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courthouse. He was charged in 2022 of sexual assault against a minor and pleaded guilty to all charges.
It was the victim’s father who reported the crimes to police after noticing that his daughter’s behaviour had changed, prompting him to speak with her, at which time she revealed that Afoakwah had molested her on a regular basis in his car and in the basement of his residence.
Through a plea bargain, the prosecution and the defence agreed on an eight-month jail term. Upon his release, Afoakwah will be on probation for two years, and he will be listed on the sex offenders’ registry for 10 years.
A two-month investigation by police led to a raid last Wednesday on a Vaudreuil-Dorion convenience store on Valois Street and an apartment upstairs from the business, resulting in the seizure of nearly $200,000 worth of contraband cigarettes and tobacco products.
The raid was led by the Sûreté du Québec’s anti-contraband unit, and involved officers from the SQ detachment in Vaudreuil-Dorion, as well as members of the RCMP from the Valleyfield detachment.
According to the SQ, the investigation began last November when officers from the Vaudreuil-Soulanges detachment received a tip that the convenience store, located at 360 Valois Street, was involved in illegal contraband tobacco sales and distribution.
Last Wednesday afternoon, officers moved in and seized more than 1,000 contraband cigarettes, 5,400 electronic cigarettes and more than 11,000 vaping cartridges, as well as an assortment of tobacco products.
“We’re waiting for the investigators to get back to us, but we’re talking about contraband tobacco and the sale of vaporizers, possibly to minors,” said SQ spokesperson Valérie Beauchamp. She said two individuals have been arrested and will face a litany of charges.
The tolls on Highway 30 are set to go up 40 cents on Feb. 1 to hit $3.90, marking an almost 22-per-cent increase in the passage fee since 2020.
The higher fees are directly linked to an increase in the number of vehicles crossing the toll area, located just south of the Soulanges Canal in Les Cèdres. About 25,000 vehicles passed through the tolls each day in 2022, according to A30 Express, the consortium that manages the highway. The number of vehicles using the highway increased last year to 27,800 vehicles daily.
“There’s a formula to increase the fares,” said Dominique Lemay, the new chief executive officer of A30 Express. “The rate varies for every 2,000 vehicles crossing daily. It’s a mix of the traffic volume during the year and the inflation rate. Both are used to calculate the toll rate changes.”
“It may seem like a big increase, but if you look at how the inflation rate has hit people in many ways, the increase in tolls over the past four years is a little bit lower than the inflation rate,” Lemay added.
The money collected from the tolls is used to maintain the road. The new rates will remain in effect until February 2024.
“More traffic means there is more degradation of the road and more interventions are needed,” Lemay said.
The new $3.90 toll applies to regular passenger vehicles. For larger vehicles, like delivery vans, some pickups, transport trucks and vehicles towing trailers, the fee jumps to $2.90 per axle, up from the current $2.60 per axle.
Due to the ongoing work on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge, tolls on Highway 30 are suspended in the eastbound lanes from Monday to Friday, from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. This is the period with the highest volume of traffic headed toward Montreal, according to Transport Quebec. Outside of this period, tolls are charged.
Electric cars have been exempted from the tolls since 2016. This exemption has been extended until April 2027.
To qualify for the toll exemption, owners of electric vehicles must be registered with a green licence plate from the Société de l’Assurance Automobile du Québec and equipped with a transponder.
Motorists who regularly use the highway are also encouraged to get a transponder which will allow them to use the express lane and avoid line-ups at the pay toll booths.
“Sometimes people feel there are administrative fees for the transponder. There are no fees as long as a minimum amount of about $5 is kept in the account, Lemay said.
A30 Express is the private partner in charge of maintaining Highway 30 between Châteauguay and Vaudreuil-Dorion. They signed a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with the provincial Transport Ministry in September 2008.
“If we look at the increases between 2020 and now, it’s about the same as the inflation rate,” Lemay told The 1019 Report.
“The increase between Jan. 1, 2020, to Feb. 1, 2024, was about 21.9 per cent. During this same period the inflation rate was 23.7 per cent,” Lemay said.
The Hudson-Oka ice bridge is not yet open for the season, and it is unclear whether it will be kept closed for the second winter in a row.
The mild temperatures in December and early January prevented the ice from forming a solid base across the Lake of Two Mountains, said Claude Desjardins, the owner of the Hudson-Oka ferry service that operates the bridge.
Whether the bridge will open this season is a question with “no guarantee,” he told The 1019 Report: “In mid-January we had good weather. But we couldn’t take advantage of more cold (weather) before. It’s like the ice is (only) now starting to thicken. We’re going to need it to thicken quickly if we want to have enough in February.”
Desjardins added the recent bouts of heavy snowfall have also created unfavourable conditions for the ice to thicken. Snow acts as an insulator, delaying the freezing process for the water beneath it.
The thickness of the ice needs to measure at least 15 inches for cars to safely traverse the two-kilometre passage. Desjardins said that his team will soon begin to measure the thickness of the ice, but added that he is doubtful that it will be thick enough right away, especially toward the centre of the lake.
“It’s cold now, but it needs to continue like this,” he said. “We need an intense cold and we need the ice to thicken.”
The ice bridge was not open last winter due to mild temperatures and heavy snowfall. In the 2022 season, however, the ice bridge operated for 48 days – significantly longer than the operating average of between 18 and 20 days in past seasons.
“It’s year by year,” said Desjardins. “Throughout global warming we sometimes see extreme weather. Throughout that we will surely see some years that are favourable.”
Snow and slippery road conditions are being blamed for a head-on collision in Coteau du Lac last weekend that sent five people to hospital.
According to Stéphane Tremblay of the Sûreté du Québec, the accident happened last Saturday afteroon on Highway 201 near Ruisseau Nord Road when a Subaru and a Hyundai collided head on. It is estimated that both vehicles were travelling about 70 kilometres per hour, Tremblay said, adding that blowing snow and icy patches probably led to the crash.
All five occupants of both cars were sent to hospital with minor injuries, although one person suffered a fractured thigh bone. Highway 201 was closed for several hours.
A $25,000 grant from the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC to the Pointe-du-Moulin Historical Park last October will help the Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot organization that maintains the windmill to continue providing its various cultural activities this year.
“Our mission is to offer different kinds of animations for the population of Île Perrot, Vaudreuil-Soulanges and all the population of Quebec,” said Charles-Olivier Bellerose Bélanger, the general manager of the park.
“These are mostly free activities that have an educative and cultural purpose,” Bélanger said.
The park also received a $45,000 provincial grant from the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC).
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“The park is owned by the government of Quebec,” Bélanger explaind. “They have a mission to keep this place alive with activities so they mandate our non-profit organization to create the activities and animations that keep this place alive.”
Several reenactment groups participate on weekends during the summer to show visitors how people lived in the early 1700s, when the windmill was built along the waterfront on the eastern tip of Île Perrot.
“It serves an educative purpose as well. We try to educate people about the history of Quebec, its colonization and the traditions learned from the First Nations at that time,” Bélanger said.
An actual miller is hired to operate the windmill on windy days.
The windmill, which was built in 1705, is the oldest in North America and is one of the two functional windmills among the 18 that still exist in Quebec. The adjacent miller’s house – which features the bedroom and kitchen from that time – can also be visited.
