Martin C. Barry, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Aug. 26 shortly after 1 am, firefighting personnel from the Laval Fire Dept. contended with a relatively minor blaze at a home on Guénette St. in Chomedey.

According to a report posted by the Association des Pompiers de Laval on social media, smoke was seen by firefighters coming out of the one-story house as soon as they arrived.

A code 10-07 was called in, meaning the firefighters’ intervention was necessary.

LFD firefighter Abelly retires after 34 years

The Association des Pompiers de Laval, which is the union representing the City of Laval’s firefighters, paid homage on their social media feed recently to a veteran fireman who recently retired.

Firefighter Jean-Philippe Abelly took his retirement on Aug. 11, having accumulated an impressive 34 years of service with the LFD.

The APL wished him a happy and restful retirement and so does The Laval News.

Trucks can now use all lanes on Papineau Bridge

Since late last week, trucks have been allowed to use all the lanes on the Papineau Bridge which links Laval to Montreal Island via Autoroute 19.

Truckers were restricted to using only some lanes in each direction on the busy bridge since last May 17 as special repairs were being carried out on the structure.

According to Transports Québec, the work done on the bridge since then has strengthened the bridge’s concrete platform with steel plates and other additions.

However, the ministry cautions that some more work will be necessary to finish the job in September, although it will require work taking place only at night.

Notre Dame/Curé Labelle re-opens after inspection for collapse

A ground collapse, rather than an issue involving broken sewer or aqueduct pipes, was the reason why the intersection of Curé Labelle and Notre Dame boulevards was closed to traffic for two days last week, according to Vasilios Karidogiannis, the Laval city councillor for the district of l’Abord-à-Plouffe.

Notre Dame/Curé Labelle is one of the most heavily-trafficked intersections in the City of Laval.

In recent years, it has undergone several major makeovers, necessitating extended closure, as the City of Laval replaced subterranean sewer infrastructure, partly in response to past flooding in the area.

On his Facebook page last week, Karidogiannis wrote:

“A slope of the road was observed on Curé-Labelle Boulevard at the intersection with Notre-Dame Boulevard. For safety reasons, traffic has been closed at this location and the engineering department has carried out an analysis of the situation early this morning.

“We can already confirm this is not a sewerage or aqueduct issue,” added Karidogiannis. He confirmed to The Laval News that the work has all been completed to the City of Laval public works department’s satisfaction.