Laval QC☕
Hello and good morning!
We hope your day is starting off better than Sidney Crosby’s. Between hockey that keeps us on the edge of our seats, a difficult trial in Laval, and some encouraging news from Quebec research, it’s a busy morning. Take a good sip of coffee, we’ve got a lot to cover.
⚖️ Main Story
A Laval father testifies in his own murder trial
The trial of Kamaljit Arora continues in Laval, and his testimony is hard to hear. Arora, 49, drowned his 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son in their home in Laval in October 2022. He admitted causing their deaths but pleads not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, as well as attempted murder of his eldest daughter and strangulation of his ex-wife.
Before the jury, Arora claims he has no memory of the day of the murders. He says he consumed fentanyl that day and only remembers waking up in the hospital, handcuffed, a few weeks later. According to his testimony, he had suffered from mental health issues since 2020, including severe depression, and had bought what he believed was fentanyl intending to die by suicide.
The Crown will have to prove that Arora’s actions were premeditated. A heavy, difficult case that deeply affects our community.
⚡ Of Note
🏒 Canada advances, but loses Crosby
Canada survived a big scare against Czechia in the Olympic quarterfinals, winning 4-3 in overtime. Mitch Marner was the hero with the winning goal. But the real news? Sidney Crosby left the game in the second period after a hit from Radko Gudas and will not return. His status for Friday’s semifinal remains unknown. Macklin Celebrini continues to impress. He opened the scoring with a pass from Connor McDavid.
💉 A promising Quebec vaccine for young children
A team from Laval University led by Guy Boivin is developing a vaccine that could protect children aged six months to five years against three respiratory diseases, including RSV. It would be the first vaccine of its kind for this age group. The vaccine is administered nasally and covers 95% of the causes of bronchiolitis and more than 80% of deaths from pneumonia in young children. Tests on mice and rats have shown very encouraging results.
🍔 McDonald’s partners with OVO for a late-night meal
McDonald’s Canada is launching a nighttime meal in collaboration with Drake’s OVO brand. On the menu: the Nite Sprite (Sprite with blue raspberry syrup in a black glass with the OVO logo) and the Afters meal with Junior Chicken or McDouble and poutine. No mention of Drake in the promo—just the iconic owl.
🛒 Canadian Tire bets on AI to predict your needs
Canadian Tire, Mark’s, and SportChek are rolling out a new platform developed with Microsoft to detect consumer trends. The tool, which uses Azure AI, has already identified more than 1,000 opportunities to improve customer service during a pilot project.
🏠 Local Stories
🏐 Sitting volleyball comes to Laval
The coach of the French national sitting volleyball team is in Laval offering introductions to this Paralympic sport. A great opportunity to discover this discipline.
🏘️ Housing cooperatives threatened by Bill 20
The Quebec Federation of Housing Cooperatives is sounding the alarm: Bill 20 on housing could threaten the survival of the cooperative model in Quebec.
💰 Specialist doctors: negotiations at an impasse
Negotiations between Quebec and specialist doctors are still stuck on salaries. Specialists are asking for a 17% increase, a demand François Legault calls “truly unreasonable.” The FMSQ promises pressure tactics that won’t affect direct care.
📜 Christine Fréchette considers removing the abortion article
The CAQ leadership candidate is considering removing Article 29 from the proposed Quebec constitution, which aims to protect abortion rights. Reason? No women’s group supports it, fearing that legislating could open the door to future restrictions.
🗳️ Philippe Schnobb runs for the PQ in Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques
The former president of STM will be a Parti Québécois candidate in the former PQ stronghold currently held by Manon Massé of QS. The PQ hopes to win back the seat with Massé’s departure.
💊 Phoenix: 10 years later, 1,769 civil servants still trying to fix the damage
The federal Phoenix pay system continues to haunt the public service with its monumental backlog of transactions.
☕ Hairdresser convicted for discrimination against a non-binary person
A hair salon must pay $500 to a non-binary person. The Human Rights Tribunal concluded that the lack of options beyond “men’s cut or women’s cut” constituted discrimination.
🔀 A third Conservative joins Carney’s Liberals
Matt Jeneroux joins the Liberal ranks. The Liberals are now three seats away from a majority.
💛 Favorite Story
Laval has its eyes on… Alexander the Great
With such a vibrant Greek community here in Laval, it’s impossible not to share their pride this week: archaeologists have finally rediscovered Charax Spasinou, one of the last cities founded by Alexander the Great, buried under the desert for more than 1,200 years.
Thanks to drones and ultra-modern imaging tools, the lost city has revealed its streets, temples, workshops, and even residential neighborhoods of exceptional scale. A discovery that reconnects the modern world to a mythical page of Hellenic history and makes the eyes of many Laval residents of Greek origin shine.
Here, where frappé coffees flow as much as yiayiá stories, this find resonates strongly: a reminder that Greek heritage continues to amaze the world… and that Laval carries a small piece of that pride every day.
📢 Conclusion
We wish you a gentler day than Crosby’s. Take care, stay warm, and we’ll see you tomorrow morning. Have a great day, Laval. 💙