Laval QC ☕ Morning Briefing
Good morning,
We kick off Friday with a major local development: students at Collège Montmorency are on strike today. We are also tracking a commercial fire brought under control in Saint-François, strong neighbourhood pushback against a Chomedey development, and a renewed search for a Laval teenager missing for two months. On top of that, emergency rooms across Quebec are overflowing, and a massive Microsoft outage disrupted workdays yesterday. Quite a lineup to wrap up the week.
The short version
- Student strike at Collège Montmorency: Eighty-five percent of voting students backed a one-day strike against austerity, building toward a 2:00 p.m. march at Victoria Square in Montreal.
- Fire contained at Saint-François recycling facility: Wednesday afternoon’s fire on Montée Masson brought out roughly 30 firefighters and left an estimated $50,000 in damages.
- Strong pushback against 330-unit Chomedey project: L’Abord-à-Plouffe residents unanimously voiced their opposition to the requested zoning exemptions during a public consultation.
- Search for Eva Haji: Laval police are renewing their public appeal for information on the 16-year-old girl, missing since September 10.
- Overburdened ERs: Santé Québec is urging residents to avoid emergency departments for non-critical cases and call 811 first.
- Worldwide Microsoft disruption: Thousands experienced outages on Thursday affecting both email and Teams services.
Close to Home
- FC Supra du Québec bow out in semi-finals: The Laval club fell 2-0 to Calgary’s Cavalry FC, capping off a landmark debut campaign in the Canadian Premier League.
- Road safety blitz in Laval: Quebec’s Transport Ministry and Laval police partnered to remind drivers about the move-over law and protecting emergency vehicles.
Across Canada
- Global Microsoft outage: Over 120,000 users logged disruptions with Outlook and Teams on Thursday. Microsoft clarified the incident was not a cyberattack and stated recovery efforts are showing positive results.
Top Story
Student strike at Collège Montmorency: 85% vote in favour of day-long mobilization against austerity
Classrooms will look very different today at Collège Montmorency. On Thursday, the Association Générale des étudiantes et étudiants de Montmorency (AGEM) announced the outcome of its member vote: 85% of participating students voted in favour of a one-day strike on Friday, November 13, joining a broader student movement opposing austerity measures.
A total of 5,964 students cast ballots, representing about 60% of the Laval CEGEP’s student population. Among them, 5,064 backed the walkout, while 894 voted against it.
AGEM has asked members to gather outside Door 3 beginning at 7:00 a.m., where coffee, hot chocolate, muffins, and breakfast items will be on hand for picketers. While Collège Montmorency had not officially confirmed the strike ahead of time, the administration reportedly agreed to recognise the action and cancel classes around 7:00 a.m. once substantial picket lines were established.
Following morning picketing on campus, participants plan to travel into Montreal for an afternoon rally organized by the Coalition de résistance pour l’unité étudiante syndicale (CRUES), scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Victoria Square.
Across Quebec, thousands of students are walking out this week, pushing for reforms to the provincial student financial assistance program (AFE) and renewed reinvestment in post-secondary institutions to tackle declining quality and accessibility, while excluding funds allocated to surveillance and enforcement.
In detail
Industrial yard fire in Saint-François brings out thirty firefighters
A towering column of dense black smoke was visible across Saint-François on Wednesday afternoon following a fire in the outdoor storage yard of Elikem Enviro Solutions, a Montée Masson recycling business formerly known as Recyclage JNJ.
The initial 911 call came in around 3:34 p.m. The Service de sécurité incendie de Laval (SSIL) deployed eight units, sending 30 firefighters and officers to the scene. First responders found heavy flames engulfing an outdoor area roughly 100 feet by 100 feet.
Hydrants connected to the neighbourhood’s newly installed water main supplied high-volume hose lines and an aerial ladder nozzle, preventing the fire from reaching nearby buildings. Crews declared the blaze under control by 6:42 p.m. Damages are estimated at $25,000 for commercial structures and another $25,000 in material losses.
Broad opposition meets 330-unit housing proposal in Chomedey
A requested zoning exemption for a 330-unit housing development in a quiet Chomedey pocket is facing stiff resistance from neighbours. Residents of the L’Abord-à-Plouffe sector who attended a public consultation on November 5 voiced unanimous opposition to the plan.
The proposal comprises two buildings: one with 189 private residential units and another housing 143 affordable non-profit apartments on the 2.4-hectare property previously occupied by the Sœurs missionnaires du Christ-Roi until 2021. Located south of Lévesque Ouest and Samson boulevards, the parcel—equivalent in size to 3.5 soccer pitches—backs directly onto roughly 15 single-family homes on Avenue Denonville.
Current zoning permits residential builds up to a maximum of four storeys as of right. The developer is requesting five and six storeys, with all vehicular traffic routed through Avenue Denonville, a local residential street serving roughly 40 bungalows. Neighbours argue this setup poses serious traffic and pedestrian safety hazards while disrupting neighbourhood quiet.
A petition signed by 50 homeowners from Avenue Denonville, Avenue de l’Élysée, Rue Duchesnay, and Rue Dablon asks the city to enforce the four-storey limit and eliminate vehicle access via Denonville. Residents also want mature perimeter trees protected; of the 160 trees on site, 94 are slated for removal, with 13 more listed as potentially facing the axe.
Laval police renew public appeal in disappearance of 16-year-old Eva Haji
The Service de police de Laval (SPL) is once again asking for the public’s help to locate Eva Haji, 16, who has been missing for two months. She left her home on the evening of Thursday, September 10, and has not been heard from since.
An initial missing person notice was issued on September 15. Although investigators consider the case an active priority, no sightings have been confirmed. Family members have grave concerns for her well-being because she requires essential medication that she does not have with her, leaving her in a deeply vulnerable state, compounded by concerns over individuals she may have been associating with.
While early leads suggested she might be in Laval or Greater Montreal, investigators also note she could have travelled to Toronto. Eva Haji has fair skin and speaks English. She is 1.60 metres tall (about 5’3″) and weighs roughly 65.9 kilograms (145 lbs), with brown hair, brown eyes, and pink-framed eyeglasses. When last seen, she was wearing black jeans, a black shirt, and a grey hooded sweatshirt.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Laval police confidential tip line at 450-662-INFO (4636) or call 911, referencing file LVL-260910-087.
Quebec emergency rooms overwhelmed: Santé Québec points patients to 811
Emergency departments across Quebec are under severe strain, with several hospitals reporting extreme overcrowding over consecutive days and little sign of relief. Public health officials say community cooperation is essential to help ease pressure caused by an early wave of influenza alongside other seasonal respiratory viruses.
According to the latest figures from the Institut national de santé publique du Québec, the test positivity rate for the flu has climbed to 12.2%, compared to 1.2% at the same time last year. On Thursday morning, provincial ER occupancy averaged 130%, holding steady with levels seen over the previous 10 days. During the same period last year, occupancy hovered between 100% and 114%.
Pressures are especially acute in Montérégie, where Sorel Hospital reached 235% capacity, Pierre-Boucher hit 187%, and Honoré-Mercier, Suroît, and Anne-Laberge all climbed above 160%. In Montreal, four facilities recorded numbers at or above 200%: the Royal Victoria Hospital, LaSalle Hospital, Lakeshore General Hospital, and the Jewish General Hospital (reaching 245%).
Nearly 4,150 patients were present in Quebec ERs on Thursday morning. On Wednesday, average waiting room times reached almost six hours, while patients admitted on stretchers faced average stays of 21 hours and 36 minutes. The severe backlogs follow a tragedy on November 2 at Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital in Terrebonne, where a man in his eighties was found dead in a waiting room bathroom after waiting overnight.
Santé Québec is asking residents to stay away from emergency rooms unless dealing with an urgent medical emergency. “Before heading to an emergency room, we strongly recommend dialling 8-1-1,” public health authorities noted in a statement Thursday. Selecting option 1 connects callers with a nurse who can assess their symptoms and guide them to an appropriate care provider. On Wednesday, the average wait time to speak with an 811 healthcare professional was one hour and 40 minutes.
Coup de Coeur
The RAD program at the Centre de réadaptation de Laval offers a welcome reminder that rehabilitation works best when grounded in encouragement rather than strict punishment. Providing vulnerable youth with constructive anger management workshops, dedicated caseworker support, and introductory entrepreneurship sessions extends a helping hand right when young people need it most. That is local progress worth celebrating.
Before you go
Here is to a smooth end to the work week, whether you are navigating detours or waiting rooms. If you are behind the wheel, remember to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles, and keep 811 in mind for non-urgent health questions. Have a great Friday! ☕