As for the city of Laval, the citizen relations desk, the sales counter for cat and dog permits, tax, assessment, engineering and urban planning counters, citizen reception counters, neighbourhood police stations, community centres, the municipal court and social emergencies will all be closed on December 24 and 25.

The gendarmerie will be open, while the police headquarters will not be accessible.

The 311 telephone service will close at 1 p.m. today. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m on December 24 and 25.

Cultural and Sports Facilities

The libraries, the Maison des arts de Laval, and the Salle Alfred-Pellan will be closed from December 24 to December 26.

The park and Centre de la nature facilities will remain open, according to the usual schedule. The same goes for the arenas and water playgrounds in Laval, with some exceptions. City-owned indoor pools will instead be closed.

Other Establishments

Across the province, most grocery stores, retail businesses, shopping centres and SQDC branches will be closed. The same applies for banks, as well as federal and provincial service points. Banks will also be closed on December 26 and 27.

However, small grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, convenience stores, bars, gas stations and SAQ branches, unless they’re in a mall, should all be open.

Transport

The Société de transport de Laval (STL) will change its schedule for Christmas. Buses will offer Saturday service on December 24 and Sunday service on December 25.

This will also be the case for the suburban train, while the exo2 Saint-Jérôme line will offer the weekend schedule from December 24 to December 26. That line goes through the Sainte-Rose, Vimont and de la Concorde stations. (N.P.)

L’article Christmas : Open or Closed? est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

“With a third consecutive winter under the influence of La Niña, in the Pacific Ocean, and the presence of the polar vortex, Canadians can expect cold and active weather for the start of the winter season,” said by press release Chris Scott, MeteoMedia’s chief meteorologist.

“Unlike recent years, winter is off to a strong start in Quebec,” added André Monette, head of meteorology at MeteoMedia, in that same press release. “Several regions already have a good snow covering, and it will continue to grow. Due to the active corridor present in the Saint-Laurent valley, several storms are expected. The abundance of snow is expected in Quebec this winter, which is excellent news for enjoying outdoor activities.”

Quebec and Ontario

Winter conditions arrived quickly this year, compared to recent winters, where there was sometimes no snow on Christmas Day.

“The polar vortex will be more in the centre of the country, keeping the coldest anomalies far from the two provinces,” the press release specified. “Some incursions of arctic air are still to be expected. With a mild anomaly present on the American east coast, Quebec and eastern Ontario will find themselves in the axis of an active corridor.”

Elsewhere in Canada

The Prairies will be entitled to below normal temperatures with the repeated presence of the polar vortex. For the Atlantic provinces, they will be favoured by a pronounced mildness, thanks to the abnormally mild temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean.

In the Rockies, more storms and snow are expected. Therefore, that will help the sector’s outdoor activities. (A.B.)

L’article A Tough Winter to Come est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

No less than 1,850 volunteers made those rides possible, including 84 in the Laval – Basses Laurentides region, with 37 on Friday, and 47 on Saturday.

The region with the most rides back during those days is that of Québec – Lévis, with 187, including 103 on Saturday.

Reminder

The service will be available until Saturday, Dec. 31, from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.

It’s now been 27 years for the organization Opération Nez rouge Laval – Basses Laurentides, which exists since 1986.

Opération Nez rouge is a non-profit organization, whose goal is to educate the population to adopt better behaviors, i.e. to avoid driving while impaired.

L’article Nez rouge: More Than 1,500 Rides This Weekend est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The organization is calling for the generosity and solidarity of the Laval business community, as well as the the population during this holiday season, which promises to be difficult for many.

Having experienced a record increase in requests for food aid over the past year, the CBML has no choice, but to increase its number of Christmas baskets. Thus, the organization will distribute 200 more baskets than in previous years, bringing the number to 2,500.

“Since the beginning of October, in addition to the daily requests for food aid, people have been contacting us to make sure they’re having their Christmas basket,” said by press release José Haeck, head of the emergency food aid counter at Moisson Laval. “The requests are exploding, and the phone keeps ringing.”

“The general increase in the cost of living has caused an unprecedented increase in our requests for food aid,” added in the same press release Jean Gagnon, general manager of the CBML. “Facing this societal issue, we have decided to help as many Laval residents as possible, and distribute 200 additional Christmas baskets.”

This year, in addition to the 2,500 Christmas baskets to fill with food, the organization has set itself the goal of raising $350,000 in monetary donations. That expected amount of money will help the organization in its operations surrounding their annual campaign.

Until the end of December, the population, businesses and all public institutions in Laval are invited to take part in this major food drive, which will be used to feed 2,500 families. The distribution of Christmas baskets will take place from Dec. 18–20, at the CBML, assisted by 250 volunteers. (A.B.)

L’article The CBML Launches its Christmas Basket Campaign est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.