It was 4:54 a.m. when 911 was notified of a fire in that residential area, located almost at the western end of Saint-Martin Boulevard, on the Sainte-Dorothée’s side.

Arriving at 4:57 a.m., the first of the nine units of Laval’s Fire and Safety Department required for the intervention (34 firefighters), had no trouble figuring out the magnitude of the situation.

At that time, flames were visible on the first two of the four floors of the building, in addition to reaching the rest of the structure and igniting some of the balconies.

Maneuvers in extreme cold

While the wind factor forced work to be done in a temperature of around minus 20 degrees, firefighters first completed the evacuation of the premises.

Meanwhile, help was requested from the Service de police de Laval (SPL), Hydro-Québec, the Société de transport de Laval (STL), and the City of Laval’s public works department.

The firefighters mainly concentrated their efforts on stopping the spread of the flames to the other floors and to the roof of the building, valued at $6 million, noting that the smoke detectors of the place were functional.

It was around 6:24 a.m. that firefighters brought the fire under control, but it caused damage summarily assessed at $300,000 for the building, and $100,000 for its contents.

Eight people will have to relocate following the fire. The investigation was transferred to the SPL, the firefighters having been unable to determine its origin 100 per cent.

However, the fire would have most likely started on the first floor.

Due to freezing weather conditions, a firefighter injured his ankle while executing his duties.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article $400,000 in Damage for a Suspicious Fire in Sainte-Dorothée 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.

In absolute numbers, it’s a “significant drop” of 1,501 sales, according to the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB).

The 2,770 sales, listed in the Centris provincial database of real estate brokers, are representing the lowest level of activity recorded since 2014 for the month of October.

General decline

Although below the average for Montreal’s CMA, Laval is still behind by 29 per cent, its sales having dropped from 407 to 289 in 12 months.

Of all sectors, the North Shore is the one that’s doing the best, despite a 26 per cent decline in transactions.

Analyzing

“The rise’s amplitude in interest rates in the space of a few months, and the inflationary context eating into the purchasing power of households are obviously the main causes,” explained by press release director of the market analysis service of the QPAREB, Charles Brant.

Brant also noted “a more cautious attitude of households and investors, who would have the financial capacity to make their purchase project possible, but prefer to wait for a stabilization of the situation, and a market conditions that will be more favorable to them”.

Registrations Up

In this context of a more significant slowdown in sales, the increase in the number of active listings continued for a sixth consecutive month across Montreal’s CMA.

Registrations reached a total of 16,269 in October, up seven per cent from the previous month. Compared to the 10,840 properties on the market at the same date last year, the increase is around 50 per cent.

In Laval, registrations increased by 45 per cent between October 2021 and 2022, going from 903 to 1,310.

However, when comparing the first 10 months of the current year with the same period in 2021, the inventory’s increase is rather 10 per cent in the whole metropolitan area, and three per cent for Laval’s territory.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Real Estate Market: The Fall in Sales Worsened in October est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

Following a concentration of reports related to vehicle thefts, the SPL deployed the operation “Project Quartz”, the result of joint work between its police and investigators, in order to tackle this problem.

Facts

From August 18–22, patrol officers, accompanied by investigators from the escouade des Crimes généraux, conducted a second phase of an operation targeting vehicle thefts.

During that period, special attention was given to the parking lots of some hotel complexes.

The arrested individuals mainly operated at night. They were mostly targeting Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Ram Rebel and Grand Cherokee vehicles.

The eight suspects are facing charges of vehicle thefts, and possession of burglary tools.

They were met by the investigators, and released with promises to appear, with many conditions to be respected.

One of them remains detained for breach of condition. (B.L.)

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article 8 Arrests Linked to Vehicle Theft in Laval est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.