The scene occurred around 4:16 p.m., time of the 911 call, yesterday afternoon, in the busy sector of Laval-des-Rapides.

An 81-year-old man, with a 54-year-old passenger by his side, was trying to park his car at the supermarket.

Wanting to position himself to immobilize his car in a parking space, the man first backed into a car, already parked behind him, and inside which was a lady.

In panic, the driver then made a turn, and pressed the accelerator, hitting a 41-year-old woman who was on the road.

She ended up on her hood, while the 81-year-old man then hit two other vehicles, as well as a 68-year-old person. He then hit the two posts installed in front of the main entrance to the business.

It propelled the 41-year-old woman to the ground, the latter finding herself in an unfortunate position, partially lying under the engine block of the vehicle, which then smashed the front doors in its tracks.

Intervention

Arriving on site at 4:20 p.m., barely four minutes after the 911 call, the eight firefighters required for the intervention, two units from Laval’s Fire and Safety Department, quickly gave first aid to the victim.

In addition to experiencing severe nervous shock, the victim suffered very serious arm fractures, and facial lacerations.

After stabilizing the victim, firefighters were able to hand her over quickly, at 4:23 p.m., to the Urgences-santé paramedics, so that she could be transported to a hospital. Luckily, her condition remains stable.

As for the other two people injured, they were both treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The scene was then entrusted to officers from the Service de police de Laval (SPL), to investigate the circumstances of that spectacular accident.

translated by Alec

L’article Three Injured and Smashed Supermarket Doors in Laval-des-Rapides est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The incident took place around 11:38 a.m. yesterday, time of the 911 call.

The first firefighters arrived on the scene at 11:44 a.m., noting with relief that no one was inside the vehicles struck at the time of the collision.

However, the driver was in a bad shape, the safety airbags of her vehicle having deployed under the impact of the accident.

The firefighters quickly freed the woman, and handed her over to the care of Urgences-santé paramedics. She suffered minor injuries in her misadventure.

“We were lucky no one else was injured in such circumstances [i.e. in a busy commercial parking lot],” said Vincent Mercier, chief of operations for Laval’s Fire and Safety Department.

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L’article Four-Vehicle Collision in a Supermarket Parking Lot est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

Citizens of Duvernay are complaining about the repercussions of this abandonment on their neighbourhood.

Indeed, Roland Martel says that car racing in the parking lot are a common thing.

Although there is a noise barrier at the delivery dock, this one is badly positioned, according to the neighbour of the place for past 40 years.

Martel filled several complaints to the owners, as well as to the city of Laval, complaining about the noise of the delivery trucks. These procedures remain unsuccessful to this day.

It’s said that the snow removal of the places is causing a racket on the evenings and days following storms, as the heavy machinery quickly moves forward and backward to finish as quickly as possible, and that, in the middle of the night.

However, the parking lot also serves as a dog park, which is something  citizens appreciate.

Many children go there to slide, despite the lack of security, as vehicles circulate there regularly.

During its investigation, the Courrier Laval  learned that the vacant lot has even hosted outdoor parties.

Despite these rather positive aspects, Patrick Lauzière, administrator of the Groupe d’échange projet site Loblaws Concorde on Facebook, defends that “this industrial-looking site with a vague function doesn’t fit very well in the neighbourhood”.

Although no poster indicates its use, the building seems to be used as a warehouse.

Let’s note that the owners of the land, Choice Properties, still haven’t responded to repeated questions from the Courrier Laval.

Citizen Consultations

Several citizen consultations have taken place because of the co-design process, coordinated by Laval in winter 2017.

After four meetings, the real estate development project that was drafted for the site fell through. The reasons behind that decision are still unknown.

However, various elements had reached a consensus, including a maximum height of three to four floors for multiple dwellings, and a commercial presence on Boulevard de la Concorde.

Above all, Patrick Lauzière specifies that people present during the consultations wanted “everything to be done with finesse and attention to details by architects who will take into account the harmony of the site”.

Residents have also expressed their attachment to the Saint-Maurice church, which is right behind the former Loblaws. They would therefore like the church to be enhanced with the new real estate development.

Some elements certainly remain to be deepened, including the viability criteria of a residence for the elderly. However, consultations have stopped before deciding on the matter.

Past Errors

“In the past, many residents have also experienced noise and nuisance problems related to some businesses, such as a bowling alley, night deliveries by truck and loitering around the arcades,” also notices Patrick Lauzière. “Attention must be paid to those aspects when redeveloping the site.”

That’s why he’s suggesting a compromise between density and the status quo.

In his ideal plan, there would be commercial buildings on the ground floor, with 80 rental condos on the upper floors. A community space would be built close to them. Several green spaces are also put forward in his plan.

Lauzière adds that mid-range condos could be built in harmony with the cottage-style houses nearby.

Finally, several units of the same style, which are 30 semi-detached and 10 high-end single-family homes, could be built as well.

They would be located at the ends of the site, attached to the existing residences, to serve as a buffer zone for public spaces.

Laval’s Intentions

Right now, Laval is overhauling all of its city planning regulations. Those should specify the city’s powers on the territory.

Alexandre Banville, from the Office of the Mayor of Laval, points out that this reorganization will define the future of the site.

Otherwise, Laval can indeed make land acquisitions for the public interest, but it can’t develop a private housing project there.

For now, the site’s future of the former Loblaws remains in the hands of its owners, Choice Properties.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Former Loblaws in Duvernay: an Irritant to the Neighbourhood est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.