A sheet stuck on the door awaited customers on Tuesday morning. The note, from the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec, indicates that patient files of pharmacist Luigi Villaggi are now in the possession of pharmacists Émilie Larivière and Jean-Michel Dubeau.

Patients will now have go at the pharmacy located two kilometers further, on René-Laennec Boulevard.

Surprise

Although the files will be transferred to another pharmacy nearby, the decision will cause some problems for patients, especially for those who can’t drive to get there.

“We find it hard to understand the present situation,” said Dominique Palardy, a former customer of the pharmacy. “This is unheard of in the history of the company. At the same time, I greatly esteem Villaggi, who’s been there for me all my life as a patient. He’s an extraordinary pharmacist, and there for his customers.”

All customers met by Courrier Laval have a similar speech, as they don’t understand the current situation, but have only good, positive words for Villaggi.

Explanations

For its part, the Jean Coutu Group has confirmed the case has gone to court. Questions sent by the Courier Laval had yet to be answered when writing this piece.

The official reasons behind the closure therefore remain unknown for the moment. The pharmacy is no longer displayed on the company’s website, as if it had vanished overnight.

“After all those years of work, dedication and relentlessness, my father was kicked out of his pharmacy and all his employees were laid off,” said Andrea Villaggi, daughter of the pharmacist owner, through her Facebook profile. “In less than a few hours, more than 30 years of work were destroyed.”

Two security guards from the Maxi Security and Protection Agency have had the mandate to watch the front of the pharmacy since Thursday, Nov. 10. Apparently, there was a strike that day, which would justify the presence of increased surveillance.

Since the sudden closure of the business, the pharmacy taking over has been overwhelmed. In addition to having a smaller space, employees working there seem overwhelmed, drugs shelves are stripped, and the waiting lines are getting longer.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Sudden Closure of Vimont’s Jean Coutu est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The closure, scheduled for December 30, can be explained by persistent labour shortage problems.

Claude Brière, Vice President Sales and Development of the business, says Whyte’s has difficulty with the labour shortage since more than two years.

“For the past few years, we’ve been working extremely hard, deploying many resources, some of which are solely dedicated to hiring,” Brière said. “However, we’re unable to fill our vacancies.”

After some time, the business came to the decision to close the factory.

Over the next weeks, the company will move its production and equipment to other factory in Quebec (Saint-Louis de Richelieu), and Ontario (Wallaceburg). However, the company’s headquarters will remain in Quebec, being relocated to the Sainte-Thérèse distribution centre.

The factory has approximately 75 employees. Although the news probably didn’t surprise the majority, Brière specifies that employees were met individually, being offered a transfer to the Saint-Louis de Richelieu factory. He thinks around fifteen of them could accept the transfer.

Brière adds that Whyte’s is sad for its employees.

“We are a family business, and very close to our employees,” he concluded. “Making such decisions, it’s obvious that we find it very sad for them. We’ll wish our employees the best of luck for the future, and will do everything in our power to help them.”

L’article Whyte’s: A Difficult Decision est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

Once the transfer completed to the federal Crown corporation, it will initiate discussions with stakeholders interested in the redevelopment of this heritage site.

“[…] the CLC will be mandated to either develop the site itself, or sell it at fair market value,” said the office of the Liberal member of Alfred-Pellan, Angelo Iacono. “It remains obvious that the future owners will have, on those five hectares, enough to revitalize the neighbourhood of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.”

Ongoing Evaluations

Until then, the property disposal process, which began in 2018, is continuing its agreement with Public Services and Procurement Canada, Justice Canada and the CLC.

“[…] the CSC will continue to work on implementing several due diligence measures, notably by carrying out the survey and the environmental, archaeological and heritage assessments by the end of 2023.”

The CSC will also ensure the appropriate heritage considerations and obligations are transferred to the new owner, the Vieux-Pen having been designated a national historic site in 1990.

The federal agency also specifies that it will “consult with representatives of other government levels and stakeholders, including Indigenous groups, to gauge public interest” in this 150-year-old former prison facility.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article The Redevelopment of The Vieux-Pen will be Possible from 2024 est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.