Wrongfully Accused... RCMP Owes Laval Family $700,000 Over Botched Anti-Slavery Case LAVAL Seeee Pagepage 3 EN
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www.pilaros.com 3,/$526450.681.6900 Laval’s English Paper, Since 1993 Vol. 26 • No. 03 • February 7, 2018 • Tel.: 450-978-9999 • www.lavalnews.ca • e-mail: [email protected] • 110, 000 readers Wrongfully accused... RCMP owes Laval family $700,000 over botched anti-slavery case LAVAL Seeee pagepage 3 EN BLANC See page 12 Tony and Daniella Mendonca, with their children Patrick and Michael, were among those who enjoyed some ice fishing on the Rivière des Mille-Îles during family festivities held as part of the Laval en Blanc. $39,280 raised at SWL Gala From the left, Manoudshag Saryboyajian, Berge Manoukian and Nichan Manoukian say See page 10 their lives were thrown into emotional turmoil by the RCMP’s unsuccessful and unjust Members of the board of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundationn and others gather towards the efforts to prosecute them under a new federal law whose original intention was to crack conclusion of the evening to unveil the amount raised by the 2018 Gala – $39,280. down on human trafficking. YOUR CAREER, FREE TUITION OUR FOCUS! STUDY IN A CENTRE THAT IS NEW AND FULLY EQUIPPED GET THE TRAINING YOU NEED TO GET WORK On-going registration. CALL TODAY! EMSB WELDING & AUTO MECHANICS CENTRE 6065 des Grandes Praries, Blvd. St-Léonard, QC H1P 1A5 FOR MORE INFORMATION: 514-327-8787 www.emsb-aevs.com/VocationalTraining/ Ottawa, Quebec allot $42.6 million to STL for 26 transit projects Money will be used primarily to renew and electrify agency’s bus fleet MARTIN C. BARRY Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Quebec Transport Minister André Fortin were at Société de transport de Laval headquarters last week to announce a total of $42.6 million in subsidies to the transit agency to fund 26 projects that are expected to improve the efficiency of public transit in Laval. A major announcement The announcement was considered significant enough to draw a good number of elected officials from the three levels of government, including all of Laval’s MPs and MNAs, several members of the City of Laval’s executive-committee and city council, as well as key personnel involved with Laval’s public transit dossiers. Under the federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund, Canada will be providing nearly $23.7 million, while the Quebec will be contributing more than $18.9 million. The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain which over- sees transit throughout the Montreal region will be providing From the left, Laval mayor Marc Demers, federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau, Vimy MP Eva Nassif, Quebec Trans- additional funding. port Minister André Fortin and Quebec Minister Responsible for the Laval Region Francine Charbonneau are seen here at STL headquarters last week following the announcement of $42.6 million in subsidies to the STL. Renewing the bus fleet According to Canada and Quebec officials, among the projects made possible by the funding will be the purchase and replacement of buses to expand and maintain the STL’s fleet, as well as studies to continue the STL’s ongoing fleet electrification program. Government Advertising Once completed, the work is expected to improve the performance, efficiency and reliability of Laval’s transit system, making it more inclusive, while meeting Laval transit users’ in Canadian Community Newspapers immediate needs and preparing for anticipated future increases in ridership. Improving commute times “The Government of Canada is investing in projects to help build sustainable communities while promoting economic development and the growth of the middle class,” Garneau The Government of Canada has a duty to inform all Canadians about its programs, services, said in a short speech. “The public transit projects announced policies and decisions. Communication is central to the Government of Canada’s work and today will help reduce commute times and greenhouse gas contributes directly to the Canadian public’s trust in their government. emissions while enhancing the overall user experience and preparing Laval for future growth.” "!(.*'&',&-+,,#%(*&++!+,(+)#3-#'+,(*"'#'+*!*%++( “It gives me great pleasure to announce these investments where they reside and ensure that new communications approaches are balanced with traditional by the governments of Quebec and Canada to improve, main- methods. tain and develop public transit infrastructure in Laval,” said Fortin, who is also responsible for sustainable mobility and In 2015/16 the government’s total media spend was $30.2 million.1 electrification of transport in the Quebec Liberal cabinet. “This Every week in Canada, over 1,000 community newspapers circulate almost 19 million copies in key will both improve the user experience and make commuting metropolitan areas, rural and remote regions, and all areas in between.2 easier,” he said. 83% of Canadians are local community newspaper readers.3 Improving life: Nassif “Investing in public transit improves the way Canadians live, 72% of Canadians want to see advertising for government programs and services in newspapers.4 commute and work,” said Vimy MP Eva Nassif. “The develop- Canadians trust advertising content in newspapers more than any other media.5 ment of public, active and alternative modes of transportation Less than 2% of the government’s total media spend was in community newspapers.1 is a key issue in the Laval Region,” continued Quebec Minister Responsible for the Laval Region Francine Charbonneau. “I 34% of the government’s total media spend was online.1 am therefore very pleased that our government is supporting projects that will make our public transit system more efficient 24% of Canadians don’t use social media.4 and reliable.” ++,"'('#'3.%(($,'0.*,#+#'!('+(#% “The City of Laval is thrilled with the investments being made Display ad click through rates in Canada are 0.09%.6 by the governments of Quebec and Canada in these extensive STL projects, which will improve user mobility by offering Of the $5.5 billion spent on internet advertising in Canada in 2016, an estimated 72% went to more reliable, efficient and faster service and encourage even Google and Facebook.7 more citizens in Laval to become public transit users,” said mayor Marc Demers. If there is a genuine will to reach ALL Canadians then there must be an investment in meaningful communication with citizens through community newspapers. Billions in public transit The federal government says it will invest more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infra- structure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, Sources: and Canada’s rural and northern communities. According to Ottawa, $28.7 billion of the funding will support public transit projects, including $5 billion that will be available 1. GOVERNMENT OF CANADA PUBLIC SERVICES AND PROCUREMENT 5. COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS DRIVE RESULTS 2017 • February 7, 2018 2. NEWS MEDIA CANADA SNAPSHOT REPORT 2017 6. DOUBLE CLICK FOR ADVERTISERS for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank. 3. VIVIDATA 2016 Q2 READERSHIP DATABASE 7. CANADIAN MEDIA CONCENTRATION RESEARCH PROJECT For its part, the government of Quebec says that over the 4. TOTUM RESEARCH 2016 next ten years it plans to invest more than $91.1 billion from the province’s infrastructure plan in health, education and trans- portation, in order to improve families’ quality of life and create The Laval News conditions that support economic growth and innovation. • 2 RCMP owes Laval family $700,000 over botched anti-slavery case First test of Ottawa’s human trafficking law went horribly wrong MARTIN C. BARRY A man and woman from eastern Chomedey who were unjustly subjected to the first criminal charges ever under a federal “anti slavery” law say they now feel vindicated by the prosecu- tion’s failure to prove its case, as well as by a successful lawsuit they won against the RCMP with a judgment amounting to around $700,000. Their reputation suffered The case against Nichan Manoukian and his wife Manoudshag Saryboyajian dates back to January 2006 when officers from the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency as well as from the Laval Police Department raided their home. In 2007, they were charged in the first case of human trafficking and exploitation in Canada. Although the accusations were judged to be baseless and were dropped within six months, the ordeal had important repercussions on the health and reputation of the entire family, according to Berge Manoukian, Nichan Manoukian’s son. ‘We’re here for the slave you’ve been keeping,’ the police “Sunny,” the Manoukian/Saryboyajian family’s domestic worker, is seen third from the left in this photo, with other family members, officer said as they taken at their former home in Lebanon. Was treated like family RCMP judged to be at fault in the dossier did in fact constitute exploita- raided the house However, because she had been refused a visa It would seem that it was somewhere around tion,” said the judgment, awarding an amount by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, she this point that the RCMP may have become of nearly $400,000 to the family, which today could no longer be remunerated by the family. carried away with enthusiasm to publicize its has reached almost $700,000 when interest is The family decided nonetheless to pay up to first prosecuted case involving what was then a factored. $30,000 in lawyer fees to clarify her status in new federal anti-human trafficking law – with- While the amount of the judgment may seem Home raided by police Canada as a domestic worker so that she could out carefully checking out all the circumstances. large, the family says it barely covers their legal “I woke up with a police officer’s flashlight continue being a member of their household. In fact, according to the judgment delivered costs and doesn’t fully take into account the pointing at my face,” said Berge, recounting the All the same, the matter was probably this past Jan.