www.thesuburban.com<\/a><\/p>\nThis year has, for the most part, been good to Laval, said David de Cotis, as the city prepares for a year of celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2015. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a running gag that Times Square [in New York City] will be closed Dec. 31, and that everyone is instead coming to Laval to mark New Year\u2019s Eve at Centropolis,\u201d smiled Laval\u2019s executive committee vice-chair, \u201cwhere we will be kicking off Laval\u2019s 50th with the countdown to midnight.\u201d <\/p>\n
In a yearend interview, he gave The Suburban<\/i> his perspective on the highlights of 2014. \u201cLaval Technopole, the local development and regional councils will be integrated within the city administration under a different umbrella,\u201d he said. \u201cAnother obvious accomplishment was breaking ground on Place Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen two unprecedented $100 investments in the city this year: Lumen and Industrie 440,\u201d he said, \u201cand Standard and Poors has given Laval the highest credit rating in Quebec and one of the highest in Canada.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also the only city in Quebec where there\u2019s free public transit for all residents 65 and older\u2014even for the disabled,\u201d he smiled. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe city also came out of trusteeship a year ago,\u201d de Cotis added, though he noted that the provincial government has, of late, acted otherwise. \u201cWe witnessed [Municipal Affairs Minister] Pierre Moreau interfere with the 2015 budget.\u201d <\/p>\n
The city also parted company this year with some hitherto significant players under the former Vaillancourt administration. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe previous Laval Technopole CEO left at the end of 2013,\u201d he recalled. \u201cHe was expecting a severance package worth $375,000, which Laval refused to pay. We offered [to pay] him 20 weeks instead of 72, which he has refused. It is currently embroiled in legal proceedings, and we will see whether we will have our day in court.\u201d <\/p>\n
The city also sued the ceo and members of the Laval en fleurs board of directors to try to recover approximately $200,000, he said, and halted the controversial Commodore condominium project. <\/p>\n
\u201cSince we took power, we\u2019ve performed a major facelift on the municipal civil service,\u201d he added. \u201cIn addition to a new city manager, we\u2019ve hired a new assistant city manager, a new legal director, a new communication director, a new community and cultural director, a new police chief and a new city clerk.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cSince we came into power, we no longer required the services of National Public Relations, nor the law firm Dunton Rainville, which had been responsible for the whole communication and human resources departments,\u201d de Cotis continued. \u201cWe have a new communication director, Marie Gendron, and have hired more people to take care of human resources.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cDunton Rainville has not been banned from serving the city, he noted. \u201cThey can still respond to public tenders for legal services.\u201d<\/p>\n
De Cotis is also pleased by the city\u2019s creation of an integrity and ethics office.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a whistleblower bureau,\u201d he explained. \u201cOfficials are responsible for reporting wrongdoing and, if they don\u2019t, they are liable and responsible. That includes elected offi- cials, who have no influence over this office. Even members of the public can use this line of communication.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two city councillors Pierre Anthian (Laval des Rapides) and Alain Lecompte (Or\u00e9e des bois) left de Cotis\u2019 Mouvement lavallois<\/i> party to sit in opposition to Mayor Marc Demers, de Cotis acknowledged. <\/p>\n
Mouvement lavallois<\/i> also gained a councillor, when Paolo Galati (St. Vincent du Paul) defected from the opposition Action Laval party in August.
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Semi-centennial celebrations start New Year\u2019s Eve By Robert Frank www.thesuburban.com This year has, for the most part, been good to Laval, said David de Cotis, as the city prepares for a year of celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2015. \u201cThere\u2019s a running gag that Times Square [in New York City] will be closed Dec.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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