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Love at first sight: best Lorraine gardens to win awards

Local News

June 22, 2020

Love at first sight: best Lorraine gardens to win awards

In order to underline the contribution of the Lorraine people to the development and the beautification of the territory, the members of the committee embellishment will walk the streets of Lorraine from June 25 to July 8 to select 60 properties that will be awarded a “Coup de Coeur” mention.
According to Mayor Jean Comtois, “The challenge will be to limit the number of favorites to 60 when we could easily select 600. The people of Lorraine are proud, many citizens are sparing no effort to develop and flower their flowerbed with care. Valuing and thanking the residents who contribute to the uniqueness of our city will undoubtedly encourage other Lorraine locals to follow suit. We all benefit from beautifying our city and making it even more attractive. »
“The general appearance of the property, the quality of the landscaping as well as the presence and variety of trees, shrubs and herbs will be taken into account during the selection. A draw will be made among all the selected properties and two winners per sector (northwest, northeast and south) will receive a gift certificate worth $ 100 exchangeable at a garden center in the region” , says city councilor Pierre Barrette, member of the beautification committee.
No registration is required. The selected properties will be identified using a poster that will be affixed to the front of the property and a door hanger left for the owner’s attention by a member of the citizen squad.

Moving? Show your lease to the next tenant

Local News

Dimitris Ilias

June 22, 2020

Moving? Show your lease to the next tenant

The Basses-Laurentides ACEF encourages tenants to leave a photocopy of their lease in the apartment they will be leaving on July 1. This action will help future tenants to defend their rights according to the association.
ACEF points out that in this moving season, some owners of apartment buildings are taking advantage of this to improperly increase the cost of rent for the next occupant.
In the official lease of the Régie du logement, there is a section for this purpose, section G, which the owner must fill out. He must indicate the amount of rent paid in the last year. On the other hand, some owners omit to fill it out or write in false information maintains the ACEF.
In this sense, it is also a good idea to leave a copy of the lease modification notices received over the years. Everything can be placed in a cupboard or in a kitchen drawer, for example.
The ACEF des Basses-Laurentides reminds you that arrangements are made to enforce the rights of tenants.
Thus, if the owner has not entered the amount paid by the former occupant in section G of the lease, the new tenant has up to two months after the start of the lease to request a revision of the rental price from the Accommodation company.
If the landlord completes section G of the lease, but the amount of the new rent requested is much higher than the amount of the rent paid by the former tenant, the tenant has ten days from the signing of the lease to request a review the price of the rent to the Régie du logement.
In addition, if the owner has made a false declaration, the tenant has up to two months after becoming aware of the fraud to request a review of the rent price.

Combat the heat wave! Instructions from the Laurentides Public Health Department

Health

Dimitris Ilias

June 19, 2020

Combat the heat wave! Instructions from the Laurentides Public Health Department

Due to the warm temperatures forecast for the coming days, the Laurentides Public Health Department advises its citizens to take some precautions to avoid health problems related to heat. These measures are valid, even in pandemic times.
Recommendations
The intense heat can lead to a rapid deterioration of the state of health, the public health authorities recommend to: Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water per day, without waiting to be thirsty (or as directed by the doctor, if applicable).
Avoid consuming alcoholic drinks so as not to aggravate dehydration; Spend at least 2 hours a day in a cool or air-conditioned place; Take at least one fresh shower or bath per day or refresh the skin several times with a wet towel; Reduce physical exertion; Wear light clothing; Never leave someone alone in a poorly ventilated car or room.
The Laurentides Public Health Department also advises the public to check on their loved ones who are elderly or who suffer from physical or mental health problems in order to ensure their well-being.
Heat stroke symptoms
Symptoms of heat stroke include: headache, muscle cramps, exhaustion, dehydration, high body temperature and swelling of the hands, feet and ankles.
Who are the people at risk? When it is very hot, the whole population can suffer from health problems. However, some people are more vulnerable and can see their health deteriorate quickly: People aged 65 and over; People suffering from chronic cardiovascular, respiratory, renal or diabetes diseases; People suffering from mental health problems (especially schizophrenia) or addicted to alcohol or drugs; People who work physically or exercise strenuously outside; Children aged 0-4 years old.
Heat in pandemic times
Even on hot days, it is essential to comply with the instructions issued in connection with the current pandemic situation, in particular physical distancing. For more information on health-related issues, citizens can contact the Info-Santé service at any time by calling 811. “We ask residents to be alert to the heat warnings announced. However, we must ensure that we respect the instructions related to COVID-19 such as physical distance,” said Dr. Éric Goyer, director of public health for the Laurentians.

North Shore towns ban lawn watering

Local News

Dimitris Ilias

June 18, 2020

Dimitris Ilias

More and more North Shore towns are banning watering of lawns due to the continued heat wave. The very high consumption of water also increases the speed in the pipes and causes deposits of debris to detach, which has the same effect as a rinsing operation and could cause brownish water. Water quality is not affected in any way by this situation.

The Town of Rosemère has issued a complete watering ban, effective immediately, and until further notice, throughout the Town’s territory. As hot, dry weather is conducive to fire, it is also essential to ensure water distribution for fire safety. “Over the past few days we have noticed a sharp increase in water consumption and, with the heat wave coming, we are unfortunately forced to ban watering completely. We are therefore asking residents to reduce their consumption of drinking water. However, rest assured that the Town will continue to provide excellent quality drinking water for its residents,” stated Mayor Eric Westram. The Town prohibits lawn watering unless residents have a temporary watering permit. It is also prohibited to use any automatic watering system (underground) or to wash cars. Watering flowers and gardens is nevertheless permitted if done manually. Residents who do not comply with this watering ban are liable to a fine of up to $2,000.

Record water consumption in the City of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac resulted in a coloration of the drinking water in the city. This overconsumption forced the city to immediately issue a ban on watering throughout the territory from 1 p.m. this Wednesday, June 17, until further notice. Moreover, the heat wave period announced in the coming days could encourage citizens to water in excess, outside the periods provided for in the regulations. This prohibition is therefore essential in order to supply drinking water to all citizens. However, manual watering of flowers and gardens is allowed. Only residents who have obtained a watering permit for a new lawn will be able to water according to the standards provided for in the permit. Patrols will be carried out at all times and that offenders will be punished. The City announced that when the weather permits, the ban on watering will be lifted.

The Cities of Sainte-Thérèse, Boisbriand and Blainville also issued a mechanical and automatic watering ban for its entire territory, until further notice. Only manual watering is authorized, either using a hand container or a hose with a gun held continuously by the user.

Saint Eustache and Deux Montagnes have not issued a ban yet, but are strongly urging their citizens to limit consumption of drinking water.

Another hand sanitizer may pose health risks

Health

Dimitris Ilias

June 18, 2020

Another hand sanitizer may pose health risks

Certain hand sanitizers may pose health risks

Health Canada is advising Canadians that the following hand sanitizer may pose health risks.

Health Canada maintains a list of hand sanitizers that may pose health risks, so that Canadians can easily identify products they may have purchased and take appropriate action. Canadians are encouraged to check the list regularly for updates.


Product	Recalling Company	NPN or DIN	Lot Number(s)	Expiry Date	Date Added
Gel 700 Hand Sanitizer	Nature’s Own Cosmetics Company	80100166	L00420003L00425001L00427007L00501001	April 2022	June 17, 2020
L00512004	May 2022

Virus on the decline in Canada

Health
Local News

Dimitris Ilias

June 17, 2020

Dimitris Ilias

After a long period of toil, anxiety and hardship, Canadians are got their first good news. The official EPI and modeling update from Health Canada finally shows that the epidemic growth has slowed across all age groups.
Age groups affected
All age groups have been affected although the number of cases among children and youth has remained low. Young and middle age adults account for the majority of cases early on and through to the present. The sharp peak of cases aged 80 years and older is in large part due to outbreaks in long-term care homes in Quebec and Ontario. A recent peak in the cases from Ontario was later attributed to tests results being delivered with a delay that showed the next day as an increase when in reality, Ontario shows the lowest numbers since March.
Core public health measures
As provinces are beginning to reopen Canadian society, data and modelling indicate that core public health measures remain essential to control the epidemic in Canada. The Canadian public health agency is advising physical distancing amongst individuals as the number one measure citizens can take to combat the spread. The other measures remain detection and isolation of cases, tracing and quarantining contacts and finally managing the risk of importation.
The stats
Out of the total of covid-19 cases in Canada 8% ended in death, 16% needed hospitalization and 3% entered the ICU. Older Canadians are still the age group that is most in danger from the new virus. Based on available data, people aged over 60 years comprise the 94% of the 7,495 deaths (As of June 4th), the 71% of 8,742 hospital admissions and the 61% of the 1,721 ICU admissions. 82% of 7,495 deaths are linked to long-term care and seniors’ homes. Quebec and Ontario account for over 90% of the national case count over the past 14 days. No community transmission in Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories or the Yukon. There have been no cases reported to date in Nunavut.
Where the virus thrived
Once more the Canadian report shines the light at the devastation in long term care for seniors’ homes as cases represent 18% of cases and 82% of deaths country wide. Outbreaks in other settings where people congregate whether at home or work are also continuing to drive case counts. Canada’s largest outbreak occurred at the Cargill meat processing plant in Alberta with 1,560 cases among workers, household and community members. Movement of workers, whether between workplaces or across jurisdictions, has initiated new chains of transmission, for example: Health care workers working at more than one facility and an outbreak in northern Saskatchewan linked to a worker camp in Alberta.

That “all important” Rt value
Rt is a very important measurement used by epidemiologists to track how fast a virus spreads.It is the time variable reproduction rate, representing the average number of new infected people for each infected person. At the beginning of the pandemic in Canada that value was 2, meaning one infected person was infecting 2 more. The latest graph from the 4th of June report shows how the Rt has remained below 1 for nearly 2 weeks suggesting that public health measures are being effective in controlling the epidemic. Fluctuations above and below 1 in the last month reflect ongoing transmission in some communities and settings across the country, especially in and around Canada’s most populous cities, Toronto and Montreal.
Modelling as our crystal ball
One of the most important tools that health Canada has to predict the future spread of the virus is modelling. In the most recent report, scientists and statisticians created 3 distinct scenarios:
The first scenario is the one where no measures would be taken by the government in which case the infection would result to 70%-80% Canadians infected
The second scenario would be the one with weaker controls (delay and reduce the peak). Low degree of physical distancing and low percentages of cases and their contacts traced and isolated or quarantined. That scenario predicts 25% to 50% infected.
The third scenario would feature stronger epidemic control with a high degree of physical distancing. A high percentage of cases and their contacts would be traced and isolated or quarantined leading to a small 1% to 10% of people infected.
Canada flattened the curve sooner than a number of countries such as the UK, Italy and US. Other countries such as South Korea and Japan demonstrated strong epidemic control to keep their curves smaller overall.

Five girls from North Shore rock Hope-Fest 2020

Youth

Dimitris Ilias

June 17, 2020

Five girls from North Shore rock Hope-Fest 2020

Dimitris Ilias

It is usually an event full of glamour and great anticipation! The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board’s Starfest every year brings together young talent from the entire board territory all concentrated in a big concert co-hosted by the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Foundation.
Starfest and Covid
Laurier Gala/Starfest would have been held this year on May 28th 2020 in its usual grande tradition. The Laurier Gala and Star Fest is an annual tradition that showcases and celebrates artistic talent through the performers that sing, dance, and play instruments on stage after an audition process that lasts a few months with often hundreds of students participating. From an educational aspect, even the audition process serves as a great tool for students to gain confidence through the panel’s constructive criticism and many students that do not necessarily make it on the first try, return to successfully perform in the Gala in subsequent years. This year COVID-19 almost destroyed this beautiful artistic tradition. Initially limited to an audience of 250 and after with the mandatory cancellation of all gatherings, the board had to find a way of saving the show that gives such pleasure to so many students and promotes diverse talents of its student population.
Birth of Hope-Fest 2020
Technology saved the show this year. Confined to their houses, the organizers decided to come up with a new version of Starfest aptly renamed Hope-Fest 2020. The new show would be an online live stream through Facebook and the students had to audition by sending in a video of their performance. “I spoke to the DG about what we could do to save Starfest. There were many challenges with the biggest one being that we could not coach the students as we did in the past. In the end we decided to just let raw talent show through, just as the students recorded from their homes” said Paolo Galati, chairman of SWLSB. The audition panel would select the best performances and everyone would learn who made it by watching the live-stream on May 29th at 7:30pm. 50 videos were submitted to the judges and 16 acts were chosen to be featured.

From left, Brianna Fasoli, Kaena Roy and Gabrielle Grenon all sung with beautiful energy.

Glued to the screen
On May 29th over 750 SWLSB community members were glued to their screens as the show started with the host, Cousin Vinny from Virgin Radio introducing the performers. Paolo Galati was instrumental in launching this massive musical undertaking. “Tonight, technology will bring the Sir Wilfrid Community together with the Hopefest. I am always so proud and inspired by the incredible talent we have at the SWLSB” he said. 16 singers, dancers and instrumentalists performed to a downpour of online hearts, emojis and encouraging comments. Although a live performance is a unique magical experience, being able to participate through your tablet or phone, saying nice things, encouraging the show and sharing with others your thoughts is a beautiful and valuable byproduct of a live stream. Not to mention that the show is available permanently online, including all the comments!

Maia Marino sung a heartfelt “She used to be mine” and Mia Guerrera, danced beautifully filmed routine.

Performers from the North Shore
Out of the 16 performers 5 girls from North Shore beautified everyone’s experience with their brio and colossal performing energy. Brianna Fasoli, a sec 3 student from Rosemere High opened the entire show singing “Over the rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz. What an appropriate opener given that the hopeful message adopted internationally for the fight against COVID-19 has a rainbow in the logo! Later on, Maia Marino, a secondary 2 student from Lake of Two Mountains High sung a heartfelt “She used to be mine” followed by Gabrielle Grenon also from Rosemere High sweetly singing “Someone you loved”. Mia Guerrera, a grade 6 dancer from Pierre Elliot Trudeau Elementary exploded on everyone’s screen with a beautifully filmed dance routine followed immediately after by the classic Barbra Streisand belter “Don’t rain on my parade” from “Funny Girl” sung with torrential vocal energy by Kaena Roy a 6th grade singer from St-Jude Elementary.
A rewarding experience
All 16 of the chosen performers got $100 each from the foundation as a gift as well as their act featured in its entirety during Hopefest. What set this event apart though, is that some of the audition videos of the 44 children that were not showcased in the main show were shown at the end of Hopefest. On top of that all of those children received a $25 each for the effort and excitement they showed producing and sending in their videos. All in all, the event was an unparalleled success so much so, that the organizers are thinking of incorporating a live stream permanently as part of future Starfests.

North Shore News Volume 16-12

Archives

GBAdmin

June 16, 2020

The current issue of the North Shore News volume 16-12 published June 12th, 2020.
Covering North Shore local news, politics, sports and other newsworthy events.
(Click her e to read the paper.)

North Shore News Front Page — North Shore News: Volume 16 Number 12. June 12th, 2020.

The Baking Soprano: Fasolakia and Mojicones (Part 2)

Health

Maria Diamantis

June 16, 2020

The Baking Soprano: Fasolakia and Mojicones (Part 2)

In Colombia, like in Greece, it’s common to find a bakery in nearly every neighborhood. Nothing beats having a freshly baked bread brought to your home, except if you can bake them directly from your own oven.
As promised from my last article in the previous issue of North Shore News, I will be sharing with you this awesome and very popular Colombian recipe.
I came across this deliciousness, when I was discussing with the mother of my student, Alexandra, what we would be baking during our isolation. We would sometimes close the online voice lesson with a rapport of our baking experiments. Claudia Pérez, is not only a dedicated mother of a talented young girl, but she is a civil engineer and manages her own company (CPG Consultants). She specializes in the design of decentralized systems for the treatment of domestic wastewater.
She graduated from a Colombian school of Engineering which is an engineering-based university. She found out that she can probably manage her own restaurant too one day! “I am constantly cooking as if I had to serve for 60 people!” Just like her, I felt like a hamster in a wheel, always on the move, making sure food was in abundance during this pandemic!
So, Claudia shared with me this awesome recipe. Naturally I got excited, a new recipe and I can use more of my 10lbs of flour, donated by my mother!
It’s called mojicon. Pronounce it as you would do with (one of my favorite cocktails) mojito!
Mojicones [plural] (naturally, who wants to bake one mojicon?) are sweet rolls sprinkled with powdered or granulated sugar. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast or 7grams or 1 packet
• 1 cup of warm water
• 4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, or powdered
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 beaten egg for the glaze
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter for the glaze
Instructions

Add 1/2 of the sugar and yeast, to the water. stir to dissolve.
Allow the yeast to grow, the water will rise, so make sure you have a large enough cup
In a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt, create a well, then add the yeast mixture along with the melted butter, vanilla and eggs.
Use your hands to incorporate the flour and wet ingredients or a rubber spatula. Mix well. You will achieve a consistency of a dough.
If your bowl is big enough (I like to use the same bowl, don’t want to make too much of a mess!) you can knead the dough directly in the bowl. Or If you prefer, you can knead on a clean surface. Sprinkle your work surface with a handful of flour, put your dough on top, and start kneading. I always have flour on the side, just in case it gets too sticky, (sticky is ok, it’s better if you can handle it because your mojicones will come out softer and spongier!)
After several minutes of kneading, (your hands will get tired! Haha a little humor!) it will be quite elastic. Avoid adding too much extra flour, it should stretch easily without tearing.
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, or if you working still in the bowl, just add oil to the inside and coat the dough ball as well. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
Remove plastic wrap and knead for 30 seconds. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch the dough down and divide into 9 or 12 equal size pieces. If you poke the dough, it should bounce back!
Shape each piece into a ball and place into a greased square 8 x 8 or 9- or 10-inch round or square baking dish. I used a Pyrex. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Depending on your oven, you may need to lower the temperature. Brush the tops of the rolls with the beaten egg and melted butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar on top and let them cool slightly before removing from the dish. Enjoy with the Fasolakia (Greek green bean) recipe from the previous issue, or simply alone!

Lower parking rates for all Quebec hospitals

Featured
Health

Dimitris Ilias

June 15, 2020

Lower parking rates for all Quebec hospitals

The Minister of Health and Social Services Danielle McCann announced that, starting June 20th, new parking rates will apply in all hospitals in Quebec. People will be able to benefit from free parking for the first two hours of parking as well as a maximum daily rate between $ 7 and $ 10, depending on the region. This new pricing will be applicable in all public facilities of the health and social services network, including CLSCs.
In addition, the residential and long-term care centers (CHSLD) will offer free access for two family members of each person accommodated. The parking lots that are currently free for all visitors will remain free.
Also, users who must regularly attend an establishment to receive care, such as chemotherapy or dialysis treatments, will benefit from special rates. These special rates, already in effect in certain establishments, will now be applied uniformly throughout the network.
“Today, we are concretizing our electoral commitment to reduce parking rates so that users can finally benefit from more affordable rates when they need to receive health care and services. The differences were significant from one region to another and this situation had to be addressed. Parking fees should never be a barrier to receiving health care. We know that people have been rightly waiting for this news, and our government is proud to deliver on that promise” said Danielle McCann, Minister of Health and Social Services. “The cost of parking should not be a concern when you want to visit or care for an eligible relative in nursing homes. Thanks to this change, we have just removed an important financial barrier, which will help improve the maintenance of family and social ties between people staying in CHSLDs and their loved ones ” added Marguerite Blais, Minister responsible for Seniors and Caregivers
Control mechanisms will be in place by institutions to protect access to parking for patients and visitors. An amount of $ 25 million has been allocated to institutions to enable them to deploy these control measures. Investments of $ 120 million are reserved as of this fiscal year to compensate establishments for the loss of revenue resulting from the drop-in parking rates.