Latest news with #Dorval
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Via Rail, union ratify new three-year collective agreement
A Via Rail train is seen on tracks in Dorval, Que., as it heads out of Montreal on Friday, May 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi MONTREAL — Via Rail says new collective agreements have been ratified with about 2,500 unionized workers. The agreements with Unifor's council 4000 and Local 100 cover the period from the start of this year through to the end of 2027. They include a three per cent annual wage increase for each of the next three years, as well as improved working conditions and benefits. Workers at the Crown corporation had voted for a strike mandate, but a walkout was averted in June when the company and union reached a tentative agreement. The union represents workers at stations, maintenance centres, the customer care centre, in administrative offices and aboard trains. Unifor national president Lana Payne says the agreement delivers meaningful gains for members and protects the critical work they do. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025 The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Dorval residents demand better flood measures
After Sunday's intense storm, residents who got flooded say they worry whenever the weather forecast calls for rain — like one Dorval family who is already sand-bagging their front yard. Shanna Kavanagh got 24 sandbags from the city of Dorval and then sent her husband out to buy more. 'I don't know how else to protect my house and my belongings,' she says. Her plan is to keep that sandbag barrier at the top of her downward sloping driveway until November to prevent more flooding. 'I feel like I'm preparing for war against mother nature,' she says. During a rain storm in early August last year, Kavanagh's basement flooded. And it happened again this past weekend. A video she recorded shows her driveway full of water pouring into her garage and basement. Her street, Vinet Avenue, fills with water and then cascades down her driveway. 'The pluvial system doesn't support the water, and I'm at the lowest peak of the street. So overall it's the it overflows the curves and then accumulates at the lowest point,' says Kavanagh. Other neighbours who have also been flooded say the rain water accumulates quickly and drains slowly. Kelly Faubert has lived across the street for over a decade and says she never had issues with water. 'And then in this last year, like three or four times, the streets have been completely full. So, I mean, you can blame the weather, but I think it's an infrastructure problem,' she says. A few doors away, Helene Quintal says she had no problems for 60 years. 'Just the stress of living through that again this year ... I don't know what the city can do but they have to do something about it,' she told CTV News. Dorval Mayor Marc Doret says the city is on it. Besides meeting with Kavanagh to see the problem on her property, he wants to reassure her and others that the city is working on improving existing infrastructure to reduce the effects of heavy rains and provide some financial help. He wants to put in place a grant program similar to Montreal's. 'One of the interesting features of that program will be for people who have downslope driveways. And there is a solution that exists. It's a pressurized garage door,' he says. The city would help homeowners who want to convert from a traditional garage door to one of these efficient pressurized garage doors, he added. For some residents, it can't happen quickly enough. '[To have] more rain like we had on Sunday, it would be just overwhelming for us. You know, it's too much,' says Quintal.
CTV News
06-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Quebec neighbourhood stores closing up shop
Over several generations, depanneurs that sell everything from toys to beer and cigarettes, have been a neighbourhood staple in Quebec. But in recent years, many have been forced to close up shop, especially those owned independently that are not part of a chain. When the door of Brijesh Patel's convenience store swings open, he often greets customers by name. Patel has owned the Provi-Soir depanneur for nearly five years and has worked on selling candy, lottery tickets and beer with a large serving of friendly service on the side. 'I come for Brigesh, I am not joking. He is very nice, very polite. He makes you feel like family,' said Saverio Martinello, who has lived in Dorval, a suburb on the island of Montreal where the store is located, for nearly a quarter century. But the store's cash register isn't ringing as much as it once did. Patel says business has been going down for at least two years, dropping nearly 25 per cent over the past six months alone. 'People's rent is going up, prices are going up, so people are not buying as much,' said Patel, who studied computer engineering in India before he saved up his money to buy his own store. He says loves his business, though it is a challenging time. A website called DepQuebec has tracked alcohol sale permits and determined that 550 convenience stores have shut down in Quebec over the past two years. 'Declining tobacco sales, lottery sales, and above all, excessive government regulations, created a perfect storm,' says Michel Poulin, the spokesperson for Regroupement des Tabagies du Quebec. 'Tabagies' are a type of convenience store focused on tobacco sales, but that often also offer products like magazines, candy and pop. 'I am not saying you should do all your groceries at the convenience store. But I think you should support and make an effort to keep that kind of business alive in your neighbourhood.' said Poulin. 'You don't need to be a member to shop there. You are already a member if you are part of the community.' Inflation has also taken a bite out of the business. Many consumers now forgo the convenience of grabbing supplies at a store that is at the corner or that may have longer operating hours, but is generally pricier. 'I haven't ordered a single can of food in over two months,' says Patel. 'Not a single can, because customers go to Walmart, because it is often cheaper.' Small stores can't match most of the prices of big box stores that bank on volume, and saving has increasingly become a priority in recent months. Younger customers are also less likely to feel the nostalgia for neighbourhood stores. But for now, Patel has no plans to walk away from his depanneur that serves many of his elderly neighbours. To some, the store is part of the community. Sylvie Paquet lives a short walk away, and says while the products are more expensive, she loves the convenience of dropping in and seeing a friendly face. 'I just came back from vacation and I am happy to see him,' said Paquet. 'The human contact is important for me.'
CTV News
02-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Bombardier shares up after deal for 50 jets valued at US$1.7B
Bombardier employees work on an aircraft in Dorval, Que., on Monday, April 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi MONTREAL — Shares in Bombardier Inc. were up more than 10 per cent in early trading after announcing a firm order for 50 of its Challenger and Global aircraft combined with a services agreement. The company valued the deal with the unidentified buyer at a total of US$1.7 billion. Aircraft deliveries are expected to begin in 2027. Bombardier also says the buyer, a first-time Bombardier customer, will hold 70 new aircraft purchase options. The company says if all the purchase options are exercised, the combined aircraft and service agreements' value would top US$4 billion. Bombardier shares were up C$15.27 at C$133.91 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2025.
Montreal Gazette
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: What not to say at U.S. border
Letters To The Editor Pete Hoekstra, the American ambassador to Canada, has said Canadians facing device searches and detainment is 'not a pattern.' I've been told of two situations that might make Canadians uneasy about going to the U.S. A couple I know driving from Toronto to Buffalo were asked by the U.S. border officer 'what they thought of our new president.' When they replied they 'did not think very positively about him,' they were pulled aside and their entry was eventually denied. And the same person who related the above story told me he was asked the same question at the airport when he was preparing to fly to the U.S. on business. When he gave the same honest reply, he was pulled aside and his device was searched. If you are crossing into the U.S. and are asked what you think about the U.S. president, maybe just say you think he is wonderful. Graham Wright, Westmount By this measure, Trump is a success Re: ' Anand weighs in on Israeli strike ' (NP Montreal, June 14) Charlie Kirk, described as the founder of Turning Point USA and an ally of the Trump White House, is quoted as saying: 'No issue currently divides the (U.S.) right as much as foreign policy.' This could be partly because it is difficult for some to ascertain what Trump's foreign policy is. Kirk also refers to 'our insanely successful presidency' — which is, in a way, a rather unfortunate description of the situation. John Hall, Montreal Warm reception among 'Mainers' Re: ' Support, love and gratitude from Plattsburgh ' (Opinion, June 13) I recently spent two weeks in my happy place, Old Orchard Beach, Me. On Flag Day — June 14 — I drove by a crowd of people near the ocean who were holding up placards protesting against many of Donald Trump's latest policies. As I passed them, I heard a big cheer go up. I can only surmise that my Quebec licence plate elicited such a response. Mainers are among my favourite people in the world. It pained me to see the empty stores and restaurants, and the dearth of people on the beach. Seems like such a sad consequence of hastily enacted, mean-spirited policies against Canadians. Debbie Astroff, Dorval Voters must not sit out midterms Re: ' Sorry, but I am tired of apologies ' (Letters, May 21) I absolutely agree with the letter writer that U.S. voters need to return control of Congress to the Democrats next year, which is more plausible in the House of Representatives than it is in the Senate. But there is an important distinction to be made: Trump won a plurality of the vote, but not quite a majority, over Kamala Harris. More significantly, voter turnout was around 64 or 65 per cent (depending on the source), with Trump winning just 32 per cent or so of all potential votes and Harris around 31 per cent. As is often the case, those who stayed home helped determine the election. The couch potatoes had better show up in the November 2026 midterms to save whatever semblance of democracy remains south of the border. Stan Shatenstein, Montreal Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
