Longueuil seeks to amend charter to have entire city cover costs of $10M François Lamarre settlement
The City of Longueuil is hoping to amend its charter so that the costs associated with compensating victims of former hockey coach François Lamarre can be shared by the entire city — not just Greenfield Park residents.
Last December, a Superior Court judge authorized a $10.25-million class-action settlement against Lamarre, a former police officer who coached youth hockey for 30 years in the former town of Greenfield Park. The town is now part of the City of Longueuil after the merger in 2002.
He died seven months after being charged with several sexual assault offences involving four complainants. One of his victims, John Cormier, launched the class-action suit against Lamarre, naming his estate and the City of Longueuil as defendants.
Only about $8,000 of the settlement will come from Lamarre's estate through the tax collection agency, while the rest of the multi-million dollar settlement will have to come from residents.
Coalition avenir Québec MNA Isabelle Poulet is sponsoring a private bill at the National Assembly. Bill 216 would amend Longueuil's charter so that costs associated with the court case 'are financed by revenues from the city's entire territory.'
The private bill could be passed in the coming weeks.
Sylvain Joly, president of the Greenfield Park borough
Sylvain Joly, president of the Greenfield Park borough. (CTV News)
Sylvain Joly, president of the Greenfield Park borough, supports the bill, saying it would be 'unfair' for residents of his district to cover the costs alone.
'Can you imagine if that debt was assumed by the people of Greenfield Park? It will cost $84 during 20 years' added to their municipal taxes, he told CTV News. He said spreading the cost over the entire territory would cost $17 for each citizen over a five-year period instead.
Those figures are based on the maximum amount that can be awarded ($10.25 million) to victims. The exact amount will be known later this summer.
Compensation will depend on the level of abuse suffered, reaching a maximum of $600,000 per victim.
Victims have until June 17, 2025, to submit a claim, which can be done by visiting the Kugler Kandestin law firm's website.
With files from CTV Montreal's Olivia O'Malley
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
Man convicted of ‘utterly brutal' murder of wife dies in B.C. prison
An Ontario man sentenced to life behind bars for what the sentencing judge described as a 'brutal and vicious domestic homicide' has died in a B.C. prison. Nelson Tayongtong, 52, was incarcerated at the Pacific Institution/Regional Treatment Centre in Abbotsford where he died of apparent natural causes over the weekend, according to a news release from the Correctional Service of Canada. Tayongtong was convicted of second-degree murder in October of 2017 and would have been eligible for parole after 17 years, according to the decision on sentencing. The court heard that Tayongtong stabbed his wife Aicha Saludares to death in their home on the morning of Sept. 8, 2012. 'The murder was as brutal as imaginable,' Justice Leonard Ricchetti wrote in his decision on parole eligibility, noting the victim had 138 'stab and incisive wounds' on her face, neck and body when she was found in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor of her home. 'The utterly brutal nature of the attack demonstrates a callous, personal animosity to Aicha,' the judge said. The couple had been married for nine years but were separated at the time of the murder. The motive, according to the sentencing decision, was either anger over Saludares' having started a new relationship or a dispute over how to divide assets. 'In either case, Mr. Tayongtong's motive for committing the murder deserves strong denunciation by this court,' Ricchetti said. In setting a parole eligibility at the 'top end of the range' Ricchetti laid out a number of aggravating factors, including that Saludares was murdered by her husband in her home where she should have been safe. 'I need not repeat the many comments of this court which recite and repeat the all too common societal problem of brutal domestic violence and the need to strongly deter and denounce such conduct in our society,' the judge said. The fact that Tayongtong put the murder weapon in Saludares' hand before leaving the scene to 'suggest some fault or responsibility' on her part was also a factor. 'Whether this was a feeble attempt to try to establish Aicha was using a knife to instigate the attack or defend herself against an intruder is not clear on the evidence,' the sentencing decision said. The extent of the violence inflicted on Saludares was also considered aggravating. 'This murder was carried out in the most brutal, cold-blooded and callous manner,' the judge said. 'It is simply impossible to imagine the amount of sheer hatred and drive that Mr. Tayongtong had that morning when he murdered Aicha.' The Correctional Service of Canada will review the circumstances of Tayongtong's death, as it does whenever someone dies while in custody.
National Post
20 minutes ago
- National Post
Toronto man allegedly steals a Sea-Doo and illegally crosses Canada-U.S. border
Article content Taylor said this is the first time something like this has happened in the four years that Gordons Watersports has been in business. Article content 'We tell renters where the invisible border line is and to stay on Canadian waters and definitely do not cross the border into the States,' he said. The distance between the two countries is quite small, just a few hundred metres across the St. Clair River between Sarnia and Port Huron, Michigan. Article content The case is reminiscent of one just a few days earlier, when police in LaSalle, Ont., opposite Detroit, Michigan, noticed a a man at the water's edge with two backpacks and a kayak. Article content 'The officer investigated and discovered the man was attempting to illegally enter Canada,' police said. A 51-year-old from the U.S. was turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Article content For Gordon, however, 'this is definitely a first, a first and a last, that's what we're hoping. It's been an eventful and a little stressful weekend for us but we're trying to make the best out of the horrible situation.' Article content Indeed, the Facebook page for Gordons Watersports is playing up the lighter side of the affair. A post on Tuesday morning included the line 'catch waves, not warrants,' and reminded renters to 'keep it fun and legal,' adding: 'Gordons Watersports — where the only thing you'll be crossing is the wake.' Article content It also thanked 'our staff, border control, and law enforcement for their quick action in … this very rare case of an illegal entry to the U.S.' Article content By Tuesday afternoon an additional post invited visitors to answer the question: 'Why did Romeo cross illegally?' It suggested 'To find his Juliet,' 'Audition for Fast and Furious Sea-Doo Drift' and 'Heard Tim Hortons was out of Timbits.' Best answer gets a $50 gift card.
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Need immediate action': Sask. premier says Ottawa must act as China announces more canola tariffs
Premier of Saskatchewan Scott Moe speaks to media prior to the First Minister's Meeting in Saskatoon on Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is pleading with federal officials to take action – as China has rolled out further tariffs against Canadian canola. China's provisional duty rate will be set at 75.8 per cent and will go into effect on Thursday. Speaking with reporters in Saskatoon Tuesday afternoon – Moe said the escalation comes at a hard time for producers – as many farmers are actively preparing or have already begun harvest. 'I was hoping that this could be avoided. That doesn't appear to be the case this morning, and so there's a shift in tone and a shift in urgency in the work that needs to happen in the days and weeks ahead,' he said. 'We need immediate action on this file. This is a significant Canadian industry,' he added. China's new anti-dumping duties mark a fresh escalation in the year-long trade dispute that began with Canada's imposition of tariffs on Chinese-produced electric vehicles last August. The new tariffs are temporary – and will be finalized after a probe into anti-dumping officially wraps up next month. The probe, launched last September, found that Canada's agriculture industry, particularly the canola sector, had benefited from 'substantial' government subsidies and preferential policies. Moe went on to say that the new tariffs not being set in stone – makes immediate talks that much more important. 'This is a temporary tariff put in place until the finalization and review of the anti-dumping report and study that they have, which, to me, is an opportunity for Canada to engage ambitiously as that report comes forward,' he explained. 'Herein lies our opportunity. Everything is temporary at the moment, let's see if we can have it removed before it becomes permanent.' China sources nearly all its canola products from Canada. Saskatchewan produces 55 per cent of Canada's canola, according to statistics from the province. Moe called on Ottawa to work with the province and begin negotiating with the Chinese – citing that the canola sector is too valuable to squander. 'I would say that our federal government cannot sacrifice a $43 billion canola industry, 200,000 jobs in that industry that is largely based, in fairness, in Western Canada to protect a fledging electric vehicle industry largely based on eastern Canada,' he said. The announcement's impact on the price of canola was already evident Tuesday. The global benchmark for canola trading – Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) November canola futures RSX5 – fell to a four-month low after the announcement. The Saskatchewan NDP believe the government should make use of its trade office in China and send a diplomatic mission to end the tariffs on canola, pork and peas. 'China is our second largest trading partner, and these tariffs have the potential to crush entire farms and communities,' Leader Carla Beck told reporters Tuesday morning. 'What's the point of paying millions of dollars for a trade office in China if we don't use the thing?' Moe says he expects to speak with Prime Minister Mark Carney in the next 24 hours. -With files from Reuters
