Week in Review: Rental housing, Dorval condos, coronavirus plea, Sue Montgomery, a book to say I love you

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Dorval residents weigh in on proposed 16-storey residential project

More than a 100 Dorval residents attended a municipal public consultation last week for a proposed residential project that would the transform the city’s commercial sector. The North American Development Group, a Toronto-based developer and retail property manager, unveiled details of the project that would see the construction of 925 residential units in a half-dozen apartment and condo towers across from Dorval Gardens shopping centre. The development is planned on a site that is currently being used a parking lot on the south side of Carson Ave., and a stretch of property along Dorval Ave. that includes the old Dorval cinema. Before the project can move forward, however, it will require the city to amend its bylaws to allow the construction of proposed 16 storey buildings. The current maximum allowed in Dorval is eight storeys.

Montreal couple aboard Diamond Princess: ‘Get us off the ship’

A Montreal couple quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess in Japan are accusing Canadian authorities of jeopardizing their safety as the number of coronavirus infections has soared to more than 170 on the cruise ship in less than two weeks.“We’re like sitting ducks,” said Bryan Doyle, arguing the luxury liner has become an “incubator” for the highly infectious bug. Although at least 2,500 passengers are confined to their cabins, more than 1,000 crew members are free to circulate around the ship and they share sleeping quarters. Midday Wednesday, the New York Times was reporting a Japanese health official who had boarded the ship to survey passengers has tested positive and is now in quarantine in the port of Yokohama. Doyle and his wife, Lucie Mauro, have appealed to the Canadian embassy in Japan and Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa to take them off the ship — along with the other Canadian passengers — and fly them back home. But Canadian authorities have ignored their pleas, Doyle charged.

Brownstein: Assaf Havilio found 200 languages to tell his wife he loves her

Quite possibly, it could give one pause if someone were to utter “Asavakkit” in one’s ear. Same with “Ik zie je graag.” And most definitely with “Rwy’n dy garu di.” In fact, the latter mouthful might even lead to fisticuffs if misconstrued. But harsh as these words may sound to some, they are actually heart-felt declarations meaning “I love you” in, respectively, Greenlandic, Flemish Dutch and Welsh. Admittedly, they are not nearly as soothing to the ear as the Italian “Ti amo,” the French “Je t’aime” or the ever-catchy Kenyan Swahili “Nakupenda,” but they still do the trick. Every day is Valentine’s Day for Montreal graphic designer Assaf Havilio. So to demonstrate his passion for his wife and their four kids year-round, Havilio decided to pen and design a book for them, I Love You in Every Language.

Montgomery digs in as Plante turns up heat in harassment case

The mayor of the city’s most-populous borough is fighting back after the city of Montreal filed a complaint on Friday with the Quebec Municipal Commission in a harassment case. The city’s comptroller general filed the complaint against Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce mayor Sue Montgomery, saying she has refused to “fulfill her legal obligations as an employer and her duty as a member of (city) council.” The action came after an investigation last year by the comptroller general found that two employees experienced psychological harassment on the part of her chief of staff and that Montgomery had been “willfully blind” to the situation. Upon being briefed verbally on the report in December, Montgomery refused to fire Annalisa Harris, the chief of staff, saying she wanted to see details of the case. The city said the information would remain confidential to protect the identities of the people involved. Harris, however, had been ordered not to come into any contact with municipal employees.