http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/home.aspxCJAD Local News en-usCopyright 2013, CJAD-AMFri, 24 May 2013 20:52:03 GMTFri, 24 May 2013 20:27:13 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comTORONTO — Mayor Rob Ford broke his week-long silence Friday to deny he smokes crack cocaine and to lambaste the media for judging him without evidence. In a statement at city hall, the embattled mayor fought back against reports that he was caught on cellphone video appearing to smoking crack. "I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine,'' Ford said in a three-and-a-half-minute statement. "I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist.'' Saying the past week had taken a toll on his family and friends, the mayor said he had stayed silent about "this nonsense'' on the advice of his lawyer. "It is most unfortunate, very unfortunate, that my colleagues and the great people of this city have been exposed to the fact that I have been judged by the media without any evidence,'' he said. Ford, ...http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548994http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548994Fri, 24 May 2013 20:27:13 GMTThe City of Montreal is reminding residents that users of smart phones can now sign up for civil security alerts — to find out about things like the massive boil water advisory that was lifted last night. The city says residents, businesses, and anyone who works or goes to school in Montreal to register with the city for things like boil water advisories, flood warnings and advisories to stay indoors. Register at the city's civil security page here.http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548974rdeschamps@astral.com (Richard Deschamps)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548974Fri, 24 May 2013 19:24:20 GMTYet another road work blitz is happening this weekend on the Montreal side to the Champlain bridge. And the federal bridge authority is saying it might be the last weekend work blitz for a while. The bridge authority says this weekend's blitz will take place on some of the access ramps leading to the Ile-des-Soeurs Bridge — the one connecting the island of Montreal to Nun's Island. Between Friday at 10 p.m. and Monday at 5 a.m., there'll be one lane open in each direction on those ramps. Authorities are suggesting the Bonaventure Expressway should be considered as an alternate route if you want to avoid the worksites when accessing or exiting the Champlain Bridge. While the bridge authority says the major work to repave the bridge and fix the expansion joints is done, there will be more work done over the next few months under the bridge and on ...http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548968rdeschamps@astral.com (Richard Deschamps)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548968Fri, 24 May 2013 19:08:18 GMTMontreal police are asking the public's help in trying to locate a 14-year-old girl who vanished last Saturday. Gracia Younes lives at a youth centre in Pierrefonds, and appears to have run away while visiting her father in the Cote-des-Neiges/NDG borough. She's five feet, five inches tall, weighs 110 pounds, has long black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is being asked to call police. Photo: SPVMhttp://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548961rdeschamps@astral.com (Richard Deschamps)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548961Fri, 24 May 2013 18:44:20 GMTQuebec Health Minister Réjean Hébert is touting a one stop shop to keep track of admissions into the province's publicly-funded assisted procreation program and to streamline access into the public system first before resorting to the private sector. Hébert was responding to criticisms this week by medical specialists and other doctors that the nearly three-year-old program is mismanaged and costly and prompting doctors to flee to the private sector. "We want to put a single point of entry for medical procreation in order to have a clear access for the women first and second, in order to direct the women to the public sector first and if the public sector is not available, to the private sector as a complementary (measure)," Hébert told reporters. Hébert reiterated that the program is not being put into question and that a review, from fees to management to ethical issues, is underway, with recommendations ...http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548952slee@astral.com (Shuyee Lee)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548952Fri, 24 May 2013 18:18:22 GMTIt's a big concern for public health officials especially with the summer coming. Cases of West Nile virus are on the rise and the number of deaths is also up. According to the Quebec Institute of Public Health, the number of reported cases in recent years has exploded from just 1 in 2006 to 132 last year, including 5 fatalities. Quebec's health minister says he is concerned and is launching an action plan to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. "We have been watching the situation for the past few months, and yes I am worried," Rejean Hebert told CJAD. "That is why we are launching an action plan in the next few weeks to sensitize the population and use larvicides to decrease the population of these bugs." West Nile virus first appeared in Quebec in 2002. It is carried in 250 species of birds, but is transmitted through ...http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548884news@cjad.com (CJAD)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548884Fri, 24 May 2013 17:22:24 GMTThe headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization will remain in Montreal, at least for the foreseeable future. Foreign affairs minister John Baird confirmed on his Twitter account that Qatar has withdrawn its bid to have the headquarters of the UN agency moved out of Montreal, where it has been since it was created in 1947. The oil-rich kingdom has made its intentions known some weeks ago — which prompted the unlikeliest of political alliances to band together to make the case for keeping the headquarters here. Also on his Twitter account, Baird said saving the ICAO headquarters would not have been possible without the "great teamwork" between his government, PQ minister Jean-François Lisée, and mayor Michael Applebaum. http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548833rdeschamps@astral.com (Richard Deschamps)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548833Fri, 24 May 2013 14:55:07 GMTMontreal police say they are looking for young victims of an alleged sex predator in Lachine. 62-year-old Michael Belanger was arrested on May 10. Police say he lured his victims online, either through Facebook, Skype, or MSN Messenger. Montreal police spokesperson Raphael Bergeron says the suspect created false Facebook profiles, and went by different names. "Such as Michael Adam Jones, Jake Williams, Jonathan Cruise, and Ben Donaldson," says Bergeron, "so anyone who believes they were a victim of this person is asked to contact police." Charges against the suspect include sexual touching and posession of juvenile pornography. So far police have identified four victims between 14 and 17 years old. Belanger will appear in court on Friday for a bail hearing. Officials add the crimes were committed between July 2005 and November of last year.   Photo credit: Montreal policehttp://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548604lcasella@astral.com (Laura Casella)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548604Fri, 24 May 2013 12:55:11 GMTLaval police say they have seized a gun and a large quantity of drugs following the arrest of two suspects alleged to be involved in the traffiking of drugs. 21-year old Mey Sam Habibzadey and 33-year old Mehdi Zandi were arrested earlier this week in a parking lot on Cure-Labelle Boulevard during a drug deal, according to police. Following their arrest, searches were conducted in their car and at their homes. In all, half a kilo of ecstasy, 6 ounces of cocaine, a pound of marijuana, a Cobray pistol, including ammunition, and $21,000 in cash were seized. The pair face charges of drug traffiking and possession of a prohibited weapon.http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548734lcasella@astral.com (Laura Casella)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548734Fri, 24 May 2013 12:15:12 GMTGiven all the rain we've had in recent weeks, some residents of Vaudreuil-Dorion are learning the hard way about water conservation efforts by the city.Since last Sunday, 40 homeowners have been cited for wasting water.Vaudreuil-Dorion has a new bylaw which prohibits homeowners and businesses from using water needlessly.It includes watering a lawn when it's raining, washing a driveway or to melt snow among other things.First time offenders face fines of $250. Business fines start at $500.The city says the bylaw is designed to get residents to reduce their overall water consumption.More details on the bylaw are available here.http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548731apeplowski@astral.com (Andrew Peplowski)http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548731Fri, 24 May 2013 11:54:47 GMT