LaSalle fighting COVID-19

LASALLE, QC, May 14, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - With the 3rd highest contamination rate among Montréal boroughs—12.31 cases per 1,000 inhabitants as of May 13, 2020—LaSalle is fighting the coronavirus and supporting the health authorities with strong and often innovative measures, such as the loan of its Jacques-Lemaire arena for the COVID-19 temporary hospital or visits to businesses by its inspectors. In addition to the actions it is taking on a daily basis, the Borough of LaSalle has already contributed more than $350,000 to support community organizations and businesses.

"As LaSalle is one of the places most affected by COVID-19 on the island of Montréal, we certainly weren't going to simply stand by and watch the situation," stated Borough Mayor Manon Barbe. "Since the very beginning of the pandemic, we have been working hard to support the tremendous work of the health authorities. It's shocking to think that the virus is spreading in this way within our community. Our role as local elected officials is to see where, when and how we can make a difference, with the personnel and the means at our disposal in our borough."

Exceptional measures

Here are a few concrete measures taken by the Borough to slow down the spread of the virus, to inform LaSalle residents about the rules issued by public health authorities and to lessen the impact of the pandemic on the residents of LaSalle and its economy:

• LaSalle is lending its Centre sportif Dollard-St-Laurent at 707 - 75^e Avenue, May 13-17, for the walk-in screening clinic of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal. The Borough is announcing this ongoing testing on its 5 digital billboards—in French, English, Punjabi and Chinese—as well as on the 30 Pattison digital outdoor advertising screens.
• LaSalle took the initiative to lend its Aréna Jacques-Lemaire for the impressive COVID-19 temporary hospital set up by the Red Cross and the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal. A first in the Montréal area.
• LaSalle sent out a team of inspectors who visited the 78 essential service businesses currently open on its territory, to advise them on the physical layout and health rules to be followed in order to ensure the safety of their customers and employees.
• On May 4, LaSalle created a $200,000 Business recovery fund to provide local merchants with temporary, non-repayable financial assistance to support them when they reopen their businesses.
• As of May 15, LaSalle will have a bike patrol brigade of 10 police cadets, eight of whom are funded by the Borough, supervised by police officers from the SPVM's neighbourhood station 13, to raise awareness among pedestrians and cyclists about obeying the physical distancing and health rules, throughout the summer.
• On the weekend of May 16-17, a new awareness brigade will be launched at Parc des Rapides and along the waterfront park, consisting of Borough employees and local organizations, to make the thousands of visitors taking advantage of the shores of the St. Lawrence River aware of the health rules.
• LaSalle will begin a second series of awareness visits to apartment and other multi-family buildings by municipal employees, to distribute COVID-19 awareness posters and pamphlets, in addition to the 37,000 information pamphlets sent out to all households in the Borough during the month of April.
• LaSalle has granted special financial contributions of $155,000 to support community organizations fighting food insecurity on its territory; $100,000 to LaSalle organizations, $25,000 to Moisson Montréal, and $30,000 to Centraide of Greater Montréal.

SOURCE Arrondissement de LaSalle