Argenteuil, QC

After serving the community of Argenteuil for nearly 14 years as the deputy of Argenteuil, MNA David Whissell has stepped down from his post, effective immediately.

He tendered his resignation with the Quebec National Assembly on Friday, December 16.

In an exclusive interview with local media, Whissell said that his decision to resign was not an easy one - and one which he struggled with for months.

Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel MP Mylène Freeman weighed in on the need to appoint more female judges to the federal judiciary, during a debate in the House of Commons on Monday, November 14.

The issue was first highlighted by a fellow New Democat, Françoise Boivin of Gatineau, who noted only eight of the 41 federal judges appointed by the Conservative government this year were women.

The tap water in Saint-André d'Argenteuil will be flowing in high quantities following the inauguration of a new water reservoir that promises to deliver a cache of 3.8 million litres of water.

It represents a major increase from the former reservoir's capacity, which was limited to 450,000 litres.

"Water is one of the greatest riches that a citizen can enjoy and here in Saint-André-d'Argenteuil we are blessed with good quality water," said Saint-André d'Argenteuil Mayor André Jetté.

Mylène Freeman, the newly-elected candidate for New Democratic Party in Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel, is the first to admit her sweep of the riding this week was unexpected.

At age 22, Freeman will be one of the youngest members of parliament to sit in the House of Commons when Parliament resumes later this month - something the recent McGill University graduate said is "exciting, but it's also moving into a completely different way of life."

Voting day for the 2011 federal elections is this coming Monday, May 2. Polling stations are open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Here, The Review presents its profiles of the candidates in the western Quebec riding of Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel.

Area residents felt the ground shake at 1:36 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16 following a magnitude 4.3 earthquake centered just southeast of Hawkesbury.

The earthquake rattled a wide area from the Laurentians, north of Montreal, all the way to the Ottawa region. The shaking lasted approximately 10 to 20 seconds.

Natural Resources Canada confirmed the epicentre was about six kilometres southeast of Hawkesbury. The agency had initially reported it as being in Lachute.

A tragic ski accident at Ski Morin-Heights claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy on Saturday, February 26.

The teenage boy was reportedly skiing on an intermediate trail at Ski Morin-Heights when, for unknown reasons, he went off the trail and hit one of the trees edging the slope.

According to Sûreté du Quebec Sgt. Martine Isabelle, the boy was wearing a helmet and he was accompanied by two adults at the time of the accident. Isabelle explained that it was not the boy's first time skiing and that he was skiing on a marked trail at the time of the accident.

A weekend cold snap led to frigid temperatures in the low 30s and a multitude of smashed cars, as motorists slogged through slushy conditions on Friday, January 21 and extremely cold ones between January 22 and 23.

A total of fourteen collisions took place in the Argenteuil region during this three-day span, only one of which led to minor injuries. A deer was involved in one of the 14 cases and in the remaining 13 accidents, driver error and difficult driving conditions were listed as contributing factors.

It was minus-15 degrees outside and it was snowing and slippery, but the 2,000 people in attendance didn't even seem to notice as they stood in the frigid weather and held their collective breath.

As one crowd, they watched world-renowned skiers fly down the slopes, glide around the moguls at impossibly fast speed, only to fly off the jumps and soar through the air as though they had wings.