(Photo: Martin Alarie)
Donato Centomo
The candidate
Although at 53 he's running for a National Assembly seat for the first time, he's been involved with the PQ since he was 18. An attorney with Laval's Legal Aid Bureau since 1979, Donato Centomo put his profession on hold for the last month to campaign in Mille-Îles, where he lives. A 40-year resident of Laval, he has lived in Saint-François for the past 25 years. Of Italian origin, through his work he has rubbed shoulders with the different ethnic groups on Île-Jésus. Holding various positions, he has been a part of the fabric of Laval for the past 30 years: Laval bâtonnier (chief barrister) in 2003-2004 and member of the board of directors of l'Entraide Pont-Viau, le Relais communautaire de Laval, and l'Association régionale de soccer de Laval.
What are the issues in the riding?
PQ spokesperson for Health and Education in Laval region, Mr. Centomo wants closer cooperation between schools and community, in order to offer young people more opportunities to benefit from enriching co-curricular activities. He cites, for example, the comité Saint-François en action (Saint-François community action committee), which could be a partner in this rapprochement between school and community. In Health, he proposes a second Centre de santé et de services sociaux (Health and Social Services Centre), to achieve a more effective distribution of (health) resources on Laval island. On the issue of the Saint-François Archipelago, which the Liberals have wanted to preserve for the past two years, he is opposed to a new private member's bill which would validate a 2001 rezoning regulation that is being contested. The regulation has delivered the archipelago and several other Laval districts into the hands of developers.