$96 million sports and cultural
events complex
To be located on St-Martin Boulevard, construction starts next spring, for 2012 opening
Published October 7 , 2009
By Martin C. Barry • TLN

Over the next three years, the City of Laval plans to fill some vacant land on Saint Martin Boulevard across from the Centropolis shopping centre with a vast sports and cultural events complex costing more than $96 million, thanks to an agreement reached with the federal and provincial governments, which will be paying for about two-thirds of the cost.
At a press conference held at a Centropolis restaurant where the project was unveiled to the media, the Mayor of Laval Gilles Vaillancourt stated that the the construction of this complex opens the doors for the eventual implantation of a major league hockey team in Laval.

Laval’s cost nearly $34 million
Construction is supposed to begin next spring, with completion slated for 2012. The building, to be constructed on a lot that is now the property of the City of Laval, will include a 7,000-seat hockey arena, which can be converted to a concert and events venue with a total capacity of 8,500 persons.
There will be two other skating rinks. The first, an Olympic-sized rink with a capacity of 2,000 people, will be used for speed and figure skating. There will also be a rink for hockey practice, with a capacity of 250 people, which is likely to be used mostly by minor hockey associations. While the cost for Ottawa and Quebec will be more than $62 million, the City of Laval’s share is nearly $34 million.

An array of facilities
The complex will include an array of complementary facilities, such as a gymnasium, a sports medicine clinic, a sports equipment retail outlet, restaurant services, and 15,000 square feet of office space. There will be parking for 3,500 vehicles outdoors and 50 inside. The project is expected to stimulate economic activity in the surrounding area, especially at hotels, restaurants and retail stores. Vaillancourt noted that Laval is already recognized as a choice destination in the domain of business tourism, while still managing to remain competitive among leisure tourism. The construction of the complex is expected to further strengthen this position.
The project “comes at just the right time in the current economic context and serves to illustrate the capacity of the two governments and the municipal sector to work together to bring forward structured projects that will benefit the community for several decades, all the while encouraging economic recovery,” said Vaillancourt, adding that the new complex will make facilities of the highest quality available to residents, while encouraging physical activity and helping to develop future athletes.

Laval is ‘modernising’: Courchesne
“I think we can say that for several years now, Laval is at the point where we are growing and getting larger, but we are also modernising,” said Fabre Liberal MNA Michelle Courchesne, who is also the cabinet minister responsible for the Laval region. “It is with great pride that I see that we can as public decision-makers do such projects that our city and our region become fully involved in the modern era with equipment such as the Metro and the Autoroute 25 bridge, with which we are renewing our infrastructure while expanding sustainable development.”
“Today as a government we are assuming our responsibilities while also taking advantage of the economic context to intervene,” said Conservative MP for Lévis-Bellechasse Steven Blaney, who was speaking on behalf of the federal minister of state for economic development. Blaney praised Laval’s mayor, who has been active in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for many years, for being ahead of the game by encouraging the federal government to play a more important role in the renewal of public infrastructure.