The City of Laval and Hydro-Québec say they are working together on a project to create a biodiversity corridor on an electricity right-of-way currently used by the public power company.
As such, the city will be receiving a $593,798 subsidy from the electricity company to create a linear park where a variety of new plants and vegetation will be planted. The park will also have a multifunctional path when completed.
“This agreement with Hydro-Québec marks a decisive turning point in the implementation of the Trame verte et bleue in Laval,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer, referring to an intermunicipal program that encourages the development of a network of biodiverse outdoor parks and spaces.
“By transforming our electrical corridors into places of biodiversity, we are beautifying not only our urban landscape, but we are also active contributing to the preservation of our ecosystem,” he said. “This is an initiative that will benefit the population of Laval as much as the local fauna and flora.”
“At Hydro-Québec we believe firmly that cooperation with municipalities is essential to improve the quality of life of citizens,” said Alain Paquette, a Hydro-Québec spokesman in charge of the dossier for the company. “We see an opportunity to allow citizens to benefit from the reliability of new electrical installations, with the implementation of this initiative, to encourage sustainable mobility as well as access to a vast, enriching and biodiverse green space.”
The area where the path is to be located is situated between Autoroute 440 and the Rivière des Prairies, east of Autoroute 13. It covers an area of roughly 50 hectares over 5.4 kilometres, subdivided into mixed, natural and recreational segments.
As an initial symbolic gesture, the City of Laval last week inaugurated a new biodiverse halt at Binet Park in the middle of the new corridor. The city plans to plant a diverse selection of vegetation that will encourage pollination and the presence of birds.
There will also be a small wooden terrace, and some trails linking the corridor to a nearby school and the neighborhood.
Mayor Boyer shares his thoughts on Storm Debby aftermath
Earlier this week, Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer summarized the city’s efforts to conduct a massive clean up in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby.
“The clean up operations continue,” he said. “Saturday night we went to 290 streets cleaned, and 1517 families helped. Our employees work up to 12 hours every day. A huge task considering that all the neighborhoods of Laval have been affected by floods. There would be the equivalent of 4 years of trash to pick up…
“In person or on social media, you shared with me your concerns about this disaster,” Boyer continued.
“Certain financial impact, but also lost memories, work-related stress, uncertainty about the future. But all around the city, I’ve also seen neighbors who help each other and employees who are proud to be able to help. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we’re not giving up as long as the work is not done!”
