Petition asking Mayor Boyer to reverse decision now has more than 20,000 signatures
More than 100 supporters of a petition urging the Boyer administration not to shut the mini-farm at the Centre de la nature in Duvernay held a gathering outside the facility last Saturday, while preparing to make their voices loudly heard at the monthly city council meeting on Tuesday.
Major reaction to closure
The planned gradual closure of the petting zoo at the Centre de la nature, which is scheduled for June, has sparked a strong grassroots reaction, with a petition that now exceeds 20,000 signatures.
The city is standing by its decision, noting the facilities are outdated and worn out, and the reconstruction costs are estimated to be between $15 and $20 million. The building itself has an immediate need for a new roof, with an estimated cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Denis Fiévèt, initiator of the petition, and Isabelle Piché, Saint-François city councillor for Action Laval, have been spearheading efforts to rally the support of residents from all over Laval, in the hopes of saving the small but cherished mini-farm which houses a range of domestic animals, including sheep, geese, chickens and donkeys.
Fond memories of the farm
Their goal is to put pressure on Mayor Stéphane Boyer and the councillors who hold the majority of council seats to vote in favour of an Action Laval proposal to hold a public consultation on the matter. Among the residents of Laval who turned up in spite of the debilitating cold last Saturday was Yvan Paquette.
A retiree from Sainte-Rose where he has lived and raised a family since 1980, he said he had fond memories of bringing his children to the farm. He said he wanted to make sure his grandchildren would also be able to benefit from the same experience.
“We came here when they were younger and now they are 35 and 40 years old and coming with their kids to see the farm,” Paquette said regarding his children. “I want to make sure they continue to have the opportunity to do this.”
“The presence of all these people today clearly demonstrates how important the Centre de la nature farm is to the residents of Laval, and how much they feel the mayor isn’t listening to them,” Piché said in a statement issued by Action Laval.
‘Citizens must be involved’
“It’s worth remembering that the mayor announced the decision to close this iconic Laval attraction behind closed doors last December, without consulting citizens beforehand,” she added. “No to the closure of the Centre de la nature farm. We believe citizens must be involved in the farm’s future.”
As one of two opposition parties in Laval city council, Action Laval has long been critical of the Mouvement lavallois administration’s noted tendency to promote costly major projects, like the central library in Laval’s downtown core.
Action Laval alleges the administration is neglecting smaller and more local projects and sees the closure of the mini-farm as an example. “We think this is mismanagement of funds,” Piché said in an interview with The Laval News.
