Laval City Hall Watch - March 22 2017
Renovation of Playgrounds at Laval’s Centre de la Nature
The executive committee has recommended that city council ratifies the contract SP-29016 for the reconstruction and upgrading of playground areas and equipment at Laval’s Centre de la Nature (The Nature Park) to Aménagements Sud-Ouest (9114-5698 Québec inc.) in the amount of $512,944 and to authorize WAA Montréal professional consulting firm to supervise this project at a cost of $14,322.
The mandate includes the complete renovation of the playground facility near the Village des arts, with the addition of children’s modules and street furniture, the renovation of pedestrian walkways and landscaping. In the zone in front of the petting farm, the work includes renovation of the shock-absorbing zone of the 5 to12-year-old play area. A new playground with a swing adapted for people with reduced mobility is also included in the new development. The project also includes the addition and creation of rest areas, the renovation of pedestrian access and walkways as well as extensive planting of greenery and foliage to help reduce heat islands.
Interim by-law on the maximum height of buildings
On June 7th 2016 pursuant to the adoption of the new city of Laval urban development plan city council announced its intention to adopt an interim control by-law by spring 2017 on the maximum building heights permitted by the guide lines proposed in this plan of action.
The adoption of the resolution will allow the application of these height restrictions and the exceptional cases for new construction before the entire and complete legislation reflecting the newly adopted urban plan is tabled and adopted.
The members of the Executive Committee therefore requested that a notice of motion be placed on the agenda at a future meeting of the Council at which time they have also recommended that city council adopts a resolution to ensure that existing plans for new construction already tabled at the city urban development department will also have to conform to the new height restriction coming into force this spring.
Ententes between Laval and Laval sports associations
The City has a long-standing tradition of transferring various community, social and sport responsibilities to nonprofit corporations and associations that have demonstrated the ability and expertise to organize, plan and operate these services in a cost effective and professional manner. In light of these facts the administration has assigned the following nonprofit organizations the mandate and funds to organize these activities in Laval for the benefit of its residents. The executive is has announced that is has concluded new agreements for 2017 including funding of $ 257,415 with the Laval Regional Soccer Association; funding of $ 275,597 with the Hockey region Laval. Other agreements have also been concluded with The Laval Regional Ringette Association, The Laval Regional Football Association, Softball Laval and the Amateur Baseball Association of Laval.
Financial Assistance for seniors at Place des aines
Financial assistance of $ 116,000 (before taxes) was granted to the Place des Aines de Laval in 2017 for the community organization to defray the costs involved in operating and managing the building. The Place des Aines (Seniors Center) boasts an involvement of 6,250 members and is a considered a premier partner for the provision of recreational services to seniors in Laval. While this organization provides essential services and activities for its members it also has the added responsibility to manage and maintain a building of over 66,000 square feet which is not only challenging but also costly.
Expansion of the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles Wildlife Refuge
Under the recommendation of the city evaluation service the Executive Committee approved and funded the acquisition of a lot of approximately 1,277.3 m2 north of Sainte-Rose Boulevard, on the banks of the Mille Îles river, near Thérèse-Casgrain Street. This lot, acquired for $ 25,500, will be used to expand the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles Wildlife Refuge.
Development of streets and creation of a park
The members of the Executive Committee agreed to recommend to the City Council to acquire at a cost of $ 2,200,000, 2 land lots with a total area of 4,038.2 m2 and the building erected on these lots. This acquisition will allow the development of the right-of-way for part of Léo-Lacombe Avenue and François-Souillard Street, as well as the creation of a park.
Series of historical lectures on Laval
The History and Genealogy society of the Isle of Jesus (SHGIJ) and the Archives Center of Laval have prepared a whole new series of conferences under the theme “The University is invited to Laval”. Professors, researchers and young graduates from different universities in Quebec will showcase their knowledge as they share the results of their extensive research on the rich history of the development of Quebec society.
The informal conferences which are held weekly on Tuesday afternoons at 2:00pm at the Alain-Grandbois Center will provide history buffs an opportunity to look into the issues of the past; a chance to discover and understand the social, political and cultural elements that laid the foundation of our modern society.
Some topics already presented in the month of February included the conferences ‘Politeness and Quebecers’ and ‘Marriages between Anglophones and Francophones’.
Upcoming meetings include the themes ‘The woman behind Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine’, ‘The evolution of domestic work’, ‘Postcards and Urban Development’ as well as ‘Contraband of works of art’ and the ‘Political history of Quebec’.
The series runs till May 16th and there is a nominal fee for each conference. Members of SHGIJ pay $5 while non-members $8 and students showing a valid student ID $2 either by check or cash. Interested participants are asked to RSVP by calling 450-681-9096 or emailing info@shgij.org.
City Day Camps and summer activities
Every year Ville de Laval organizes and operates day camps during the school summer break period. These summer camps provide an essential service for Laval’s working parents and are also an important job creation initiative for Laval’s youth. It is important to note that the deadline for applying for summer jobs for youth in Laval is March 24th and all pertinent information can be found on the city website.
Camps operate for a period of eight weeks between the end of June and the middle of August and provide diverse activities to engage youth from six to twelve years old. There are twenty nine summer camps site operating in neighborhoods across the city. The day camps proposed by the City are accredited by the Association des camps du Québec (ACQ) since 2013, attesting to the quality of the services offered.
“The municipal day camps are part of a wide range of services for families,” said Aline Dib, head of family and children issues on the city’s executive committee and councilor for the Saint- Martin district. “The City of Laval is committed to meeting the needs of families. That’s why a family policy has been in place since 2007 and Laval has been accredited as a child-friendly municipality in 2014, “Dib added.
In addition to the municipal day camps, the City offers young Laval youth tennis lessons in about twenty parks, from early July to mid-August. This is an affordable activity and one of the most popular of the summer season. Information about swimming and aquatic activities offered by the municipality’s partner, Mouvement aquatique Laval (MAL), will also be available as of the end of March.
The municipal administration has arranged to send the 2017 summer activities brochure (including day camps and tennis lessons) electronically during the week of March 20 through email address used by schools to contact parents. For schools or families who would not have a valid email address, a copy of the brochure will be put in the backpack of the children during the last week of March.
This year all applications must be submitted online at www.registrations.laval.ca no later than April 11, 2017. Please note that the health form and parent authorizations must be completed for each member of the family in order to receive confirmation of registrations which will take place starting at noon on April 12.The registration to tennis lesson must also be completed online before April 26, 2017, at noon.
While the city’s eight-week camp period officially ends August 16th several Laval organizations offer day camps for children for the ninth week before classes start from August 21st to the 25th. The list of these organizations can be found on Laval’s website site https://www.laval.ca/Pages/Fr/Activites/camp-jour-estivaux-organismes.aspx
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