From May 5 to 14, the City of Laval will be hosting the festival Petits bonheurs, a fun springtime event for kids up to six years of age, offering more than 80 activities that include theatre, marionnettes, music, dance, visual arts, circus and more.
“The Maison des arts de Laval, which is known for its important role in creating cultural programs for young people, has been welcoming since its beginning this festival offering Laval’s families a unique occasion to discover art,” says city councillor for Sainte-Rose Flavia Alexandra Novac who is responsible for cultural dossiers.
Among the happenings
- Three percussionists will perform in L’archipel aux mille sons (Ensemble Sixtrum/Le Vivier);
- In À table!, three diplomats who don’t speak the same language turn food into art;
- Marionnettes take centre stage, in a musical fable: Dans mon baluchon (Théâtre Advienne que pourra).
To master the arts, 11 workshops, including textile arts, juggling, marionnettes, dance, theatrical awakening and African music will be part of the festival.
Related free events will also be taking place at Laval’s municipal library branches, the Cosmodôme, the Centre d’interprétation de l’eau (C.I.Eau), as well as at the Musée de la Santé Armand-Frappier.
Quebec gives laval nearly $65 million for climate control efforts
The provincial government announced on March 31 that the City of Laval will be receiving $64.8 million for municipal projects designed to deal with climate change in order to reduce the city’s carbon impact.
According to a statement from Quebec, the funds will allow Laval to reduce its annual carbon emissions by the equivalent of around 4,000 round trips between Montreal and Paris by airliner.
The announcement was made by Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette with Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher Skeete, along with Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
Among the measures the city plans to introduce through the new funding is the withdrawal of oil, propane and natural gas heat and energy sources from up to 40 municipal buildings. As well, new buildings such as aquatic complex are being designed with renewable energy. In addition, the city plans to expand car-sharing services across Laval and install 140 new electric car-charging stations.
“This announcement shows that protecting the environment is everyone’s business,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “This important financial support from the government illustrates this. To plan effectively on a scale like this, cooperation is without a doubt the key. Beyond the sums committed and the actions taken, we can see that everyone hopes to contribute and get involved.”
City has a new strategic vision to help launch new businesses
Late last month, city officials unveiled a new strategic vision for economic development. The new strategy takes place over the next five years.
The vision comes with an additional $2.25 million dollars added to the city’s economic development budget for this purpose over the next three years.
“I feel confident that we are on the right track to turn Laval into a true force when it comes to innovation and economic development,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “This vision will be catalyst for the growth of our businesses which are faced with numerous challenges and whom we wish to accompany so that they may maximize their opportunities.” “To seix opportunities as they become available, it is imperative for Laval’s businesses to undergo a transformation,” said Lidia Divry, executiver director of the city’s economic development agency, Laval économique. “To get there, they must be willing to experiment, leading towards new ideas, which will in turn lead to innovations.”
