Laval (Quebec)

History

Laval was baptized name of one of the first owners of the island Jesus, François of Montmorency-Laval, the first catholic bishop of Quebec. During century, farmers settled on the Jesus island (several houses centenaries are still inhabited). The very fertile grounds of the area brought this agriculture very present. Just like Montreal, Laval sheltered a soft vegetation, an moist environment gave place to many forests of leafy trees. A very there developed biodiversity reigned. Unfortunately, as Montreal became the metropolis which we know today, Laval followed. It is immense very residential and slightly industrial suburbs today. Fortunately, some agricultural spaces were preserved by the government, and thus, of rare wooded remain, pilot industrialization and carrying the memory of the history of the Jesus island. It was attached in 1965 when the government of Quebec amalgamated the 14 Municipalité S which constituted the county of Laval:

Town of Auteuil
Quoted of Chomedey
Quoted of Duvernay
Town of Fabreville
City of the Island-Laval
Quoted of Laval-des-Rapides
Town of Laval-on-the-Lake
Quoted of Laval-Ouest
Quoted of Pont-Viau
Quoted of Holy-Rose
Holy-Dorothée Town of
Town of Saint-François
Town of Saint-Vincent-of-Paul
Town of Vimont

From the city is divided into 6 administrative sectors.

1 - Saint-François, Saint-Vincent-of-Paul, Duvernay
2 - Pont-Viau, Laval-des-Rapides, Renaud
3 - Chomedey, excluding Renaud
4 - Fabreville-West, Holy-Dorothée, Laval-Ouest, Laval Islands and Laval-on-the-Lake
5 - Fabreville-Is, Holy-Rose
6 - Auteuil and Vimont

Elections

Laval is divided into 21 district electoral municipal having each one a city council man.

1 - Saint-François (pop 16.499 hab.)
2 - Saint-Vincent-of-Paul (pop 15.195 hab.)
3 - Valley-of-Trees (pop 13.394 hab.)
4 - Duvernay - Pont-Viau (pop 14.025 hab.)
5 - Backwater (pop 16.115 hab.)
6 - Harmony-Wood-of-Boulogne (pop 15.497 hab.)
7 - Renaud (pop 13.912 hab.)
8 - Vimont (pop 13.363 hab.)
9 - Saint-Bruno (pop 17.103 hab.)
10 - Auteuil (pop 14.512 hab.)
11 - Laval-des-Rapides (pop 13.742 hab.)
12 - Memory-Labelle (pop 15.088 hab.)
13 - Access-with-Plouffe (pop 17.317 hab.)
14 - Chomedey (pop 17.586 hab.)
15 - Saint Martin's day (pop 18.099 hab.)
16 - Holy-Dorothée (pop 15.284 hab.)
17 - Laval-the-Islands (pop 15.144 hab.)
18 - Orée-of-Wood (pop 15.640 hab.)
19 - Marc-Aurèle-Fortin (pop 14.982 hab.)
20 - Fabreville (pop 16.794 hab.)
21 - Holy-Rose (pop 17.132 hab.)

Since 1989, the mayor of Laval east Gilles Vaillancourt.

Elections take place every four years.

Laval-native Election of 2005

Mayors of Laval

Mr. Jean-Christmas Lavoie; 1965, mayor founder
Mr. Jaques-Tétreault; 1965-1973
Dr. Lucien Payment; 1973-1981
Mr. Claude Lefebvre; 1981-1989
Mr. Gilles Vaillancourt; 1989 - with today

Sports

Laval accommodated the Jeux of Quebec during the summer 1991
Laval also accommodated the Canadian Championship junior of Taekwondo WTF in May 1998
a team of the Ligue of hockey major junior of Quebec (Hockey) evolved/moved in Laval: the National of Laval (also named Close to Laval, Titan of Laval then Titan French College of Laval). The frankness is named today: Titan d' Acadie-Bathurst and plays Bathurst in the New Brunswick.
Laval is also a town of football with its team Devils of Laval which evolves/moves in major the Junior football league of Quebec.

Flag

On a field white-yellow, the emblem of Laval illustrates the modernism of a city in full expansion. The sign of the city symbolizes the L of Laval. The colors used also have an important significance:

the crimson represents usually the richness and represents here the great economic potential of Laval;
blue symbolizes the quality of life and the installation of a human city.

The L of Laval is made of cubes which represent the development of Laval. The letters of the Laval signature are related one to the other to point out the fusion of the 14 municipalities of the island Jesus.

The logo of Laval exists since at least the Années 1980, the flag at least since the Années 1990.

Economy

Laval has an economy especially centered on the sectors of high technology and the services. It has many pharmaceutical laboratories but also careers of ores and a persistent agricultural sector. Laval has done many efforts for a few years to be detached on its suburban side in particular by attempts from construction from downtown area. In spite of large center-commercial in particular Centropolis, Laval did not know to create a centrality in particular because of the obligation of displacement in car and the artificiality of the downtown area.

Transport

Laval is crossed by several highways, provincial roads and part of the subway of Montreal.

Highway network

Highways

A-25 - Of Longueuil to Holy Spirit via Montreal and A-440 (Laval). The bridge Magpie-IX connects at present Montreal to Laval on this axis. A new bridge with Laval will be built to avoid the turning on the Henri-Bourassa boulevard in Montreal.
A-19 (Papineau Highway) - Henri-Bourassa Boulevard with Montreal to the Dagenais Boulevard with Laval. The Papineau-Leblanc bridge connects Montreal to Laval on this axis.
A-13 (Chomedey Highway) - De A-20 with Lachine in A-640 with Boisbriand. The bridge Louis-Bison connects Montreal to Laval on this axis.
A-15 (Highway of Laurentides) - Of Saint-Bernard-with-Lacolle, Quebec (border of the United States) with Holy-Agathe-of-Mounts, Quebec. The Médéric-Martin bridge connects Montreal to Laval on this axis.
A-440 (Laval Highway) - De A-25 with A-13 in Laval. The government plans years since to prolong this autouroute towards the west to join A-40 in Montreal.

Provincial roads

Road 125 - Montreal with Saint-Donat
Road 148 - Laval with Pembroke, Ontario
Road 335 - Montreal until St-Calixte in the area of Lanaudière.
Road 117 - Montreal with Ontario Highway 66 after Rouyn-Noranda.

Incidents

the June 18th 2000, during restorations on the viaduct Of the Memory overhanging the autouroute 15, the southern apron of the viaduct collapsed on the highway causing the death of a person.
the September 30th, 2006, the viaduct Of the Harmony which passes above the autouroute 19 (Papineau) is suddenly collapsed thus killing 5 people. Also to see: Collapse of the viaduct of the Harmony

Public transport

Subway

In April 2007, the Métro of Montreal was prolonged until Laval with three new stations. Construction began in 2003 and was finished in in April 2007, two months earlier than planned for the sum of 803M$ entirely paid by the government of Quebec. The stations are Cartier, Harmony and Montmorency. The arrival of the subway was lengthily awaited since this prolongation was a promise dating from the years 1960.

the user of public transport must get either a chart TRAM of 103$ to reach the subway of the stations of Laval or or to pay 2,75$ per voyage towards Montreal since the regular tickets of Montreal and the CAMWOOD are not valid at these new stations.

on July 22nd, 2007, the mayor of Laval, Gilles Vaillancourt, announced that he would like to buckle the orange Ligne of the station Montmorency to the station Coast-Virtue with the addition of 6 new stations (3 in Laval and 3 in Montreal). He proposes that Quebec Transport puts 100M$ side annually to pay the project which is envisaged to cost beyond 1,5 billion dollar.

Suburban train

The metropolitan Agence of transport manages 2 lines of suburban trains on the island of Laval. The lines Montreal/Blainville-Saint-Jerome and Montreal/Two-Mountains establish the link between Laval and the downtown area of Montreal in as little as 30 minutes. On the whole, 5 stations are located on the island.

Bus

See the page of the Shipping company of Laval (STL) for information precise on the joint grid system . The network of the STL consists of 35 regular lines, 2 lines of rush hour, 2 train-buses, 3 lines express train, 1 Community circuit and several shared taxis.

There are some ways reserved for bus on the roads of Laval:

On the Chomedey boulevard between the boulevard the Crossroads and the Keller boulevard in Montreal, the way of right-hand side is reserved for bus of 6:30 to 9:30 in southern direction and of 15:30 to 18:30 in northern direction.

On the boulevard of Laurentides between the Saint Martin's day boulevard and the Gouin boulevard in Montreal, the way of the center is reserved for the buses at the rush hours of the morning and the evening.

On the Notre-Dame boulevard between the street Alton-Goldbloom and the 75e Which occurred, the way of right-hand side is reserved for the buses in western direction of 15:30 to 18:30 and in direction is 6:30 with 9:30. On the same boulevard the way of right-hand side in western direction between the 75e Which occurred and the street Vincent-Massey is reserved for the buses in any time. (As of on October 31st)

On the boulevard of the Harmony between the boulevard of the Future and the street of Roanne, the ways of right-hand side will be reserved for the buses between 6:30 and 9:30 and 15:30 and 18:30 in the two directions. (As of on October 31st)

A Google chart of the network of subway of Montreal, including the stations in Laval, can be seen in Montreal-Laval Subway Map Mashup.

Line Montreal/Blainville-Saint-Jerome	Montreal Line/Two-Mountains	Line 2 - Orange
Holy-Rose	Holy-Dorothée	Montmorency
Vimont	Island-Bigras	Of the Harmony
Of the Harmony		Cartier

Tourist activities and attractions

the Cosmodôme

Natural parks: the Center of Nature, the Park of the River of the Thousand-Islands, regional Park of the Wood of Beautiful-River
Shopping malls: the Laval Crossroads, Centropolis, Laval Center, Center Duvernay
the Powerplant River-of-Meadows
the museum Armand-Frappier
the récréathèque

Municipalities bordering

Twinnings

See too

List of the areas of Quebec

External bonds

Official site Town of Laval
Site of the Mail Laval, a local weekly magazine
regional Gate of Laval
Chart of Laval (with google map)
School commission of Laval
football club junior of Laval

Random links: