"We haven't said our last word! We will continue to fight for the quality of life of our customers. downtown citizens" - Claude Larochelle
Laval, Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - The debate surrounding the notice of proposal for the development of a verdant urban park on the vacant municipal lot opposite Montmorency metro station, tabled by Fabreville councillor and Parti Laval interim leader Claude Larochelle, took place at last night's municipal council meeting. Despite strong opposition to the plan to build a large library on this site, as demonstrated by the petition that has amassed nearly 1,600 signatures in favor of the park project over the past month and a half, the Boyer administration has chosen to ignore the will of the people. The mayor is adamant that the vacant lot will be transformed into a heat island. "Unfortunately, discussions have shown that party lines are more important than the wishes expressed by citizens. Mayor Boyer even admitted that he wished he'd had this thought a few years earlier! It's far from too late to turn back the clock. The call for tenders has not been issued, no subsidies have been granted, and we're still many moons away from the first shovelful! Mayor Boyer may yet change his mind," says a still optimistic Claude Larochelle.
The start of a mobilization
"We can't let down the 1,550 people behind us! The mobilization will continue. We're going to have to speak out louder and be more insistent. Over the next few weeks, we'll be meeting with representatives of the provincial government to make them more aware of the consequences of granting a possible subsidy for the large library project. Other political actions are also planned for the fall," confirms the interim leader of Parti Laval.
"We have collected more signatures on our petition than the Mouvement lavallois has received in the Laval-des-Rapides district during the 2021 election. The city councillor for this sector seems to have forgotten his duty to represent the downtown citizens who elected him two years ago," points out Marc-Aurèle-Fortin city councillor Louise Lortie.
"There's a limit to imposing your political agenda. We're talking about health and quality of life here! We can't afford to wait 20 or 30 years for a green space to appear in the downtown area, because an entire generation will have to pay the price. Downtown Laval is being built now, and it's time to make the right decisions for future generations," concludes Mr. Larochelle.
Gabrielle Côté
Cabinet de Parti Laval
438 368-1307 │gab.cote@laval.ca