Laval, Thursday, May 7, 2026 – During the municipal council meeting on May 5th, council members unanimously adopted a proposal by Fabreville-Sud Parti Laval city councilor Martin Vaillancourt, requesting that a public consultation be held on the future of the Richard-Trottier arena. The opposition rejoices that the Boyer administration has agreed to pause the demolition in order to hold a public consultation. "For several weeks, citizens, families, and organizations have been asking us to consult the public before moving forward on this issue. This is democracy; it was illogical to prevent the public from having their say. Now, we must ensure that no hasty decisions are made without taking into account the outcomes of this consultation," stated Mr. Vaillancourt.
A significant mobilization led by the opposition
Closed since 2018 and targeted by a demolition request, the arena located in the Fabreville district has sparked significant mobilization in recent weeks. According to Parti Laval councilors, the Boyer administration seemed to favor demolition to create a park on the site, without having consulted the public on the various possible options. Faced with this situation, the opposition has undertaken numerous steps on the ground, launched a petition, and submitted a motion calling for no irreversible decisions to be made before a genuine public consultation is held. This motion was ultimately adopted unanimously on Tuesday evening, while a petition signed by nearly 1,000 citizens was also submitted by Louise Lortie, municipal councilor for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, during the meeting.
"Everyone we met told us the same thing: it makes no sense to demolish a community sports facility like the Richard-Trottier arena without giving residents a say. It took a strong citizen mobilization to get this pause and this public consultation, but it's an important victory for the people of Fabreville," rejoices Ms. Lortie.
"Now, this consultation must truly allow the population to express themselves on the future of the site and on the neighborhood's need for local sports facilities. All options must also be seriously studied before a final decision is made," concluded Mr. Vaillancourt.
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SOURCE :
Opposition Office | Laval Party
INFORMATION : Tommy Vallée | Communications Manager438 875 8663 │t.vallee@laval.ca