Laval City Watch

Laval Aquatic Complex contract revisions

The Executive Committee approved the termination and transfer of an existing contract for professional services related to the LEED certification for the Laval Aquatic Complex. LEED certification provides independent verification of a building or neighborhood’s green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of resource-efficient, high-performing, healthy, cost-effective buildings. This contract is now transferred from “Groupe Simulead” to “Consultants Akonovia Inc.” following the transfer of resources, activities and employees from the first to the second company.

As of July 6th, all professional services, planning and tasks inherent in this contract have become the responsibility of Akanovia Consultants Inc., a company that after administrative and regulatory review by the Procurement and Contract Management Department demonstrates that it satisfies all contractual requirements of the existing agreement.

The new aquatic Centre on Terry Fox, originally discussed in 2015 with an estimated budget of $40 million will be built steps away from the Cosmodome and will cover 11,400 square meters, housing three separate pools in the facility. The three pools will be able to accommodate up to 875 swimmers and upwards of 1,200 spectators. It is expected to open its doors in 2020.

The high-profile Centre will be centrally located as part of Laval’s downtown core already known for its active touristic, cultural, and scientific character. This site was preferred as it is easily accessible by public transit as well as being in the heart of the Centropolis-Carrefour Laval core.

While the state of art facility will provide elite athletes a first-rate training space it can also host national competitions. The pools will also be available to the public year-round providing another recreational resource that Laval families can profit from.

The funds needed to complete the project an estimated $56.8 million were set aside in the municipal triennial building program. A revised estimate of $61 million was presented when the architectural contract was awarded to the NFOE-HCMA consortium in January of this year and the facilities are expected to be ready for Laval’s 2020 bid to host the Quebec games

Skating rink at Parc Louis-Durocher

The members of the Executive Committee agreed to award the contract to begin the construction of a permanent outdoor ice rink at Louis-Durocher Park in the Vimont neighborhood. The project is already part of the municipal Parks and Public Space Development master plan. The development involves the demolition of the existing outdated facility and the construction of a new permanent ice rink enabling citizens and a large number of sports associations of Laval to take advantage of the facility twelve months a year. The rink will be built with sturdy wooden boards, oversized galvanized steel fences and an asphalt surface. This new facility will allow the practice of hockey on ice during the winter months as well as street hockey and lacrosse on its asphalted surface the rest of the year.

 

Local Investment Fund

The Executive Committee approved the recommendations of the Investment Committee of Laval’s Local Investment Fund (FLI) and authorized the disbursement of a loan for $150,000 to consolidate the start-up of APPMED. The company designs and distributes certified organic cosmetics. Through the FLI, the City of Laval aims to stimulate the growth of local entrepreneurship, develop promising and emerging economic sectors, by providing access to capital for the start-up or growth of profit and to support the next generation.

 

Continuing education fort city managers

The members of the Executive Committee agreed to retain the services of the École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS-Formation) to offer its “Priority Management – Winning Practices” training to 45 municipal managers. The training will be used to equip key administrators with strategies; to prioritize their high-performance activities and how to devote more time to them; recognizing time-consuming activities and to develop an action plan to improve their efficiency by better prioritizing and improving existing management practices.

Grant of $ 15,000 to St-François in Action

Financial assistance of $ 15,000 was given to St-François in Action to support the non-profit organization in its mandate to operate open air neighborhood food markets in eastern Laval. Market customers were presented a choice of fresh fruit and vegetable produce grown locally. Both markets were open from 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm. In Saint-François, merchants were present on Fridays, from June 30th  to August 25th , at Parc du Moulin and in Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, and they were located at Adélard-Poirier Park on Thursdays, from June 29th  to August 24th .

Organizing open air markets in Laval is a unique collaboration between the agricultural sector and the community sector. It is also a community event, where various family activities are organized during the summer period allowing local residents to not only procure local produce but enjoy local community cultural flavors as well.

Grant of $ 150,000 to the Regional Pole of Social Economy of Laval

The members of the Executive Committee approved an agreement with the Regional Social Economy Pole for the Laval region (PRESL). This agreement includes a subsidy of $ 50,000 per year for 2017, 2018 and 2019. This financial support will enable PRESL, to coordinate and harmonize activities related to the development of the social economy while providing technical support related to the development of projects. In addition the organization will be able to provide leadership in contributing to good corporate governance and a better understanding of the development of a social economy.

Textil’Art Laval SEF Grants of $ 50,000

The Executive Committee endorsed the Social Economy Fund (ESF) Committee’s recommendation to award a $ 50,000 grant to Textil’Art for an expansion project that will extend the life cycle of textile products and enable participants to develop new skills in a cyclical economy. The acquisition of new industrial machines and a textile printing machine will allow the company to increase the number of production stations, while the addition of a second-hand clothing and domestic sewing courses will increase the number of technical services offered by Textil’Art.

This school/business enterprise was founded in 1999 and its mission is the socio-professional integration of immigrant workers. It specializes in the production of industrial cloths and in the manufacture of products made from recycled materials, the company allows its “student-workers” to acquire various skills allowing entry in the labor market.

Through its Economic Development Department, the City of Laval aims, among other things, to stimulate the growth of local entrepreneurship, to develop promising and emerging economic sectors, to take advantage of the territory’s distinctive assets and to attract and to maintain a skilled workforce. The Social Economy Fund (SEF) supports enterprises, cooperatives or social economy projects in order to improve the quality of life and well-being of people by creating or maintaining jobs as well as then development of a skilled labour force.