| Laval | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
| Ile Jesus | |||
|
|||
| Motto: "Unité, progrès, grandeur" (French) "Unity, Progress, Greatness" |
|||
| City of Laval | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Quebec | ||
| Founded | |||
| Established | 1965 | ||
| Government | |||
| • City Mayor | Gilles Vaillancourt (since 1989) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 247.09 km2 (95.4 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 91 m (299 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 376,845 (Ranked 14th) | ||
| • Density | 1,492.2/km2 (3,864.8/sq mi) | ||
| Metro population census 2006 | |||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Postal code span | Metropolitan Montreal 122 FSAs H7A to H7Y | ||
| Area code | 450 and 579 | ||
| Website | www.ville.laval.qc.ca | ||
Laval (French pronunciation: [laˈval]) is a Canadian city and a region in southwestern Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the 14th largest city in Canada with a population of 368,709 in 2006.[1] In 2011, the population of the suburb is estimated at 398,667.
Laval geographically is separated from the mainland to the north by the Rivière des Mille Îles, and from the Island of Montreal to the south by the Rivière des Prairies. Laval occupies all of Île Jésus as well as the Îles Laval.
Laval constitutes region 13 of the 17 administrative regions of Quebec as well as a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census division (CD) with geographical code 65. It also constitutes the judicial district of Laval.[2]
Contents |
The first European Settlers were Jesuits in 1636 when they were granted a seigneury there. Agriculture first appeared in Laval in 1670. In 1675, François de Montmorency-Laval gained control of the seigneury. In 1702 a parish was founded, and dedicated to Saint-François de Sales. The first municipalities on the island were created in 1845, after nearly 200 years of a rural nature. The only built-up area on the island, Sainte-Rose, was incorporated as a village in 1850, and remained as the main community for the remainder of the century. With the dawn of the 20th century came urbanization. Laval-des-Rapides became Laval's first city in 1912, followed by L'Abord-à-Plouffe being granted village status three years later. Laval-sur-le-Lac was founded in the same year on its tourist-based economy from Montrealers. Laval began to grow throughout the following years, due to its proximity to Montreal that made it an ideal suburb.
To deal with problems caused by urbanization, amalgamations occurred; L'Abord-à-Plouffe amalgamated with Renaud and Saint-Martin creating the city of Chomedey in 1961. The amalgamation turned out to be so successful for the municipalities involved that the Quebec government decided to amalgamate the whole island into a single city of Laval in 1965. Laval was named after the first owner of Île Jésus, François de Montmorency-Laval, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Quebec. At the time, Laval had a population of 170,000. Laval became a Regional County Municipality in 1980. Prior to that, it was the County of Laval.[3]
The 14 municipalities, which existed prior to the incorporation of the amalgamated City of Laval on August 6, 1965, were:
The island has developed over time, with most of the urban area in the central region and along the south and west river banks.
Laval is bordered on the south by Montreal across the Rivière des Prairies, on the north by MRC des Moulins and by MRC de Thérèse-de-Blainville and on the west by MRC de Deux-Montagnes across the Rivière des Mille Îles.
| Laval | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1871 | 9,472 | — |
| 1881 | 9,462 | −0.1% |
| 1891 | 9,436 | −0.3% |
| 1901 | 10,248 | +8.6% |
| 1911 | 11,407 | +11.3% |
| 1921 | 14,005 | +22.8% |
| 1931 | 16,150 | +15.3% |
| 1941 | 21,631 | +33.9% |
| 1951 | 37,843 | +74.9% |
| 1956 | 69,410 | +83.4% |
| 1961 | 124,741 | +79.7% |
| 1966 | 196,088 | +57.2% |
| 1971 | 228,010 | +16.3% |
| 1976 | 246,243 | +8.0% |
| 1981 | 268,335 | +9.0% |
| 1986 | 284,164 | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 314,398 | +10.6% |
| 1996 | 330,393 | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 343,005 | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 368,709 | +7.5% |
| [4] | ||
Laval is the fifth-largest suburb in North America after Hempstead, New York; Mississauga, Ontario; Mesa, Arizona and Surrey, British Columbia.
| Ethnic origin | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian | 168,090 | 46.1% |
| French | 88,210 | 24.2% |
| Italian | 34,500 | 9.5% |
| Greek | 18,760 | 5.1% |
| Irish | 15,555 | 4.3% |
| Haitian | 12,250 | 3.4% |
| Lebanese | 10,725 | 2.9% |
| Québécois | 8,055 | 2.2% |
| English | 7,655 | 2.1% |
| Armenian | 7,640 | 2.1% |
| Portuguese | 7,370 | 2% |
| Scottish | 6,535 | 1.8% |
| First Nations | 6,415 | 1.8% |
| German | 6,090 | 1.7% |
| Spanish | 5,070 | 1.4% |
| Romanian | 3,885 | 1.1% |
| Moroccan | 3,645 | 1% |
In 2001, the population of Laval was an estimated 343,005, a 3.8 percent increase from the earlier census in 1996. Women constitute 51.44% of the total population. Children under 14 years of age total 18.6%, while those of retirement age (65 years of age and older) number 13.2% resulting in a median age of 38.7 years.[6]
In 2001, 15.48% of Laval's population was born outside of Canada, a lower percentage than the national average, but higher than that for Quebec. Many immigrants have come to the city from the French-speaking Caribbean, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Those of indigenous origin constitute 0.22%, while those who are visible minorities (non-white/European) number 8.68%, and are chiefly Black Canadian, Arab, and Hispanic. Like Quebec as a whole, the city is overwhemingly Christian (90.71%), particularly Roman Catholic (81.09%), while Protestant and Orthodox groups constitute the remainder of the population. Religions such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and others total less than 5% of the population combined.
As of March 2009, Laval was the main destination for immigrants to Canada, according to a study released by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). The report says that between 2001 and 2006, the immigrant population grew by 40% in Laval, while the national average stood at 15% [7].
Laval is not quite as linguistically diverse as neighbouring Montreal. The 2006 census found that, counting both single and multiple responses, French was spoken as a mother tongue by 68.4% of the population, and was spoken most often at home by 73.8% of Laval residents.[8] Counting single responses only, the next most common mother tongues were English (6.9%), Italian (4.4%), Greek and Arabic (3.9% each), Spanish (2.2%) and Armenian (1.8%).[9]
| Mother tongue | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| French | 242,155 | 66.41% |
| English | 25,270 | 6.93% |
| English and French | 2,375 | 0.65% |
| French and a non-official language | 4,025 | 1.10% |
| English and a non-official language | 1,695 | 0.46% |
| English, French and a non-official language | 685 | 0.19% |
| Italian | 16,025 | 4.39% |
| Arabic | 14,070 | 3.86% |
| Greek | 14,070 | 3.86% |
| Spanish | 8,065 | 2.21% |
| Armenian | 6,420 | 1.76% |
| Creole | 5,120 | 1.40% |
| Portuguese | 4,670 | 1.28% |
| Berber | 3,970 | 1.01% |
| Vietnamese | 1,900 | 0.52% |
| Khmer (Cambodian) | 1,415 | 0.39% |
| Chinese languages | 1,365 | 0.37% |
| Mother tongue | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Persian | 1,260 | 0.35% |
| Lao | 1,035 | 0.28% |
| German | 955 | 0.26% |
| Russian | 935 | 0.26% |
| Polish | 875 | 0.24% |
| Hungarian | 785 | 0.22% |
| Panjabi (Punjabi) | 775 | 0.21% |
| Tamil | 545 | 0.15% |
| Urdu | 485 | 0.13% |
| Croatian | 430 | 0.12% |
| Turkish | 305 | 0.08% |
| Tagalog | 190 | 0.05% |
| Yiddish | 175 | 0.05% |
| Hebrew | 150 | 0.04% |
| Dutch | 140 | 0.04% |
| Serbian | 140 | 0.04% |
| Bengali | 125 | 0.03% |
| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| French only | 144,085 | 39.51% |
| English only | 15,900 | 4.36% |
| English and French | 198,980 | 54.57% |
| Neither English or French | 5,650 | 1.54% |
As of 2009, Gilles Vaillancourt is the mayor of the city of Laval. He has been in office since 1989.[10] Vaillancourt's party, the Parti PRO des Lavallois, was born in 1980. Vaillancourt took over as head of the party just before the 1989 municipal elections.[11]
Past mayors have been:
On a white-yellow background, the emblem of Laval illustrates the modernism of a city in full expansion. The sign of the city symbolizes the "L" of Laval.
The colours also have a significant meaning :
The "L" of Laval is made of cubes that represent the development of Laval.
The letters of the Laval signature are related one to the other to point out the merger of the 14 municipalities of Jesus island in 1965.
The logo (that is on the flag) has existed since the 1980s and the flag since the 1990s.[12]
Politically, Laval is a battleground area between the Quebec separatist parties (the Bloc Québécois federally and the Parti Québécois provincially) and the federalist parties (various parties federally and the Quebec Liberal Party provincially). The only exception is Chomedey in the south, which voted overwhelmingly to not separate in the 1995 Quebec referendum. The other parts of Laval were narrowly split.
Laval's diverse economy is centred around the technology, pharmaceutical, industrial and retail sectors. It has many pharmaceutical laboratories but also stone quarries and a persistent agricultural sector. Long seen as a bedroom community, Laval has diversified its economy, especially in the retail sector, developing numerous shopping malls, warehouses and various retail stores. Laval has four different industrial parks.[13]
The first is Industrial Park Centre, in the heart of Laval at the corner of St. Martin West and Industriel Blvd. It is One of the largest municipal industrial parks in Quebec, the Industrial Park Centre boasts the highest concentration of manufacturing companies in Laval; 1,024 at last count, and 22,378 employees. The park still has 1,300,643 m² of space available.
The second, the Autoroute 25 Industrial Park is at the crossroads of the metropolitan road network. Inaugurated in 2001, this new industrial municipal space has been a tremendous success, boasting an 80% occupancy rate. Laval is studying the possibility of expanding this park in the next few years.
The third, known as Industrial Park East, is in the neighbourhood of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul. This park has reached full capacity with a 100% occupancy rate. Industrial Park East is currently part of a municipal program to revitalize municipal services and public utilities. Laval is working with a private developer on an expansion project for the park that should be announced in the near future.
The fourth industrial park, the Laval Science and High Technology Park is located along Rivière des Prairies and Autoroute 15. It is an internationally renowned science campus that houses the Biotech City and the Information Technology Development Centre (ITDC). The Laval Science and High Technology Park is a beacon of the metropolitan economy, in an environment befitting the best technopolises in the world. Nearly 500,000 square metres (5,380,000 sq ft) of space are available for development. The Biotech City spans the entire territory of the Laval Science and High Technology Park and is a unique concept in Canada in that its residents comprise both universities and companies.
Created in 1995, Laval Technopole is a nonprofit organization that has the objective to promote the economic growth of Laval by attracting and supporting new business and investments located in its 5 territory poles: Biopole, e-Pol, Agropole, industrial pole and Leisure/tourism.
Alimentation Couche-Tard has its headquarters in Laval.[14]
| Agropole | Industrial Pole | Biopole | E-Pole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,750 companies | 624 companies | More than 80 firms | 264 businesses |
| 15,800 jobs | 16,000 jobs | Over one billion $ invested since 2001 | 4,370 jobs |
Main sectors:
|
Main sectors:
|
Main sectors:
|
Main sectors:
|
| Club | Sport | League | Stadium/Arena |
| Laval Arctic | Ice hockey | Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League | Colisée de Laval |
| Regents | Ice hockey | Midget AAA | Colisée de Laval |
| Laval Comets | Women's soccer | W-League | Bois-de-Boulogne Sports Centre |
| Les Associés de Laval | Baseball | Ligue de Baseball Élite du Québec | Montmorency Park |
| Vikings de Laval Nord | Canadian football | Midget AAA | Parc Roi du Nord |
| Les Bulldogs de Laval | Canadian football | Midget AAA | Parc Cartier |
| Les Loups de CAL | Canadian football | Juvenile AAA | Parc Roi du Nord |
| Sabercats rive-nord | Canadian football | Quebec Junior Football League | Parc Cartier |
See also: Le réseau des sports for detailed coverage.
Laval was also host-city of the "Jeux du Québec" held in summer 1991.
The Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) operates two commuter train lines on the island. The Deux-Montagnes and Blainville-Saint-Jerome lines connect Laval to downtown Montreal in as little as 30 minutes. Including De la Concorde, there are currently five train stations.
The STL's network consists of 35 regular lines, two rush hour lines, two trainbus lines, three express lines, one community circuit and several taxi lines.
A Google Map of the subway system, including the three new Laval stations can be viewed at Montreal-Laval Subway Map Mashup.
| Blainville-Saint-Jerome Line | Deux-Montagnes Line | Line 2 Orange (Montreal Metro) |
| Sainte-Rose | Sainte-Dorothée | Montmorency |
| Vimont | Île-Bigras | De la Concorde |
| De la Concorde | Cartier |
Laval is home to a variety of vocational/technical centres, colleges and universities, including:
|
|
The city has two separate school boards, the Commission scolaire de Laval for French-speaking students and the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board for English-speaking students
Laval's main attractions are:
|
|
Source: Tourisme Laval.[20]
Laval is served by media from Montreal, however it does have some of its own regional media outlets.
Laval has two radio stations on its territory: CFAV 1570 AM "Radio Boomer" and CFGL 105.7 FM "Rythme FM".
Additionally, there are three major newspapers in Laval. The bi-weekly English-language The Laval News, the bi-weekly French-language Le Courrier Laval and the weekly French-language L'Echo de Laval.
One television network operates on Laval's territory, Télévision régionale de Laval, on the VOX network (only available on Videotron cable).
Laval is twinned with two different cities:[21]
It also shares about ten economic and cultural cooperation agreements with cities such as Markham, Ontario;[23] Ribeira Grande, The Azores; Nice, France; Grenoble, France; Mudanjiang, China and Pedro Aguirre Cerda, Chile.
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||