News briefs from City of Laval

Martin C. Barry, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The City of Laval is marking the 15^th anniversary of the Festival Petits bonheurs with a schedule of events for kids and their parents on May 10-11 at the Maison des arts, as well as at other venues throughout Laval.

The two-day celebration focusing on kids and families will include a range of free shows and workshops staged in several of Laval’s districts, with some especially important events at the Maison des arts de Laval.

“I invite all families to come discover this one-of-a-kind festival especially for the very young by offering to them a privileged access to artistic experiences of high quality,” says Laval city councillor for Renaud Seta Topouzian, who is responsible for dossiers involving children.

From the beginning 15 years ago, the festival’s main activities have been staged at the Maison des arts de Laval. “The city plays an active role in the promotion and access to culture among young generations,” said Topouzian.

Among the events:

• 11 shows and a dozen workshops, ranging from plastic arts to dance, as well as theatre and music;
• Talented artists from Laval, showcasing their skills and creativity;
• Outdoor shows;
• An immersive installation created especially for this year’sanniversary celebration.

It’s worth noting that also this year, the city’s public library network, as well as the Cosmodôme and the Armand-Frappier health museum, will be offering events of their own in conjunction with the Petits bonheurs festival.

The festival is taking place as the City of Laval is also marking a special anniversary: the 60^th anniversary of its coming into being as a unified municipality that brought together more than a dozen towns and villages on Île Jésus, the geographical name for the island of Laval.

The new laval.ca: better than ever for the needs of the population

The City of Laval recently launched a new and updated website, with the goal of making access to information easier for all Laval residents.

Considered to be more responsive, quicker and better adapted to mobile communications devices, the new laval.ca offers online information and municipal services 24 hours a day, seven days out of seven.

“Each year, more than 5 million visits are recorded on our site,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “Laval.ca is an indispensable tool to better inform the population.

“With this update, we are simplifying information research, while also giving ourselves the means to evolve with the needs of Laval’s residents,” he added. “This new website is modern, accessible and oriented towards the future.”

Among the improvements to the site:

• A more responsive search engine for faster information access;
• Optimized navigation, adapted to smartphones and tablets;
• A search tool based on addresses, for easier access to waste pickup schedules;
• Improved content referencing, for quicker information response;
• Improved interaction, allowing residents to leave comments more easily.

According to the city, laval.ca has been redesigned to allow better access to persons with physical or cognitive limitations. It is believed these improvements will make life easier for up to 60,000 Laval residents.

In keeping with an overall vision by the City of Laval, sustainable development was one of the factors taken into consideration when redesigning the new website. The city says the designers took measures that should result in a 50 per cent reduction in energy use.

The city believes that the new website will lead to significant savings because the old site required a considerable amount of maintenance.

The new site has also achieved further savings by digitizing the process for filling out forms, while reducing the number of paper forms and postage costs. The city says the new website was tested out with users with disabilities before it was placed online.

Martin C. Barry, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Until November 10, the City of Laval’s public library branches are inviting families to drop by and have fun with the art of digital technologies as part of the sixth Festival NUM.

The series of free events is taking place at the city’s nine local library branches, culminating on Saturday and Sunday November 9 and 10 at the Multicultural Library.

The events offer an opportunity to explore digital technologies, including virtual reality, musical creation, coding, art projection, robot-building and similar activities for children ages 6 and older, as well as adolescent and their parents.

“This festival offers a unique chance for families from Laval to dive into the digital universe while learning more about the technologies shaping our future,” says Laval city councillor for Sainte-Rose Flavia Alexandra Novac who is responsible for cultural dossiers on council.

“This will be a great learning opportunity, as well as for creativity and for intergenerational sharing that will allow our youths and those not as young to be initiated to the innovations that are transforming our daily lives, and all 100 per cent free.”

In all, there’ll be about 30 unique activities. They will include:

·      Escape games | Try to escape in real-time, within a virtual reality universe. (For 8 year and older.)

·      Robot building | Use LEGO blocks to assemble working mechanical creations, using motors, batteries and electrical wiring. (For 6 to 14 years, depending on the workshop.)

·     Chromatic echoes | Move blocks to compose tunes, while admiring visual projections. (All ages.)

·     Buzz Wall | Have fun with the illuminated Buzz Wall, behind which lurks the intelligent force of AI. (Six years and more.) Some of the activities may require advance registration at: https://www.laval.ca/Pages/Fr/Activites/festival-num.aspx#programmation.

Laval shines a spotlight on the exceptional contributions of its volunteers

In order to pay homage to the commitment and devotion of the thousands of volunteers who live in Laval, the City of Laval has launched a special campaign that will be taking place throughout the month of November, up to December 5.

International Volunteer Day, which takes place on December 5, was mandated by the United National General Assembly in 1985.

The city’s campaign, leading up to the UN’s volunteer recognition day, celebrates the valuable contributions of all persons who donate their time and energy to support hundreds of local organizations.

On Wednesday November 6, the City of Laval will be presenting its latest volunteer-recognition evening at the Salle André-Mathieu. The event will include musical entertainment, as well as dancing and humor.

Some facts about volunteerism in Laval:

• The city works in partnership with more than 450 organizations. More than 5,000 volunteers contribute their time and efforts on the territory.
• Every hour of volunteer work given by volunteers helps make Laval a better place to live.
• In Laval, an average 9.3 hours per month is donated by individual volunteers.

Audrey Charpentier: leadership and commitment

Last October 25, Audrey Charpentier, a devoted supporter of the sport of ringuette, was honored at the Quebec National Assembly for her exemplary commitment to ringuette.

Involved on several levels with the Association régionale de Ringuette Laval, Charpentier is vice-president of the organization’s board. She is also a coach, a manager for recruitment, and is involved in organizing ringuette tournaments.

This year, the City of Laval cited Charpentier as a perfect example of the values of volunteerism, serving as she does as a source of inspiration for the community.

“Her enthusiasm, her devotion and her vision to promote the sport while enriching the lives of young athletes in Laval contribute to her being an exemplary winner,” the city said in a statement.

“Ms. Charpentier is dedicated to the development of her players, while advocating for ethical values and leadership which encourage an atmosphere of confidence and progress,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer.

“She is passionate about the determination to succeed of the young athletes, by the leadership of her organization and the growth of her sport,” he added. I would like to congratulate her warmly for this honor. She is an inspiring volunteer.”