This article written in french by Stéphane St-Amour was automatically translated using ChatGPT
The General Directorate will consider the possibility of extending the regulations currently in place in parks to the approximately 350 urban passages throughout the City. This was unanimously decided by elected officials the day after the adjourned municipal council meeting of September 10.
The proposal, submitted last July by Action Laval councilor Paolo Galati, aimed to “reassure” the 16 homeowners in the Pie-X neighborhood whose properties border the five urban passages targeted for redevelopment as part of the modernization of the nearby park.
Since February, some of them have attended every municipal meeting, requesting that the plans be revised to prevent the passages from being located less than two meters from their windows and patio doors.
It’s worth recalling that in the summer of 2023, these residents were informed by letter that the City would be reclaiming the 12-foot-wide strip of land they had always occupied “without authorization,” which contributed to a petition of nearly 400 signatures.
Control and Bans
Paolo Galati believes that by applying the same bans in place in parks concerning “tobacco, vaping, drugs, alcohol, and fire” to urban passages, residents would be more at ease.
“The homes along these passages [would be] much better protected,” argued the proposer in a statement published on September 12, adding that “the mayor is reviewing these passages without fully considering the impact on those who live nearby.”
While he acknowledges that the land is municipal property, the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul councilor maintains that “after more than 50 years of maintaining them, these citizens had the right to expect more respect,” as they were faced with a done deal.
Amendment Accepted
Paolo Galati’s initial proposal that the Executive Committee mandate the City of Laval’s General Directorate to study the possibility of extending the application of regulation L-4510 to pedestrian passages across the City of Laval was amended by Ray Khalil, Vice-President of the Executive Committee and councilor of Sainte-Dorothée.
Khalil added a clause to the proposal, which allowed for “circulation at all times” in these passages, as well as in the “sections of the Green Route” crossing the Municipality’s parks.
Reaction
“This is a win for us,” said Christian Veilleux by phone, one of the 16 homeowners directly affected by this space reorganization.
“We want it to be a deterrent,” he continued, referring to smokers. Beyond second-hand smoke, he mentioned the risk of fire that could be caused, for example, by a cigarette butt, especially since the future cedar hedge will be less than two meters from his neighbor’s house.
Should the proposal be accepted, a regulation to prohibit loitering and gatherings should also be considered, he suggested, reminding that a passage is meant for circulation, especially when these urban corridors are directly adjacent to citizens’ backyards.
