Laval purchases more green space in the name of conservation

The City of Laval is doing its part to protect local green spaces, purchasing a swath of land in the name of conservation.

On Wednesday morning, city council approved and signed the paperwork for a land acquisition deal of nine hectares of forested green space.

Valued at $1.3 million, the wooded area is situated just east of the popular Equerre Woods park.

According to the deputy mayor, Stephane Boyer, the new land will be an extension of the nature park.

“In Laval we have just a few forested land left and that’s why we want to protect it. The best way to protect these spaces is by buying the land,” Boyer said.

Since 2014, the City of Laval has been grabbing up green spaces in the name of environmental protection efforts. The city has spent $71 million in land acquisition deals, according to Boyer, purchasing more than 720 hectares of land — twice the size of New York’s Central Park.

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The city says these green initiatives aim to help fight climate change, improve the living conditions of residents and reduce the heat island effect.

“I see that together we will have to do more to respond to the emergency and protect the health for generations to come by offering them local green spaces and a better green canopy,” Boyer said.

Boyer says the city’s goal is to increase the overhanging green canopy on the territory of Laval to 27 per cent and 40 per cent for its parks.

As for the recent addition to the Equerre Woods park, accessible walking trails will be taking root and maintained by a city-hired non-profit organization.

In 2020 the city also the purchased the Commodore Marina in Pont-Viau, the wooded land adjacent to the Baigneurs shore in Sainte-Rose, and two large islands of the Saint-François archipelago.

“We have seen it with the pandemic people are going more and more outside enjoying our parks and forests,” Boyer said.

“It’s important for us to have those last remaining green spaces protected. This is the main goal and also to make it accessible, to make it enjoyable for the residents.”