Hosted by Corporation De Développement Communautaire De Laval (CDCL) and moderated by communications veteran Antonine Yaccarini, the event was built to inform, not inflame.
How the night worked
All mayoral candidates were invited; Boyer and Larochelle took the stage in alphabetical order after a draw set the opener. Each had 2:30 for introductions. The debate then moved through nine questions—three per theme—with two minutes per answer and a brief right of reply at the end of each block. CDC Laval gathered additional questions from residents and city-based organizations, and both candidates closed with two minute statements. A notable absentee was Action Laval.
Housing
If there was one through-line, it’s that both candidates see housing as foundational. Larochelle called it “the first element of human dignity.” Boyer opened with a clear primer distinguishing social housing (heavily subsidized, sometimes “$150,000–$200,000 per unit”) from so-called affordable projects run to lower margins over time.
He argued Laval’s toolbox is working: “1,078 units under construction, 68% of which are social.” Key tools, he said, include a municipal land bank, a start-up fund to cover early design and studies, land donations, and tax credits. Larochelle agreed on the distinctions but wants the City to lean harder into social units that are permanently off-market. He pledged to increase the start-up fund from $300,000 to $500,000 annually and to raise the per-project non-repayable grant from $50,000 to $75,000 to help co-ops and non-profits get shovels in the ground.
On Québec’s new “superpowers” that let cities fast-track certain projects, Boyer said Laval framed their use narrowly: “we’ll use it only in three cases”—for social or affordable housing, for non-profit projects, or when a project offers community benefits (for example, land for a school).
Larochelle welcomed the accelerant but warned that “superpower means super responsibility,” urging transparent criteria and clear legal obligations, and arguing these fast tracks should prioritize projects with 20–25% social housing. For the chronically under-resourced community sector, Boyer touted a $3-million annual social-development fund and free permits for social housing in the new urbanism by-law; he also pointed to Laval’s draw on the Communauté Métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) housing fund, receiving roughly twice its contribution back as projects advance.
Larochelle praised the new Politique Régionale de Développement Social (PRDS) coordination cell but called for a bigger community share of the overall affordable stock (currently under 10%), more frequent coordination among the City, Centre Intégré de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CISSS), Office Municipal d’Habitation (OMH), and technical resource groups, and predictable funding so organizations “aren’t living project to project.”
Mental health
Neither candidate pretended mental health is a municipal core service; both framed the City as a facilitator.
Boyer highlighted the PRDS—a shared plan with indicators and owners across City, CISSS, Société de transport de Laval (STL), and community partners—saying it has attracted private foundation dollars to Laval’s approach. He pressed Québec to sustain critical services the City helped stand up, including a homeless shelter the City funded 100% to launch.
Larochelle focused on municipal proximity: training front-line city staff (libraries, transit, frontline services) to recognize distress, and supporting on-the-ground organizations who meet residents where they are. His refrain: multi-year, stable agreements.
“We must stabilize multi-year funding agreements,” Larochelle said, so groups can retain staff and plan services instead of gambling on one-off grants.
Food security
Both men acknowledged “food deserts” in parts of Laval, neighbourhoods where residents have little or no convenient access to affordable food, especially fresh fruits and vegetables.
Boyer leaned on planning: mixed-use zoning, density along boulevards and downtown, and rules that now permit front-yard gardens. He also cited the new urban agriculture and “nourishing community” policies, support for market pop-ups, and a bid to activate rooftop for greenhouses or solar on larger projects.
On the production side, the City is buying back fragmented farmland to re-assemble plots for cultivation and nudging speculators to lease land or pay more in taxes.
Larochelle framed a neighbourhood-first lens. “No one should have to take a bus to buy fruits or vegetables,” he added.
Larochelle pushed for true grocery options (not just corner stores), more community and collective gardens, and continued support for mobile markets that could strengthen the local food loop while creating jobs.
Taxes, rents, densification
Asked about rent hikes, Boyer was blunt: the City cannot cap increases (Québec sets that), so the best lever is to grow the non-profit housing stock that stays more affordable over decades.
He also promised a by-law to regulate demolitions, after a contentious winter case on Cartier Boulevard.
Larochelle backed stopping demolitions of more “modest” units and said the City simply needs to build more: 3,500 to 4,000 homes a year just to meet growth, compared with roughly 2,000 recently. More supply across categories, he argued, helps moderate prices.
On densification, Larochelle backed transit-oriented growth but cautioned against defaulting to towers, advocating “gentle” density such as row houses and triplexes, while protecting natural areas and not overloading aging underground infrastructure.
Boyer added that the new urbanism code sets graduated height limits and even “a 45-degree angular-plane rule” so taller buildings step down near low-rise streets. He also wants more underground parking and 25% vegetated space minimums so growth doesn’t feel like wall-towall concrete.
For seniors and isolation, Boyer pointed to free public transit for 65+, saying it doubled ridership, plus cultural programming that brings performances to residences. Larochelle said stable support for Meals on Wheels and neighbourhood-level activities would be beneficial, and flagged exploring off-peak free transit (waiving fares during lower-demand times) for low-income residents to make parks, libraries, and events more accessible.
The bottom line for Laval residents
Boyer’s overall message was that Laval’s newer tools are delivering and should be scaled.
Larochelle argued the city must go further and faster on durable social housing, multiyear funding for community organizations, and neighbourhood-level services that reduce isolation and bring food and culture closer to home.
Both agreed on the stakes. As Larochelle said, “Housing is the first element of human dignity.” And as Boyer put it, the City’s role is to build the conditions; rules, land, partnerships so those dignities are within reach.
Source : MATTHEW DALDALIAN, The Laval News
, pour une gestion optimale.
22 octobre 2025
