Festivent Ville de Lévis is a yearly celebration of hot air balloons and live music, drawing crowds from across the globe. Beyond the captivating balloon displays, the event offers many exciting activities. Attendees can groove to live music, enjoy thrilling amusement park rides, and savor delicious cuisine and drinks from local vendors.

Program & Activities

Visitors can experience the rhythm of their favorite artists on one of four stages: the Loto-Québec Stage, Hydro-Québec Stage, Family Stage, or Backyard Stage. Engaging activities, shows, and entertainment for the entire family are featured on the Family Stage and at the Promutuel Assurance Family Place.

This year, The Loto-Québec and the Hydro-Québec Stage will be side by side at Parc Champigny, offering alternating performances. Attendees can enjoy the entire event with four shows each evening in the same place. The IGA Gallery is a brand-new platform that elevates the festival experience with comfort and a festive atmosphere. It's a privileged space to enjoy private bar service and reserved toilets.

Le Festivent also offers a fourth scene to ignite the summer. Everyone can find the Backyard Stage of the Festibière de Lévis at Parc du Rigolet. It's the perfect place to admire the sunset while listening to good music.

Besides live music and activities, all visitors can witness awe-inspiring giant balloons every evening, starting from dinner at Parc Champigny. Weather permitting, captives and flights are scheduled until sunset. After dusk, the festivities continue with the illumination of the Place des montgolfières. Everyone can immerse themselves in stage performances and then marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of hot air balloons.

Tickets & Parking

The Adult Passport grants access to Festivent de Lévis and its five-day shows for individuals aged 12 and over. The daily ticket offers access on a selected day. The Child Passport provides free access for children aged 0 to 11 for the same duration. The Avant-scène Passport includes VIP amenities and access to the VIP & Avant-stage area. The IGA Gallery Passport offers access to the La Galerie IGA area with VIP amenities. Both passports are valid for five days, from July 31 to August 4.

The Adult Passport for five days is $59.99 + tax (presale), while the Child Passport for the same duration is $0. The Avant-scène Passport for five days is offered at $399.99 + tax (presale), and the IGA Gallery Passport is available at $199.99 + tax (presale) for the same duration.

Tickets are available for purchase online through the official website. Physical tickets will also be available at the various ticket offices at the site entrances.

Please be aware that no parking is available on the event site. It is possible to park for free in the surrounding streets. Several merchants also offer paid parking near the site.

Business hours

From July 31 to August 4, Parc Champigny offers many activities: outdoor shows, family-friendly activities, a festive terrace, and breathtaking hot air balloon rides. Business hours for Festivent Ville de Lévis are as follows: from July 31 to August 1, it opens at 5 pm, and from August 2 to 4, it opens at 11 am. The festival concludes at the end of the show.

Business hours for Parc du Rigolet: from 12 pm to 11 pm every day (weather permitting).

Practical info

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The Coalition Avenir Québec government has launched an online consultation on the issue of mobility between the Quebec City region and Chaudière-Appalaches across the river, focusing on a possible third highway link between the two.

The survey was promised by Premier François Legault in the wake of his party’s October byelection defeat in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon, which many attributed to the government reneging on a 2022 election campaign pledge to build a highway tunnel between Quebec City and Lévis.

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Parti Québécois candidate Pascal Paradis wrested the riding away from the CAQ, winning 44 per cent of the ballots cast.

The provincial Transport Ministry said the online consultation is aimed at finding out the needs and concerns of residents in both regions. It says the results will be part of the government’s examination of ways to improve area mobility.

A questionnaire is available until March 22. While the consultation concerns two neighbouring regions, people from across Quebec are welcome to express their views.

Participants will be asked how often they travel between the two regions and the length of time it takes them to do so. They will also be asked for their age and level of education. They can also add comments.

After the byelection defeat, Legault said he understood the message voters had sent his government. However, many noted that despite the controversy over the government’s flip-flop, the PQ candidate had in fact opposed the creation of a third link.

More information is available at consultation.quebec.ca/processes/consultationmobilite.

This transaction strengthens JAMP Pharma Group's position as an industry leader and addresses the increasing demand for locally manufactured pharmaceutical products.

BOUCHERVILLE, QC, Feb. 29, 2024 /CNW/ - JAMP Pharma Group, a leading company in the Canadian pharmaceutical industry for over 35 years, announces today, subject to Superior Court approval and the fulfillment of customary closing conditions, the acquisition of the assets of Pharmalab's manufacturing facility in Lévis, which ceased operations in August 2023.

JAMP Pharma Group is proud to acquire and relaunch the manufacturing operations of this plant at a time when governments, customers, and partners are calling for more local procurement solutions. Currently, only 12% of pharmaceutical products consumed by Canadians are made domestically. This acquisition thus strengthens the Canadian supply chain and contributes to addressing drug shortages, an issue that was particularly highlighted during the pandemic.

"For several years, healthcare professionals and patients have had to deal with inventory shortages. Our ambition was to bolster the local manufacturing capacity to facilitate access to affordable medicine and healthcare solutions. This is a significant milestone for Quebec and Canada. In addition to positively contributing to the creation of wealth in Quebec, JAMP Pharma Group becomes one of the largest Canadian-owned pharmaceutical companies," said Louis Pilon, President and CEO of JAMP Pharma Group.

The company plans to make substantial investments in research and development to bring new product formulations to market and ensure the continuous supply of several new generic products. This acquisition will enable the company to repatriate the production of tablets, capsules, oral liquids, and oral powders to Canada. This production autonomy will allow JAMP Pharma Group to enhance its level of service to its customers and partners while ensuring continuity in patient treatments.

The integration of the plant - spanning over 100,000 square feet - into JAMP Pharma Group's operations will be gradual. An assessment of the facilities and equipment will be conducted to ensure the plant meets the highest industry standards. The need for skilled labour will also be studied; JAMP Pharma Group aims to hire a significant portion of the 250 former Pharmalab employees, adding them to its current workforce of over 700 employees.

JAMP Pharma Group would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank its partners, employees, customers, as well as the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, a partner of JAMP Pharma Group. Thanks to them, JAMP Pharma Group can continue dedicating itself to creating a brighter healthier future for all, one patient and one customer at a time.

"This recent acquisition by JAMP Pharma Group demonstrates its leadership in the Canadian generic drug industry and its commitment to the economic development of Quebec. Fonds de solidarité FTQ is proud to have supported the growth of this Canadian flagship since 2016 and continues to support the company in its future endeavours," said Patrice Jolivet, Vice-President, Investments - Agri-Food and Health at Fonds de solidarité FTQ.

About JAMP Pharma GroupJAMP Pharma Group is a Canadian organization headquartered in Boucherville, in the greater Montreal area. Having experienced exceptional growth over the past 10 years, JAMP Pharma Group is present in all segments of the pharmaceutical market with a portfolio of over 325 molecules and is one of the industry leaders in terms of annual prescription volume¹. With over 130 new products authorized for sale by Health Canada in the past three years, JAMP Pharma Group is the Canadian leader in product launches², thereby constantly providing new and improved treatment options for Canadians, including many specialty drugs. The addition of a new local manufacturing site supports JAMP Pharma Group's vision of becoming the largest Canadian-owned pharmaceutical company.

In addition to its generic division, JAMP Pharma Group owns several divisions such as Orimed, BioJAMP, Wampole, Laboratoire Suisse, and Cosmetic Import, also offering prescription and branded products, biosimilars, and 180 over-the-counter products, as well as a varied range of vitamins, supplements, and natural health products. The JAMP CareMC patient support program is designed to assist both patients, and healthcare professionals in the use of specialty drugs and biosimilars offered by JAMP Pharma Group.

Website: JAMP Pharma Group (https://www.jamppharma.ca/en/).

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SOURCE JAMP Pharma Group

For further information: For any inquiries: Benjamin Bouchard, bbouchard@syrusreputation.com

While heavyweight ministers in the CAQ government remain cautious about a possible return of the third link, MNAs from the Chaudière-Appalaches region are welcoming the premier's about-face.

"Personally, I never gave up hope," said Beauce-North MNA Luc Provencal. "I have continued to consult the people in my community and we are working on a project.

Asked for his thoughts on the project, the MNA replied: "We need to think more about heavy traffic."

A highway tunnel under the river would not have allowed trucks carrying heavy goods to cross for safety reasons.

"From the outset, what the people of Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches have wanted is to be heard and listened to. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, and that's what's going to happen," said Bellechasse MNA Stéphanie Lachance. "As you know, there is no public transport in Bellechasse, so inevitably people have to travel by car, so it's a necessity for them."

The MNA for Beauce-South, Samuel Poulin, said that discussions on the subject had already taken place.

"We have been discussing how to improve traffic between Quebec City and Lévis for the past few months (...) certainly on the link between Quebec City and Lévis how it could be improved," he said.

ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE

In the wake of his crushing defeat in Jean-Talon on Monday, Premier François Legault rekindled hopes for the third link.

He said he wanted to consult the people of Quebec City on the subject.

"All options are on the table, which means we could see the return of the motorway section of the project," he said.

On Tuesday, several ministers seemed surprised by their leader's statements.

On Wednesday, they remained cautious.

"All the options are on the table, including possibly -- there is no commitment, there is a willingness to listen -- and if we listen, it could mean that indeed, there is the option of the third road link," the minister responsible for Chaudière-Appalaches Bernard Drainville finally said.

"We're not ruling anything out at the moment. We're going to consult people, listen to what they tell us about mobility and projects in general," said Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault.

Arguing that post-pandemic traffic no longer justified such a project, the government announced last April that it was abandoning the highway section in favour of a tunnel reserved for public transport.

It was the Minister for Transport who had the heavy responsibility of announcing the government's decision.

Following the announcement, Drainville apologized to his constituents with tears in his eyes.

Minister Martine Biron did not want to talk about resurrecting the third link project, but she did say that the subject would be part of the discussions.

"The defeat was difficult on Monday, and we all said to ourselves that we should perhaps open a reflection, a conversation about what we could do for the greater Quebec City region," she said.

WHO KNEW ABOUT THE DECISION?

On Wednesday, Quebec Solidaire (QS) tried, unsuccessfully, to get a motion passed in the national assembly to point out that the Minister of Transport had abandoned the motorway section of the third link, claiming that this was a "pragmatic" and "responsible" decision.

QS doubts that the government ministers were aware of this about-face.

"Who was aware of this decision? Was it the premier alone in his office who decided to bring back this project? Was the Minister of Transport (Geneviève Guilbault) aware of this decision, or the Minister for the Capitale-Nationale (Jonatan Julien)?" asked QS MNA Vincent Marissal. Marissal believes that this is a diversionary tactic on the part of the government.

"I think $10 billion is an expensive diversion," said PQ MNA Pascal Bérubé.

In his view, the premier's statements put the CAQ MNAs from the Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches regions in an "untenable situation."

"We're playing yo-yo with them, and I think it's going to be complicated for the next few weeks," he said.

The Liberals have roundly criticized the premier and his desire to bring back his third link project.

Interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay described the premier as a "national whirligig."

His colleague, MNA André Albert Morin, said he was surprised by Mr Legault's statement, believing it to be a bad joke.

"But it looks like he was serious," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 4, 2023.

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec will not only analyze scenarios for public transit plans in Quebec City, but also examine establishing a third link between the provincial capital and Lévis.

In a letter to the Caisse from provincial Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, obtained by Presse Canadienne, the government is asking that CDPQ Infra, the Caisse’s transport subsidiary, produce recommendations that will allow the government to “identify a transportation project … that will allow for the improvement of public transit for Quebec City (and) improve mobility and traffic flow in the Quebec City metropolitan community, specifically between the two shores.”

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Despite this major addition to its initial mandate, CDPQ Infra has just six months to produce its report.

The Caisse indicated Monday it would accept the government mandate “to analyze current and projected mobility for all of the Communauté métropolitaine de Québec, for all modes of transportation.” The Caisse said it would base its analysis on existing studies.

Two weeks ago, the Legault government rejected a proposition from Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand for a tramway that would cost $8.4 billion.

After a byelection defeat last month at the hands of the Parti Québécois in Jean-Talon riding, Premier François Legault raised eyebrows by saying he would consult the population of Quebec City on a third link across the St. Lawrence River and that all options were on the table.

The flip-flop came just months after the Transport Ministry announced that a much touted highway tunnel project between Quebec City and Lévis had been abandoned in favour of a more modest public-transit link.

Guilbault’s office said the public consultation on a third link would take place concurrently with the CDPQ Infra study.

While the construction of a tunnel beneath the river had been the plan mentioned most often by the government, in October Legault suggested the construction of a bridge as an alternative project.

Two weeks ago, Le Soleil published a survey suggesting that only nine per cent of Quebecers still believe the Legault government will build a third link across the river.