City (pop., 2001: 343,005), southern Quebec, Canada.
It occupies the whole of Jesus Island, 20 mi (32 km) long and 8 mi (12 km) wide, and is located north of Montreal . First settled in 1681, it was granted to the Society of Jesus ( Jesuits ) in 1699 and named for François de Laval, the first Roman Catholic Canadian bishop. Development of Jesus Island's Montreal suburbs began after 1945; in 1965 they were merged to form Laval. Development has been rapid with the opening of industrial parks there.