Media invitation - La Ville en vert: cool islands of vegetation in 60 low-cost housing complexes in Montréal - Photo opp.

MONTREAL, May 25, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - With the heat-wave season fast approaching, the Montréal Urban Ecology Centre (MUEC) and the Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal (OMHM) invite the media to discover the cool islands of vegetation that have been created by La Ville en vert, a project that aims to improve the quality of life of thousands of residents living in some 60 low-cost housing complexes in Montréal.

A visit to the outside of the Habitations Émile-Nelligan II will provide a photo opportunity of a space that was renovated by La Ville en vert project.

Denis Quirion (OMHM) and Luc Rabouin (MUEC) will present different aspects of La Ville en vert: numerous greening and urban agriculture interventions, installation of white roofs, and a participatory planning process with residents. Gilles Deguire, a member of the City of Montréal's executive committee responsible for housing and social housing, will discuss the positive effects that the project has had on improving living environments and neighbourhoods. Also, a resident of the Habitations Émile-Nelligan II will share her personal experience with the project.

Mélissa Giguère of the INSPQ and Dr. Louis Drouin of the Direction de santé publique de Montréal have been invited to present the fight against urban heat islands in Quebec and Montréal as well as discuss how La Ville en vert can be viewed as a public health strategy to help our most vulnerable populations overcome extreme heat events in Montréal.

When:   Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 10:00 a.m.

Where:  Habitations Émile-Nelligan I and II, 5230 rue Saint-Dominique 

Who:

• Gilles Deguire, mayor of the borough of Montréal-Nord, member of the executive committee responsible for housing and social housing, City of Montréal
• Denis Quirion, executive director, Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal
• Luc Rabouin, executive director, Montréal Urban Ecology Centre
• Mélissa Giguère, M. Env, planning, programming and research agent, Environmental Health and Toxicology Division, Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ)
• Dr. Louis Drouin, responsible for urban health and environment, Direction de la santé publique (DSP) de Montréal
• A resident of the Habitations Émile-Nelligan II

SOURCES: Montréal Urban Ecology Centre and the Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal

INFORMATION - R.S.V.P.
Marie-Ève Gravel, Communications advisor, Communications infrarouge
[email protected]  Cell. 514-891-1810