Projet Montréal wants to create the first urban national park on the island of Montreal

MONTREAL, May 2, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Projet Montréal is proposing to create the first urban national park in Montreal by protecting the green space in Pierrefonds-West that the Coderre administration wants to concede to real estate developers.

"Now is the time to show vision and ambition for Montreal. The province of Quebec hasn't created a national park in the Greater Montreal area for over 30 years. By putting SÉPAQ to work with the City's Service des grands parcs, Pierrefonds-West could give Montrealers our first urban national park, with an attractive year-round recreo-touristical offer. Such an infrastructure would also ensure the long-term preservation of this unique natural space in Montreal", said Valérie Plante, leader of the Official Opposition.

The idea of creating an eco-territory in the Pierrefonds-West area first came up in the 1980's but was dropped by the Tremblay-Zampino administration. "Montrealers just love outdoor activities and green spaces. The national parks located in the Montreal area, such as Oka, Îles-de-Boucherville or Mont-Saint-Bruno, are all filled to capacity with over 1.7 million visits yearly. A new urban national park on the island would not only respond to a need, but would also send a strong signal in favour of the protection and preservation of our green spaces", added Eric Alan Caldwell, Projet Montréal's spokesperson for urban planning.

The creation of a new national park in Pierrefonds-West would consolidate all the natural components of this 16 km² territory. Thus, the Morgan Arboretum, the Bois-de-la-Roche Agricultural Park, the Anse-à-l'Orme and Cap-Saint-Jacques nature parks, and the protected area around the Anse-à-l'Orme river could be amalgamated into a new urban national park, with an area almost equal to that of Îles-de-Boucherville and Mont-Saint-Bruno combined. "We want all Montrealers to benefit from these pristine natural areas. They are extremely rare on the island. It is up to us to protect them for future generations and to ensure that our families will continue to enjoy them in the years to come", concluded Valérie Plante.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Opposition officielle à l'Hôtel de Ville de Montréal

Marc-André Viau, Press Secretary, Opposition officielle à la Ville de Montréal, 514 872-1108 / 514 245-6838, [email protected]

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