Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante today announced a historic purchase in the name the protection of natural environments. The City of Montreal will acquire 140 hectares located in the western sector of the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, in the heart of the grand parc de l'ouest. The land was purchased from Grilli Développement inc. for $73 million under a mutual agreement. It includes agricultural wasteland and natural areas and will significantly consolidate the territory of the grand parc de l'ouest. This transaction represents the largest acquisition of green spaces since the adoption of the Policy for the Protection and Enhancement of Natural Areas in 2004.
"This acquisition demonstrates the seriousness of our intentions for this sector, which until recently was dedicated to residential development. By adding 140 hectares to the spaces already earmarked for the Grand Parc de l'Ouest, we are actualizing our vision of creating within Montreal a vast green space dedicated to the protection and conservation of biodiversity and natural environments. In 5 months, my administration has acquired more natural environments than in the last 15 years. This is a real paradigm shift that we are making, for the benefit of future generations," said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
The City of Montreal announced in August 2019 the creation of the Grand Parc de l'Ouest, which will become the largest municipal park in Canada. With more than 3,000 hectares of surface area, this park will include the nature parks of Anse-à-l'Orme, Bois-de-L'Île-Bizard, Bois-de-la-Roche agricultural park, Cap-Saint-Jacques and Rapides-du-Cheval-Blanc, in addition to including various sectors of interest for large park purposes.
During the fall, natural areas were acquired in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and L'Île-Bizard. A 0.26 hectare parcel of land in the west end of Pierrefonds-Roxboro was also donated to be added to the Grand Parc de l'Ouest. Combined with the purchase of land from Grilli Développement Inc. these acquisitions, all made in the last 5 months, allow for the protection of nearly 175 new hectares of natural spaces in the Grand Parc de l'Ouest.
Thanks to the participation and collaboration of the Cities of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Kirkland and Beaconsfield, the Village of Senneville, the boroughs of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and L'Île-Bizard ̶̶ Sainte-Geneviève, the Government of Canada, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, McGill University, the Morgan Arboretum, the Écomuseum Zoo and John Abbott College, the Grand parc de l'Ouest project is progressing rapidly.
In the coming months, the City of Montreal will undertake a citizen consultation on the vision for the development of the Grand parc de l'Ouest. It is possible to register online to follow this consultation by visiting the realisonsmtl.ca/GreatWestPark platform.
