As of May 17, the borough of Outremont will proceed with the construction of new community gardens that will allow Outremont-ers of all ages to become aware of the importance of the environment, biodiversity and especially agriculture in an urban context.
The first community garden will be located next to the Maison des Jeunes and another will be set up on the grounds of the borough hall, where temporary planting was done last year. The third garden will occupy the southeast corner of Beaubien Park. These three new gardens will be added to the existing sites on the St-Viateur block and at the Robert-Bourassa library (at the back of the building).
There is a real craze among citizens to consume better," said Outremont Mayor Philippe Tomlinson. These new community gardens will be used to educate our residents of all ages on the importance of good agricultural practices.
This development project is a collaborative effort between the borough, the NPO Ça pousse! and our partner organizations, such as Outremont en famille and the Maison des jeunes. Following the evolution of each of these sites, Ça pousse! will proceed with the supply and planting of plants during the month of June; fruit trees and shrubs, edible and melliferous perennials, vegetable plants, fine herbs, and many others.
Agriculture in the city is possible: we are continuing our efforts to make this activity accessible to as many people as possible," said Valérie Patreau, the borough councillor responsible for the environment in Outremont. With these projects, we are improving our quality of life and doing our part to encourage food autonomy.
Animation and awareness
The community gardens will be used this summer for animation workshops to raise awareness of urban agriculture among citizens, especially the younger ones. The Beaubien Park garden will be used, among others, for the benefit of the young people of the Parc Soleil camp. The complete program of workshops and their schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
