On July 5, Lachine Council members awarded a $72,776 contract to the Centre multi-ressources de Lachine (CMRL) to coordinate the accessibility component of programming for the new Lachine Waterfront Park. "For a variety of reasons, some people in our community have never had the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities on the water. Yet, we are located on the shores of beautiful Lake Saint-Louis. It is a priority for us to enable greater inclusion in this type of activity, which has a positive impact on health and allows for the strengthening of social ties and self-discovery," mentioned the Mayor of Lachine, Maja Vodanovic.
An invitation to vulnerable clients
Citizens can already take advantage of a series of transitional installations on the enchanting site of the future Lachine waterfront park, while they await the permanent realization of the waterfront park. Since June 19, with the collaboration of the GUEPE organization, the Borough of Lachine has made available
an array of light non-motorized boats (kayaks, paddle boards and canoes) as well as nautical activities (yoga on a paddle board, introduction to kayaking, discovery activities in a canoe) that visitors can rent. In order to make outdoor activities and water sports accessible to the greatest number of citizens, the Borough is inviting local groups, working with vulnerable clienteles, to take full advantage of these services. The target groups that will be able to benefit from these services include seniors, low-income families, teenagers, young adults and people with reduced mobility.
In addition, the Centre multi-ressources held two registration sessions on July 8 and 9 for citizens living below the poverty line so that they can benefit from these new activities in an inclusive and confidential setting. "Project Landing programming takes place during weekdays. We welcome small groups in partnership with a number of community organizations in the area. These activities will be supervised by our facilitators, with the support of GUEPE. We also have the Accès Loisirs program, which allows citizens with modest incomes to come at other times, outside of our operating hours," explained Ludovic Fermely of the Centre multi-ressources de Lachine (CMRL).
Among the proposed activities are fun workshops and games that take full advantage of the new waterfront park and its surroundings as well as an hour of water activities supervised by the organization GUEPE. The accessibility component also entails the introduction of a golf cart service directly on site, so as to encourage anyone who cannot walk long distances to fully participate nonetheless. Vehicles with handicap parking stickers will also be allowed on site at all times. The service runs until September 3, 2021.
Transitional installations and an invitation to imagine the future waterfront park
In addition to the water sports activities, the transitional installations put into place in the new waterfront park include a series of user-friendly public spaces created by Ilot 84, a range of food options as well as a diversified cultural program that includes a component of the Festival de Musique Émergente (FME) from August 6 to 8. The Service des grands parcs, du Mont-Royal et des sports is also holding a citizen participation process, up until July 31, to gather input on the design and programming of the future park at realisonsmtl.ca.
