Montreal's Green Revival: The City of Montreal presents an ambitious strategy to boost the appeal of its large parks and natural spaces and to support an active lifestyle

20 May 2021

Montréal

Go back to NewsMontreal's Green Revival: The City of Montreal presents an ambitious strategy to boost the appeal of its large parks and natural spaces and to support an active lifestyle

The city of Montréal is unveiling its Nature and Sports Plan today to make the city's Green Revival a reality. This plan presents the city's vision and priorities for revitalizing the appeal of its large parks and natural spaces, and for supporting an active lifestyle among the Montreal population of today and tomorrow. The four components of the plan will protect and connect Montréal's green spaces, strengthen the island's island character through better access to water, improve the accessibility and resilience of Mount Royal, and make Montréal more active in all seasons by offering a diversified range of activities and updating Montréal's sports facilities.


"Driven by a coherent and ambitious vision for green and blue spaces in Montréal, we are taking unprecedented strides to make Montréal a benchmark in urban ecology and an environment conducive to healthy lifestyles. Our administration is determined to offer Montréal a green revival, and this will involve improving its green spaces and the concrete well-being of families and the population as a whole. With this plan dedicated to green recovery, Montréal is positioning itself as a leader in the protection of biodiversity and the enhancement of its natural spaces. At the same time, it is committed to increasing the attractiveness of the city and the quality of life of Montrealers today and in the future," said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.


"We are very proud of this plan, which focuses on accessibility to natural spaces, unique to Montréal and significant to its international reputation. With the creation of five new green corridors, we are facilitating the appropriation of recreational mobility throughout the island, and achieving our biodiversity and revitalization objectives. Montréal's unique landscapes are at the heart of its identity, and our coherent and ambitious vision will help protect and enhance them, for the benefit of the entire population," added Robert Beaudry, who is responsible for real estate management and planning, housing, large parks and Parc Jean-Drapeau on the Executive Committee.


To support Montréal's green revival, the Plan is structured around four components: Green Montréal, Blue Montréal, Summit Montréal and Active Montréal. Through these themes, the Plan aims to highlight Montréal's attractions, to protect and enhance its exceptional territory, while continuing to develop unique experiences that will contribute to strengthening Montréal's appeal to the Montreal and international public.


Among its flagship projects are the development of the largest municipal park in Canada, the Grand parc l'Ouest, and the new nature park in the eco-territory of the bluff, including its north-south link. Also noteworthy are the planting of 500,000 trees by 2030, the network of five green corridors of approximately 110 km linking parks and living environments, the rehabilitation of 10 km of shoreline in the major parks and the creation of a 2,000-hectare nature centre in the east. The latter, like the Grand Parc de l'Ouest, will make it possible to protect the territories of the eastern tip of the island of Montreal and neighbouring territories through cooperation with the cities of Laval, Varennes and Repentigny. Targeted measures are planned for the protection and enhancement of Mount Royal, support for the boroughs in improving outdoor sports facilities, and the creation of environments that promote an active lifestyle on a daily basis.


This green revival plan concretely supports the implementation of the Montréal 2030 strategic plan, particularly through its commitment to accelerate the city's ecological transition. The city of Montréal plans to allocate $1.8 billion over 10 years to finance the various components of this recovery plan. To learn more about the Nature and Sports Plan, visit this link: https://portail-m4s.s3.montreal.ca/pdf/plan_nature_et_sports_0.pdf. Visuals are also available via this link: https://we.tl/t-EH5mxPxPqs.


A resolution recommending the adoption of the Nature and Sports Plan to the municipal council will be presented to the executive committee on May 26. The adoption of this plan will be effective following its adoption by the agglomeration council.