The team of candidates of Projet Montréal in Outremont is committed to greening Outremont at an accelerated pace in the next 4 years: green alleys, green extensions, tree plantings on avenues as well as in parks and mini-forests will be part of their platform. "Outremont has a large and diversified vegetation cover but we must go further to improve our natural heritage. Our borough is 2nd in the City of Montreal for its canopy index at 34% but we want to reach 40% in the coming years to reduce heat islands, enhance biodiversity and increase the value of our territory," said Philippe Tomlinson, mayor of Outremont and candidate for mayor.
To achieve this, several commitments will be put forward by the team of Projet Montréal Outremont :
- Planting of trees on the commercial arteries Van Horne, Bernard and Laurier;
- Planting of 1,000 additional trees over four years in the borough's parks and grounds, including fruit trees;
- Doubling the number of green alleys;
- Creation of new collective gardens, open to all;
- Creation of 2 mini-forests, a concept that is up to 30 times denser than a classic forest and supports 20 to 100 times more species;
- Increase of green extensions in the avenues;
- Improved tree biodiversity in public domain plantings;
- Creation of a register of noteworthy trees, created in partnership with our residents;
- Greening of public parking lots
Biodiversity
"Thanks to the Outremont Urban Forest Management Plan, we know that we must diversify the species of trees that we plant on our territory. Increasing the planting of perennial flowers rather than annual flowers allows us to have less maintenance and to improve our biodiversity in a long-term view," said Jill Lance, candidate in Robert-Bourassa who has, among other valuable experiences, a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Montreal. In addition, the creation of two mini-forests, subsidized by the City of Montreal as part of its participatory budget, will increase the canopy and provide islands of biodiversity for the survival of plant and animal species, making our public streets more beautiful and pleasant for all.
Protection of trees
In Outremont we are fortunate to have inherited an exceptional natural heritage with the presence of our trees. The first step that we will pursue is to properly protect the existing trees on our territory. To achieve this, we must continue to invest in the preventive pruning of our public trees, but especially in their protection. "We are committed to implementing rigorous tree protective measures during road repair, construction and development work on both the public and private domains. We will also implement a cyclical maintenance program for our public trees," continued Valérie Patreau, Projet Montréal candidate in Joseph-Beaubien and head of parks, sports and environment.
Commercial arteries
"Van Horne Avenue will be renewed in the next few years and in addition to calming it for safer active travel, we need to green it to enhance its appeal and offer a better experience to our residents and business patrons, especially in the eastern part of the borough," added Fanny Magini, candidate in Jeanne-Sauvé and head of the commercial file. In addition, 100% of the plant plots on commercial avenues such as Laurier, Bernard, Vincent d'Indy and Lajoie will have to have a tree and be planted with flowers or perennials.
An impressive record of Projet Montréal Outremont over the past 4 years
- Greening of dozens of extensions (Hartland, Lajoie, Bloomfield, Durocher, Glendale, Claude-Champagne, Champagneur, Dunlop, etc). In 2019, 115 m2 and in 2020, 367 m2, added to the greening of the borough as a result of these projections;
- Revision of the green alley policy to promote the creation of new green alleys following citizen requests;
- Demineralization during road repair projects, notably Duchastel Avenue, with more than 370 m2 greening achieved;
- Addition of 5 collective gardens (Îlot St-Viateur, Library, City Hall, Beaubien Park and Maison des Jeunes);
- Implementation of the Cultivons Outremont event and free distribution of plants and compost to the population;
- Creation of a new neighbourhood park, Pierre-Dansereau Park, with tree plots and integrated rainwater management;
- Complete re-greening of Kennedy Park;
- Planting of fruit trees and shrubs in our parks to promote greater biodiversity (140 trees in 2020 alone);
- Greening of St-Joseph Boulevard (240 m2);
- Development of a management plan for the urban forest;
- Mandatory greening of commercial terraces;
- Replacement of annual flower planting with perennial planting;
- Creation of a new ecological transition fund;
- Creating a Monarch Butterfly Garden at City Hall;
- Established a new irrigation and shade system to protect trees to be planted;
- Conducted a study to improve the ecological management practices of public lands and green spaces;
- Implemented a program to support awareness of the ecological transition with the borough's schools and daycares.
