At the June borough meeting in Verdun, Mayor Jean-Francois Parenteau promised to announce the location of the proposed beach soon.
The beach to be built on Verdun’s shores for Montreal’s 375th birthday in 2017 became official last March, when Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre included the $4.7 million project among his key projects to bring Montrealers’ back to the waterfront.
Since then, locals have expressed concern about the Verdun mayor’s preferred location, and he seems to be listening.
Jean-François Parenteau has been talking about a beach in Crawford Park between the Natatorium and the greenhouse since last summer, but he told a Radio Canada journalist recently that he may change his mind due to environmental concerns.
According to local biologist Patrick Asch, the site at the foot of the Lachine Rapids serves as a crucial habitat for ducklings.
In my opinion, the most important reason for not building a beach on that site rather than the two other sites I analysed in the past is that this site is adjacent to the most important sector for raising duckling of all of the Lachine Rapids region (according to a study by Pierre Mousseau made for the Canadian Wildlife Service CWS in 1997). If the importance of not disturbing Wildlife in this area was sufficient to force the local rafiting company to change its path and arrival point in 1997, it seems highly improbable that the CWS would allow the construction of a beach which would disturb ducklings even more. This would put the CWS in default regarding their International obligations regarding the Migratory Birds Convention.
Asch said he could see no major concerns with the other sites, and volunteered to help the borough choose a good location for the beach.
Asch made his comments at the public information evening held by Parenteau in Borough Hall last month (Wednesday, May 27).
The evening attracted 205 people. Every chair in the room was full some of whom had to stand at the sides of the room and in the hall next to the room for the entire discussion, which began at 7:10 p.m. and lasted until 10:30.
Borough officials spent the first hour-and-a-half comparing the Natatorium site to three other possible locations: the auditorium, the marina, and the Quai de la Tortue waterfront park.
A 43-page PowerPoint presentation–UNE_PLAGE_A_VERDUN_27MAI2015_POUR_SEANCE_D’INFOVFF–was presented. It is also available as a download on the Verdun borough website.
After that 34 people made comments and asked questions.
Only three people spoke strongly in favour of a beach, with one person suggesting a parking lot be placed on the waterfront as well. He got the only boos of the night. Parenteau said that such a thing would not happen.
Seven people expressed tentative support for a beach somewhere in Verdun, with four of them doing so in support of Gabriela Jakubovits’ idea for an ecological beach that wouldn’t attract people in cars.
Other speakers were concerned about increased taxes, construction and maintenance costs, dangerous currents limited parking, noise, and other local priorities that should take precedence, such as a bridge between Nun’s Island and the mainland.
Note: This article appeared on page 18 in the City Edition of The Suburban yesterday.
