After months of uncertainty, MP Manon Massé officially opposes the construction of an electrical transformer station on the grassy area north of the Grande Bibliothèque.
Mme Massé, who represents this sector of Montreal in the National Assembly, describes the arrival of such a technical building as a “catastrophe for our neighbourhood.”
Mme Massé believes that a green light from Quebec is imminent in this matter.
“I ask the minister not to issue a decree, and to take the time to consider the other options that I am proposing to her for the good of the people in my neighborhood,” explained the MP to The Press, Tuesday.
Hydro-Québec confirmed last year that it intends to build an electrical transformer station on the large vacant lot at the corner of Berri and Ontario streets. It currently belongs to Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), but must be transferred to the Crown corporation. The site is one of the few green spaces in the Latin Quarter, but Hydro-Québec says it is its only option. The infrastructure must replace the current Berri station, which is at the end of its useful life.
“I’ve been working for years to ensure that this space sees the birth of projects for my community, whether in terms of housing or cultural productions,” explained Manon Massé in a telephone interview. Her fellow citizens “don’t want to see this site disappear either.”
Alternatives
Manon Massé is asking Québec and Hydro-Québec to consider the possibility of locating her future electrical transformer station on the northeastern part of the Voyageur block, at the corner of Ontario and St-Hubert. The site is currently occupied by a building that appears to have been under construction for over a decade.
The elected official would also like the possibility of splitting the electrical station in two to be studied.
“I invite you not to sign the decree concluding the agreement to sell the BAnQ site,” she asks in a letter sent to Christine Fréchette, François Legault’s new Minister of the Economy. “I wonder whether all the options have really been evaluated.”
The mother of the Grande Bibliothèque, Lise Bissonnette, has already expressed her strong opposition to the Hydro-Québec project, as has the founder of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), Phyllis Lambert.
Last May, the City of Montreal removed a first obstacle in Hydro-Québec’s path, obtaining in exchange that the state corporation launch an architectural competition to design the infrastructure.
Hydro-Québec has already indicated that it is “not planning a substation at this location with a light heart.” “As we speak, there are no other credible land options to build this project,” said Maxence Huard Lefebvre.