Citizens of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve were already worried about the integrity of Morgan Park with the arrival of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) from the East, but now they are even more concerned after reading the notice of classification of the Old City of Maisonneuve published on Saturday. The lot located along rue Notre-Dame and on which the REM de l’Est must travel is no longer within the perimeter protected by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications.
On Saturday, the Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, confirmed that the Ancienne-Cité-de-Maisonneuve, which notably includes the public market building, the old town hall — which has become the Maisonneuve library — and Morgan Park, will now be protected under the Cultural Heritage Act.
By comparing the notice of intent to classify published in March 2021 and the notice to classify the site published last Saturday, the citizens noted, however, that the strip of land located south of Morgan Park – and part of which was to be included within the perimeter of the heritage site — no longer appeared in the list of protected lots.
This land planted with trees belongs to the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) and it is in this space that the REM de l’Est must pass with its aerial structures.
“Since the beginning of the REM de l’Est saga, there have been promises made and we could see that it was [le parc Morgan] a problem. But there, it’s as if they had solved the problem, “said Patricia Clermont, spokesperson for the Regroupement des riparians de la rue Notre-Dame dans Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (RRNDHM), who speaks of an” unacceptable trick ” . According to her, this is a “serious threat” to Morgan Park.
Concern for integration
It was not possible on Monday to obtain explanations from the Ministry of Culture and Communications on the reasons which led it to withdraw this lot from the classification notice.
For its part, CDPQ Infra, which is piloting the REM de l’Est project, indicates that it has never requested the withdrawal of the lot belonging to the MTQ in the notice of classification. The subsidiary of the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec has always maintained that its intention was to move the REM from the east to the south of Morgan Park while minimizing its impact on the green space.
Three weeks ago, while presenting its architectural vision for the project in response to the concerns of the committee of independent experts, CDPQ Infra specified that it intended, in particular, to add bleachers with a view of Morgan Park, build a mound to reduce noise from Notre-Dame Street and plant trees to diversify the canopy.
Monday, however, CDPQ Infra was unable to say whether the passage of the REM would require the felling of existing trees on MTQ land.
“There is a concern for integration that is carried with the REM de l’Est”, argues for her part Catherine Boucher, press attaché to the Minister responsible for the Metropolis, Chantal Rouleau. “It will pass as far south as possible from Morgan Park because we are very aware of the concerns of citizens who have been using this park for a long time. »
A “consolation prize”
According to the former member for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Louise Harel, the green strip along Notre-Dame Street had been developed as “compensation” for the demolition of some 1,800 dwellings in the 1970s in anticipation of the extension of the Ville-Marie highway which never materialized. “There was a huge protest in the 1970s,” recalls Ms. Harel. “It hurt the neighborhood. You have to experience it to believe it. »
Following this event, streets were closed and trees were planted on the land bordering Notre-Dame Street. “It was seen as compensation. It became part of Morgan Park. It was a small consolation prize. […] There are very few green spaces in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Morgan Park is the only major park, ”explains the former elected official who considers it impossible to pass the REM without cutting trees and encroaching on the park.
During the election campaign in 2018, François Legault rather proposed a tram at a cost of 1.8 billion for the east of Montreal, she recalls. “I don’t understand how a project like the REM de l’Est can claim to serve the East. It is a metropolitan project, not an urban project. »