Nature by public transport

When you are a newcomer and have settled in the heart of Montreal, it is not necessarily easy to have access to the outdoors. First you have to know where to go, then find a way to get there.

“It’s expensive to rent a car,” says Mina, a Frenchwoman who arrived in the country six years ago. We have to plan well in advance, we have to find people to share the costs, hoping that they don’t let us down at the last minute. »

There are organizations that help newcomers and immigrants gain access to the outdoors, such as the Intercultural Outdoor Program of the Milton-Parc Recreation Association. The small organization offers a variety of activities, such as cross-country skiing and skating in the winter and hiking and kayaking in the summer.

“We want to get outdoors so that newcomers and people from here can meet,” explains Robin Montagu, assistant coordinator of Plein air interculturel.

The organization therefore promotes the use of public transport to travel to nature. She recently participated in a meeting organized by the CITIM (Key for the integration of immigrants into the workplace) to offer tips to newcomers who would like to access nature without a car.

You can rent a car, of course, or use Communauto, says Robin Montagu. You can also search Facebook for groups that are passionate about hiking, biking, kayaking and other outdoor activities.

And there is public transport. Already, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) metro and bus network provides access to the city’s major parks, such as Mont-Royal, Jean-Drapeau and Île-de-la -Visitation. But you have to dare to leave the island and look at other networks. Thus, the Société de transport de Laval (STL) notably provides access to the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park. For its part, the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) offers shuttles on weekends to Parc national du Mont-Saint-Bruno.

Exo gives access to the various transport companies serving the North and South Crowns. This includes commuter trains, which can lead to beautiful destinations. It is obviously necessary to study the timetables carefully because they are less frequent on weekends.

Apps like Transit And Citymappers can allow you to create your own routes without having to go through the websites of the different public transport networks. There are other more surprising, but particularly interesting resources, such as the river shuttles (Navark). Several routes have been put on ice during the pandemic, but most will be back this summer.

“Already, leaving on a shuttle, it makes a cut”, notes Robin Montagu. Indeed, we have a small feeling of vacation as soon as we set foot on the shuttle that transports us to the Parc des Îles-de-Boucherville.

Girl to the rescue

There are still destinations that are less accessible by public transport, even on the island of Montreal. To access the Cap-Saint-Jaques park, in the west of the island, you have to endure a metro journey and two bus journeys.

This is where Nana comes into play. Nana is Navette nature, which offers transportation to major parks — Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Mégantic, Yamaska, Mont-Ham, Mont-Orford, etc.

Thanks to a partnership with the City of Montreal, Navette nature offers a number of free outings to three major Montreal parks, namely the famous Cap-Saint-Jacques, Bois-de-Liesse and Pointe-aux-Prairies. However, these destinations fill up quickly, so keep an eye out for announcements from Navette nature on its website and on its Facebook page.

Cycling, finally, is a good way to reach beautiful parks. You can take a BIXI or find a nice used frame, at Vélo Urbain, in particular. Robin Montagu notes that some immigrants, especially women, have not had the chance to learn to ride a bicycle. Plein air interculturel offers easy outings to help them get used to this mode of transportation.