Thirteen years after the death of trade unionist Michel Chartrand, Montreal will finally name a park in his honor. Located in LaSalle, the “Michel-Chartrand promenade” borders the St. Lawrence River east of the Honoré-Mercier bridge.
In 2015, five years after the death of Michel Chartrand, his daughter Suzanne-Geneviève Chartrand had signed a text in The dutysuggesting that the City of Montreal honor his memory by dedicating a green space to this tree lover in the city where he was born.
At the time, Montreal had considered paying homage to the trade unionist by naming a public space located near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge and the Centrale des Syndicats Nationaux (CSN). However, several difficulties related to this location delayed the project. As available public places are becoming scarce, the City had to wait for an opportunity to present itself in the fall of 2022 to find the ideal place to honor the memory of the trade unionist.
Located in the sector of the 90e Avenue in LaSalle, the Michel-Chartrand promenade stretches for approximately one kilometer along the St. Lawrence River.
The members of the executive committee ratified the new designation of the green space on Wednesday morning during its weekly meeting. The elected head of culture and heritage on the executive committee, Ericka Alneus, specified that the official inauguration of the Michel-Chartrand promenade would take place next April, on the occasion of the 13e anniversary of the trade unionist’s death.
Mr. Chartrand’s family welcomed the administration’s decision. “Along the great river and surrounded by greenery, what could be better for this nature lover? “, underlined his daughter Suzanne-Geneviève Chartrand.
Born in Montreal in 1916, Michel Chartrand was a figurehead of Quebec trade unionism. The fiery trade unionist was recognized for his determination and his outspokenness, constantly at the front to defend the poorest, the excluded and the voiceless. Between 1969 and 1978, he chaired the Central Council of Montreal (CSN). He died in April 2010 at the age of 93, killed by cancer.
Since 2010, a park in Longueuil bears the name of the trade unionist. This green space has made headlines several times in recent years due to the overpopulation of white-tailed deer observed there. Montreal also named a park in Ville-Marie in 1995 in the name of his wife, Simonne Monet-Chartrand.