Parc Jean-Drapeau | The big boss leaves and calls on citizens to mobilize

The big boss of Parc Jean-Drapeau is leaving his post, has learned Press, and calls on Montrealers to defend the Expo 67 site as fiercely as they defend Mount Royal.

Philippe Teisceira-Lessard
Press

Renaud Coulombe will end his mandate on December 31, a few months after the unveiling of a revitalization plan for Notre-Dame and Sainte-Hélène islands, he confided in an interview. It will leave it to others to implement its “master plan”, which provides for investments of hundreds of millions of dollars over 10 years to green the park, develop its banks for walks and improve access with a river shuttle. .

Currently, it is an abandoned amphitheater, the Place des Nations, which welcomes visitors entering the park via the Pont de la Concorde. Its complete renovation is part of the plan. A significant reduction in parking spaces too.

“The main concern of my three years is the citizen mobilization behind this park,” explained Mr. Coulombe in his office located at the former Canada pavilion, with a breathtaking view of Montreal. He himself goes around the world by bicycle.

Before getting on his horse, he deplores the fact that Parc Jean-Drapeau does not occupy the same place in the Montreal public sphere as Parc du Mont-Royal, where each project unleashes passion and debate. “I dream that the same thing will happen for Parc Jean-Drapeau. With citizens who would put pressure on all levels of government to defend their park.

“If we haven’t done our job, kill us outside”

Because after the adoption of an ambitious master plan, the real challenge awaits Renaud Coulombe’s successor: finding the money to finance the transformation of the park.

“The future of the park is a political question,” he continued. The need is there. But is there the political will to turn this gem into a world-class calling card for Montreal? Mr. Coulombe says he has received positive signals from all three levels of government.

Around the board of directors table, a question was tormenting the staff of the park: “It must not be a white elephant, that case”, summarizes Mr. Coulombe, who fears the fate reserved for the last major master plan for Parc Jean-Drapeau in 1992, forgotten on a tablet.

This time, the winning conditions are met, believes Renaud Coulombe: “We have a team of executives, of project managers. […] We want to be measured. If we are behind the boat, let us know. And if we haven’t done our job, kill us out, because we want it to be. ”

“We are trying to find the balance”

Renaud Coulombe began his mandate in 2018, during the construction of Espace 67, the new performance site which required the felling of more than 1,000 trees on Île Sainte-Hélène. The project returned to the fore during the recent municipal election campaign: the mayoress frequently accused her opponent of having authorized this clearcut at the request of show promoters.

On Tuesday, Mr. Coulombe said he inherited a project already in progress. “We really did our best to make it the most up-to-date space,” he said. It is still an extraordinary space for shows. ”

But he does not hide it: the master plan of which he presided over the development constitutes a backlash. “Between the two vocations – the event vocation and the vocation of a large urban park – there is sure to be one which has fallen a little short of the other in recent years. We are trying to find the balance, ”he said.

The promoters have also coldly welcomed the unveiling of the master plan last spring: the CH Group, which organizes the Osheaga festival, has threatened to move if it is not given more space for its shows. Renaud Coulombe, he remains firm: “We do not question the event offer,” he said.