Although fence sections have started to be installed around the Palais des Congrès de Montreal in preparation for COP15, people will be able to access the Salon du livre de Montréal, which takes place from November 23 to 27, without problems.
“Access to the Palais des Congrès and the Salon du livre de Montréal is open; that’s what you have to remember, says Olivier Gougeon, general manager of the Salon du livre de Montréal. Could there be some mini-detours? It may be so: they’re putting up the fence, it’s on the move. But everyone is mobilized at the moment and everyone knows that the Salon du livre de Montréal must remain accessible, and it is therefore accessible. »
For the past week, workers have been busy around the Palais des Congrès de Montréal, in the city center. In turn, traffic lanes are closed to install the bases of very high fences that will secure the site during the 15e Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, December 7-19. Car and bus traffic is therefore partially blocked in the sector of Viger Avenue and Saint-Antoine and Saint-Urbain streets. Passers-by can already see sections of the towering fences as well as a police presence.
Publishers get busy
That said, the Palais des Congrès is open and accessible as usual, and it will be throughout the Book Fair, which opens on Wednesday. Tuesday morning, publishers were busy at the Montreal Book Fair, unpacking the boxes and placing the books on the shelves, says Olivier Gougeon.
“There is no obstacle preventing you from entering the Palais des Congrès before the start of COP15 activities,” explains Olivier Gougeon. Someone coming on foot may simply have to walk along a fence to the entrance and then go inside the Palace. Someone coming by car may have to make a detour to access the parking lot, but the parking lots are open. Anyone coming by metro has absolutely no hindrance – the metro entrance arrives directly at level 1 of the Palais des Congrès. »
The Place-d’Armes metro station, which opens inside the Palais des Congrès, will close on 1er December only, for three weeks, at the request of the authorities.
Note that students have given themselves a strike mandate to voice their concerns about what they consider to be a lack of political action on climate and biodiversity.