From the COVID-19 pandemic to COP15, the Plante administration has multiplied the number of speeches to praise the benefits of greening and the multiplication of green spaces. However, when the time comes to move from words to deeds, when the time comes to protect an existing park, already frequented by a real community of users, concrete commitments are rare. However, a park is much more than a park…
With its 80 mature trees, the park, our park, is a green space that thousands of citizens have appropriated. On the small path, friendships were formed. At the picnic table, we break loneliness, with or without our dog, we socialize and we overcome isolation. A symbol of the special bond that unites Montrealers from various neighbourhoods, Parc Mali benefits from a users’ association which, each year, carries out chores, organizes activities and, above all, leads a support network that allows young and less young to enjoy city life.
In terms of social capital, this little piece of greenery is worth its weight in gold! For these men and women who have chosen to stay in town, for these families who resist the call of the suburbs, a bit of greenery can make all the difference.
After all, what’s the point of living on the island if it’s to isolate yourself in a tower and an apartment of a few square feet?
While the number of dog owners increases and we are predicted of the densification of the MIL campus, this park has been threatened for many years. But it’s not just these square feet that are threatened, it’s also those citizens who take advantage of too few canine spaces to discover pet therapy, those teleworkers who take a break to get out of their homes and improve their mental health. or those old people who go for a walk every day and do a bit of exercise. Let’s take the whole list of benefits associated with green spaces and it is clear that they are threatened by the lack of concrete commitment in favor of the preservation of this space.
Barely a few weeks ago, the planet met in Montreal to protect more forests, more species and above all more biodiversity. That meant fewer heat islands. For us, this meant that Montreal, the host city, also wanted to renounce any disappearance of parks, all the more so when they are at the heart of a human ecosystem like that of Mali Park. Well no. In addition, the City is pointing out fallacious safety arguments when, a few years ago, the City commissioned a report which concluded that the sector was safe.
The Mali park is still under threat. Despite commitments to transparency, scenarios are still waiting and City Hall still refuses to proclaim loud and clear that in 2023, destroying a park and its community is unthinkable. However, it would suffice to be consistent and to commit that, regardless of the development scenario near a park, bitumen will not replace greenery and that a park will remain intact. This is all the more paradoxical since the park in question is the one that Frédéric Back himself frequented. However, instead of planting trees, we have to believe that Montreal will cut them down and that the green space will be fragmented. In 2023, in the midst of the climate crisis, this is awfully lacking in courage. Because a park is much more than a park.