Montreal to expand Mount Royal Park, shave parking at summit

The city of Montreal wants to make Mount Royal Park bigger and better, touting the plan it announced on Monday as the park's largest expansion since it was inaugurated nearly 150 years ago.

Within 20 years, the city says an area equivalent to five soccer fields will be added to the park. 

To do this, the city says it will acquire — free of charge — three large swaths of land behind the old Royal Victoria Hospital building between now and 2036. It will transform them into a green space while also creating an access point to the park that will be located downtown.

The Société québécoise des infrastructures is currently in charge of the old Royal Vic site.

The city also plans to remove about 40 per cent of the 725 parking spaces next to the Smith House, at the summit of the mountain. There are also plans to plant more trees at the foot of the mountain.

The parking spaces will be removed gradually starting in 2024. That same year, work to upgrade the Smith House's porch, its basement washrooms and drainage system will also begin. 

"Our administration will hand down a Mount Royal Park that is greener and bigger to the Montreal population and future generations," Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante said during Monday's news conference.

The mayor also said that on most days, the parking spots next to Smith House are virtually unused, and she doesn't believe that turning much of that area into a green space will make it difficult for drivers to access the mountain.

"Five days a week, it's empty. It is a heat island," she said. "When the population is saying we need to act and we need to have more green spaces, we need to go to where it is accessible, possible and where it will make a difference. To me, this is huge."

Plante made the announcement as representatives of countries from around the world are in town for the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as COP15.

COP15, which kicked off last Wednesday, is scheduled to end next Monday. 

WATCH | Montreal's mayor explains the move to expand Mount Royal Park: 

Montreal plans to expand Mount Royal Park

2 years ago

Duration 0:00

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says the mountain will still be accessible to Montrealers, with 40 per cent of the parking spots going toward creating green spaces.