Some good news
for nature in Montreal

Creation of a park in the falaise Saint-Jacques ecoterritory and protection of a woodland in Rivière-des-Prairies

Updated October 3, 2020

We are pleased to present the recently released documentary film, A Virtual Tour of la Falaise, produced and hosted by Lisa Mintz.

Learn all about the Falaises’s fauna and flora and how it will be incorporated into the new 60-hectare Saint-Jacques ecoterritory park.

May 23, 2020 – Sauvons la falaise!, the Green Coalition, the World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) and the NDG Community Council are delighted with the two announcements made by the Plante administration. The City of Montreal has announced the creation of a 60-hectare park in the falaise Saint-Jacques ecoterritory and the acquisition of a large wooded area in Rivière-des-Prairies to ensure its protection.

“Sauvons la falaise! is thrilled with this announcement. This is the first step towards the creation of a new large park in Montreal that will contribute to green and blue connectivity for the island. We thank the City of Montreal, Mayor Valérie Plante and the many partners who have supported our efforts for over five years.”

– Lisa Mintz, founder of the group Sauvons la falaise!

The falaise Saint-Jacques ecoterritory park will extend 1.8 kilometres from the cliff to Notre-Dame Street. With wooded areas, wetlands and grassland, these 60 hectares of nature will help protect urban biodiversity and reconnect citizens to green spaces, at a time when contact with nature is more important than ever.

“The Green Coalition sincerely congratulates Mayor Valérie Plante and her team! Ms. Plante is preserving the natural spaces of our island metropolis and renaturalizing others, making our city greener from east to west for all Montrealers.”

– Sylvia Oljemark, Co-founder, Green Coalition

Image: courtesy of the City of Montreal

The new park also proposes the transformation of a former rail yard, as well as the renaturalization of 30 hectares of land currently located in the huge Turcot Interchange construction site. This request had been raised by many individuals and organizations during the hearings of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) and the City of Montréal.

“This is excellent news for the resilience of the territory in times of climate crisis, access to more nature for citizens and the protection of urban biodiversity. We congratulate Mayor Valérie Plante, her administration and all the players who contributed to the realization of her projects that will benefit the wellbeing of our community.”

– Sophie Paradis, Quebec Director for WWF-Canada

The city’s $5.4-million acquisition of a 3.3-hectare wooded lot in Rivière-des-Prairies will provide access to green spaces and improve the quality of life of area residents, while protecting an area particularly related to Pinel Creek, one of the areas of ecological interest in Montréal’s east end.

About Sauvons la falaise!

Sauvons la falaise! works to ensure the protection and enhancement of the falaise Saint-Jacques ecoterritory; the creation of a large Turcot la falaise park including the “dalle parc”; and the connection with other green spaces, including the future Meadowbrook Park. sauvonslafalaise.ca/en

About the Green Coalition

The Green Coalition is a non-profit association of groups and individuals with a mandate to: promote the conservation, protection and restoration of the environment and the rational use of green and blue spaces.
greencoalitionverte.ca

About WWF-Canada

WWF offers solutions to the major conservation challenges that we all care about. It conducts projects in unique places of great environmental value so that nature, species and communities can live together in harmony.
wwf.ca