The ecological transition
and synthetic fields

The real issue is not soccer but the willingness of elected officials to truly commit to a just ecological transition

By Line Bonneau

May 25, 2023

The growing outcry from residents, visitors and lovers of Mackenzie King Park in the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (CDN-NDG) borough against the installation of a multi-sport synthetic field announced in the October 2022 budget has nothing to do with soccer. Yes, the borough claims that this project is in response to a longstanding request from the NDG Soccer Association. Yes, the borough says it wants to provide a field that can withstand many hours of recreational, competitive and elite soccer with a durable synthetic surface. And, yes, the borough says that it is unacceptable that Côte-des-Neiges children registered for organized soccer often must travel to Notre-Dame-de-Grâce to participate in games.

But let’s be clear here: no one is against sports.

The real issue is not soccer but rather the willingness of elected officials to truly commit to a just ecological transition. One measure of such a commitment, so hoped for by those engaged in protecting the park, would be to stop selling off our public natural spaces and instead protect remaining natural sites such as Mackenzie King Park. Alas! After nearly eight months of questions from citizens at Borough Council, the elected representatives of the majority party in CDN-NDG seem determined to act against their own green rhetoric.

On the heat maps, the green shading of the natural grass of the park provides a stark contrast to the red of the surrounding concrete and asphalt as well as the synthetic fields of Collège Notre-Dame, Collège Brébeuf and Martin Luther King Park.

The Mackenzie King quadrangle, which includes a park and a wooded area (Dora-Wasserman Woodland) is 5.6 hectares in area and is located in a densely built and populated neighbourhood, three blocks from the dozen or so lanes of traffic and pollution from the Decarie Boulevard and highway. It is warmer and has less vegetation than 65% of the other neighbourhoods in the Montreal metropolitan area. The people who live there have a lower median income than 96% of the residents of the other neighbourhoods in the metropolitan area ¹. They are also largely tenants of buildings built in the middle of the last century that overheat during heat waves. On the heat maps, the green shading of the natural grass of the park provides a stark contrast to the red of the surrounding concrete and asphalt as well as the synthetic fields of Collège Notre-Dame, Collège Brébeuf and Martin Luther King Park. Under these circumstances, it is clear that the Mackenzie King quadrangle is the lungs, the cooling island of the neighbourhood, the sustainability of which cannot be assured with the presence of a synthetic field.

The large natural grass field at Mackenzie King Park with dandelions (May 2023) – Image: Marc Perez

A synthetic field in Mackenzie King Park would destroy 33% of the park’s turf or more than 40% of the large areas of grass. As a consequence, this would: cause an increase in the surface temperature of ten to sixteen degrees compared to natural grass, creating a heat island that would emit more than 56 tons of CO2 over a ten-year period; introduce “forever chemicals” (PFAS) that the federal government has designated as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA); remove a large natural surface area for pollinating insects thereby destroying the biodiversity of the area; and, according to the Conseil régional de l’environnement (CRE-Montréal), could even impact the ecological health of the woodland.

It is also worth noting that this neighbourhood has 62% foreign-born residents and more immigrants than 97% of the neighbourhoods in the metropolitan area. If the borough mayor is concerned that people are not showing up at borough council meetings to support the synthetic field because of a lack of time or resources or unfamiliarity with the workings of our institutions ², it is even more worrisome that the residents who will be directly affected never heard of this project. There have been no impact studies and only one information session. Whether meeting residents at the annual flower distribution on May 13, approaching them during the week or on weekends in the park, or talking to neighbours, local residents are woefully unaware of the borough’s plans for the park. On the other hand, everyone seems aware that the natural grass must be maintained to continue to enjoy the fresh air of the park and leave behind the overheated buildings for a few hours.

‘Engaging in a just ecological transition means considering our public parks as collective nature reserves to make our neighbourhoods and all our residents more resilient to the challenges of the climate crisis and the collapse of biodiversity.’

With this synthetic field project, not only are the CDN-NDG borough and the City of Montreal missing the boat on the ecological transition, but they are also failing to protect the most socially and economically vulnerable residents from the effects of climate change by upsetting the park’s entire ecosystem – the relationship between community and natural spaces, and the fragile relationship between the park and the woodland. Last fall, the AmiEs du boisé Dora-Wasserman shared with the borough their assessment of the citizen’s project to revitalize the woodland after four years of work: the current challenge is to reduce the human pressure on the woodland by designing Mackenzie King Park in a way that provides additional freshness for users.

Nevertheless, the borough is instead choosing to divert the ecosystemic services provided by the natural lawn and the Dora-Wasserman woodland to a synthetic field whose CO2 emission will mobilize the sequestration functions of almost all the trees of the Mackenzie King quadrangle. This same population will also be exposed to known health impacts. PFAS are known to accumulate in the body. A recent status report shows the health effects of these “forever chemicals” magnify the need to reduce our exposure ³. It is also well known that extreme heat can worsen the health of people with chronic, cardiac or respiratory diseases. For a low-income population, air conditioning may be an unaffordable expense.

The issue of Mackenzie King Park is a very concrete example of the need for citizens to take an active interest in the future of the few natural spaces, including local public parks, that are left.

Our public parks are not for sale, for gift or for development. Engaging in a just ecological transition means considering our public parks as collective nature reserves to make our neighbourhoods and all our residents more resilient to the challenges of the climate crisis and the collapse of biodiversity.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.

1. Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/info/2022/07/ilots-chaleur-villes-inegalites-injustice-changements-climatiques/ Accessed May 22, 2023
2. Nicolas Monet (May 7, 2023). CDN-NDG: un projet de terrain synthétique qui divise. Journal Métro. journalmetro.com/local/cote-des-neiges-notre-dame-de-grace/3068596/cdn-ndg-un-projet-de-terrain-synthetique-qui-divise/
3. Fenton SE, Ducatman A, et al. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity and Human Health Review: Current State of Knowledge and Strategies for Informing Future Research. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2021 Mar;40(3):606-630. doi: 10.1002/etc.4890.

Feature image: Teenagers from a nearby school meet at the park for a game of roundnet – by Line Bonneau

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Line Bonneau was recognized as a volunteer emeritus by Les amis de la montagne for her exemplary leadership (Honourable Mention – Prix du Mont-Royal 2020). She created a volunteer group, Les AmiEs du boisé Dora-Wasserman, to support a project to revitalize an urban woodland. She campaigns for the protection of natural urban spaces. facebook.com/boiseDW • facebook.com/mknaturel