News

Mount Royal Park to expand by the equivalent of five soccer fields

by Lorraine Carpenter

With 40% fewer parking spaces and the redevelopment of the Royal Victoria Hospital grounds, a new mountain entrance will be created and the ringneck snake habitat will be protected.

Today the City of Montreal announced the largest expansion to Mount Royal Park in a century.

In keeping with the biodiversity theme of the ongoing COP15 conference, the city is reclassifying land on the old Royal Victoria Hospital grounds as part of a plan to grow the park’s green space by three hectares and preserve the habitat of the threatened ringneck snake. Work on this part of the land will also include a new entrance to the mountain park from downtown.

The two-decade project also includes a major restoration of Maison Smith and the surrounding area, a plan that includes the “revegetation” of 40% of the parking spaces between the house and the Beaver Lake Pavilion.

“Mount Royal is an emblem of the metropolis that is dear to us. Today, we are making a historic gesture with its expansion!

“This vast collective project will unfold over 20 years and will add the equivalent of over five soccer fields to Mount Royal Park. This is the largest expansion of the park in 100 years.”

–Valérie Plante

For more on the expansion of Mount Royal Park, please visit the City of Montreal website.

Mount Royal Park to expand by the equivalent of five soccer fields

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by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.