Montreal casino hotel plan ‘an unacceptable commodification of a public park’

This morning, Montreal city councillor Craig Sauvé released a statement slamming Loto-Québec’s just-revealed plan to build a 200-room luxury hotel next to the casino on the Île Notre-Dame side of Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Sauvé, an independent borough council member representing the Sud-Ouest (formerly of Projet Montréal), criticized the City of Montreal for allowing what he calls “an unacceptable commodification of a public park.”

“Parc Jean-Drapeau is a jewel that deserves to be developed further, but not by adding a luxury hotel. There is no chance that this hotel will be able to respect the principles of sustainable mobility and tranquility. This project will increase the presence of automobiles and noise in a park with significant biodiversity.”

Sauvé urged the city to use urban planning bylaws to block this hotel plan, fearing that “Montrealers will lose access to an entire sector in the centre of Île Notre-Dame.”

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at this morning’s project unveiling, said that Loto-Québec (ie. the provincial government) already owns the land next to the casino, so it is not public space under the city’s control.

“There is no way that a hotel would be built on public spaces that the City of Montreal owns,” Plante explained. “For us, it’s a way to create a different type of offering for housing, for tourists.”

Loto-Québec will reportedly soon launch calls for tenders to begin the design process; the $150-million hotel project is due to be completed in two to three years.

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