Inauguration of Dickie-Moore Park

Located at the corner of Beaumont and De l’Épée avenues, in the Parc-Extension district, the new green Dickie-Moore park welcomed this morning, among others, the mayoress of the City of Montreal, Valérie Plante, and the mayoress of borough, Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde, who came to celebrate the inauguration of this project intended to improve the quality of life of the neighborhood community. Another unexpected guest: the Parc-Extension Action Committee, which believes that this quality of life begins with social housing.

It was to the sound of music by Frank Sinatra that Valérie Plante, Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde, elected officials from the borough and the team from the Urban Planning and Mobility Department of the City of Montreal inaugurated the new park. Dickie-Moore, the cost of which is $5.4 million. Relatives of Hall of Fame hockey player Richard “Dickie” Moore were also on hand to receive the honour.

Parc-Extension, “a new green lung”

Shortly after having “tested” the slide, from the new Dickie-Moore Park, Valérie Plante addressed the audience, under a radiant sun.

“Finding yourself in a new park is always touching. It’s one of my favorite moments because we know that when we inaugurate a park, we inaugurate a living space, a meeting space, a gathering space, said the mayor. I am very happy that it is here, in the Parc-Extension district, a new green lung.”

As for the name of the park, the mayor of Montreal believes that it is “important to mark the territory with the name of those who have influenced it”.

“We know that Dickie Moore lived in the neighborhood. We know how much he inspired, through his career and his sporting achievements, so many young and old. He made Montreal shine like a hockey city.

It’s such an honor. I must tell you that when he passed away, I named the sun after him. Look up, it shines. It’s his day today. I would like to thank the City of Montreal and all those who participated in the creation of this special park. If he was here, he would be the happiest man in the world.

Lianne Moore, daughter of Dickie Moore

“An oasis in a highly densified, highly mineralized district”

Just as enthusiastic, despite the sudden crowd of protesters from the Parc-Extension Action Committee, the borough mayor, Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde, then took the floor and reiterated the need for the borough to have this type of green space in the context of the climate crisis.

« We hear a lot about heat islands and when we look at the map of the islands, the district of Parc-Extension, like that of Saint-Michel, in our borough, is particularly red, hot, on our beautiful summer days. . We must work collectively to increase the canopy, provide green spaces to the population. It’s a real breath of fresh air in the neighborhood,” she said.

A resilient park

This « oasis » of 4000 m² would have been thought out and fitted out according to « the best practices of ecological development » and according to the recreational needs of the residents of the district, who would have participated in the design process of the park.

The population will therefore be able to find a green relaxation area and a children’s play area, including a fun log course, a slide and water jets intended for both fun and refreshment on hot summer days. summer.

“From the start of the project, there was particular attention that was devoted to the mature trees that were present on the site, to offer a space of freshness to the citizens as soon as the park opened”, explained the Service de l planning and mobility during an interview with Subway. Some of these trees that were felled would also have been reused for the construction of game modules.

“There is a special effort that has also been made for the ecological management of rainwater by pooling rainwater from the street to the park. There is a whole connection of networks that is made to redirect rainwater from the street into the park via retention basins that have been built. We are in a concept of a resilient park which makes it possible to unload the water networks of the city in periods of heavy rain.

Special attention has also been paid to the materials used. “For the development of rue de l’Épée, the foundation was made from recycled materials. We also bet on the reduction of mineralization spaces. We see a majority of green spaces, but also, at the level of pedestrian paths, materials such as stone dust which allow infiltration.

“Neither condo nor bobo, we want social housing”

Despite the celebrations, the Parc-Extension Action Committee did not fail to take advantage of the inauguration of Dickie-Moore Park to raise the current issue of gentrification in the borough by chanting slogans to the attention elected officials.

Indeed, the opening of the MIL campus of the University of Montreal in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Montreal and in Canada had a sudden and noticeable impact on the price of rents, further accentuating the pressure on tenants to low income.

Addressing the demonstrators, Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde said that she was in agreement with their demands and expressed the feeling of helplessness shared by the municipalities in the face of the lack of funding from the provincial government.

“It is not the simple responsibility of the City of Montreal. Everything you say, we agree, but we have to shout it in Mr. Legault’s ears. We are doing it and you must do it too because there is $230 million for the creation of housing which is dormant at the moment between Quebec and Ottawa and that is absolutely unacceptable. We want this money here,” she said.

Asked about the role of elected officials in controlling the rise in rental prices, Mayor Lavigne-Lalonde pointed out to Subway the ongoing efforts of the Borough, within the limits of its jurisdiction.

« At the same time, we, as the City and as the Borough, are continuing to do everything we can in terms of regulatory changes, acquisition of spaces, support for community groups that want to develop housing to ensure that when the funds arrive, everything will be ready and we can already shovel the ground and build.”