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Monthly Public Forum

Protection Dossiers

The Mount Royal Forum gives the community, both citizens and organizations, the opportunity to exchange ideas about issues and projects affecting the mountain. The forum is taking a summer break, back in September.

No to the project submitted for the Sulpicians’ former seminary

 Les amis de la montagne are pleased with the Ville de Montréal’s informed decision

Montreal, May 20, 2010 – Les amis de la montagne are pleased with the decision announced today by the Mayor of Montreal and the municipal administration, to ensure the protection of the entire site of the Sulpicians’ former philosophy seminary on Mount Royal by refusing the residential project proposed by Développement Cato.

“Les amis de la montagne consider this decision by the Tremblay administration as proof of a realistic vision for the future of Mount Royal. Our elected officials listened to the concerns of the great majority of Montrealers and analysed the project sufficiently to understand its impact on the heritage of the mountain,” said Mr. Peter A. Howlett, C.M., President of Les amis de la montagne.

“We recommended from the start of this dossier, one of the most controversial in the history of the mountain, that clear and precise regulations be drawn from the Mount Royal Protection and Enhancement Plan to manage all development projects, particularly for institutional properties, within the Mount Royal Historic and Natural District,” added Mr. Howlett.

Les amis de la montagne have always held the position that the residential project submitted by Développement Cato should not have reached the public consultation stage because it did not respect the exceptional site of the former seminary located within the Mount Royal Historic and Natural District, nor the historic, landscape and social values associated with this site and its interests for the community. To be acceptable to Les amis de la montagne, a project on this important site must ensure the protection of all green space and the reuse of the main building and must limit development to the existing built footprint of the site.

Read the release issued by the Ville de Montréal by clicking here (in French).

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Information:
Gabrielle Korn
Director of Communications
Les amis de la montagne
514 843-8240, ext. 237

OPEN LETTER: A GREAT VICTORY FOR MOUNT ROYAL

Decision on the former philosophy seminary

Montreal, Wednesday, May 26, 2010 - We welcome the decision by the Ville de Montréal to ensure the complete protection of the site of the Sulpicians’ former philosophy seminary on Mount Royal. It is truly remarkable that this decision taken by the Executive Committee was unanimously endorsed by the Municipal Council on May 20 last.

This decision was courageous, because pressure was very strong to break with fundamental principles by allowing the real estate market to transform the site into a collection of some 320 condominiums. In its decision, the city clearly stated that the economic development of our metropolis must be coherent with the principles of sustainable development. The city further specified that these principles must be coherent with the use of Mount Royal, which was decreed the Mount Royal Historic and Natural District in 2005 by the Quebec Government in recognition of its value to all citizens. We support this decision.

Mount Royal is far more than the park that bears its name. The great institutional properties that surround the park are part and parcel of the historic and natural district. These properties are destined to undergo significant transformation in the near future. It is therefore essential that the municipal and provincial authorities, on whom these institutions depend, establish regulations for their enhancement inspired by the decision concerning the philosophy seminary that limits development to within the existing built volume. In fact, the case-by-case approach that has prevailed until now has been very costly for Mount Royal, progressively reducing the mountain with each successive generation. This piecemeal approach has likewise been frustrating for investors and for citizens, unaware of the rules of the game. We are pleased to see that the city has cast this approach aside in order to reinforce the fundamental principles that will ensure the future of this emblematic heritage.

We must now close the circle. The decision regarding the former philosophy seminary reiterates a principle. We must now define the rules and turn them into by-laws, such that the frictions that preceded this decision are not repeated. The municipal and provincial authorities must make these rules permanent. In so doing, we will be able to enhance this collection of exceptional heritage assets and bring about the true sustainable development of Mount Royal that will serve to reinforce Montreal’s distinct personality.
 
Robert Alain, Executive Director, The EJLB Foundation
Dinu Bumbaru, Policy Director, Héritage Montréal
Marcel Côté, Senior Partner and Co-Founder, Secor
Peter A. Howlett, President, Les amis de la montagne
Phyllis Lambert, Founding Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Centre for Architecture