Schools, hospitals react swiftly to boil water advisory

CBC News: May 22, 2013

Today’s widespread boil water advisory has had many Montrealers scrambling, including employees and administrators at schools and hospitals around the city.

The Jewish General Hospital’s communications director Glenn Nashen said the hospital has enough water to last at least a couple of days.

“We do have an emergency supply of drinking water on hand at any given time and we immediately put in orders for additional emergency supply,” Nashen said.

All McGill University Health Centre hospitals are distributing bottled water to patients, and have put certain procedures on hold.

Richard Fahey, the MUHC’s director of public affairs, said all non-emergency dental operations were cancelled when they received the city’s communiqué around 11 a.m. this morning.

He also said the Lachine Hospital was not affected by the advisory.

Over at the English Montreal School Board’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Rosemont, school principal Michelle Stein first heard of the boil water advisory from a concerned parent.

Then, she said, she got a ding on her computer alerting her to a new email from the city issuing the advisory .

“I thought, ‘Oh dear, I have 323 children at the school I have to provide for,’” Stein said.

She immediately ordered that the water supply to the school’s fountains shut down, and then sent staff members to “raid” a local depanneur for water.

She’s asking parents to send their kids to school tomorrow with a day’s worth of water.

Related articles

• Water in most of Montreal unsafe to drink (montreal.ctvnews.ca)

Water boil advisory in effect – Avis d’ébullition de l’eau

Nostalgic, CSL Urban Agriculture plan adopted

Councillor Ruth Kovac, Mayor Anthony Housefather and Councillor Glenn J. Nashen celebrating adoption of the CSL urban agriculture initiative

The goals and principles stated in the Food Charter set the tone for all the “Côte Saint-Luc Grown” initiatives. Over the coming weeks and months, residents of all ages will have the opportunity to participate in urban agriculture, in whatever ways suit their lifestyle. They can sign up for a space in one of our new community gardens or plant their own backyard or balcony garden. They can participate in gardening classes at the library and get involved with the demonstration garden located behind it. People can shop at the CSL farmers’ market, subscribe to a food basket, and more.

All these initiatives, the brainchild of City Manager Tanya Abramovitch, are further explained in a comprehensive document available on the city’s website in English and in French.

I was pleased to support the adoption of this plan, as seconder at this week’s public council meeting.  The notion of growing and buying one’s food close to where they live is gaining traction as the rebirth of an olden day practice.

I recall the stories of my grandfather, Avrum Nachshen, the fruit wholesaler, who would buy boxes of apples, pears, oranges, lettuce, carrots… from the importers located at the fruit terminal on Richmond St.   He would service his customers at grocery stores throughout the city. This was his occupation from 1928 until about 1960.

As well, his brother, my Uncle Motle, had a grocery store called M. Nachshen.  (He was located on Duluth at the corner of City Hall, now Hotel de Ville in the 1930s and 1940s, then moved to Cuthbert, corner Clark, until about 1950, St. Lawrence near Villenneuve until 1970).  He specialized, and was famous for his sour pickles.

Then there was my Uncle Fred Schertzer who would pull up to our house on Cork Ave always with a trunk full of fresh fruit and veggies from the Marché Central.

So it seems appropriate, and somewhat nostalgic, for me to support this excellent initiative.  You can see it’s part of my roots!

Joe Schwarcz: No evidence radio-frequency devices are hazardous to health

Hydro-Québec (Photo credit: Lothann)

Smart meters are coming to Cote Saint-Luc.  Hydro Quebec has begun notifying residents that the new, more efficient mechanisms are on their way.

Some residents have expressed resistance to the move citing possible health concerns.

However, resident expert, “Dr. Joe”, or McGill University and CJAD fame, and a frequent speaker at the CSL Public Library claims that with over 25,000 research studies and no conclusive evidence to suggest concern he would be just fine having a smart meter in his own house.

Read Dr. Joe’s full article, published in the Montreal Gazette on May 4, 2013:

Joe Schwarcz: No evidence radio-frequency devices are hazardous to health.

Family Medicine to the rescue…throughout the life cycle!

Last chance to sign up for the 11th season of JGH Mini-Med School

The Jewish General Hospital’s (JGH) Mini-Med School is open for registration and spots are filling up fast! If you think you’ve got what it takes to gain a deeper understanding of family medicine, then all you need to do is bring your sense of curiosity and set aside a few evenings this spring, and be prepared to immerse yourself in the JGH Mini-Med School.

The aim of this four-week series is to alert patients to the ways a family doctor can help prevent illness and provide help at every stage of the life cycle, explains Dr. Michael Malus, who is JGH Chief of Family Medicine, Director of the Goldman Herzl Family Practice Centre, and the kick-off speaker this year. The lectures—mixing education with entertaining insights in down-to-earth language—will touch on all aspects of family medicine: how to prevent illness, manage medications more effectively, help your teen through difficult times, and be more effective at navigating the home-care system.

“Though graduates of the JGH Mini-Med School will not be eligible to actually practice medicine, the hope is that they will be better-informed patients who are better able to take control of their health,” says Glenn J. Nashen, JGH Director of Public Affairs and Communications. “The Goldman Herzl Family Practice Centre has just celebrated its 100th anniversary, so we felt that this was the perfect opportunity to share with the public all of the latest advancements in family medicine, and how the public can have a direct impact on long-term health care.”

The lectures will take place on four consecutive Wednesday evenings, beginning May 22, and climaxing with the final lecture on “graduation” night on on June 12.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

May 22

Dr. Michael Malus, Some Tips on Avoiding Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Dementia

May 29

Dr. Silvia Duong, Managing Medications: A Guide to Safer Drug Use

June 5

Dr. Perry Adler, Helping Teens Through Adolescence: The Psycho-Social Aspects of Adolescent Medicine

June 12

Dr. John C. Kirk, House Call to Home Care: Something Old is New Again

Where: Jewish General Hospital

When: Wednesdays from May 22 to June 12, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.

The fee is $40 for adults and $25 for students (with valid student ID) and seniors (60 and over) for all four sessions. The public can sign up at www.jgh.ca/en/minimed .

This educational series is now accessible at any time; presentations from years past can be viewed at jgh.ca/minimed at no cost. DVDs from three different Mini-Med series are also available at libraries throughout Montreal and Quebec.

Meadowbrook friends propose heritage park

Free Press. May 8, 2013. Click to enlarge.

On EP week, thank an emergency responder

Cote Saint-Luc’s finest in orange: volunteer Citizens on Patrol

As Emergency Preparedness Week winds down across Canada I believe it’s important for everyone to take a moment to thank someone involved in emergency services and emergency preparedness, especially those who volunteer their time.  It is because of these fine individuals and their sense of dedication that all of us are safer where we live, play and work each day.

Cote Saint-Luc’s long-serving EMS volunteers being congratulated by City Council

I salute everyone involved in Cote Saint-Luc’s Public Safety Department starting with our volunteers.  These folks who give so much of themselves within EMS and vCOP are terrific in so many ways.  Without salary, they show up for their shifts, rain or shine, heat wave or deep freeze.  They do continuous training and provide extra coverage at special events, all to ensure our safety.  They respond when called upon and are always at the ready.  Thanks so much to all of you.

CSL launches eco-friendly COP Scooter Patrol

Our CSL Public Security agents patrol our streets 24/7.  They are friendly and helpful professionals here to maintain order within our city, to educate our residents and visitors and to help when help is needed. They enforce our bylaws to ensure our neighbourhoods are clean and orderly.  Merci a tous l’équipe pour vos efforts remarcable.

Cote Saint-Luc volunteer Emergency Medical Services honour guard

Our emergency communications staff, also known as dispatchers, must answer all the phone calls and send the right resources, quickly and professionally.  They juggle phones, Urgences Santé and EMS radio systems, computer-aided dispatch screens and more. Thanks to them for keeping calm under pressure and for their polite and helpful interactions with residents.

Public Safety Director Jordy Reichson

Public Safety Chief Jerome Pontbriand

 

Our team is headed by Director Jordy Reichson and Chief Jerome Pontbriand.  Jordy oversees the entire operation of 150 volunteers and some 20 staff members.  He also plans for wide scale emergencies. Jordy deals with residents and partner agencies and plans strategically to keep our city safe.

Jerome works directly with our volunteers in vCOP and EMS.  He helps to bring them ongoing training and improvement to help them meet the challenges of servicing our city. Jerome is a seasoned paramedic who makes sure you get a first responder fast when you need one.

Both Jordy and Jerome are committed emergency professionals, dedicated to the safety and security of all Cote Saint-Lucers as well as those working and visiting here. YOu may even bump into one of them on a 911 call.

EMS Chief Sheldon “Shloime” Goldberg and his team of skilled and dedicated medics are always close at hand, ready to spring into action

So please be sure to salute our emergency responders that are in and around Cote Saint-Luc (and all across our country). In addition to those solely in our city I mentioned above, there are also Montreal police officers and firefighters and CP Rail police.  You’ll occasionally see the RCMP here as well.  And of course there are the paramedics of Urgences Santé, responding to all of our medical 911 calls.  Please thanks them for all they do to keep us safe and secure, for answering our calls, for being ready when we need them most.

Cote Saint-Luc Public Security officer Jean-Noel Champagne

 

Montreal’s emergency services prepare for major disaster

Montreal’s major emergency responders collaborated in 2012 to test their reaction and training to deal with disaster.  This effort, coordinated by the regional health board, highlights the response by ambulance and hospital, primarily, in dealing with a large number of injured and sick patients.

Being Emergency Preparedness Week I figured it’s a good time to be reminded of the preparation that’s underway to safeguard Montrealers.

A visit to the Montreal Emergency Preparedness Centre

L-R: CSL Public Security Chief Jerome Pontbriand, Montreal Fire Department Section Chief Gordon Routley, CSL Cllrs. Glenn J. Nashen and Ruth Kovac, FD Assistant Director Rick Liebman, CSL PS Director Jordy Reichson

As Emergency Preparedness Week is marked across Canada I took part in a site tour of the Montreal Agglomeration Emergency Preparedness Centre located at the Fire Department’s headquarters on Mount Royal.  Housed in a stately, mansion-like structure on sprawling grounds rolling down to Park Ave, the centre is ready, 24/7 in case of a large scale crisis anywhere on the Island of Montreal.

The mission of the Emergency Preparedness Centre (Centre de sécurité Civile) is to ensure the prevention of major accidents and to prepare boroughs, suburban cities  and central city services related to major risks and provide strategic support to the coordination of stakeholders in civil safety during disasters and disaster recovery.

While the website of the Emergency Preparedness Centre is full of information and resources, it is quite absurd that none of this information is available in English.  I was sure to point this out to fire officials on the tour, as I have done in the past.

Another excellent feature launched some months ago by the centre is an emergency notification service, also known as Reverse 911. This service will make outbound calls to thousands of agglomeration residents’ landline phones to signal a large scale emergency, such as warnings to stay indoors in case of chemical explosion, or to evacuate, or to boil water.  You can also manually register your cell phone for SMS and voice notifications.

Inexcusably, the registration page is not available in English however emergency centre officials assured me that the outbound calls are in French as well as in English.

I find it amazing that millions of dollars are well invested in emergency preparedness to save lives and property unless of course you cannot speak or read French, in which case does the city of Montreal really care about you at all?

I attended this otherwise excellent tour and information meeting with Cote Saint-Luc Councillor Ruth Kovac, Public Safety Director Jordy Reichson and Chief Jerome Pontbriand. Hats off to the personnel of the centre in doing fine work to try to keep us all safe.

Letter: Keep Meadowbrook for recreation

Re: ‘Beautiful future’ proposed for site of golf course” (Gazette, April 24)

Meadowbrook is an 18-hole golf course completed after the Second World War. It was originally a private course for CP employees, but in 1970 was made a public course for all to enjoy. The front nine is in Lachine, the back nine in Côte St-Luc. The land is currently owned by Groupe Pacific and their intention is to turn it into a $150 million real estate bonanza.

Fortunately, the demand is not there because of market forces, the economy and geography. Côte St-Luc took has long realized Meadowbrook is a precious green space and has zoned it as a golf course. Bravo! Lachine is guided by the all-mighty dollar and has not closed the door to real estate. Shame! The Meadowbrook Golf Club leases the land on a seasonal basis and runs the course from spring to fall.

Most Montrealers agree Meadowbrook is a jewel that must be preserved. Building houses and condos is about the last thing that should be done, nor is there a need. For a landowner to even contemplate this option is an affront to our fragile ecology, and a disservice to future generations.

A recent article in the Gazette described plans to turn the golf course into a nature park. This would of course be paid for by governments whose debts are in the billions, and whose infrastructure is literally crumbling. The island of Montreal has many nature parks. Mount Royal, Cap St. Jacques, Angrignon, Lafontaine and the Botanical Gardens are some of the larger ones, with many smaller parks in every borough and suburb. As well, off-island there are many more beautiful parks only a short drive away. Do we really need another one at Meadowbrook, and is it worth spending millions of taxpayer dollars to build?

What’s wrong with keeping Meadowbrook as a golf course? The number of golf courses on the island has been decreasing steadily over the past 30 years, with only a handful left. Of recent, Dorval has been cut in half and the Challenger has disappeared. Per capita, Montreal probably has the lowest number of public golf courses of any large Canadian city. This is nothing to brag about for a city that prides itself on sport and recreation, nor for a population whose obesity rate is 25 per cent (BMI over 29) and diabetes rate 8 per cent, and both climbing. Golf courses are good for body and soul, and the environment.

As a golf course, Meadowbrook has seen better days. The course needs improvement and the clubhouse is barely hanging on. The Meadowbrook Golf Club is reluctant to invest the big bucks because it never knows its fate the following year. This cycle of neglect must be stopped.

Meadowbrook needs a new perennial vision of recreation, sport and health promotion. The golf course should remain, but much more can be done over the four seasons. Cross-country skiing, skating, fitness, theatre, bike paths and nature trails can all be worked into the fabric of Meadowbrook. Place for social activities and gatherings can be found, and weddings could be celebrated on a refreshing green space. A train station could be built, and the STM could stop there, too. The sky’s the limit for Meadowbrook, as long as government decides real estate will never be built. Let’s get Montreal and Quebec to make this commitment so that a great future can begin.

Norman Sabin

N.D.G.

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Letter+Keep+Meadowbrook+recreation/8320576/story.html#ixzz2SEW7gdCM

In my opinion:

An excellent letter by Norm Sabin.  He presents a cogent and practical solution that benefits more than just golfers. The important element is to have the certainty that Meadowbrook will indeed be preserved as green space, as we have done on the Cote Saint-Luc side by zoning it golf course, long ago.

Related articles

• A vision for Meadowbrook: An urban nature heritage park, accessible to all (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

Jane’s Walk this weekend in CSL

 

The City of Côte Saint-Luc will be home to one of 50 neighbourhood walking tours around the island of Montreal on May 4 and 5, 2013, as part of the annual Jane’s Walk event across North America and the world.

Councillors Dida Berku and Steven Erdelyi, and David Fletcher of the Green Coalition will be leading the two-hour tour “Meadowbrook: A Treasure to Discover” on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 11 am starting at Richard Schwartz Park (Côte Saint-Luc Rd. at Westluke Ave., bus route 103). The walk is free of charge, but participants are encouraged to RSVP at dberku@cotesaintluc.org.

The Montreal-area walks are organized by the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre (www.urbanecology.net/walks).

Jane’s Walk is a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves. Since its inception in 2007, Jane’s Walk has happened in cities across North America, and is growing internationally.

Jane’s Walk honours the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centred approach to planning. Jane’s Walk helps knit people together into a strong and resourceful community, instilling belonging and encouraging civic leadership.

Read more:

Meadowbrook preservation highlighted in Jane’s Walk 2012

 

CSL launches urban agriculture / Arigriculture urbaine à CSL

Last week the City of Cote Saint-Luc launched its urban agriculture initiative.  Un aperçu général de l’agriculture urbaine dans la ville de Côte Saint-Luc.  Presented by Mayor Anthony Housefather, Councillor Dida Berku and City Manager Tanya Abramovich.

Related articles

• Côte Saint-Luc launches first-in-Quebec urban agriculture initiative (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

Andy Nulman: With Tragedy Comes Beauty

Andy Nulman: With Tragedy Comes Beauty.

Huffington Post: 04/19/2013

No, this is not about the horrific situation that has gripped the city of Boston.

This is about a horrific situation that gripped a family. My extended family. My cousins, to be exact.

A few weeks ago, my cousins Warren Roll and Kelly Goodman were told that their four-year-old daughter Jayden had cancer.

Tough to write, tough to read. Tougher still for a parent to hear. Watch this news report from Canada AM, or this one from CBC, if you really wanna choke up.

How Warren and Kelly responded, however, was inspiring. Even more inspiring is how you, the public, have responded.

Your response can help save a life…but it has already changed at least one, Warren’s. He shared his feelings with me, but I suggested he put it in writing so that I–and he–could share then even further.

So without any further ado, heartfelt words from Warren Roll, a grateful parent:

——————————————WITH TRAGEDY COMES BEAUTY
It’s been nine weeks now and every day is a new day. Sounds corny, but not when you live it.

We were a normal Canadian family living (relatively) carefree, when one day, just before Valentine’s day, our four-year-old daughter Jayden told us she had a headache. A few more days of uncharacteristic heavy fatigue from this rambunctious girl and we took her to the doctor. Fast forward two weeks, four IVs, one bone marrow biopsy and one transfusion and my wife Kelly and I are told our daughter has a rare blood cancer and her only hope for survival is a stem cell transplant.

These terrifying words are every parent’s worst nightmare.

The emotions are indescribable, and impossible to put into words.

And yet, it got worse. After testing Jayden’s two younger brothers to see if they were compatible donors the results were negative. We lost complete control and felt helpless as cancer robbed us of our ability to protect our baby.

We cried. A lot. We still cry. But we realized that now was the time to be strong and stay focused while Jayden was/is stable and with us. What could we do while waiting to see if there were other potential donors around the world? I told my family maybe we could find our own donor for Jayden, and for the thousands of kids and adults that are currently waiting for the right match in Canada, the U.S and around the world.

We started a Facebook Page. The word got out about our devastating news fast. First there was one friend, then 10, then 100 and then hundreds…there are a lot beautiful people out there in this world. Today there are 250,000 beautiful people that are reading and sharing the details of Jayden’s condition and reaching out to help save her.

We organized a stem cell drive in Montreal and through our network of incredible friends and family, drives to help save Jayden popped up all across North America. We have already tested the DNA of 3,500 people that want one help save her…and we are not done. We have drives scheduled in Toronto, New York, New Jersey, Long Island, San Diego, Los Angeles, and yes, even Boston.

Before all this, I had lost faith in the average human being. As we get older we become more cynical. I have too. I’m guilty of becoming selfish and pouring my energy into my career and my family, and disregarding friends and strangers in need. I didn’t expect much from my fellow neighbor…and I was dead wrong.

People care. There is a lot of heart in the world. More than I ever imagined. Not only friends and family but absolute strangers all over the globe… from Italy to Thailand from Israel to Australia, help and support continues to poor in to help save a little girl in Canada that just wants to grow up.

It gives me strength and courage to fight hard knowing how many good guys are left that want to fight together with me and my family.

Yes, we have been hit with a tragic situation. But through it, we have discovered a new beauty.

Thank you for helping us discover it.

 

Related articles

• Family seeks marrow donor to save four-year-old Jayden (montreal.ctvnews.ca)
• Stem cell donor drive held in Vancouver for Montreal girl (cbc.ca)
• Search for stem cell donor for sick four-year-old Montreal girl heads to Toronto (news.nationalpost.com)
• Stem cell donor drives for four year old girl in Vancouver, Toronto and U.S. (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

 

Opinion: Growing healthy communities

English: A small urban agriculture project in Amsterdam (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Côte-Saint-Luc project aims to connect people with their food – and with each other

BY ANTHONY HOUSEFATHER AND TANYA ABRAMOVITCH, SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

APRIL 23, 2013

MONTREAL – Imagine strolling through a park and plucking a ripe fruit off a tree as you pass by. In the not-too-distant future, this will be reality in the city of Côte-Saint-Luc. In the years to come, however, it will probably be a common sight in most cities across North America. Even in climates like ours.

Edible landscaping is just one element of urban agriculture, which is the practice of growing food in or around a city. On Thursday of last week, Côte-Saint-Luc launched its urban-agriculture initiative, which we’ve dubbed Côte-Saint-Luc Grown.

Our goal is to better connect people with their food, and also with one another. Food is one language that everyone has in common, and therefore activities that revolve around it are especially useful in growing not just healthy people, but healthy communities. Unlike other levels of government, municipalities have a unique opportunity to help shape and improve the habits of their residents because we interact with them on a daily basis. We provide recreational activities — and now in Côte-Saint-Luc we will be providing nutritional ones as well.

While we may be first in Quebec to adopt a Food Charter and a comprehensive urban-agriculture program, we are not pioneers. We are following in the footsteps of San Francisco, Toronto, New York and Todmorden, a village of 17,000 in the United Kingdom. Pam Warhurst co-founded Incredible Edible Todmorden, a food partnership that encourages community engagement through local growing. Watch her TED Talk presentation at Ted.com and you’ll understand how urban agriculture can have profound and positive effects on a community of any size.

Accessible to all, urban agriculture is the epitome of resilience and sustainability. Anyone, young or old, can participate and reap its numerous benefits, most importantly improved health and wellness, food cost savings, and social interaction. The environmental benefits and economic benefits are also significant.

During the Second World War, 40 per cent of what people ate was grown in their backyards; there is no reason we cannot attain that figure again. Municipalities can support urban agriculture by providing access to land, offering gardening courses, planting edible landscapes, and encouraging farmers’ markets, among other things. In Côte-Saint-Luc, we will be doing all these things and more in 2013.

Somewhere along the line, widespread knowledge about planting and gardening was lost. Things our great-grandparents knew about growing tomatoes or basil didn’t make to our generation. Cities can re-establish that lost knowledge, and make sure locally grown fruits and vegetables are part of our future. Cities needn’t be the size of Toronto to embark in urban agriculture; they just need to recognize its value to the communities of not just today, but tomorrow as well.

For more information, visit CSLGrown.org.

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Related articles

• Côte Saint-Luc launches first-in-Quebec urban agriculture initiative (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

‘Beautiful future’ proposed for site of Meadowbrook golf course

By Monique Beaudin, Gazette environment reporter April 23, 2013

MONTREAL — Bike paths, lookouts with views of Mount Royal and Lac Saint-Louis, silver maple forests, community gardens, cross-country ski and snowshoe trails.

That is how two Montreal environmental groups envision a new nature park they say could be built on the west-end Meadowbrook golf course.

“We think Meadowbrook has a beautiful future as a park for all Montrealers,” said Coralie Deny of the Conseil regional de l’environnement. “We want to make people dream. But we are convinced that this is a dream that can become reality in a few years.”

The 57-hectare golf course is privately owned by Groupe Pacific Inc., which in November filed a request to the city for a residential project on the property. Montreal had previously rejected its plan for a 1,500-unit housing project on part of the site because the infrastructure costs were too high.

The golf course straddles the city of Côte St. Luc and the Montreal borough of Lachine.

The area around the golf course has a dearth of green spaces, which is why the golf course should be converted to a park, Deny said.

Although the land has been used a golf course, with strategic planting it could become a preserve of biodiversity for the island of Montreal, said Patrick Asch of Les Amis de Meadowbrook. The site has different habitats — meadows, forests, wetlands and the Little St. Pierre River and is located on a bird migration route.

The city of Montreal will study the proposed park project, said Josée Duplessis, the executive-committee member in charge of sustainable development. Duplessis applauded the two groups for coming up with the plan, which was the result of a workshop held in December with urban planners, environmentalists, municipal officials and citizens.

“We have a new generation of ecologists who, instead of just demanding projects from public officials, present real, concrete projects that can be worked on,” Duplessis said.

The opposition Vision Montreal party called on the city to prioritize the project, and require all city departments to study it, party spokesperson Olivier Lapierre said.

“For years now this dossier has been stagnating,” he said. “We want all those city civil servants to have a copy of this document in order to find solutions … that can benefit Montreal taxpayers, but also benefit Montrealers who need access to quality green spaces.”

He pointed to the fact that other parks — such as Maisonneuve and Lafontaine — were once golf courses, so his party believes that Meadowbrook has a good chance of becoming a new park.

For nearly 25 years, debate has swirled over a series of plans to build houses on the golf course.

In 2009, a committee of Montreal’s agglomeration council recommended that Meadowbrook be turned into a nature park as part of a greenbelt that would include the Falaise St. Jacques in southern Notre Dame de Grâce.

In November, Groupe Pacific filed a building-permit request with the Lachine borough for a residential development, Duplessis said. But Montreal maintains the infrastructure costs are too high for that project.

Turning the golf course into a park does not necessarily require the city to buy the property, Duplessis said. There are issues about whether it could actually be built on, she said, pointing to the fact that it is in a flood zone and located next to the largest train yards on the island, Duplessis said.

“There are many things to look at,” she said.

mbeaudin@montrealgazette.com

Twitter: @moniquebeaudin

See the comparative map and drawings:  Two visions for Meadowbrook Golf Course