The City of Montréal’s proposal for repurposing the Remembrance/Camillien-Houde axis, made public on 12 March, marks a pivotal step in the future of Mount Royal as a living and historical place whose natural cultural, social, heritage significance has shaped Montreal’s landscape and collective imagination. In keeping with its mission to protect and enhance Mount Royal, Les Amis de la montagne is giving this major project its full attention. Key considerations should be addressed to ensure that the proposal is supportive and respectful of the site’s ecological integrity and historical significance for the benefit of all Montrealers and their visitors.
Les Amis de la montagne views the repurposing Mount Royal’s Remembrance/ Camillien-Houde axis as a unique opportunity to deliver an exemplary project that reconciles the protection and long-term sustainability of Mount Royal’s ecological network, the enhancement of its iconic landscapes, and the development of visitor experience on the mountain.
For decades, Montrealers have expressed a deep attachment to the mountain and a shared aspiration for it to be recognized as a living symbol of nature in the heart of the city, always accessible, welcoming and deserving of the respect inherent in its heritage status. Rethinking the design of this corridor calls upon us as a community to exercise responsibility in implementing informed and effective measures that will ensure an essential nature culture balance where public access is made possible in environmentally sensitive habitat areas.
While Les Amis supports the City’s ecological transition and climate adaptation goals, the current repurposing plans for Remembrance/Camillien-Houde raise key questions, and we will engage with the City to understand how the project will ensure:
- respectful and safe coexistence of all users, namely through development choices and the application of measures designed to prevent public space use that runs counter to the vision of universal accessibility and protection of vulnerable persons on Mount Royal;
- integration of the repurposed corridor into the existing formal park trail network, and inhibition of informal trail development;
- universal, user-friendly, and safe year-round access between park destinations, from both the east and west sides of the mountain;
- effective management of the increased use of Remembrance Road which become the only multimodal access to Mount Royal Park’s Beaver Lake, Smith House and Chalet sectors, to adequately accommodate not only cars but also public, school, tourist and active transportation;
- integration of sustainable ecological stormwater management in this sector of Mount Royal, including minimization of peak runoff flows from Camillien-Houde and reduction of runoff impacts on certain heritage artifacts;
- optimized integration of the repurposed way with Greater Montreal’s mobility network, and improved access to key destinations within the Mount Royal Heritage Site;
- enhancement of the exceptional landscapes along the corridor, including the stunning views through the cemeteries and the rock face that reveal the mountain's unique ‘geological personality’;
- adoption of a design vision grounded in the site’s spirit of place (genius loci), aligned with its high heritage value and the ecological sensitivity of its environments.
Les Amis supports the City’s intention to maintain public transit access up the mountain from the East, with a shuttle service along Camillien-Houde, in response to the need to optimise universal, equitable and sustainable accessibility to the heart of the mountain, benefitting Montrealers and their visitors while limiting the environmental impact of motorized mobility. Les Amis de la montagne will endeavour to ensure that this project meets the highest standards of quality and fulfill expectations for this exceptional collective asset which we have a shared responsibility to protect and pass on to future generations.
