Montrealers Urge Plante Administration to Preserve Green Spaces Better

In this municipal council meeting, the Plante Administration is questioned by the Official Opposition and citizens, alike. 

During the question period from the public, Montrealers demanded insight on subjects such as the funds of the Societe de Transport de Montreal, the Reseau Express Metropolitain and the need for more green spaces.

A service officer of the Syndicat du Transport de Montreal brought up that the STM is wasting public funds, which amounts to millions of dollars, and that the Plante Administration should intervene. While the Syndicat du Transport insists it has attempted to schedule meetings with the STM, no-one has been followed through and the meetings have been cancelled. The service officer concluded by saying that the Plante Administration has to ensure that agencies and services manage their public funds well. 

Another citizen discussed the fees of the upcoming Reseau Express Metropolitain. They explained that the REM is too expensive in comparison to the STM, which will end up being more detrimental to Montrealers than helpful. The REM will allow more people to change routes and arrive to their destination faster, but the citizen insisted that it would also make the use of public transportation more difficult, especially for people working downtown. 

Nathalie Ainsley, a co-coordinator at Mothers Step In urged the Plante administration to better preserve and care for green spaces. She listed the example of Technoparc in the West of Montreal. In 2021, the Plante Administration had promised to protect a large part of the Technoparc: 175 hectares. However, Hypertec, a global technology company, wants to build its new green headquarters in Technoparc. Ainsley asked the Plante Administration what was their timeline in regards to holding up that 2021 promise and preserve the lands around the wetlands of the Technopark. 

Caroline Bourgeois, the mayor of Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles, answered that the preservation of green spaces and biodiversity is at the heart of Projet Montreal's political engagement. She reminded Ainsley that they took on a commitment in regards to Technoparc and intend to keep it. They are working with other services across the city to ensure the protection of biodiversity that is rich in the south of the park, and that this is what they will focus on in the upcoming weeks.