LACHINE CANAL: A GIANT STEP FORWARD FOR THE SUD-OUEST

The development of the Lachine Canal and area, financed by the Government of Canada and the City of Montreal to the tune of some 100 million dollars and by private investment of several dozen million more, will have a decisive effect on the development of the Sud-Ouest and its districts over the course of the coming decades.

A Focal Point for Renewal

Until the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Lachine Canal served as a waterway for the transportation of merchandise for factories located on its banks and elsewhere on the continent. By 2002, reconstruction of walls and locks, raising of bridges, and development of the shoreline were complete, and the canal was reopened for recreational boating.

The Lachine Canal has long been considered a focal point in the Sud-Ouest’s renewal. In 1989, the Comité pour la relance de l'économie et de l'emploi pour le Sud-Ouest de Montréal (CREESOM) had already identified the Lachine Canal as a focal point for the district’s renewal, notably for its tourist potential and the wealth of its industrial heritage (Redpath, Saint-Gabriel locks, Atwater Market, etc.).

A Community Demanding a Stake in the Project

The residents and socioeconomic players of the Sud-Ouest want a stake in the development of the Lachine Canal and adjoining area. They wish to provide direction to development generated by the project so that it benefits the entire Sud-Ouest community, reflects the identity of the Sud-Ouest and its districts, and helps improve quality of life. All this was made clear at the Forum canal de Lachine, a far-reaching consultation and mobilization exercise organized by RESO in spring 2000.

In all, some 900 people had the opportunity to attend the Forum. Participants were given the opportunity to voice their expectations and concerns, and discuss their projects at four public assemblies held in the districts of  Cote-Saint-Paul/Emard, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Little Burgundy and Saint-Henri, and seven forums attended by representatives of large companies, unions, small and medium-sized businesses and financial institutions, shops, small service companies and independent workers, health, education and cultural institutions, community organizations and participants in RESO activities.

Nearly 300 people also attended the synthesis forum, the culminating point of this exercise in consultation. The Rapport synthèse du Forum canal de Lachine was released for the occasion.

RESO, an Active Force in Consultation Surrounding the Lachine Canal

RESO is present and active in all areas of consultation concerning the Lachine Canal. It has participated, since its debut in 1997, in the Table de concertation du canal de Lachine, which brought together representatives of Parks Canada, four riverside municipalities (including the City of Montreal), various federal and provincial ministers and numerous private, community and institutional partners. It also played a very active role in the community programming committee in 2002 and 2003.

The Plan local d'action pour l'économie et l'emploi (PALÉE) 2007-2010 outlines courses of action regarding the Lachine Canal, namely:

• Holding a community-wide festival in the Lachine Canal zone.
• Realizing the Post Site project.
• Completing and diversifying first-phase public investments.
• Obtaining a second phase of public investments.

Société de promotion du canal de Lachine: Yes to Consultation-based Development

The Société de promotion du canal de Lachine, created in early 2003, took over from the Table de concertation du canal de Lachine. Its mission is to promote and encourage the harmonious development of the economic, tourist, cultural and social potential of the Lachine Canal and its area in a spirit of consultation and partnership.

The Société de promotion brings together key figures of different social, economic, institutional and government backgrounds from the boroughs of Lachine, LaSalle, Verdun, the Sud-Ouest and Ville-Marie, and Montreal itself.

On November 19, 2003, nearly 75 representatives from roughly 50 businesses, community organizations, boroughs in the island’s south west, and the public sector attended the first partners’ forum organized by the Société de promotion.

They reaffirmed the importance of an integrated and consultation-based vision of canal development, one with a Montreal and metropolitan perspective. They agreed that preserving heritage was essential for the canal’s development, that it was necessary to secure links between districts and the canal, and that measures should be implemented to encourage economically disadvantaged people in the districts to remain.

At the Corona Theatre on June 9, 2005, the Société de promotion launched its activities, which continued until October 14 of that year. Throughout that summer, Montrealers were invited to view the open-air exhibition Le canal de Lachine 1825-2005 : La part des femmes. The exhibition, spread over the length of the Lachine Canal, paid tribute to the many women who have made the Sud-Ouest and Quebec what it is today.

Moreover, boat tours in collaboration with L’éclusier and bus tours with L’autre Montréal were organized so that Sud-Ouest residents could discover, or rediscover, the whole rich heritage of their district. A series of gospel concerts was organized in homage to Daisy Peterson Sweeney in four churches of the Greater Sud-Ouest, and one night of poetry was held to pay tribute to the Ville-Emard poet Marie Uguay.

This year, the Société de promotion du canal de Lachine is organizing a new event entitled “Le canal de Lachine… de l'eau à la bouche.” Intended for Sud-Ouest residents, Montrealers and tourists, the event will showcase the Lachine Canal, Montreal’s Sud-Ouest, regional products and Montreal’s culinary specialties. The activity, which takes place August 15 to 19, 2007, has three themes: the discovery of agritourism and agrifood, nautical activities inspired by the canal’s versatility, and cultural activities. Access to the site will be free.