Old Field - Montreal - Shame on You

[xed]

This weekend, I had to cross the dreaded Torture Bridge to visit our vet clinic, Timberlea, for some medication. Since I hadn't been to the flying field in years, I decided to take the opportunity to swing by the school and walk down the path with one of my Aussies.

It was disheartening to see what has become of such a great location, thanks to the City of Montreal. :( There was a bit of litter scattered around and vehicle tracks crisscrossing what used to be the runway. It looked like someone had been camping there.

Nonetheless, it was fascinating to witness how quickly nature is reclaiming what was once a well-groomed facility. I hope the new field that the club has acquired turns out to be popular with the members.

[Mezri]

We dont have to give up to get it back...since the mayor of the city is changing soon we might need to insist a bit more...:tomcat:

[Sempai-mj]

Ronald had talks with the Mayor of Lachine who is on Valerie's team. We are waiting to see if anything develops.

[Florin]

We should show what this club was and what it is now, an abandoned field with a lock on the gate.
In the official survey made public, our club is in first place in terms of conservation, for the reasons cited in our letter to the municipality.
We use this small land, 0.1% of the entire surface, all year round. The other main activities are approximately 6 months from May to October. It is a huge investment in the acquisition of lands that are now abandoned, haunted by coyotes, dangerous for the existing fauna and perhaps for people.
Ottawa invested 50 million. Maybe we should escalate our issue to the governors there.
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/grand-montreal/2019-08-21/grand-parc-dans-l-ouest-de-montreal-ottawa-injectera-50-millions

[Ronald Longtin]

J’espère avoir plus d’info vendredi.

[xed]

We should show what this club was and what it is now, an abandoned field with a lock on the gate.


There is no lock on the gate by the way. It is unlocked and can be travelled by anyone willingly.

[Andrew Fernie]

While I am unhappy with losing the Pierrefonds field, I have to admit that if the city was actually doing something with it that benefited a large number of users I would find it difficult to justify keeping it to our, relatively small, club.

It is the fact that they kicked us out and then left it unused that really bothers me.

The situation at the main park across the road has also deteriorated in recent years. When our kids were growing up they liked visiting the farm. The buildings are still there, but all of the animals are gone. There must be some activity in the fields, but I sure don't see anyone working - it feels like visiting an abandoned farm. There was a cabin-a-sucre, and it now sits abandoned, with all of the lines to transport the sap removed. I do admit that they have kept the walking trails in good condition, but the number of visitors seems to be well down - the peak was during COVID when it was one of the only available activities.

It really looks like there has been lots of money spent on acquisition of the land, but no apparent effort into making use of the new land. Also, less money seems to be available to maintain what is already there. What a waste.

[Florin]

There is no lock on the gate by the way. It is unlocked and can be travelled by anyone willingly.

Interesting!
It looks like that city of Montreal hasn't passed since that day in the video below.
https://vimeo.com/837239810

[pierre sarault]

Comment:
Looks like City were too ambitious and did not have the vision, the means and the expertise to exploit all the possibilities of the land once it was acquired, nor were they listening.

[MichaelLevy]

Message deleted.

[briankizner]

Interesting commentary, Michael. I heard your name mentioned by the Beaconsfield mayor in discussions of the decision imposed on the West Island by Montreal.

[Sempai-mj]

Thanks Michael L. for sharing and it confirms about Valerie Plante's hearing abilities.